cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Spatial translational motions of base pairs in DNA molecules: application of the extended matrix generator method.

We have used the elementary generator matrices outlined in the preceding paper to examine the conformational plasticity of the nucleic acid double helix. Here we investigate kinked DNA structures made up of alternating B- and A-type helices and intrinsically curved duplexes perturbed by the intercalation of ligands. We model the B-to-A transition by the lateral translation of adjacent base pairs, and the intercalation of ligands by the vertical displacement of neighboring residues. We report a complete set of average configuration-dependent parameters, ranging from scalars (i.e., persistence lengths) to first- and second-order tensor parameters (i.e., average second moments of inertia), as well as approximations of the associated spatial distributions of the DNA and their angular correlations. The average structures of short chains (of lengths less than 100 base pairs) with local kinks or intrinsically curved sequences are essentially rigid rods. At the smallest chain lengths (10 base pairs), the kinked and curved chains exhibit similar average properties, although they are structurally perturbed compared to the standard B-DNA duplex. In contrast, at lengths of 200 base pairs, the curved and kinked chains are more compact on average and are located in a different space from the standard B- or A-DNA helix. While A-DNA is shorter and thicker than B-DNA in x-ray models, the long flexible A-DNA helix is thinner and more extended on average than its B-DNA counterpart because of more limited fluctuations in local structure. Curved polymers of 50 base pairs or longer also show significantly greater asymmetry than other DNAs (in terms of the distribution of base pairs with respect to the center of gravity of the chain). The intercalation of drugs in the curved DNA straightens and extends the smoothly deformed template. The dimensions of the average ellipsoidal boundaries defining the configurations of the intercalated polymers are roughly double those of the intrinsically curved chain. The altered proportions and orientations of these density functions reflect the changing shape and flexibility of the double helix. The calculations shed new light on the possible structural role of short A-DNA fragments in long B-type duplexes and also offer a model for understanding how GC-specific intercalative ligands can straighten naturally curved DNA. The mechanism is not immediately obvious from current models of DNA curvature, which attribute the bending of the chain to a perturbed structure in repeating tracts of A · T base pairs. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Structure and Function of Cytochrome P450S in Insect Adaptation to Natural and Synthetic Toxins: Insights Gained from Molecular Modeling

Over evolutionary time, insect herbivores have adapted to the presence of natural toxins and more recently to synthetic insecticides in or on the plants they consume. Biochemical analyses and molecular modeling of the cytochrome P450 monooxygenases (P450s) that metabolize these compounds have provided insight into the many variations affecting their catalytic activity. Phylogenetically distinct P450s may metabolize similar substrates, and phylogenetically similar P450s may metabolize different substrates; as well, some P450s process broad arrays of both phytochemicals and synthetic insecticides, while closely related P450s are restricted to a narrow range of phytochemicals. Mapped on the predicted three-dimensional structures of insect P450s developed from available mammalian P450 crystal structures, differences in multiple regions of the insect proteins reveal the evolutionary processes occurring as P450 genes have duplicated and diverged. Analyses of site-directed mutants in select lepidopteran and dipteran P450s demonstrate that slight changes in the catalytic site, the putative product release channel, and the proximal surface (interacting with electron transfer partners such as cytochrome P450 reductase and cytochrome b5) yield pronounced activity differences. Additionally, changes in the catalytic site and in the linker region preceding the proline-hinge influence P450 folding. With predicted structures available for many mammalian P450s involved in metabolism of xenobiotics, it is possible to record allelic variation relative to catalytically important regions in the overall P450 structure and to predict functionally critical differences. Together with information on the relative levels of allelic variant transcripts, comprehensive characterization of the mechanisms that modulate metabolism of natural and synthetic xenobiotics in insects can yield insights into plant-insect coevolution and into novel approaches for chemical pest management.
A forecasting metric for predictive modeling

In science and engineering, simulation models calibrated against a limited number of experiments are commonly used to forecast at settings where experiments are unavailable, raising concerns about the unknown forecasting errors. Forecasting errors can be quantified and controlled by deploying statistical inference procedures, combined with an experimental campaign to improve the fidelity of a simulation model that is developed based on sound physics or engineering principles. This manuscript illustrates that the number of experiments required to reduce the forecasting errors to desired levels can be determined by focusing on the proposed forecasting metric.
Beyond the Obvious: Chronic Vividness of Imagery and the Use of Information in Decision Making.

The authors investigate two competing hypotheses about how chronic vividness of imagery interacts with the vividness and salience of information in decision making. Results from four studies, covering a variety of decision domains, indicate that chronic imagery vividness rarely amplifies the effects of vivid and salient information. Imagery vividness may, in fact, attenuate the effects of vivid and salient information. This is because, relative to nonvivid imagers, vivid imagers rely less on information that appears obvious and rely more on information that seems less obvious. This tendency is so robust that vividness of imagery may amplify the effects of vivid information only when this information is the only information available in the decision field. The findings seem to reflect vivid imagers' tendency to totally immerse themselves in a decision problem and scrutinize the available information creatively.
A Flow Visualization Study of Spore Release Using a Wind Tunnel-Mounted Laser Light Sheet

A phase Doppler anemometry system in combination with a laser light sheet was used in a low-speed recirculating wind tunnel to examine the flow field around an individual leaf. Turbulence similar to that encountered near the surface of the earth in a neutral stability boundary layer was generated using a grid at the upwind end of the wind tunnel test section. Individual healthy and diseased plant leaves were introduced into the tunnel with the leaf tip pointing downwind. The Mie-scattered radiation from the spores departing the diseased leaf was captured on videotape. Image processing software was used to enhance the visual quality of the individual frames from the videotape and to make spore velocity calculations. Three main vortex regions around the leaf were identified. The importance of these regions to the separation of the spores from the leaf surface and their subsequent downwind movement was analyzed.
Emergence of cytotoxic T lymphocyte escape mutants following antiretroviral treatment suspension in rhesus macaques infected with SIVmac251.

Abstract Structured treatment interruption (STI) of antiretroviral drugs has been proposed as an alternative approach for managing patients infected with HIV-1. While STI is thought to spare drug-related side effects and enhance the HIV-1-specific immune response, the long-lasting clinical benefit of this approach remains uncertain, particularly in patients with long-standing HIV-1 infection. Here, we investigated the basis of unabated virological replication following different STI regimens in rhesus macaques that expressed the MHC class I Mamu-A*01 molecule treated during acute and long-standing infection with SIVmac251. An amino acid change at the anchor residue within the immunodominant Mamu-A*01-restricted Gag 181–189 CM9 epitope (T → A) in one of six macaques with acute SIVmac251 infection and in three of four macaques with long-standing SIVmac251 infection (T → A; T → S; S → C) was found in the majority of plasma virus. These amino acid changes have been shown to severely decrease binding of the corresponding peptides to the Mamu-A*01 molecule and, in the case of the T → A change, escape from CTL. In one macaque with long-standing SIVmac251 infection, a mutation emerged that conferred resistance to one of the antiretroviral drugs (PMPA) as well. These results provide insights into the mechanism underlying the limited capacity of repeated interruption of antiretroviral therapy as an approach to restrain viral replication. In addition, these data also suggest that interruption of therapy may be less effective in chronic infection because of preexisting immune escape and that immune escape is a risk of interruption of therapy.
Microfluidic LIPS for serum antibody detection: Demonstration of a rapid test for HSV-2 infection

There is great interest in point-of-care antibody testing for the diagnosis of infectious and autoimmune diseases. As a first step in the development of self-contained and miniaturized devices for highly quantitative antibody detection, we demonstrate the application of Luciferase Immunoprecipitation Systems (LIPS) technology in a microfluidic format. Protein A/G was immobilized on the walls of PDMS-glass microchannels of 500 nL volume. The assay proceeds with the simultaneous introduction of plasma and Renilla luciferase–tagged antigens. Following washing, coelenterazine substrate was added and bound antigen-luciferase measured by chemiluminescence. Total assay time, including rinsing and detection, is under 10 min. Using these stable microfluidic devices, high diagnostic performance (100% sensitivity and 100% specificity) was achieved for the diagnosis of HSV-2 infection. Based on these findings, the LIPS microfluidic format should readily lend itself to automation and the transfer to portable instrumentation.
The association between proton pump inhibitor use and outcome after aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage.

For many patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), initiation of acid suppression therapy is concordant with guidelines and has become standard of care in neurological intensive care units. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between type of acid suppression therapy and outcome following aneurysmal SAH. Retrospective cohort study of consecutive aneurysmal SAH patients identified over a 5 year period. Of 297 patients identified, 148 met inclusion criteria for analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was performed to evaluate the independent association between type of acid suppression therapy (proton pump inhibitor (PPI) vs histamine 2 receptor antagonist (H2A)) and the outcomes of delayed neurological deficits (DNDs), delayed infarction and favorable functional outcome defined as a modified Rankin Scale ≤ 2. Forty-two patients were treated with a PPI and 106 with a H2A. Baseline characteristics were well-matched between groups with the exception of year of treatment and prophylactic antiepileptic medication. Patients placed on a PPI were less likely to have a favorable functional outcome than those on a H2A (45 vs 64%; P = 0.035). In adjusted analysis, no association was identified between PPI use and DNDs (OR 1.18 (95% confidence interval: 0.48–2.88)) or delayed infarction (OR 1.64 (0.64–4.16)); however, PPI use was associated with a lower odds of favorable functional outcome (OR 0.37 (0.16–0.85)). Type of acid suppression therapy was not associated with DNDs or delayed infarction following aneurysmal SAH. However, PPI use was associated with poorer functional outcome. Further study of acid suppression therapy and PPI use following SAH is warranted.
Hydrodynamic properties and structure of the rat liver 12 S arginyl- and lysyl-tRNA synthetase complex.

Eukaryotic aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases occur in multienzyme complexes in contrast to their prokaryotic counterparts. A core 12 S rat liver complex (Mr 290,000) was recently purified to homogeneity consisting of two polypeptides with Mr 73,000 and 65,000 identified as lysyl- and arginyl-tRNA synthetase, respectively (Dang et al. (1982) Biochemistry 21,1959-1966). Using the modified hydrodynamic theory of Kirkwood (Kirkwood, J.R. (1954) J. Polym. Sci. 12,1-14), we have determined that the model most consistent with the hydrodynamic properties of the 12 S complex is a tetrameric tetrahedral model.
Metabolism of L-dopa after inhibition of catechol-O-methyl transferase.

Abstract Rats were given inhibitors of cathecol-O-methyltransferase followed by 3 H-L-dopa or 3 H-norepinephrine. In the brain, pyrogallol led to marked increases of unmetabolized 3 H-L-dopa and to greater accumulations of labelled catecholamines and deaminated catechols, but to decreases of O-methylated metabolites. It also profoundly decreased the peripheral O-methylation of norepinephrine. The inhibitor 3,4-dimethoxy-5-hydroxy-benzoic acid was much less effective and dihydroxyphenylacetic acid had no effect.
Muscle Strength in the Lower Extremity Does Not Predict Postinstruction Improvements in the Landing Patterns of Female Athletes

Study Design Preinstruction and postinstruction testing in a laboratory setting. Objectives To examine the predictive relationship between lower extremity muscle strength and the immediate postinstruction changes in landing patterns of female athletes. We hypothesized that greater strength would be associated with larger postinstruction improvements in landing patterns. Background Female athletes in high-demand sports may be predisposed to anterior cruciate ligament injury because of poor landing patterns. Instruction has been shown to improve landing patterns. Lower extremity muscular strength may determine the potential for instruction to alter landing patterns. Methods and Measures Thirty seven female collegiate athletes in high-demand sports participated. Strength was assessed in the following muscle groups: trunk extensors and flexors, hip abductors and extensors, knee flexors and extensors, and ankle plantar flexors. Strength testing was followed by kinetic and kinematic analysis of a drop vertical ...
Synthesis and Stability of Oligodeoxynucleotides Containing C8-Labeled 2‘-Deoxyadenosine: Novel Redox Nucleobase Probes for DNA-Mediated Charge-Transfer Studies

[reaction: see text] An efficient and convenient synthetic strategy to redox-labeled C8-derivatives of 2'-deoxyadenosine is described. The Pd(0) cross-coupling chemistry is amenable to both oxidative and reductive redox probes. The corresponding phosphoramidites of phenothiazine and anthraquinone nucleosides are amenable to automated DNA synthesis. The resulting labeled oligodeoxynucleotide strands form stable B-form duplexes with melting temperatures and CD spectra similar to those of the unlabeled analogues.
Increased transfer of a multidrug resistance plasmid in Escherichia coli biofilms at the air-liquid interface.

ABSTRACT Although biofilms represent a common bacterial lifestyle in clinically and environmentally important habitats, there is scant information on the extent of gene transfer in these spatially structured populations. The objective of this study was to gain insight into factors that affect transfer of the promiscuous multidrug resistance plasmid pB10 in Escherichia coli biofilms. Biofilms were grown in different experimental settings, and plasmid transfer was monitored using laser scanning confocal microscopy and plate counting. In closed flow cells, plasmid transfer in surface-attached submerged biofilms was negligible. In contrast, a high plasmid transfer efficiency was observed in a biofilm floating at the air-liquid interface in an open flow cell with low flow rates. A vertical flow cell and a batch culture biofilm reactor were then used to detect plasmid transfer at different depths away from the air-liquid interface. Extensive plasmid transfer occurred only in a narrow zone near that interface. The much lower transfer frequencies in the lower zones coincided with rapidly decreasing oxygen concentrations. However, when an E. colicsrA mutant was used as the recipient, a thick biofilm was obtained at all depths, and plasmid transfer occurred at similar frequencies throughout. These results and data from separate aerobic and anaerobic matings suggest that oxygen can affect IncP-1 plasmid transfer efficiency, not only directly but also indirectly, through influencing population densities and therefore colocalization of donors and recipients. In conclusion, the air-liquid interface can be a hot spot for plasmid-mediated gene transfer due to high densities of juxtaposed donor and recipient cells.
Development of a constructed subsurface-flow wetland simulation model

Abstract This paper presents a mechanistic, compartmental simulation model of subsurface-flow constructed wetlands. The model consists of six submodels, including the nitrogen and carbon cycles, both autotrophic and heterotrophic bacteria growth and metabolism, and water and oxygen balances. Data from an existing constructed wetland in Maryland were used to calibrate the model. Model results reproduced seasonal trends well. Interactions between the carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen cycles were evident in model output. In general, effluent biochemical oxygen demand, organic nitrogen, ammonium and nitrate concentrations were predicted well. Because little is known about rootzone aeration by wetland plants, oxygen predictions were fair. The model is generally insensitive to changes in individual parameters. This is due to the complexity of the ecosystem and the model, as well as the numerous feedback mechanisms. The model is most sensitive to changes in parameters that affect microbial growth and substrate use directly. This dynamic, compartmental, simulation model is an effective tool for evaluating the performance of subsurface-flow constructed wetlands. The model provided insights into treatment problems at an existing constructed wetland. With further evaluation and refinement, the model will be a useful design tool for subsurface-flow constructed wetlands.
Prospective analysis of CT of the sinuses in acute asthma.

Asthma and sinusitis are both inflammatory diseases of the respiratory epithelium, but to our knowledge no prospective analyses of CT of the sinuses in patients with acute asthma have been performed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the type and extent of abnormalities found on CT of the sinuses in patients with acute asthma.Sixty-five patients with acute asthma and 62 age-, race-, and sex-matched control subjects were enrolled in the emergency department. Limited coronal sinus CT was performed and scans were interpreted by a radiologist who was unaware of the patient's clinical condition. Scans were analyzed for the presence of mucosal thickening in the sinuses, ostiomeatal complexes, and nasal cavities. Scans were also assigned a CT score for total mucosal thickening. A CT score of 12 or more points indicated extensive disease.Mucosal thickening in the nasal passages (p < .001), ostiomeatal complexes (p < .05), and ethmoidal (p < .05) and sphenoidal sinuses (p < .05) was associated with acut...
Libraries and the empowerment of persons with disabilities: An introduction

A few years ago, when the Americans with Disabilities Act was new and causing much concern among librarians and library administrators, it was difficult to find an issue of any major library science journal that did not address the legal issues surrounding access to library facilities and services. Librarians' interest in providing access to their services and collections is not new, but attention in the 1990s seems to have shifted away from what we can do toward what we must do for our user population with special needs.
Do n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery?

Do n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids prevent atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting surgery?
An Evaluation of Wartime Personnel Administration

Wartime Federal personnel administration viewed in retrospect made several permanent contributions to the improvement of the Federal service. The achievements were five in number, namely, the survival of merit system principles through the adaptability and flexibility of the personnel system, success in recruitment for staffing the expanded Federal service, progress in the building of training programs, realization of the importance of employee relations in the public service, and a new recognition of personnel administration itself. These wartime achievements represented concrete gains which could be consolidated for the permanent improvement of the service. As is also inevitable in any prolonged crisis, certain problems arose which remained unsolved during the War. The latter group included the handling of transfer and promotion, the handicaps of an adequate Federal salary structure, the control of numbers in wartime, and the control of subversive elerpents in the public service. In connection with both the achievementsand the problems of the public service the role of the Civil Service Commission in relation to the agencies it served'and in the execution of the goals it set for itself must be assayed.
Achieving broadband electromagnetic transparency with transmission line metamaterials

Electromagnetic transparent device (ETD) capable of protecting the device inside without affecting its performance is a fascinating device with extensive application prospects. In this paper, an equivalent circuit method for realizing ETD using transmission line (TL) metamaterials is presented. The validity of such a method and the transparent effect of the device are demonstrated through the Agilent's Advanced Design System (ADS) circuit simulator. Moreover, the influence of the quality factor of lumped elements on the performance of the device and its broadband characteristics are also investigated. This work suggests an alternative way to achieve the broadband electromagnetic transparency and has great guiding significance for the practical fabrication of ETD.
STRUCTURE AND COMPOSITION OF STREETSIDE TREES OF RESIDENTIAL AREAS IN STATE OF MARYLAND, U.S.A.

Summary The composition and structure of streetside trees in residential areas were surveyed for three counties within the State of Maryland, U.S.A.: Wicomico, Prince Georges, and Anne Arundel. In the rapidly developing county of Princes Georges, streetside trees were dominated by non-native species. Anne Arundel County, with its moderate urban growth, had a higher percentage of native species than Prince Georges, but a lower percentage than Wicomico. In the slowly developing county of Wicomico, native species dominated its composition. Structurally, each of the three counties had a preponderance of small diameter trees ( 30 cm dbh) than Prince Georges County.
Reconstruction of blood vessels from x-ray subtraction projections: Limited angle geometry

Several algorithms have been investigated for reconstructing blood vessels from a limited number of x‐ray subtraction projections, distributed over a limited range of angles. Both computer simulations and an i n v i v o animal study were carried out. The best reconstruction performance was achieved using an algorithm that folded in two pieces of a p r i o r i knowledge of the vascular density distributions: (1) the object is dilute, consisting mainly of a void; and (2) the density distribution in the reconstructions is most likely to be non‐negative. Both the signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) and the signal to out‐of‐focus blur were quantitated. Compared to tomosynthetic reconstruction (backprojection), the amount of residual blur from out‐of‐focus planes was significantly reduced with only a small penalty in diminished SNR. The combined effect resulted in significant qualitative image improvement for real arterial distributions as demonstrated in a canine arterial imaging example.
Nominal and Interacting Groups as Bayesian Information Processors

Nominal groups behave more like Bayesian information-processors than interacting groups. Six nominal and six interacting groups of four managers each were given a probabilistic inferential task using the Phillips and Edwards' experimental procedure. The mean nominal group response for the problem (.667) was substantially closer to the Bayesian posterior probability (.81) than was the mean interacting group response (.498).
A subvital muscle preparation with contractile and oxidative-phosphorylative activity.

Abstract It has been shown that by a process of extraction with sucrose media, muscle preparations can be obtained which display contractility as well as oxidation and phosphorylation. The P:O ratio is below that of isolated mitochondria, presumably because of continuous splitting of the synthesized ATP by adjacent myofibrils. This synthesized ATP can be used for contraction, thus contraction can be elicited with small amounts of ADP together with oxygen and oxidizable subtrate.
Atomistic dynamics of nanoscale polymer particles

Full classical molecular dynamics was used to study the atomistic details of nanometer scale polymer particles. Using a previously developed efficient molecular dynamics-based method for the generation of polymeric nanoparticles, we model polyethylene (PE) with up to 120 000 atoms, poly(ethylproplyene) (PEP), atactic polypropylene (aPP), and polyisobutylene (PIB) with up to 12 000 backbone atoms. A variety of characteristics and thermodynamical properties of those nanoscale particles are obtained to interpret the properties of a fine polymer particle distinguished from the bulk solid phase. The molecular volume and total energy as a function of temperature are calculated to predict the melting point, glass transition temperature, and heat capacity for the nanoscale particles.
Basic Elastic Properties Predictions of Cubic Cerium Oxide Using First-Principles Methods

Computational material methods were used to predict and investigate electrical and structural properties of cerium oxide (CeO2). Density functional theory was used to obtain the optimized crystal structure and simulate the material’s electronic and elastic responses. Oxygen to oxygen nearest neighbor distance is 2.628 A, while oxygen to cerium distance is calculated to be 2.276 A. The conduction band has a prominent set of bands, which exists between 6 and 17 eV. An indirect energy gap (6.04 eV) exists between the valence and conduction bands. The independent elastic constants allow a mechanical assessment on the suitability of cubic cerium oxide as a substrate for advanced electronic devices. The calculated results of phonon dispersion curves are also given.
A Spatial Equilibrium Analysis of Flexible Zoning and the Demand for Development Rights

Certain contemporary land-use controls permit zoning violations in return for various forms of payment. These ‘flexible zoning’ schemes are examined within the context of a spatial equilibrium model of residential location. Behavioral constraints are altered in such a way that households may ‘buy their way out’ of normal zoning restrictions under terms specified by a regional zoning authority. Simulations are used to analyze the demand for constraint violations (‘development rights’) and to illustrate the effects of such programs upon the spatial structure of the economy and upon the fiscal position of the metropolitan government.
Viewing Faculty Governance within a Social Justice Framework: Struggles and Possibilities for Democratic Decision-Making in Higher Education

For many faculty members in colleges of education, social justice is a concept they teach or a lens that frames their scholarship about efforts to combat injustice in settings outside the university. Rarely does it serve as a lens for understanding or guiding the ordinary activities of faculty service, such as engagement in faculty governance. Yet the increasing corporatization of universities and its concomitant threats to academic communities as inclusive and democratic decision-making spheres necessitates the study of faculty governance within a critical social justice framework. This article, contextualized in a multi-campus college of education in a large, public university on the east coast of the US, addresses how leaders in faculty governance extended the principles of diversity and social justice taught in their classrooms to leadership practice and democratic decision-making within a college of education. Highlighted are practical strategies for increasing faculty voice and leadership listening ...
Effect of soil saturation on redox potential and microbial activity 1

Abstract A laboratory study was conducted to investigate the extent of reduced conditions and microbial activity in saturated soil. The redox potential was measured at 10 cm depth in a 60 cm soil column and microbial activity was evaluated by trapping the evolved carbon dioxide in 0.1 N NaOH. The lowest observed pe + pH of wet soil having 2% organic matter was 12.6 which is within the oxidized range. Soil with 6.3% orgasnic matter showed a minimum pe + pH value of 12.0 for 6 hours which may have been associated with denitrification. A soil with high organic matter could undergo wetting and drying cycles which would be conducive to denitrification. All soils exhibited maximum microbial activity at 48 hours after saturation during which the reduced state of the soil reached a peak. Soil treated with 100 ppm dextrose solution released 868 x 10‐6 mmoles CO2/g soil/hour which was the highest rate observed in the study. After 96 hours, the CO2 released from dextrose‐treated soil dropped more than that from soil...
Molecular dynamics simulations of the interactions and dispersion of carbon nanotubes in polyethylene oxide/water systems

Abstract Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to investigate carbon nanotube (CNT) interactions and dispersion in a polyethylene oxide (PEO)/water solution. The potential of mean forces (PMF) which embodies the entropic and enthalpic contributions by the solvent and the polymer molecules were computed. The relative enthalpic and entropic contributions to the PMF were studied in order to understand the CNT interaction mechanisms in solution. An adaptive biasing force (ABF) method was used to speed up the PMF calculations. The simulation results provide detailed atomic arrangements and atomic interactions between the CNTs and surrounding molecules (PEO and water). This molecular level computational study provides insights into the CNT’s interactions with PEO polymer/water systems.
Determination of single-pulse exposure threshold (ED 50 ) for cornea for 1400- to 2000-nm lasers

We report on preliminary work undertaken to determine ED 50 thresholds for both skin and cornea exposure from 1400 to 2000 nm laser light. Work presented here is focused initially on 1540 nm exposures to both human skin and cornea. Light microscopy and confocal microscopy used to help understand the type of photon-tissue interactions responsible for skin and corneal injury are discussed along with preliminary results from these techniques. Further, we report on in vivo models which are considered to best represent human skin for laser tissue interaction studies. Additionally, in vitro models for corneal exposure are discussed as replacement models for in vivo corneal exposures.
Lattice-valued fuzzy interior operators

A category of lattice-valued fuzzy interior operator spaces is defined and studied. Axioms are given in order for this category to be isomorphic to the category whose objects consist of all the stratified, lattice-valued, pretopological convergence spaces.
A new method of reduced order feedback control using Genetic Algorithms

Genetic Algorithms (GAs) have been applied as an effective optimization search technique in various fields, including the field of control design. In this paper, a new control method using GAs is proposed to attenuate the responses of a structure under seismic excitation. The proposed controller uses the state-space reconstruction technique based on the embedding theorem to obtain full-state performance from the available reduced order feedback. The parameters of the new controller are optimized using GAs. The proposed GA-based control method is verified on a benchmark problem-active mass driver system, and the results are compared with other control methods. The robustness of the proposed control method is also examined.
Comparison of energy inputs in glasshouse double crop (fall and summer crops) tomato production

The study examines energy use patterns and the relationship between energy inputs and yield for double crop (fall and summer) glasshouse tomato production in Antalya province, where is one of the most important greenhouse centres in Turkey. The data of the study was retrieved from 37 fall and 25 summer glasshouse tomato producers via face to face survey in 2007. The research findings revealed energy use values for inputs such as manure, electricity, chemical fertilizer and fuel. While the average yield per hectare is 25025.4 kg for enterprises involved in tomato production in fall, it is 22392.9 kg for summer production. The overall energy consumption is higher in fall production with 81362.2 MJ ha−1 in comparison to summer production 63023.2 MJ ha−1. In addition, the specific energy requirement is 3521.2 MJ t−1 and 2814.4 MJ t−1 for fall and summer production in order and the energy efficiency was found out to be 0.31 kg MJ−1 and 0.36 kg MJ−1 respectively. Finally, the energy relationship was tested using the production relationship. The findings indicated that direct energy sources are effective in tomato yield for both of the two seasons. More clearly, the most significant energy input was electrical energy for summer production and a combination of electrical energy, human power and machinery for fall production. Yet, excess and unconscious use of chemical ingredients in glasshouse tomato production was confirmed as energy derived from chemical drugs leaded a declination in the yield for fall season. Therefore, the paper revealed energy relationship for double crop glasshouse tomato production in Antalya, being a reference for similar production methodologies.
Laser in situ keratomileusis-induced neurotrophic epitheliopathy

Abstract PURPOSE: To report two cases of laser in situ keratomileusis-induced neurotrophic epitheliopathy with punctate epitheliopathy and rose bengal staining of the corneal flap. METHODS: Interventional case reports. RESULTS: A 42-year-old woman and a 37-year-old man with no preoperative symptoms or signs of dry eye developed dry eye symptoms and bilateral punctate epithelial erosions as well as rose bengal staining of the corneal flaps after laser in situ keratomileusis. Neither patient had less than 12 mm of wetting with the Schirmer test without anesthesia at any time point between development and resolution of the flap surface abnormalities. The flap surface abnormalities resolved approximately 6 months after laser in situ keratomileusis. CONCLUSIONS: Laser in situ keratomileusis-induced neurotrophic epitheliopathy may be attributable to loss of trophic influence from severed corneal nerve trunks. The condition typically resolves approximately 6 months after laser in situ keratomileusis or laser in situ keratomileusis retreatment.
Calcium, parathyroid hormone, and vitamin D in the "prehypertensive" Dahl salt-sensitive rat.

The purpose of this study was to determine if alterations of calcium and calcium regulating hormones precede the onset of NaCl-induced hypertension in the Dahl salt-sensitive (S) rat. After a 5-day balance study, serum ionized calcium, parathyroid hormone (PTH), and 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D concentrations were measured in Dahl-S and salt-resistant (R) rats that had been maintained on a "normal" (1%) or high (7%) NaCl intake. Blood pressure was higher in Dahl-S than Dahl-R (P less than .01), but was not affected by 5 days of high NaCl. On both NaCl intakes, urine calcium excretion was increased, serum calcium was decreased, and serum PTH and 1,25 dihydroxy vitamin D were increased in Dahl-S compared to Dahl-R (P less than .01). On the high NaCl intake, fecal calcium was greater in Dahl-S than in Dahl-R, and net 5-day calcium balance was less positive in Dahl-S (P less than .05). Thus, alterations of calcium, PTH, and vitamin D precede NaCl-induced hypertension in Dahl-S. These alterations may contribute to the development of hypertension in this animal model.
Morphogenetic effects of evans blue and of zinc ions in embryos of Lytechinus variegatus.

Morphogenetic effects of evans blue and of Zn++ inLytechinus variegatus embryos are described. Viable unhatched maximally-animalized embryos were induced with 4.2×10−5 M evans blue and with 4–8×10−4 M ZnCl2. Hatching inhibition was reversed only with ZnCl2 suggesting that Zn++ is the preferred animalizing agent in this sea urchin species.
Ammonia determines the choice of morphogenetic pathways in dictyostelium discoideum

Abstract Previous work (Newell et al., 1969) had indicated that the transformation of a newly formed multicellular aggregate into a migrating slug rather than a fruiting body depended on the local accumulation of a diffusible metabolite excreted before and during aggregation. The subsequent shift back to the fruiting mode could be accounted for by the disappearance or removal of the metabolite. All these morphogenetic transformations were associated with profound and consistent changes in the patterns of enzyme accumulation and disappearance (Sussman et al., 1975). In the present study, evidence is presented to support the conclusion that the metabolite in question is NH3. Thus: 1. (a) Cell populations accumulated and excreted significant amounts of NH3 + NH4+ before and during cell aggregation under the conditions employed. 2. (b) Excretory products collected from such cells induced newly formed aggregates to develop into migrating slugs under conditions which otherwise would permit them to construct fruiting bodies directly. The inducing activity of such preparations was precisely correlated with the NH3 + NH4+ concentration and was destroyed by incorporation of the NH3 into glutamic acid in the presence of glutamate dehydrogenase. 3. (c) The slug-inducing activities of the extracellular metabolite preparations and purified fractions thereof were mimicked by equimolar solutions of ammonium carbonate at identical pH values. 4. (d) Isolated migrating slugs treated with 0.5-μ1 samples of a reaction mixture containing glutamate dehydrogenase, α-ketoglutarate and NADH immediately stopped migrating and constructed fruiting bodies. Samples lacking a single component or containing boiled enzyme were ineffective. 5. (e) By several criteria, the biological and biochemical performances of autoinduced slugs and of those induced by the metabolite preparations or by ammonium carbonate solutions were indistinguishable.
Implicit boundary method for analysis using uniform B-spline basis and structured grid

Several analysis techniques such as extended finite element method (X-FEM) have been developed recently, which use structured grid for the analysis. Implicit boundary method uses implicit equations of the boundary to apply boundary conditions in X-FEM framework using structured grids. Solution structures for test and trial functions are constructed using implicit equations such that the boundary conditions are satisfied even if there are no nodes on the boundary. In this paper, this method is applied for analysis using uniform B-spline basis defined over a structured grid. Solution structures that are C1 or C2 continuous throughout the analysis domain can be constructed using B-spline basis functions. As a structured grid does not conform to the geometry of the analysis domain, the boundaries of the analysis domain are defined independently using equations of the boundary curves/surfaces. Compared with conforming mesh, it is easier to generate structured grids that overlap the geometry and the elements in the grid are regular shaped and undistorted. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance of these B-spline elements. The results are compared with analytical solutions as well as with traditional finite element solutions. Convergence studies for several examples show that B-spline elements provide accurate solutions with fewer elements and nodes compared with traditional FEM. They also provide continuous stress and strain in the analysis domain, thus eliminating the need for smoothing stress/strain results. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Expression of the lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis gene lpxD affects biofilm formation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Bacterial biofilms are an important cause of nosocomial infections. Microorganisms such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa colonize biotic and abiotic surfaces leading to chronic infections that are difficult to eradicate. To characterize novel genes involved in biofilm formation, we identified the lpxD gene from a transposon-mutant library of P. aeruginosa. This gene encodes a glucosamine-N acyltransferase, which is important for lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis. Our results showed that a loss-of-expression mutant of lpxD was defective for biofilm formation on biotic and abiotic surfaces. Additionally, this mutant strain exhibited significantly decreased bacterial attachment to cultured airway epithelial cells, as well as increased bacterial cytotoxicity toward airway cells. However, consistent with a defect in lipid A structure, airway cells incubated with the lpxD mutant or with mutant lipid A extracts exhibited decreased IL-8 production and necrosis, respectively. Overall, our data indicate that manipulating lpxD expression may influence P. aeruginosa’s ability to establish biofilm infections.
The New Arbitration Rules of the China International Economic Trade and Arbitration Commission

The most important institution in China in the field of international commercial arbitration is the China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission (CIETAC). CIETAC, which is officially described as a non-governmental body operating under the auspices of the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (in effect China's Chamber of Commerce),1 has evolved into a sophisticated organization which supervises a large and rapidly-growing number of arbitrations,2 and which has won both praise3 and criticism4 from westerners for its work. The position of CIETAC in China is in many ways even more important than that of many of the leading western arbitration institutions in their home countries. While in theory Chinese law recognizes agreements to arbitrate disputes outside China,5 in practice most Chinese business partners insist on arbitration in China.6 For instance, the arbitration clauses found in contracts with Chinese State entities almost uniformly call for arbitration within China.7 Furthermore, CIETAC ‘does not conduct arbitration in accordance with rules other than its own’.8 Thus, ‘virtually all international arbitrations conducted in China have been dealt with under the auspices of CIETAC and in accordance with CIETAC's arbitration rules’,9 meaning that any western company signing a contract with a Chinese entity regarding a project in China should assume that if the matter someday comes to arbitration, it will be held in China in accordance with CIETAC's arbitral rules.10 A familiarity with these rules is therefore essential for any foreign entity doing business in China. The CIETAC rules have evolved over the years. Starting with simple provisional rules of procedure first issued in 1956, they were amended several times until they attained fairly sophisticated form in the arbitration rules adopted on 12 September 1988 (the ‘1988 Rules’).11 However, on 17 March 1994, …
Arms Trade: A global epidemic

Suppiramaniam Nanthikesan argues that collective violence is fast becoming a global health burden and that prevention of violence should be incorporated into the policy agendas of health communities around the world. He illustrates how trade in conventional arms is a legitimate and important arena for intervention by policy makers concerned with health.
Soldiers, War and Sacrifice: How Ethnography Contributes to the Casualty Debate

: [public affairs, research on policy, ethnography, military mobilization, military anthropology] Janine Wedel is the contributing editor of Research on Policy, the AN column of the AAA Interest Group for the Anthropology of Public Policy.
Robust Estimation with Nonrandom Measurement Error and Weak Instruments

Two common problems in applications of two-stage least squares (2SLS) are nonrandom measurement error in the endogenous variable and weak instruments. In the presence of nonrandom measurement error, 2SLS yields inconsistent estimates. In the presence of weak instruments, confidence intervals and p-values can be severely misleading. This article introduces a rank-based estimator, grounded in randomization inference, which addresses both problems within a unified framework. Monte Carlo studies illustrate the deficiencies of 2SLS and the virtues of the rank-based estimator in terms of bias and efficiency. A replication of a study of the effect of economic shocks on democratic transitions demonstrates the practical implications of accounting for nonrandom measurement error and weak instruments. In situations where ordinary least squares performs poorly, instrumental variable techniques are a popular alternative, with two-stage least squares (2SLS) being the most commonly used estimator (Sovey and Green 2011). This article introduces a rank-based instrumental variables estimator, grounded in randomization inference, which provides a unified framework to address two problems for the use of 2SLS. The first is nonrandom measurement error, such that the instrument is correlated with the measurement error in an explanatory variable. In this case, coefficient estimates obtained from 2SLS are inconsistent. The second is the presence of weak instruments, in which case 2SLS yields incorrect measures of statistical uncertainty. The estimator presented in this article is robust with respect to both problems. The estimator was first developed by Rosenbaum (1996, 2002); Imbens and Rosenbaum (2005) demonstrate that the estimator is robust to weak instruments. This article expands on Imbens and Rosenbaum by showing that variants of the estimator can also accommodate nonrandom measurement error. At the same time, this article provides the instrumental variables estimator for the techniques described in Keele, McConnaughy, and White (2012), who advocate the use of randomization inference in political science. 1 The article proceeds in three parts. The first part briefly describes the problems for 2SLS arising from nonrandom measurement error and weak instruments. The second part introduces randomization inference and a rank-based instrumental variables estimator. Monte Carlo studies illustrate the deficiencies of 2SLS in the presence of nonrandom measurement error and show the superiority �,
The fine structure of the dermal papilla of the guinea pig hair follicle

The dermal papilla of the guinea pig hair follicle has been studied by electron microscopic, histological, and histochemical methods. The fibroblast has a well developed rough-surfaced endoplasmic reticulum and a very prominent Golgi apparatus. Bundles of filaments and deposits of glycogen are also occasionally seen. The epithelial cells of the hair follicle are separated from the dermal papilla by a specialized basement membrane which is composed of several dense layers. Each dense layer consists of fine fibrils embedded in an amorphous matrix. The dermal papilla has fenestrated capillaries surrounded by a specialized and multilayered basement membrane similar to that present at the epitheliodermal junction.