cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Myosin Va becomes a low duty ratio motor in the inhibited form.

Vertebrate myosin Va is a typical processive motor with high duty ratio. Recent studies have revealed that the actin-activated ATPase activity of the full-length myosin Va (M5aFull) is inhibited at a low [Ca2+], which is due to the formation of a folded conformation of M5aFull. To clarify the underlying inhibitory mechanism, we analyzed the actin-activated ATP hydrolysis mechanism of the M5aFull at the inhibited and the activated states, respectively. Marked differences were found in the hydrolysis, Pi release, and ADP release steps between the activated and the inhibited states. The kinetic constants of these steps of the activated state were similar to those of the unregulated S1 construct, in which the rate-limiting step was the ADP release step. On the other hand, the Pi release rate from acto-M5aFull was decreased in EGTA by >1,000-fold, which makes this step the rate-limiting step for the actin-activated ATP hydrolysis cycle of M5aFull. The ADP off rate from acto-M5aFull was decreased by ∼10-fold, and the equilibrium between the prehydrolysis state and the post hydrolysis state was shifted toward the former state in the inhibited state of M5aFull. Because of these changes, M5aFull spends a majority of the ATP hydrolysis cycling time in the weak actin binding state. The present results indicate that M5aFull molecules at a low [Ca2+] is inhibited as a cargo transporter not only due to the decrease in the cross-bridge cycling rate but also due to the decrease in the duty ratio thus being dissociated from actin.
Histologically challenging melanocytic tumors referred to a tertiary care pigmented lesion clinic.

Background The histopathologic diagnosis of some melanocytic tumors is extraordinarily difficult. With this in mind, melanocytic tumors from patients referred to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Pigmented Lesion Clinic (PLC) are routinely reviewed in the MGH Dermatopathology Unit. Objective We sought to determine the frequency of diagnostically challenging cases from patients treated at the MGH PLC, as measured by a change in the diagnosis upon review of the referral materials. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the MGH and referral pathology reports for 478 consecutive cutaneous melanocytic tumors: 126 from 1996-1997 and 352 from 2010-2011. Differences in diagnosis and in therapeutic impact were evaluated. Results Changes in diagnosis occurred in 168 of 478 cases (35%), more frequently when the original diagnostician was a general pathologist ( P = .003). A similar fraction of diagnoses were changed from malignant to benign or vice versa, in both historic and contemporary cohorts. In 64 patients (13%), changes in diagnosis led to a change in therapy. Changes in stage or grading led to the most changes in therapy (78%; 50/64) versus changes from benign to malignant or vice versa (22%; 14/64). Limitations This is a retrospective study with the bias of a tertiary-care referral center. Conclusions These findings demonstrate the diagnostic difficulty of a subset of melanocytic tumors and highlight the utility of review by more than one pathologist; patient treatment is affected in more than 10% of cases. Identification of melanoma prognostic factors and melanocytic nevus grading led to clinically significant changes in diagnosis leading to a change in patient management.
Development of a reliable gas-jet transport system for use at the Oak Ridge isochronous cyclotron

Abstract In a previous paper transport yields of recoil nuclei produced in heavy-ion-induced reactions through capillaries were reported. These studies have now been extended to develop a reliable gas-jet-capillary transport system for use in conjunction with the heavy-ion beams available at the Oak Ridge isochronous cyclotron. Several additives to the helium gas were used and tested for their effectiveness to increase the transport efficiency. With water as the additive and a 10 m teflon capillary, i.d. of 1.3 mm, connecting the reaction and collection chambers an efficiency of ≈20% was measured. Under similar conditions an upper limit of ≤10 s was determined for the transport time. [However, with an annular Si(Au) α-detector it was possible to observe 162 W, T 1 2 ≤0.25 s .] Also, the efficiency of the system was found to be remarkably constant; during a 7 h period it varied only by about 10%. Most of the tests and developments were made as part of experiments that had to do with short-lived nuclei. As part of this paper, therefore, we describe some of these experiments so as to illustrate the versatility and usefulness of the capillary transport system.
Chemical composition and origin of Apollo 15 impact melts

Fourteen Apollo 15 impact melt rocks were analyzed for major (fused bead microprobe) and trace element (INAA) abundances, and the compositions of these Apennine Front rocks were compared with samples from other landing sites. The rocks show a wide range in trace element abundances, although all but one have a typical KREEP incompatible element pattern and have low-K Fra Mauro basaltic or medium-K Fra Mauro basaltic compositions. The melt chemistries appear to form five groups (labeled A to E in order of decreasing incompatible elements), with the compositions unlike nearly all other impact melts and regoliths from highland sites. All groups except Group A may represent single impact events (either Imbrian or post-Imbrian). One unique sample has a non-KREEP incompatible element pattern, with low abundances and a positive Eu anomaly. Its target is believed to be either a pre-Imbrian melt or exotic.
Chronic Reduction of the Cytosolic or Mitochondrial NAD(P)-malic Enzyme Does Not Affect Insulin Secretion in a Rat Insulinoma Cell Line

The cytosolic malic enzyme (ME1) has been suggested to augment insulin secretion via the malate-pyruvate and/or citrate-pyruvate shuttles, through the production of NADPH or other metabolites. We used selectable vectors expressing short hairpin RNA (shRNA) to stably decrease Me1 mRNA levels by 80–86% and ME1 enzyme activity by 78–86% with either of two shRNAs in the INS-1 832/13 insulinoma cell line. Contrary to published short term ME1 knockdown experiments, our long term targeted cells showed normal insulin secretion in response to glucose or to glutamine plus 2-aminobicyclo[2,2,1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid. We found no increase in the mRNAs and enzyme activities of the cytosolic isocitrate dehydrogenase or glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase, which also produce cytosolic NADPH. There was no compensatory induction of the mRNAs for the mitochondrial malic enzymes Me2 or Me3. Interferon pathway genes induced in preliminary small interfering RNA experiments were not induced in the long term shRNA experiments. We repeated our study with an improved vector containing Tol2 transposition sequences to produce a higher rate of stable transferents and shortened time to testing, but this did not alter the results. We similarly used stably expressed shRNA to reduce mitochondrial NAD(P)-malic enzyme (Me2) mRNA by up to 95%, with severely decreased ME2 protein and a 90% decrease in enzyme activity. Insulin release to glucose or glutamine plus 2-aminobicyclo[2,2,1]heptane-2-carboxylic acid remained normal. The maintenance of robust insulin secretion after lowering expression of either one of these malic enzymes is consistent with the redundancy of pathways of pyruvate cycling and/or cytosolic NADPH production in insulinoma cells.
Four particle exchange in solid He-3

Calculations which demonstrate a physically important four-atom exchange process in bodycentered cubic He crystal and thus an important four-spin term in the exchange Hamiltonian are discussed. A simple, mean-field analysis of this Hamiltonian appears to account for a number of the perplexing properties of bodycentered cubic He crystal. It is suggested that an understanding of other properties may require treatment of the exact four-spin term.
Correlation between 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphohydrolase activity and demyelination in vitro using a syngeneic system.

: Cultures of myelinated SJL/J fetal mouse spinal cord were incubated with serum and lymphoid cells from syngeneic animals with experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) induced by syngeneic spinal cord homogenate (SSCH) in complete Freund's adjuvant or others injected with complete Freund's adjuvant alone. After 24 or 48 h of exposure, demyelination was determined by light microscopic examination and quantification of 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase activity. Cultures exposed to spleen or lymph node cells from SSCH-sensitized animals showed the greatest alterations in myelin and decreases in 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphohydrolase activity whereas serum from these animals had less effect. Cells and serum from complete Freund's adjuvant-injected control animals also induced structural changes in myelin that were significantly less than changes induced by cells and serum from animals with EAE. These experiments show that lymphoid cells and serum obtained from SJL/J mice with acute EAE affected myelin biochemistry and morphology in syngeneic CNS cultures.
Photo-degradation studies on di-η5-cyclopentadienyl-dimethyltantalum and some deuterated analogs

Abstract The synthesis of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CH 3 ) 2 in 61% yield from (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 TaCl 2 and methyllithium is described. Photo-degradation of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CH 3 ) 2 in hydrocarbon solvents results in cleavage of the carbon—tantalum sigma bond. Methane is the major gaseous photo-product. Similar results are obtained in the thermolysis of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CH 3 ) 2 . Deuterium labelling studies indicate that the methyl ligands, the cyclopentadienyl rings and the solvent are all sources of hydrogen in the photochemically-induced formation of methane. The extent to which each source is active in this process cannot be determined, due to an isotopic preference of hydrogen over deuterium. (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CH 3 ) 3 and (C 10 H 10 Ta) x are isolated from the photolysis of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CH 3 ) 2 in pentane. Irradiation of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CH 3 ) 2 in the presence of carbon monoxide results in formation of (η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 Ta(CO)CH 3 .
A NEW PRONY-BASED CIRCULAR-HYPERBOLIC DECOMPOSITION

We introduce a new closed-form decomposition technique for estimating the model parameters of an evenly sampled signal known to be composed of circular and hyperbolic sine and cosine functions in the presence of Gaussian white noise. The techniqe is closely related to Prony's method and hereditary algorithms that fit complex exponential functions to evenly sampled data. The circular and hyperbolic sine and cosine functions are obtained by adding constraints that limit the form of the characteristic polynomial coefficients. It avoids the leakage effects associated with the discrete fourier transform (DFT) for circular sine and cosine functions. When the signal contains frequency components that are not rational multiples of each other, the proposed decomposition yields amplitude and phase parameters that are more accurate than those obtained with the DFT in moderate levels of noise. First, we review Prony's method and one hereditary algorithm (the complex exponential algorithm). Then, we detail three implementation procedures of the new technique. The first is a two-stage least-squares approach. The second utilises a novel concept of noise reduction which is attributed to Pisarenko. The last provides additional means of noise reduction through a covariance formulation that avoids zero-lag terms. Experimental and numerical examples of the application of the circular-hyperbolic decomposition (CHD) are given.
Design and construction of an adiabatic calorimeter for samples of less than 1 cm3 in the temperature range T = 15 K to T = 350 K

Abstract A small-scale adiabatic calorimeter has been constructed as part of a larger project to study the thermodynamics of nanomaterials and to facilitate heat capacity measurements on samples of insufficient quantity to run on our current large-scale adiabatic apparatus. This calorimeter is designed to measure the heat capacity of samples whose volume is less than 0.8 cm3 over a temperature range of T = 13 K to T = 350 K. Heat capacity results on copper, sapphire, and benzoic acid show the accuracy of the measurements to be better than ±0.4% for temperatures higher than T = 50 K. The reproducibility of these measurements is generally better than ±0.25%.
Band Structure of Bismuth: Pseudopotential Approach

The electronic band structure of bismuth is studied by means of a pseudopotential approach. The Lin-Kleinman pseudopotential was adopted; its parameters were adjusted slightly to bring the band structure into agreement with two known energy differences in bismuth. With this pseudopotential, the band structure along symmetry lines and planes is calculated and the effective masses of the carriers are studied. The band structure is in good agreement with optical data and with effective-mass anisotropies, but the magnitude of the effective masses may differ from experiment by a factor of 3. Using the experimental effective masses and $g$ factor of the holes, we infer the energy-level scheme at $T$ near ${E}_{F}$. Also, we have tentatively identified a higher-lying band which has been experimentally observed. A very efficient method of calculating nonlocal and spin-orbit coupling terms in $\mathbf{k}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\mathbf{\ensuremath{\pi}}$ perturbation theory is presented.
Attenuation of Airway Hyperresponsiveness During Acute Viral Infection Using the 21-Aminosteroid U-83836E in Rats

Respiratory viral infections have been associated with exacerbations of asthma in humans, and are known to produce airway obstruction and hyperresponsiveness in rats. Virus-induced airway dysfunction may result in part from inflammatory cells and their products, and agents that target these mechanisms might therefore attenuate viral airway injury. The 21-aminosteroid class of drugs has been reported to attenuate tissue injury in a variety of models, and we hypothesized that U-83836E, an orally-active aminosteroid, would prevent the development of airway dysfunction during acute viral illness. Adult rats were inoculated with either parainfluenza type 1 (Sendai) virus or sterile vehicle, treated with either U-83836E 20 mg/kg or water by oral gavage twice daily, and studied on postinoculation day 5, 6 or 7. Anesthetized, paralysed, mechanically ventilated rats were placed in a body plethysmograph for measurements of airway obstruction (resistance, dynamic compliance, eucapneic PaO2), and responsiveness to iv methacholine; lungs were lavaged to obtain inflammatory cells. The water–treated virus group was significantly different from the non-infected controls for all variables. Virus-induced hyperresponsiveness was attenuated (P=0.027) by aminosteroid treatment, although airway obstruction and inflammation were not improved by the treatment. We conclude that 21-aminosteroids may protect airways from virus-induced hyperresponsiveness.
Quantum confinement in amorphous TiO2 films studied via atomic layer deposition

Despite the significant recent increase in quantum-based optoelectronics device research, few deposition techniques can reliably create the required functional nanoscale systems. Atomic layer deposition (ALD) was used here to study the quantum effects attainable through the use of this angstrom-level controlled growth process. Size-dependent quantum confinement has been demonstrated using TiO2 layers of nanoscale thickness applied to the surfaces of silicon wafers. TiO2 films were deposited at 100 °C using TiCl4 and H2O2 in a viscous flow ALD reactor, at a rate of 0.61 A/cycle. The low-temperature process was utilized to guarantee the amorphous deposition of TiO2 layers and post-deposition thermal annealing was employed to promote crystallite-size modification. Hydrogen peroxide significantly reduced the residual chlorine that remained from a typical TiCl4–H2O ALD process at this temperature, down to 1.6%. Spectroscopic ellipsometry was used to quantify the optical properties both below and above the bandgap energy. A central composite design was employed to map the surface response of the film thickness-dependent bandgap shift for the as-deposited case and up to a thermal annealing temperature of 550 °C. The Brus model was used to develop a correlation between the amorphous TiO2 film thickness and the quantum length to promote equivalent bandgap shifts.
Economic opening, strategic alliances, and the military: the development of the high‐technology sector in Turkey

Turkey represents a fascinating case in late industrialization or “late late developing”. Under the Kemalist tradition of continuous modernization, the Turkish context of the 1990s, which heavily involves the military establishment, may actually support high‐technology sectors. Such a conclusion is derived from an examination of economic and geopolitical realities, and benchmarks provided by highly industrialized countries. A strategic TOWS analysis underlines the strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities, of a hypothetical microelectronics industry. Strategies for such industry are suggested including international strategic alliances.
Experimental aspects of the interacting Boson approximation

Abstract Experimental tests of the Interacting Boson Approximation (IBA) and the Interacting Boson-Fermion Approximation (IBFA) are viewed in a broad perspective. A thorough outline is given of the parameterization of the various boson-boson and boson-fermion interactions in use. Emphasis is placed on tests of the phenomenological IBA and IBFA with the smallest useful number of parameters. The discussion is confined to the most outstanding successes and to the most serious failings of these simple forms of the IBA and IBFA. Particular attention is given to the influence of pair excitations on the low-energy collective structure in nuclei. These can occur across major shell gaps and across subshell gaps, giving rise to coexisting collective behavior (shape coexistence). Until now, the influence of pair excitations across subshell gaps on low-energy collective structure appears to have been seriously overlooked.
Measuring improvement following total hip and knee arthroplasty using patient-based measures of outcome.

BackgroundPatient-derived outcome scales have become increasingly important to physicians and clinical researchers for measuring improvement in function after surgery. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the ability of health-status instruments to measure early functional recovery after to
Crystalline micro-resonators: status and applications

We report on fabrication of new ultrahigh Q crystalline microcavities. Optical Q factor of (4.4±1.2)×10 8 is achieved for Vacuum UV grade CaF 2 cavity with 100 μm in diameter. It is shown that if excimer grade crystal is used, Q factor of 5.5 mm cavity can be as high as (5.31±0.04)×10 10 at laser wavelength of 1064 nm. We discuss nonlinear properties of these cavities such as Raman lasing with threshold of less than a few microwatts. Possible application in cavity quantum electrodynamics is analyzed.
Thermal biosensors from micromachined bulk acoustic wave resonators

Abstract A micromachined Y-cut quartz resonator based thermal biosensor – configured with a reaction chamber that is physically separated but located in close proximity to the resonator for sensitive calorimetric biosensing applications is presented. The coupling of heat from the reaction chamber to the quartz resonator is achieved via radiation and conduction through ambient gas. This configuration of the sensor allows for a very robust sensing platform with no fouling of the sensor surface or degradation in its performance metrics. Frequency based and Impedance-based tracking of resonance frequency was used for chemical and enzymatic activity measurements and compared here. An impedance sensitivity of 852 Ω/°C (frequency sensitivity of 7.32 kHz/°C) was obtained for the 91 MHz.
Functional integral formulation of Brueckner-Hartree-Fock theory

Abstract A functional integral formalism is developed for the quantum many-fermion problem with a strong, short-range repulsive two-body potential. It is applied to nuclear transition amplitudes, for which the stationary phase approximation leads to a new time-dependent mean-field theory. The general equations of motion are non-local in time due to the dependence of the mean-field upon the initial and final states. For special choices of boundary conditions, these equations simplify to the well-known Brueckner-Hartree-Fock approximation or to its time-dependent generalization. A non-perturbative expression for the quantal corrections to the static Brueckner-Hartree-Fock mean-field is proposed using the example of the ground state energy.
Effect of reynolds number and periodic unsteady wake flow condition on boundary layer development, separation, and intermittency behavior along the suction surface of a low pressure turbine blade

The paper experimentally studies the effects of periodic unsteady wake flow and Reynolds number on boundary layer development, separation, reattachment, and the intermittency behavior along the suction surface of a low pressure turbine blade. Extensive unsteady boundary layer experiments were carried out at Reynolds numbers of 110,000 and 150,000 based on suction surface length and exit velocity. One steady and two different unsteady inlet flow conditions with the corresponding passing frequencies, wake velocities, and turbulence intensities were investigated. The analysis of the experimental data reveals details of boundary layer separation dynamics which is essential for understanding the physics of the separation phenomenon under periodic unsteady wake flow and different Reynolds numbers. To provide a complete picture of the transition process and separation dynamics, extensive intermittency analysis was conducted. Ensemble-averaged maximum and minimum intermittency functions were determined, leading to the relative intermittency function. In addition, the detailed intermittency analysis was aimed at answering the question as to whether the relative intermittency of a separated flow fulfills the universality criterion.
Modulation of joint moments and work in the goat hindlimb with locomotor speed and surface grade

Goats and other quadrupeds must modulate the work output of their muscles to accommodate the changing mechanical demands associated with locomotion in their natural environments. This study examined which hindlimb joint moments goats use to generate and absorb mechanical energy on level and sloped surfaces over a range of locomotor speeds. Ground reaction forces and the three-dimensional locations of joint markers were recorded as goats walked, trotted and galloped over 0, +15 and -15 deg sloped surfaces. Net joint moments, powers and work were estimated at the goats' hip, knee, ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints throughout the stance phase via inverse dynamics calculations. Differences in locomotor speed on the level, inclined and declined surfaces were characterized and accounted for by fitting regression equations to the joint moment, power and work data plotted versus non-dimensionalized speed. During level locomotion, the net work generated by moments at each of the hindlimb joints was small (less than 0.1 J kg(-1) body mass) and did not vary substantially with gait or locomotor speed. During uphill running, by contrast, mechanical energy was generated at the hip, knee and ankle, and the net work at each of these joints increased dramatically with speed (P<0.05). The greatest increases in positive joint work occurred at the hip and ankle. During downhill running, mechanical energy was decreased in two main ways: goats generated larger knee extension moments in the first half of stance, absorbing energy as the knee flexed, and goats generated smaller ankle extension moments in the second half of stance, delivering less energy. The goats' hip extension moment in mid-stance was also diminished, contributing to the decrease in energy. These analyses offer new insight into quadrupedal locomotion, clarifying how the moments generated by hindlimb muscles modulate mechanical energy at different locomotor speeds and grades, as needed to accommodate the demands of variable terrain.
How scaling will change processor architecture

For the past 30 years processors have hidden scaling from the programmer, presenting the same sequential computational interface. Power and wire scaling issues are causing this interface to change, exposing more parallelism. For efficiency, future machines must be distributed and heterogeneous and will add at least a "stream" programming interface.
Malignant hypertension and acute aortic dissection associated with caffeine-based ephedra-free dietary supplements: a case report

The use of weight loss dietary supplements is prevalent in the United States, and over the past decade, there has been tremendous growth of the use of these products. It is well documented that ephedra-based products are associated with various cardiovascular adverse effects. With new restrictions placed on such products, companies are now manufacturing caffeine-based ephedra-free herbal supplements. We present the case of 36-year old, previously healthy female who developed malignant hypertension and aortic dissection while taking various caffeine-based dietary supplements. Given the lack of research studies in regards to their safety and efficacy, judicious care should be taken with the use of dietary supplements, including those designated as ephedra-free.
Design issues in dose-finding Phase I trials for combinations of two agents.

Combination therapy of two antitumor agents may provide treatment additivity or synergy. Phase I trials for combination therapy search for the maximum tolerated dose (MTD) for combined agents. The conventional approach is to preselect an escalation path, usually increasing the dose of one agent and then another, and to use the standard 3 + 3 design. However, this procedure may miss the optimum dose combination, prolong the time it takes, and increase the number of patients necessary to reach the MTD. In this study, we present strategies for a comprehensive search for MTD for a two-agent combination therapy. We evaluate algorithms based on two-stage and three-stage design as well as variations in cohort size. A two-dimensional isotonic estimation method for toxicity rate is provided. We use simulation methods to compare 2 + 1 + 3 vs. 3 + 3 cohort sizes. We conclude that the comprehensive search proposed in our study can be more practical and efficient in identifying the MTD in combination-therapy of two ag...
Qureshi Grading Scheme for Angiographic Occlusions Strongly Correlates With the Initial Severity and In‐Hospital Outcome of Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background The thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) grading scheme and other classification systems have limitations in evaluating patients with ischemic stroke because they do not account for occlusion location or collateral circulation. The Qureshi grading scheme has been recently proposed to evaluate the severity of arterial occlusion in acute ischemic stroke because of limitations in existing grading systems. Methods The Qureshi grading scheme assigns a score from 0 to 5 on the basis of occlusion site and collateral supply. The authors determined the relationship between initial severity of stroke and outcome at discharge measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and the Qureshi grading scale assessed from initial angiography (by a neuroradiologist blinded to the clinical examination) in 57 patients who underwent intra-arterial therapy for acute ischemic stroke within 6 hours of symptom onset. Results A strong association was observed between the initial severity of neurological deficits and Qureshi scheme on angiography (F ratio = 2.6, P =.03). The initial NIHSS for grade 1 was 11 +/- 4 and progressively increased to 23 +/- 6 for grade 5. In the multivariate analysis, initial NIHSS was significantly associated with Qureshi scheme on angiography (R2 = 358, P =.03). The mean discharge NIHSS was 12 +/- 10 (range, 0-40). There was also a direct relationship between the Qureshi scheme and discharge NIHSS (F ratio = 2.8, P =.02). Conclusion The Qureshi grading scheme can be effectively used to determine the severity of ischemic stroke (brain at risk) from the initial angiography.
Real Time Internet Invasive Pest Identification Training: A Case Study With Rhynchophorus Weevils

ABSTRACT Early detection of potentially invasive pests is critical to avert significant economic and environmental damage that may result from their successful introduction and establishment in the U.S. Recent advances in affordable USB (universal serial bus) compliant digital microscope cameras and internet platforms for disseminating information in real time have created the potential for enhanced training for insect pest identification. Using the palm weevil genus Rhynchophorus as a test group, we conducted real time training demonstrations which suggested that remote identification training is possible with the U.S. government internet-based portal “FoodShield” which employs Adobe Connect software, along with an open conference call line to reduce audio feedback. A training module was developed employing easy to use keys with photographs of diagnostic characters for species of Rhynchophorus that were distributed with an observation kit (containing image capture software, a digital microscope, a stand,...
Combining local‐structure, fold‐recognition, and new fold methods for protein structure prediction

This article presents an overview of the SAM-T02 method for protein fold recognition and the UNDERTAKER program for ab initio predictions. The SAM-T02 server is an automatic method that uses two-track hidden Markov models (HMMS) to find and align template proteins from PDB to the target protein. The two-track HMMs use an amino acid alphabet and one of several different local structure alphabets. The UNDERTAKER program is a new fragment-packing program that can use short or long fragments and alignments to create protein conformations. The HMMs and fold-recognition alignments from the SAM-T02 method were used to generate the fragment and alignment libraries used by UNDERTAKER. We present results on a few selected targets for which this combined method worked particularly well: T0129, T0181, T0135, T0130, and T0139.
Challenges in Econometrics

To frame what is in my view of the main challenges facing researchers in econometrics, let me set the stage by describing the current state of research. Much of the traditional research in econometrics can be divided into two branches, the first comprising cross-section and panel data econometrics and the second time series analysis. In the cross-section branch of econometrics researchers have data on a large number of units, often individuals, or groups of individuals, firms, or markets. For each unit there is information on a relatively small number of variables, sometimes measured at a single point in time, sometimes with repeated measures as in panel data. The units are viewed as exchangeable, or independent in the sense that there is no interaction between the units: what happens to one unit does not affect other units. In time series analysis the typical setting is one with observations on a small number of variables, at many points in time, with relatively unrestricted dependencies between the different variables. For models designed for data configurations of these two types we have learned much in the last few decades. In fully parametric models, as well as in the more flexible semi and non parametric models we have gained an impressive understanding of the appropriate ways of analyzing such data, and the properties of many estimators and methods for inference.In my view the biggest challenges faced by economists in terms of analyzing economic data concern fundamentally different configurations of the data, with complex, largely unknown, dependence patterns and a relatively large numbers variables per unit. In such cases the current methods to do approximate inference based on large sample results, which are specifically designed to exploit laws of large numbers and central limit theorems, are likely to be inadequate. Moreover, trying to fit these more complex data configurations into the old methods would be unlikely to lead to much progress. In some cases econometricians and statisticians have made some progress on such alternative data configurations, but for the most these are unexplored areas for research.
Solid-Solution Li Intercalation as a Function of Cation Order/Disorder in the High-Voltage LixNi0.5Mn1.5O4 Spinel

Many Li-ion cathode materials transform via two-phase reactions, which can lead to long-term structural damage and limited cyclability. To elucidate the coupling between favorable solid-solution Li...
GABA Receptor Antagonists Modulate Postmitotic Cell Migration in Slice Cultures of Embryonic Rat Cortex

Recent studies indicate that GABA acts as a chemoattractant during rat cortical histogenesis. In vivo, GABA localizes in appropriate locations for a chemoattractant, along migratory routes and near target destinations for migrating cortical neurons. In vitro, GABA induces dissociated embryonic cortical neurons to migrate. Here, embryonic rat cortical slices were cultured in the presence or absence of GABA receptor (GABA-R) antagonists to assess GABA's effects on neuronal migration in situ. Gestational day 18 (E18) cortical slices were incubated overnight in bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-containing medium to label ventricular zone (vz) cells as they underwent terminal mitosis. The slices were then cultured in BrdU-free medium with or without GABA-R antagonists. In control slices, most BrdU(+) cells were observed in the cortical plate (cp) after 48 h. In contrast, cultures maintained in either saclofen (a GABA(B)-R antagonist) or picrotoxin (a GABA(A/C)-R antagonist) had few BrdU-labeled cp cells. However, the effects of the two antagonists were distinct. In the picrotoxin-treated slices, nearly half of all BrdU(+) cells remained in the vz and subventricular zone (svz), whereas saclofen treatment resulted in an accumulation of BrdU(+) cells in the intermediate zone (iz). Bicuculline, a GABA(A)-R antagonist, did not block, but rather enhanced migration of BrdU(+) cells into the cp. These results provide evidence that picrotoxin-sensitive receptors promote the migration of vz/svz cells into the iz, while saclofen-sensitive receptors signal cells to migrate into the cp. Thus, as cortical cells differentiate, changing receptor expression appears to modulate migratory responses to GABA.
Juvenile Miranda Warnings Perfunctory Rituals or Procedural Safeguards

The American Bar Association, via its newly adopted policy, seeks fundamental changes in procedural justice with respect to juvenile Miranda warnings. It calls for understandable Miranda warnings to educate youth in custody regarding the relevant Constitutional protections. In surveying prosecutors and public defenders, the authors collected 293 juvenile Miranda warnings that are intended specifically for youthful offenders. Length and reading levels were analyzed and compared to an earlier survey. Nearly two thirds (64.9%) of these warnings were very long (> 175 words), which hinders Miranda comprehension. In addition, most juvenile warnings (91.6%) require reading comprehension higher than a 6th-grade level; 5.2% exceed a 12th-grade reading level. Combining across two surveys, more than half of juvenile Miranda warnings are highly problematic because of excessive lengths or difficult reading comprehension. However, simple and easily read Miranda components were identified that could be used to improve j...
Role of Interferon in the Replication of Human Parainfluenza Virus Type 1 Wild Type and Mutant Viruses in Human Ciliated Airway Epithelium

Human parainfluenza virus type 1 (HPIV1) is a significant cause of pediatric respiratory disease in the upper and lower airways. An in vitro model of human ciliated airway epithelium (HAE), a useful tool for studying respiratory virus-host interactions, was used in this study to show that HPIV1 selectively infects ciliated cells within the HAE and that progeny virus is released from the apical surface with little apparent gross cytopathology. In HAE, type I interferon (IFN) is induced following infection with an HPIV1 mutant expressing defective C proteins with an F170S amino acid substitution, rHPIV1-C(F170S), but not following infection with wild-type HPIV1. IFN induction coincided with a 100- to 1,000-fold reduction in virus titer, supporting the hypothesis that the HPIV1 C proteins are critical for the inhibition of the innate immune response. Two recently characterized live attenuated HPIV1 vaccine candidates expressing mutant C proteins were also evaluated in HAE. The vaccine candidates, rHPIV1-C(R84G/Delta170)HN(T553A)L(Y942A) and rHPIV1-C(R84G/Delta170)HN(T553A)L(Delta1710-11), which contain temperature-sensitive (ts) attenuating (att) and non-ts att mutations, were highly restricted in growth in HAE at permissive (32 degrees C) and restrictive (37 degrees C) temperatures. The viruses grew slightly better at 37 degrees C than at 32 degrees C, and rHPIV1-C(R84G/Delta170)HN(T553A)L(Y942A) was less attenuated than rHPIV1-C(R84G/Delta170)HN(T553A)L(Delta1710-11). The level of replication in HAE correlated with that previously observed for African green monkeys, suggesting that the HAE model has potential as a tool for the preclinical evaluation of HPIV1 vaccines, although how these in vitro data will correlate with vaccine virus replication in seronegative human subjects remains to be seen.
Hepatic Undifferentiated (Embryonal) Sarcoma: A Case Report with Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology and Histology

Hepatic undifferentiated (embryonal) sarcoma is an unusual malignant liver tumor with an overwhelming predilection for children. Fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of these tumors rarely has been described in the literature. In this report, we described the clinical, radiologic, cytomorphologic, histopathologic, immunohistochemical, and DNA ploidy features of a similar tumor in an 18 year-old patient. The FNA smears showed clusters and isolated tumor cells with marked variation in morphology including spindle cells, large bizarre anaplastic cells, and giant tumor cells. The histopathologic sections recapitulated the varied morphologic patterns within the tumor cells and also showed characteristic eosinophilic intra- and extracytoplasmic globules. DNA ploidy studies, by image analysis, demonstrated this tumor as an aneuploid tumor, indicating poor prognosis. FNA cytology can be utilized as a sensitive screening tool for these rare tumors.
Discrete endogenous variables in weakly separable models

Summary This paper contains an extension of the identification method proposed in Jun et al. (2011), hereafter JPX, which is based on a generated collection of sets, that is a ‘Dynkin system’. We demonstrate the usefulness of this extension in the context of the model proposed by Vytlacil and Yildiz (2007), hereafter VY. VY formulate a fully non-parametric model featuring a nested weakly separable structure in which an endogenous regressor is binary-valued. The extension of the JPX approach considered here allows for non-binary-valued discrete endogenous regressors and requires weaker support conditions than VY in the binary case, which substantially broadens the range of potential applications of the VY model. In this paper we focus on the binary case for which we provide several alternative simpler sufficient conditions and outline an estimation strategy.
Tailoring exchange bias with magnetic nanostructures

Exchange bias in antiferromagnet/ferromagnet bilayers can be tuned by their lateral dimensions when they are below typical magnetic domain sizes. Bilayers of uniform-${\mathrm{FeF}}_{2}$/nanoporous Fe-network have been successfully fabricated by a copolymer nanolithography technique. Feature sizes of about 200 \AA{} have been achieved over a macroscopic 1 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$ area. Exchange bias larger than that in uniform ${\mathrm{FeF}}_{2}/\mathrm{F}\mathrm{e}$ film has been observed, with a similar temperature dependence. Magnetic hysteresis loops and anisotropic magnetoresistance both show pronounced asymmetry that vanishes at the ${\mathrm{FeF}}_{2}$ N\'eel temperature. The asymmetry is due to a magnetization rotation process that builds up moments perpendicular to the saturation magnetization directions. The characteristics of the exchange bias originates from the nanostructure of the bilayer.
Temporal regulation of cytokine mRNA expression in equine recurrent airway obstruction.

Acuteand chronicinflammation oftheairwayremainsanimportanthealth problemforequids. ‘‘Heaves’’ orrecurrent airway obstruction (RAO) remains one of the most commonly diagnosed conditions affecting the lung of older horses in Europe and the United States. The typical clinical signs of RAO include non-productive coughing, serous nasal discharge, labored expiratory effort, and flaring of the nostrils. Auscultation of the lungs of the affected horse often reveals abnormal respiratory sounds, described ascrackles and wheezes, throughoutthearea of thelungfield.These clinicalsigns occursecondaryto aninflammatory response that results in bronchospasm, excessive mucus production and airway obstruction. This inflammatory response is characterized by the presence of excessive mucus and inflammatory cells, primarily neutrophils, in the small airways. Most evidence suggests that RAO is the result of a pulmonary hypersensitivity to inhaled antigens. Exposure of affected horses to hay dust, pollens, and mold spores leads to neutrophil accumulation in the lung and bronchospasm. The identification of allergenspecific IgE in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluid and sera of affected horses supports the involvement of a late phase, IgEmediated, hypersensitivity reaction in the pathogenesis of equine RAO. The production of IgE antibodies is regulated by the cytokines IL-4 and IL-13. Using a quantitative PCR method we have reported that horses with RAO exhibit a modified Type 2 cytokine response characterized by the production of IL-4 and IL-13 mRNA, but not IL-5 mRNA in BAL cells. Interferongamma mRNA was also elevated, suggesting a mixed response. While these results are consistent with equine RAO being the result of an aberrant Type 2 cytokine response to inhaled allergens, others have failed to find any evidence of elevated Type 2 cytokine mRNA in BAL from horses with ‘‘heaves’’. It is likely that these disparate results could be the result of differences in the clinical stage of the affected animals or the timing of sample collection. Here, we report a diverse pattern of cytokine gene expression when sampling a group of affected horses over a period of time. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A two-stage approach to saliency detection in images

Researches in psychology, perception and related fields show that there may be a two-stage process involved in human vision. In this paper, we propose an approach by following a two-stage framework for saliency detection. In the first stage, we extend an existing spectrum residual model for better locating visual pop-outs, while in the second stage we make use of coherence based propagation for further refinement of the results from the first step. For evaluation of the proposed approach, 300 images with diverse contents were manually and accurately labeled. Experiments show that our approach achieves much better performance than that from the existing state-of-art.
Telemedicine in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

Telemedicine technologies involve real-time, live interactive high-definition video and audio communication that allow pediatric critical care physicians to have a virtual presence at the bedside of any critically ill child. Telemedicine use has been increasing and is expected to become a common tool in remote emergency departments, inpatient wards, and Intensive Care Units for pediatric care. There is increasing data to support new care models that incorporate telemedicine technologies result in higher care quality, more efficient resource use with improved cost-effectiveness, and higher patient, parent and remote provider satisfaction. As more research is conducted, the best use of these technologies will be better defined, and result in increased access to pediatric critical care expertise to a larger population of children in need of Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) services.
Using cooperative writing and oral presentations as peer teaching - evaluating the effectiveness of elements of inductive teaching and social constructivism on student outcomes

The overall teaching strategy in our basic materials engineering course has been transformed from deductive practice to an inductive teaching and learning system where most of the elements of a student-centered approach are present: cooperative learning, case-based teaching, active/inquiry learning, concept learning, problem-based learning, and constructive alignment. All these principles are supported by educational theory based in cognitive and social constructivism. Thus, this academic year aspects of social constructivism were emphasized and researched in the course. A new component this academic year was that the students' comprehensive research paper and oral presentations/posters were completed in teams using cooperative learning methods. Several research questions were posed. Did using the cooperative learning method improve the quality and technical depth of the research papers/presentations or improve specific learning outcomes? Did student retention and successful course completion improve? Overall, cooperative learning certainly did improve the overall scores and technical depth of the research papers and presentations. Substantial improvements in higher order thinking and language skills (analyzing and relating design requirements to complex materials properties such as viscoelasticity, anisotropy, specific strength/stiffness and phase changes) were also observed. Measurements of end-of-term student misconceptions showed improvements in scaffolding and reconstruction of knowledge in these same conceptual areas.
High-Temperature Defect Structure of Iron-Doped α-Alumina

Conductivity measurements of iron-doped a-Al2O3 by Pappis and Kingery are interpreted on the basis of a model in which ionic defects are the major defect species. The analysis leads to equilibrium constants for the establishment of non-stoichiornetry in Al2O3 and for the oxidation-reduction of divalent to trivalent iron, and to the position of the electronic level of Fe2+ (=FeA1′) in the gap at Er+ 3.66 eV.
Creating a collaborative “hot clock”: Using smart phones to motivate students’ learning in news interviewing and reporting

Courses: Survey of Mass Media, Broadcast Journalism, News Writing, Media Programing, Communication Technology.Objective: Employing the concept of a “hot-clock radio format,” the purpose of this unit activity is to motivate students’ collaborative learning in news reporting, interviewing, and media programing via smart phones.