cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reaction pH and protein affect the oxidation products of β-pentagalloyl glucose

To better understand the biochemical consequences when polymeric polyphenols serve as biological antioxidants, we studied how reaction pH (pH 2.1–7.4) and protein affected the oxidation of pentagalloyl glucose (PGG) by NaIO4 in aqueous solution. PGG oxidation produced an o-semiquinone radical intermediate, which tended to form polymeric products at pH values below 5, and o-quinones at higher pH. The model protein bovine serum albumin promoted the formation of quinone even at low pH. Two other polyphenols, procyanidin (epicatechin16-(4→8)-catechin) and epigallocatechin gallate, had similar pH-dependent oxidation patterns.
Early Triassic calcimicrobial mounds and biostromes of the Nanpanjiang basin, south China

Stanley’s model (1988) proposed that a Permiantype reef fauna survived the Early Triassic reefless period in yet undiscovered refuges in the ancestral Pacific ocean and then reappeared as the builders of Middle Triassic reefs. Flugel (1994), in contrast, suggested that the Middle Triassic reefbuilding fauna are not holdovers from the Permian, but bear only a superficial resemblance to Permian fossils. Recent publications reflect a consensus that the Early Triassic lacked reefs and reef mounds although some authors acknowledged the possibility that reef-like structures may have existed in poorly explored areas such as south China and Russia (Senowbari-Daryan et al., 1993; Flugel, 1994). It is shown herein that Calcimicrobial framework mounds and biostromes existed in the Early Triassic in the Nanpanjiang basin of south China. Organic framework in this paper refers to a three dimensional, biologically-constructed network of calcified fossils that forms a rigid mass and supports an interconnected network of internal cavities that were open during accumulation. Although the calcimicrobial frameworks discussed herein are much smaller than frameworks of modern metazoan reefs, the term framestone is more appropriate for these fabrics than other reef-rock terms such as bindstone or bafflestone (Embry and Klovan, 1971). These calcimicrobial mounds and biostromes are important as the first organic framestones documented from the Early Triassic.
A novel genetic marker for the rapid detection of Bacteroides fragilis in recreational water as a human-specific faecal indicator

Bacteroides spp. has gained substantial interest among the suggested potential candidates for alternative faecal indicators for untreated recreational waters by the US EPA. Interest in Bacteroides as a faecal indicator is based upon the relative abundance of selected members of the Bacteroides genus in the human colon and human faeces. In this study, we developed a real-time PCR detection system based on gyrase B subunit genes (gyrB) specifi ct oBacteroides fragilis. The gryB-based method was compared with previously described 16S rRNA-based real-time qPCR methods and evaluated for specificity, sensitivity and robustness in detecting B. fragilis from untreated recreational water impacted by human and non-human faecal sources. The new gyrB-based system only detected B. fragilis, whereas the 16S rRNA-based methods generated cross-amplifications with other Bacteroides and Prevotella species. We used a procedure of prefiltration, filtration, sonication and DNA concentration in order to improve the DNA extraction efficiency and the sensitivity of the real-time PCR while removing interference. The amplification and sequencing of PCR products generated by the gyrB-based method confirmed that gyrBamplified sequences only contained B. fragilis. This rapid method is useful for quantifying faecal contamination and may assist beach and watershed managers in elucidating possible contamination sources.
Momentum-space formalism for the total energy of solids

A momentum-space formalism for calculating the total energy of solids is derived. This formalism is designed particularly for application with the self-consistent pseudo- potential method. In the present formalism, the total energy is obtained through band- structure calculations without involving additional integrations. The Hellman-Feynman theorem is derived, as is a modified virial relation for the pseiidopotential Hamiltonian which provides an alternative way of calculating forces and total energies. The calculation of the total energy of solids and related derivatives with respect to structural degrees of freedom has been an ongoing problem since the early days of solid state physics (Wigner and Seitz 1933, 1934, Fuchs 1935). Quantum-mechanical calcu- lations on molecules suggest that correlation effects might sometimes be responsible for most of their binding energy (Schaefer 1972). The solid state approaches have concentrated on efforts to include most of these effects through an effective potential I/corr(p(r, Y')) (Hohenberg and Kohn 1964, Kohn and Sham 1965), rather than by complicated wave- function-related configuration interactions or many-electron perturbation techniques. Besides the problem of considering correlation effects, the self-consistent solution of the Schrodinger equation within a desired accuracy is quite difficult ; typically, the experi- mental binding energy of elemental solids is 10-4-10-5 times the total energy. These difficulties have inspired a large set of total-energy calculations that circumvents the complete solution of the Schrodinger equation (Harrison 1966, Heine and Weaire 1970). It is based on various approximations to the nearly-free-electron representation and may include the effect of more localised electrons (e.g. d states in transition metals) through specific interaction models (Moriarty 1974, 1977). As the variational self-consistent charge density remains unspecified in this approach, various forms of linear dielectric screening of the basic Coulomb interactions are introduced (Harrison 1966, Heine and Weaire 1970). Another set oftotal-energy calculations is based on direct solutions ofthe Schrodinger equation within a given interaction model : for example, Hartree-Fock (Harris and Monkhorst 1971, Wepfer et al 1974), density-functional (Ching and Callaway 1974,
Molecular Dynamics Studies of Cation Aggregation in the Room Temperature Ionic Liquid [C10mim][Br] in Aqueous Solution†

The structure of an aqueous 1-n-decyl-3-methylimidazolium bromide solution and its vapor−liquid interface has been studied using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Starting from an isotropic solution, spontaneous self-assembly of cations into small micellar aggregates has been observed. The decyl chains are buried inside the micelle to avoid unfavorable interactions with water, leaving the polar headgroups exposed to water. The cation aggregation numbers, ranging from 15 to 24 compare favorably with experimental estimates. Results are presented for the organization of solvent around the cations. The structure of the aggregates as determined from the present MD simulations does not support the staircase model proposed on the basis of nuclear magnetic resonance studies on similar aqueous ionic-liquid solutions. The distribution of ions in bulk solutions and at an air/water interface is also discussed.
Renormalization-Group Calculation of Local Magnetizations and Correlations: Random-Bond, Random-Field, and Spin-Glass Systems

We show that extensive statistical mechanics information can be obtained by the calculation of local densities such as local magnetizations and neighbor correlations, made possible by renormalization-group theory. This is illustrated with quenched random-bond, random-field, and spin-glass systems, in two and three dimensions. The different ordering behaviors thus become vividly and quantitatively apparent.
Adsorption and thermal decomposition of CH3SH on the Pt(111) surface

Abstract Adsorption, desorption and thermal decomposition of methanethiol (CH 3 SH) on a clean and on a (2 × 2)-S covered Pt(111) surface have been studied using temperature programmed desorption, high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy as a function of temperature and coverage on the Pt(111) surface. Vibrational spectroscopy has been used to characterize the structure and bonding of surface intermediates formed during dehydrogenation of adsorbed methanethiol. The identity of surface intermediate species which form during thermal dehydrogenation is determined by both temperature and the availability of free Pt sites. Low coverages strongly favor low temperature dehydrogenation and decomposition reactions. Initial S-H bond activation does not occur at 110 K on crowded surfaces while complete decomposition of methanethiol is observed for 5% of a monolayer on a clean surface. For a saturated monolayer of methanethiol, XPS results indicate that about 60% of the carbon remains on the surface after heating to 750 K indicating that 40% of the carbon desorbs as CH 4 , and C 2 H 4 . The fractional yield of volatile organic products increases with increasing initial coverage of methanethiol up to monolayer coverage. The structure and geometry of the adsorbed intermediates formed by CH 3 SH decomposition also depends on coverage and temperature. Thermal dehydrogenation generates first CH 3 S, then CH 2 S as previously reported. In addition a new intermediate σ-bonded SCH is identified in this work. Similar species form on the (2 × 2)-S pre-sulfided surface; however, in the pre-sulfided case the S-C bonds tend to be oriented more closely along the surface normal than they are on the clean surface. Methanethiol molecules remain intact on the pre-sulfided surface up to 180 K.
Inhibition of interferon gene activation by death-effector domain-containing proteins from the molluscum contagiosum virus

Apoptosis, NF-κB activation, and IRF3 activation are a triad of intrinsic immune responses that play crucial roles in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, cancer, and autoimmunity. FLIPs are a family of viral and cellular proteins initially found to inhibit apoptosis and more recently to either up- or down-regulate NF-κB. As such, a broad role for FLIPs in disease regulation is postulated, but exactly how a FLIP performs such multifunctional roles remains to be established. Here we examine FLIPs (MC159 and MC160) encoded by the molluscum contagiosum virus, a dermatotropic poxvirus causing skin infections common in children and immunocompromised individuals, to better understand their roles in viral pathogenesis. While studying their molecular mechanisms responsible for NF-κB inhibition, we discovered that each protein inhibited IRF3-controlled luciferase activity, identifying a unique function for FLIPs. MC159 and MC160 each inhibited TBK1 phosphorylation, confirming this unique function. Surprisingly, MC159 coimmunoprecipitated with TBK1 and IKKe but MC160 did not, suggesting that these homologs use distinct molecular mechanisms to inhibit IRF3 activation. Equally surprising was the finding that the FLIP regions necessary for TBK1 inhibition were distinct from those MC159 or MC160 regions previously defined to inhibit NF-κB or apoptosis. These data reveal previously unappreciated complexities of FLIPs, and that subtle differences within the conserved regions of FLIPs possess distinct molecular and structural fingerprints that define crucial differences in biological activities. A future comparison of mechanistic differences between viral FLIP proteins can provide new means of precisely manipulating distinct aspects of intrinsic immune responses.
Outflow of endogenous aspartate and glutamate from the rat spinal dorsal horn in vitro by activation of low- and high-threshold primary afferent fibers. Modulation by μ-opioids

Abstract Possible correlation of release of endogenous glutamate (Glu) and aspartate (Asp) with stimulation parameters used to activate primary sensory neurons was examined using the rat spinal cord slice — dorsal root ganglion preparation and high performance liquid chromatography with fluorimetric detection. Selective activation of the low-threshold (Aβ) primary afferent fibers resulted in a two-fold increase in the rate of basal outflow of Asp and a smaller increase in the outflow of Glu from the rat spinal dorsal horn slices into the superfusing medium. The activation of both the low (Aβ)- and the high-threshold (Aδ+C) primary afferents elicited also a significant increase in the outflow of Asp and Glu relative to control. Glu and Asp are released in significant amounts following superfusion of the dorsal root ganglia with capsaicin or resiniferatoxin. DAGO (Tyr- d -Ala-Gly-MePhe-Gly-ol-enkephalin), an agonist atμ-opioid receptors, attenuated the high-intensity stimulation-evoked outflow of Asp and Glu in a naloxone-sensitive manner. Our results have provided further evidence in support of the contention that Glu and Asp act as excitatory synaptic transmitters in the spinal dorsal horn. A role for μ-opioid receptors in modulation of spinal processing of somatosensory information is indicated.
THREE-BODY UNITARY TRANSFORMATIONS, THREE-BODY FORCES AND TRINUCLEON BOUND STATE PROPERTIES

A three-body unitary transformation method for the study of three-body forces is presented. Starting with a three-body Hamiltonian with two-body forces, unitary transformations are introduced to generate Hamiltonians that have both two- and three-body forces. For cases of physical interest, the two-body forces of the altered Hamiltonians are phase equivalent (for two-body scattering) to the original and the three-body force vanishes when any interparticle distance is large. Specific examples are presented. Applications for studying the possible role of three-body forces in accounting for trinucleon bound state properties are examined. Calculations of the $^{3}\mathrm{He}$ and $^{3}\mathrm{H}$ charge form factors and Coulomb energy difference with hyperspherical radial transformations and with conventional $N$-$N$ potentials are performed. The form factor calculations demonstrate how the proposed method can help obtain improved agreement with experiment by the introduction of appropriate three-body forces. Calculations of the Coulomb energy difference confirm previous estimates concerning charge symmetry breaking in the $N$-$N$ interaction.NUCLEAR STRUCTURE $^{3}\mathrm{H}$, $^{3}\mathrm{He}$; three-body forces introduced by unitary transformations; charge form factors and Coulomb energies calculated; five force models.
Opting In Between: Strategies used by professional women with children to balance work and family

Professional women with children are inundated with conflicting messages about how to manage their careers and personal lives and whether they should “opt in” or “opt out” of the workforce. Using in-depth interviews with 23 professional women, this study focused on the career choices that women make after having children. The authors found that many mothers neither opt in or opt out but successfully function in between these two choices, or opt “in between,” by working flexible hours, by working part-time, and/or by being involved with home-based entrepreneurial endeavors. Using the boundaryless career typology of knowing why, knowing how, and knowing whom, the authors summarize the key strategies that mothers use to opt in between. The interviewees were clear about why they were working, managed their careers by finding the right organizational fit, did not focus on guilt or perfectionism, and maintained excellent networks of friends, bosses, colleagues, and day care providers.
Empirical examination of neighborhood context of individual travel behaviors

Abstract In recent years, recognition of the importance of neighborhood context has produced a growing body of geographic research. When making their activity–travel decisions, individuals are restricted in different ways. In particular, individual choice behavior is often influenced by a neighborhood environment and a built environment. This study using the 2010 household trip survey demonstrated the effectiveness of incorporating multilevel mechanisms in various contexts of activity–travel behavior by comparing with traditional models. The analysis shows that one individual's activity participation patterns with respect to mode choice, trip count, trip distance, and trip time, under a variety of spatio-temporal constraints, tend to be affected by shared characteristics of neighborhoods. The results also imply that neighborhood travel behaviors are significantly influenced by neighborhood characteristics requiring policy makers to consider not only individual characteristics but surrounding environment.
In vivo monitoring of amine neurotransmitters using microdialysis with on-line capillary electrophoresis

Microdialysis sampling was coupled via a flow-gated interface on-line to capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence (LIF) detection for in vivo monitoring of neuroactive amino acids and amines. In the instrument, analytes are derivatized precolumn with o-phthaldehyde and beta-mercaptoethanol to form fluorescent isoindole products. The instrument was improved over previous designs by incorporating a sheath-flow cuvette for reduced background in LIF detection which improved sensitivity by 15-fold. The methodology was improved by utilizing a voltage ramped injection which allowed generation of 500000 theoretical plates with 20 s separations. Resolution of the isoindole derivatives was further improved by addition of hydroxypropyl-modified beta-cyclodextrin to the electrophoresis buffer. The new instrumentation and methods allow resolution and detection of glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid, glycine, aspartate, serine, taurine, glutamine and dopamine (if levels are elevated) collected from in vivo sampling probes every 20 s. The technique is suited to continuous monitoring for dynamic measurements of these compounds in vivo.
Real-time quantitation of viral replication and inhibitor potency using a label-free optical biosensor

Real-time detection of viral replication inside cells remains a challenge to researchers. The Epic® System is a high-throughput, label-free optical detection platform capable of measuring molecular interaction in a biochemical assay, as well as integrated cellular response from measurement of cellular dynamic mass redistribution (DMR) in a cell-based assay. DMR has previously been used to measure cell signaling upon receptor stimulation. In this report, we present the first example of Epic® measurement of viral replication-induced cellular response and demonstrate that this system is extremely powerful not only for the sensitive and quantitative detection of viral replication inside cells but also for screening of viral inhibitors. By comparing with conventional assays used for the measurement of viral replication, we show that the Epic® response has many advantages including sensitivity, high throughput, real-time quantification and label-free detection. We propose that the Epic® system for measurement o...
Surface patterning of silica nanostructures using bio-inspired templates and directed synthesis.

Natural systems excel in directing the synthesis of inorganic materials for various functional purposes. One of the best-studied systems is silica synthesis, as occurs in diatoms and marine sponges. Various biological and synthetic polymers have been shown to template and catalyze silica formation from silicic acid precursors. Here, we describe the use of poly-l-lysine to promote the synthesis of silica in neutral, aqueous solution and when immobilized onto a silicon support structure under similar conditions. Either reagent jetting or conventional photolithography techniques can be used to pattern the templating polymer. Spots created by reagent jetting led to the creation of silica structures in the shape of a ring that may be a result of the spotting process. Photolithographically defined poly-l-lysine spots led to thin laminate structures after exposure to a dilute aqueous silicic acid solution. The laminate structures were nanostructured and highly interconnected. Photolithographic patterning of (3-a...
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders: new perspectives on diagnosis and intervention.

It has been nearly four decades since Jones and Smith (1973) and Jones et al. (1973, 1974) published their landmark articles reporting their observation of a constellation of identifiable birth defects in infants of women who drank alcohol heavily during pregnancy. They found that the combined presence of preand postnatal growth deficits, microcephaly (a proxy measure of central nervous system defects), and a pattern of subtle abnormalities in facial features were associated with heavy maternal alcohol use and was termed fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Although similar observations were published in French by Lemoine et al. (1968), the publications by Jones and Smith (1973) and Jones et al. (1973, 1974) were central to bringing scientific and social attention to the potentially harmful effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Reports following the initial studies confirmed evidence of FAS in other populations, but substantial debate ensued about the overall prevalence and risk (e.g., Armstrong and Abel, 2000) and even whether alcohol was the causal agent (rather than poor nutrition, other risk factors, or poor prenatal health in alcohol-dependent women). A large amount of scientific research related to FAS has been generated since 1973, including many studies using in vivo animal models (e.g., mouse, rat, guinea pig, sheep, pig, primate, and zebrafish) and in vitro models (e.g., embryo, tissue, and cell culture systems) of prenatal alcohol exposure. The animal research has been crucial for advancing the understanding of alcohol-induced developmental disorders, including establishing with certainty that alcohol exposure of the developing conceptus can cause the diagnostic phenotypes of FAS and assessing the impact of major risk factors (Abel and Hannigan, 1995; Goodlett and Johnson, 1999; Maier and West, 2001). The amount of research addressing FAS over the last four decades has been remarkable. For example, a PubMed search
Mechanisms underlying the slant aftereffect

Transfer of the median plane slant aftereffect was assessed across changes in the type of depth information for the slant of the display. In addition, the effectiveness of monocularpictorial and binocular information in inducing the aftereffect was measured. Binocular information produced a larger aftereffect than did monocular-pictorial information, and adaptation created with one type of depth information induced an aftereffect assessed with presentation of the other type of depth information. The results suggest that the slant aftereffect is not entirely specific to type of depth information presented. The induction of the aftereffect involves a process more general than the sensory mechanisms responsible for adaptation to twodimensional tilt or adaptation to a texture gradient.
The American College of Surgeons and Surgical Education

In the seventy-two years since its founding, the American College of Surgeons has changed from an organization directed toward improving the skills of a large number of poorly educated and essentially untrained physicians who were already doing surgery, to an international organization of approximately 50,000 surgeons over 95 per cent of whom have already been certified by a surgical specialty board. The College today, in addition to its numerous scientific meetings and ongoing educational programs, participates, with other organizations, in the accreditation of properly functioning hospitals, in maintaining standards of surgical training programs and in the examination and certification of candidates after the completion of the required training in approved programs. Today the Collee engages in a far wider range of activities than could have been envisioned by its founders and indeed, it has become an influential voice for surgery throughout the world. But its primary purpose has remained unchanged. Simply stated, it is to improve the care of the surgical patient.
Large Cardiac Varix Associated With Stroke

A 58-year-old man with a history of hypertension presented after a transient episode of left arm and hand numbness and uncoordination that resolved within 1 hour. On admission, he was hypertensive; the remainder of the physical and neurological examinations was normal except for mild left hand dysmetria on finger-to-nose testing. A 12-lead ECG and chest x-ray were normal. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the head was negative for hemorrhage but did demonstrate a nonspecific area of hypodensity in the right frontal …
Thick vs. thin: thallus morphology and tissue mechanics influence differential drag and dislodgement of two co-dominant seaweeds

Abstract The lower rocky intertidal zone of many moderately exposed and exposed shores in the Gulf of Maine, USA, is co-dominated by two species of red macroalgae, Chondrus crispus Stackhouse and Mastocarpus stellatus (Stack. in With.) Guiry. These species are anatomically, morphologically, ecologically and phylogenetically similar. We quantified: 1. (1) mechanical properties of the stipe; and 2. (2) flow forces on the stipe relative to thallus area and biomass of these species, to determine mechanical and morphological characteristics that could explain the greater winter dislodgement of C. crispus thalli in mixed stands. Although stipes of both species broke at the same mean force, C. crispus stipes were relatively thick, weak and extensible compared to the relatively thin, strong and stiff stipes of M. stellatus . Risk of breakage increased with size in both species because: 1. (1) their stipes weakened with increasing cross-sectional area; and 2. (2) cross-sectional area of the stipe failed to increase in linear proportion to frond area. Drag on C. crispus thalli of > 3 g fresh weight was greater than on M. stellatus of the same biomass, whereas drag on smaller fronds ( C. crispus thalli was greater mainly because they exhibit greater surface area for a given biomass than do large M. stellatus . Dislodgement by hydrodynamic forces has more severe ecological consequences for M. stellatus because regeneration from holdfasts is slower than in C. crispus . A reduced surface area:biomass ratio coupled with greater strength may lessen wave-induced disturbance and be important to maintaining a high abundance of M. stellatus in the low intertidal zone of wave-swept shores.
Preengraftment syndrome after unrelated cord blood transplant is a strong predictor of acute and chronic graft-versus-host disease.

Preengraftment syndrome (PES) is a known complication following unrelated cord blood transplant (CBT) that has not been well characterized. We sought to determine the incidence and clinical outcome of PES among 326 patients 5 × 107/kg had significantly higher risk of developing PES (P = .02). There were significantly higher rates of grade II-V (P
Approach for urban driving rain index by using climatological data recorded at suburban meteorological station

Abstract A methodology is developed to derive the degree of driving rain exposure in an urban area based on meteorological data recorded at a suburban climatological station. A relationship between driving rain indices in an urban and a suburban area is derived in terms of attenuation coefficient in the direction φ (Cφ). The method is verified for the Montreal region. A range of Cφ values have been proposed to facilitate the computation of the driving rain index in an urban location.
Observations about retrograde brachial cerebral angiography in children (analysis of 100 aortographies and 28 cerebral angiographies via the brachial artery).

The results of 100 aortographies and 28 cerebral angiographies performed by contercurrent manual injection through the brachial artery in children under 5 years of age are described. The technique, complications and incidence of filling of the carotid and vertebral arteries are discussed. The effect of malformations of the major thoracic vessels upon filling of the cerebral vessels is also analysed. The following conclusions follow from this study:
A technique for generating initial main-chain atom positions in protein crystallography, using a restrained least squares refinement program

Abstract RESTRAIN is a least squares refinement program for use on polypeptide and protein structures (Moss & Morffew, 1982). This procedure makes use of the Severe problems were encountered with the carbonyl oxygens which were finally overcome using a novel technique that placed the oxygens before the first
Biology of FasL

FasL (CD95L) is a well-known and well-characterized death-inducing ligand. Spontaneous mutations in FasL and its cognate receptor Fas (CD95) have helped understand the role of these molecules in the disease. Once thought to be mainly involved in the homeostasis of immune system, the territory of FasL regulation has been expanded to angiogenesis and tumor progression. Here, we review what is currently known about the role of FasL in many areas of biology.
Protection of uninfected human bone marrow cells in long-term culture from G418 toxicity after retroviral-mediated transfer of the NEOr gene.

The long-term effect of retroviral-mediated gene transfer into human hematopoietic cells in vitro was studied in bone marrow culture. Two retroviral vectors (pN2 or pZIP NEO) were used to transfer the gene coding for neomycin phosphotransferase, which confers neomycin resistance, as a dominant selectable marker. Following infection, bone marrow cells of multiple hematopoietic lineages displayed resistance for the duration of the cultures (>80 days) to normally cytotoxic doses of the neomycin analog G418. However, upon DNA analysis of cells surviving in G418, the NEOr (neomycin resistance) gene was not detected under conditions where single copy genes could readily be seen, despite the presence of NEOr RNA sequences. In order to investigate this observation further, infected and uninfected cells were separated by a filter, and cultured in the same medium containing G418. The uninfected cells continued to survive in the presence of normally toxic concentrations of G418. Medium alone from infected cells was able to protect uninfected cells the same way. Efficiency of transfer of this and perhaps other selectable marker genes to cells in the long-term culture system may consequently be overestimated if survival of cells alone is quantitated. These results indicate that long-term cultures are a useful in vitro model for the study of retroviral-mediated gene transfer to human hematopoietic cells.
Adaptive Scheduling with Explicit Congestion Notification in a Cyber-Physical Smart Grid System

A Cyber-Physical System (CPS) is composed of distributed computational elements connected via a computer network that monitor and control switched physical systems interconnected by physical infrastructures. A fundamental challenge in the design and analysis of a CPS is the lack of common semantics across the components. This challenge is addressed by employing a novel approach that composes the correctness of the components instead of their functionality using a conjunction of noninterfering logical invariants. In recent work, we applied this technique to adaptively schedule power transfers between nodes in a smart power grid while maintaining the stability of the computer network and the physical system in the presence of uncertainties. In the current paper, we enhance the adaptive scheduling technique to exploit a mechanism called Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) that is available in modern routers. Simulation results demonstrate the efficiency of this approach in maintaining power transfer performance and system stability while proactively reducing network congestion.
On dissolution and reassembly of filamentary reinforcing networks in hyperelastic materials

We generalize a theory for modelling the scission and reforming of cross links in isotropic polymeric materials in order to treat anisotropic mechanical behaviour. Our focus is on materials in which elastic fibres are embedded in an elastic matrix. The fibres may have a different natural stress-free configuration than that of the matrix, e.g. the fibres may be initially crimped in the absence of load. The modelling process allows the fibres to dissolve as deformation proceeds and then to immediately reassemble in the current direction of maximum principal stretch. This results in softening, altered mechanical properties and the possibility of permanent set. We illustrate a rich variety of such mechanical behaviours in the context of uniaxial stretch. The phenomena illustrated have important implications for the influence of mechanical factors in the remodelling of fibrous soft matter including biological tissue.
Rab27a is an essential component of melanosome receptor for myosin Va.

Melanocytes that lack the GTPase Rab27a (ashen) are disabled in myosin Va-dependent melanosome capture because the association of the myosin with the melanosome surface depends on the presence of this resident melanosomal membrane protein. One interpretation of these observations is that Rab27a functions wholly or in part as the melanosome receptor for myosin Va (Myo5a). Herein, we show that the ability of the myosin Va tail domain to localize to the melanosome and generate a myosin Va null (dilute) phenotype in wild-type melanocytes is absolutely dependent on the presence of exon F, one of two alternatively spliced exons present in the tail of the melanocyte-spliced isoform of myosin Va but not the brain-spliced isoform. Exon D, the other melanocyte-specific tail exon, is not required. Similarly, the ability of full-length myosin Va to colocalize with melanosomes and to rescue their distribution in dilute melanocytes requires exon F but not exon D. These results predict that an interaction between myosin Va and Rab27a should be exon F dependent. Consistent with this, Rab27a present in detergent lysates of melanocytes binds to beads coated with purified, full-length melanocyte myosin Va and melanocyte myosin Va lacking exon D, but not to beads coated with melanocyte myosin Va lacking exon F or brain myosin Va. Moreover, the preparation of melanocyte lysates in the presence of GDP rather than guanosine-5-O-(3-thio)triphosphate reduces the amount of Rab27a bound to melanocyte myosin Va-coated beads by approximately fourfold. Finally, pure Rab27a does not bind to myosin Va-coated beads, suggesting that these two proteins interact indirectly. Together, these results argue that Rab27a is an essential component of a protein complex that serves as the melanosome receptor for myosin Va, suggest that this complex contains at least one additional protein capable of bridging the indirect interaction between Rab27a and myosin Va, and imply that the recruitment of myosin Va to the melanosome surface in vivo should be regulated by factors controlling the nucleotide state of Rab27a.
A geometric interpretation of frictional contact mechanics

The work-conjugacy of pressures and tangential tractions with so-called “gap”and “stick” constraints is deduced in order to delineate a rigid-plastic model of a frictional interface. This is accomplished by pursuing a differential-geometric view of the two surfaces that comprise the frictional interface. Given that contact is described in the current configuration, Lie derivatives are shown to be the natural means of establishing the work-conjugacy between tractions and constraints.
The effect of augmented sensory feedback on the control of salivation.

This study assessed the effect of enabling a subject to hear himself salivate while trying to increase or decrease his salivary rate. Two groups of ten subjects were instructed to try to increase their salivary rate when a light to the left was lighted and decrease when a light to the right was lighted. Acetic acid was administered periodically to the right lateral margin of the tongue, and saliva was collected by a parotid capsule and measured by a liquid displacement sialometer. Ten subjects in the feedback group (F) received a 0.2 sec, 1000-cps tone for each drop collected during a trial. Subjects in the no feedback group (NF) received no indication of their salivary rate. Three out of 10 F subjects were able to produce a significantly different (p <. 05) number of drops between increase and decrease periods, and the group as a whole achieved a significant difference between increase and decrease periods. No NF subject, nor the NF group as a whole produced a significant difference.
Assumptions for statistical inference

Abstract In this article we overview and discuss some of the important practical assumptions underlying statistical inference. What we say, though not new, is stressed insufficiently in teaching statistical methods and applications. We build on the important conceptual difference between enumerative and analytic studies, emphasized by W. Edwards Deming. Our comments, however, go beyond the published views of Deming. We emphasize the assumptions needed for both types of studies and illustrate the concepts with examples.
Sublingual Atropine Drops for the Treatment of Pediatric Sialorrhea

Excess oral secretions or sialorrhea is a common problem affecting children and adults with neurological disorders, as well as those approaching the end of life because of a variety of underlying illnesses. Systemic anticholinergic medications are often prescribed in an attempt to improve quality of life and reduce complications; yet, response rates are variable, and a sizable proportion of patients discontinue these drugs as a result of intolerable side effects. This report describes the successful use of a local treatment, sublingually delivered ophthalmic atropine drops, to reduce sialorrhea in a child receiving palliative care. In addition, medical evidence for the safety and efficacy of traditionally prescribed systemic medications for the treatment of pediatric sialorrhea is reviewed.
Human and environmental protection from electromagnetic emissions

A coordinated research program on human and environmental protection from electromagnetic emissions - funded by the Italian Ministry for the Instruction, University, and Research (MIUR) started in June 2000, under the leadership of Prof. Paolo Bernardi of the University of Rome "La Sapienza". It was devoted to the assessment of biological and environmental impact of wireless telecommunication systems and other systems that emit electromagnetic energy and the development of new knowledge and techniques for the control and mitigation of already existing electromagnetic field emitting sources. The research program was organized into five categories including: 1) characterization and modeling of electromagnetic fields and their sources; 2) measurement of electromagnetic field values in the environment; 3) interaction between electromagnetic field sources and exposed subjects; 4) electromagnetic field reduction and mitigation methods and technology and 5) coordination and dissemination of results. This article highlights some results of the research program.
Facade Diversity The Individualization of Cultural Difference

Diversity and multiculturalism are widely embraced principles, championed by many social movements and promoted through the programs and policies of states, businesses, schools and other organizati...
MULTI-OBJECTIVE OPTIMIZATION METHODS FOR BIAS CORRECTION OF STATISTICALLY DOWNSCALED PRECIPITATION

Statistical downscaling modeling-based results often depict biases and are incapable of reproducing the variances and approximating the distributions of the predictands. This paper proposes a multi-objective optimization framework to reduce biases resulting from the limitations of the transfer function methods adopted under statistical downscaling procedures. The proposed formulations use a combination of several error measures including Linear Error in Probability Space (LEPS) to reduce any systematic biases. Also, different optimization algorithms both linear and nonlinear are evaluated for this purpose. The optimization formulations are applied and tested at 18 different locations for Support Vector Machine (SVM) based statistical downscaling model results obtained from CGCM3 simulations for precipitation. Results indicate that the multi-objective optimization framework helps is reducing the biases of the statistically downscaled model results.
Ventilation in public housing: implications for indoor nitrogen dioxide concentrations

UNLABELLED Although elevated nitrogen dioxide (NO2) exposures may exacerbate asthma, few studies have examined indoor NO2 levels in low-income, urban neighborhoods, where asthma prevalence is high. As part of the Healthy Public Housing Initiative, NO2 was measured in 77 homes within three Boston public housing developments, using Palmes tubes placed in the kitchen, living room, and outdoors. Air exchange rates (AERs) were assessed using a perfluorocarbon tracer technique. Overall NO2 levels were [mean (ppb)+/-s.d.]: kitchen (43+/-20, n=100), living room (36+/-17, n=102), outdoor (19+/-6, n=91). Indoor NO2 levels were significantly higher in the heating season (living room: 43 ppb vs. 26 ppb, kitchen: 50 ppb vs. 33 ppb), while AERs were significantly lower in the heating season (medians 0.49/h vs. 0.85/h). Significant univariate predictors of indoor concentrations include: outdoor NO2 levels, AERs, and occupancy. AERs and outdoor NO2 remained significant in multivariate models (P<0.05). A dummy variable for supplemental heating with gas stove was not significant (P=0.14), but had a large, positive coefficient. Indoor NO2 levels in this cohort are higher than those generally reported in residential US settings, associated in part with increased gas stove usage and decreased AERs during the heating season. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS Indoor air quality is mainly a function of outdoor concentrations, indoor sources, ventilation, and residential behavior. Indoor exposures to nitrogen dioxide and other combustion pollutants may be elevated within low-income housing developments due to the presence of multiple sources, poor ventilation, small apartment size, and behavioral responses to apartment conditions (e.g. supplemental heating with gas stove). This information may be used by housing authorities and other landlords to decrease potential environmental stressors, through interventions such as source substitution and improved ventilation, particularly for sensitive sub-populations such as asthmatics.
Gendering the Comparative Analysis of Welfare States: An Unfinished Agenda*:

Can feminists count on welfare states—or at least some aspects of these complex systems—as resources in the struggle for gender equality? Gender analysts of “welfare states” investigate this question and the broader set of issues around the mutually constitutive relationship between systems of social provision and regulation and gender. Feminist scholars have moved to bring the contingent practice of politics back into grounded fields of action and social change and away from the reification and abstractions that had come to dominate models of politics focused on “big” structures and systems, including those focused on “welfare states.” Conceptual innovations and reconceptualizations of foundational terms have been especially prominent in the comparative scholarship on welfare states, starting with gender, and including care, autonomy, citizenship, (in)dependence, political agency, and equality. In contrast to other subfields of political science and sociology, gendered insights have to some extent been incorporated into mainstream comparative scholarship on welfare states. The arguments between feminists and mainstream scholars over the course of the last two decades have been productive, powering the development of key themes and concepts pioneered by gender scholars, including “defamilialization,” the significance of unpaid care work in families and the difficulties of work-family “reconciliation,” gendered welfare state institutions, the relation between fertility and women's employment, and the partisan correlates of different family and gender policy models. Yet the mainstream still resists the deeper implications of feminist work, and has difficulties assimilating concepts of care, gendered power, dependency, and interdependency. Thus, the agenda of gendering comparative welfare state studies remains unfinished. To develop an understanding of what might be needed to finish that agenda, I assess the gendered contributions to the analysis of modern systems of social provision, starting with the concept of gender itself, then moving to studies of the gendered division of labor (including care) and of gendered political power.
the politics of representation: anthropological discourse and Australian aborigines

Neither Justice Nor Reason: A Legal and Anthropological Analysis of Aboriginal Land Rights. MARC GUMBERT. Aboriginal Landowners: Contemporary Issues in the Determination of Traditional Aboriginal Land Ownership. L. R. HIATT Journey to the Crocodile's Nest. HOWARD MORPHY. Sorcerers and Healing Spirits: Continuity and Change in an Aboriginal Medical System. JANICE REID.
Cas Mediates Transcriptional Activation of the Serum Response Element by Src

The Src substrate p130(Cas) is a docking protein containing an SH3 domain, a substrate domain that contains multiple consensus SH2 binding sites, and a Src binding region. We have examined the possibility that Cas plays a role in the transcriptional activation of immediate early genes (IEGs) by v-Src. Transcriptional activation of IEGs by v-Src occurs through distinct transcriptional control elements such as the serum response element (SRE). An SRE transcriptional reporter was used to study the ability of Cas to mediate Src-induced SRE activation. Coexpression of v-Src and Cas led to a threefold increase in SRE-dependent transcription over the level induced by v-Src alone. Cas-dependent activation of the SRE was dependent on the kinase activity of v-Src and the Src binding region of Cas. Signaling to the SRE is promoted by a serine-rich region within Cas and inhibited by the Cas SH3 domain. Cas-dependent SRE activation was accompanied by an increase in the level of active Ras and in the activity of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) Erk2; these changes were blocked by coexpression of dominant-negative mutants of the adapter protein Grb2. SRE activation was abrogated by coexpression of dominant-negative mutants of Ras, MAPK kinase (Mek1), and Grb2. Coexpression of Cas with v-Src enhanced the association of Grb2 with the adapter protein Shc and the protein tyrosine phosphatase Shp-2; coexpression of Shc or Shp-2 mutants significantly reduced SRE activation by Cas and v-Src. Cas-induced Grb2 association with Shp-2 and Shc may account for the Cas-dependent activation of the Ras/Mek/Erk pathway and SRE-dependent transcription. 14-3-3 proteins may also play a role in Cas-mediated signaling to the SRE. Overexpression of Cas was found to modestly enhance epidermal growth factor (EGF)-induced activation of the SRE. A Cas mutant lacking the Src binding region did not potentiate the EGF response, suggesting that Cas enhances EGF signaling by binding to endogenous cellular Src or another Src family member. These observations implicate Cas as a mediator of Src-induced transcriptional activation.
Language Modernization and Planning in Comparison with Other Types of National Modernization and Planning.

The purpose of this review is two-fold. First of all, to move toward greater clarity with respect to a number of basic terms revealing less consensus in the language planning literature (e.g. planning, traditional, development, modernization, Westernization) than in the social sciences more generally. Secondly, but more importantly, to introduce into the language planning field a large number of concepts, questions and dimensions which have not yet found their way there from planning theory and planning research in other-than-language fields. In many (but not all) respects it would seem, on logical and impressionistic grounds, that language planning and other- than-language planning face similar burdens and benefit from related social and organizational circumstances.