cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The barrier for proton transport in aquaporins as a challenge for electrostatic models: the role of protein relaxation in mutational calculations.

The origin of the barrier for proton transport through the aquaporin channel is a problem of general interest. It is becoming increasingly clear that this barrier is not attributable to the orientation of the water molecules across the channel but rather to the electrostatic penalty for moving the proton charge to the center of the channel. However, the reason for the high electrostatic barrier is still rather controversial. It has been argued by some workers that the barrier is due to the so-called NPA motif and/or to the helix macrodipole or to other specific elements. However, our works indicated that the main reason for the high barrier is the loss of the generalized solvation upon moving the proton charge from the bulk to the center of the channel and that this does not reflect a specific repulsive electrostatic interaction but the absence of sufficient electrostatic stabilization. At this stage it seems that the elucidation and clarification of the origin of the electrostatic barrier can serve as an instructive test case for electrostatic models. Thus, we reexamine the free-energy surface for proton transport in aquaporins using the microscopic free-energy perturbation/umbrella sampling (FEP/US) and the empirical valence bond/umbrella sampling (EVB/US) methods as well as the semimacroscopic protein dipole Langevin dipole model in its linear response approximation version (the PDLD/S-LRA). These extensive studies help to clarify the nature of the barrier and to establish the “reduced solvation effect” as the primary source of this barrier. That is, it is found that the barrier is associated with the loss of the generalized solvation energy (which includes of course all electrostatic effects) upon moving the proton charge from the bulk solvent to the center of the channel. It is also demonstrated that the residues in the NPA region and the helix dipole cannot be considered as the main reasons for the electrostatic barrier. Furthermore, our microscopic and semimacroscopic studies clarify the problems with incomplete alternative calculations, illustrating that the effects of various electrostatic elements are drastically overestimated by macroscopic calculations that use a low dielectric constant and do not consider the protein reorganization. Similarly, it is pointed out that microscopic potential of mean force calculations that do not evaluate the electrostatic barrier relative to the bulk water cannot be used to establish the origin of the electrostatic barrier. The relationship between the present study and calculations of pKas in protein interiors is clarified, pointing out that approaches that are applied to study the aquaporin barrier should be validated by pKas calculations. Such calculations also help to clarify the crucial role of solvation energies in establishing the barrier in aquaporins. Proteins 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Performance Impact of Thread Pooling in DSOCARE

This paper presents the results of a case study research conducted by the author that investigated the performance impact of thread pooling in dynamic selection of optimal cryptographic algorithms in a runtime environment (DSOCARE), a cryptography framework proposed in the author's Ph.D. thesis. Using the advice, default, and pass-through priority modes in runtime optimal cryptographic algorithm selector (ROCAS) module of DSOCARE, eight cryptographic service requests with high and low security, speed, and priority quality of service (QoS) parameters were performed with and without thread pooling. The results of the performance test data showed that thread pooling increased the performance of cryptographic services by 70% in advice and pass-through priority modes. In the default mode, there was a throughput increase of 28%. The experiment also proved that the optimal number of threads in a thread pool is dependent on the number of processors and number of execution pipelines in each processor
Psychometric properties of a measure of aggressive driving: the Larson Driver's Stress Profile.

This paper presents three studies on Larson's 1996 Driver's Stress Profile, a measure of aggressive driving tendencies. In Study 1, utilizing 33 individuals (15 men, 18 women) who took the test twice with one week between tests, we found the test to have good test-retest reliability (r = .93). In Study 2, utilizing 176 individuals (77 men, 99 women), we found different preliminary norms for men and women and good internal consistency (.93). We also found significant correlation between the total test scores and age (r = −.27) and a significant correlation (age corrected) between total test scores and number of self-reported MVAs (r = .28). An exploratory factor analysis indicated that three factors, including 28 of the 40 items, accounted for 43.4% of the variance. In Study 3, utilizing the same subjects as in Study 2 (84 individuals from the community of average age 35.3 yr.; 92 college students of average age 18.9 yr.), we found the full scale scores correlated significantly with scores on Trait Anger a...
Consumer perceptions of trauma assessment and intervention in substance abuse treatment

Substance abuse treatment programs are increasing their use of integrated interventions for trauma and substance abuse. While positive behavioral outcomes have been associated with this model, the purpose of this study was to determine consumers' satisfaction with it. Participants were 51 men and 102 women who received trauma assessments and interventions through a drug treatment court. Satisfaction with treatment was measured through the Consumer Perception of Care (CPC). Participants were generally satisfied with the trauma assessments and interventions they received. Number of traumatic experiences, measured by the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) scale, and level of distress, as assessed on the Trauma Symptom Inventory (TSI), were significantly associated with assessment and treatment satisfaction. Gender differences were noted, with men reporting fewer traumatic experiences and trauma-symptoms and less satisfaction with trauma assessment. Implications for the integration of trauma and substance abuse interventions in drug treatment courts and other programs are discussed.
Closed-Form Evaluation of Flux Integrals Appearing in a Fem Solution of the 2D Poisson Equation with Dipole Sources

ABSTRACT The finite element method (FEM) is a versatile method for numerically solving the 2-D Poisson equation with arbitrary inhomogeneity. In many applications, the sources that appear in the Poisson equation are dipole sources. For this important class of problems, an accurate solution may be obtained by using a subtraction formulation, in which the unknown is the original potential function minus the potential of the dipole in infinite homogeneous space. This formulation requires the evaluation of certain flux integrals that appear at the boundaries of the elements. Computing these flux integrals numerically requires considerable computation time, especially for element edges that are very close to the dipole, because the field is rapidly varying near the dipole. Furthermore, numerical errors in the computation may produce large errors in the solution for the potential, since the FEM matrix may often be ill-conditioned. A closed-form evaluation of these flux integrals for first- and second-order tria...
High-resolution fiber-optic low-frequency voltage sensor based on the electrostrictive effect

A minimum detectable voltage of 40 nV/ square root Hz at 1 Hz is demonstrated in a fiber-optic interferometric low-frequency voltage sensor. The device maintains good resolution below 1 Hz, providing a minimum detectable voltage of 55 nV/ square root Hz at 0.1 Hz and 129 nV/ square root Hz at 0.03 Hz. High resolution at low frequencies is attainable due to the nonlinear strain response of the electrostrictive transducer under an applied electric field, which upconverts low-frequency voltage signals as sidebands of a high-frequency carrier where 1/f noise is not dominant. The measured low-frequency data represent an improvement of >45 dB over previously reported results. >
Calculation of variables describing plasma nonvolatile weak acids for use in the strong ion approach to acid-base balance in cattle.

Objective—To calculate values for the total concentration of nonvolatile weak acids (Atot) and the effective dissociation constant for nonvolatile weak acids ( K a) of bovine plasma and to determine the best method for quantifying the unmeasured strong anion concentration in bovine plasma. Sample Population—Data sets from published and experimental studies. Procedure—The simplified strong ion model was applied to published and experimentally determined values for pH, Pco2, and strong ion difference (SID+). Nonlinear regression was used to solve simultaneously for Atot and K a. Four methods for quantifying the unmeasured strong anion concentration in plasma (anion gap, the Fencl base excess method [BEua], the Figge unmeasured anion method [XA], and the strong ion gap [SIG]) were compared in 35 cattle with abomasal volvulus. Results—For bovine plasma at 37 C, Atot was 25 mM/L, equivalent to 7.6 times the albumin concentration or 3.6 times the total protein concentration; Ka was 0.87 × 10–7, equivalent to p ...
Evidence of a gravity wave breaking event and the estimation of the wave characteristics from sodium lidar observation over Fort Collins, CO (41°N, 105°W)

Abstract : On the night of December 3rd, 2004 (UT day 338), we observed a significant acceleration of horizontal wind near 100 km between 0900 and 0915 UT accompanied by a temperature cooling at the same altitude and warming below it. The Lomb spectrum analysis of the raw dataset revealed that a gravity wave with 1.5 hr period was significant between 0500 and 0900 UT, but blurred after 0900 UT, suggesting the transfer of wave energy and momentum from wave field to mean flow. Most likely, this observed phenomenon is due to the breaking of an upward propagating gravity wave with an apparent period of 1.5 hr. Using linear saturation theory and assuming a monochromatic wave packet, we estimated the characteristics of breaking gravity wave, eddy diffusion coefficient, and a simple relation between Prandtl number and turbulence localization measure when the wave is breaking, from the experimentally determined heating rate, horizontal wind acceleration, and background temperature and winds.
Semirelativistic potential model for heavy quarkonia

The cc\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}, bb\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}, and t t\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} spectra are investigated with the use of a semirelativistic potential model described in an earlier paper. Results for the energy levels, leptonic widths, and E1 transition widths are compared with the experimental data for cc\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} and bb\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{} and predicted for t t\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}. We also find that the quark-antiquark interaction can best be described by a quasistatic rather than a momentum-dependent potential, and propose a theoretical justification for this surprising conclusion.
Cefoperazone in the treatment of peritonitis in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients.

: Cefoperazone is a third-generation cephalosporin that is active against a broad spectrum of gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. We added this antibiotic to peritoneal dialysis solution at a concentration of 62.5 mg/L to treat peritonitis in six continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients. Serum drug concentrations were obtained at 0, 0.5, 1, 2, 4, and 24 h after instituting antibiotic therapy. Rapid uptake by blood of the antibiotic across the peritoneal membrane occurred when the latter was inflamed. Adequate bactericidal serum levels for many bacteria were obtained in less than 4 h. Cefoperazone effectively eradicated peritonitis in all patients.
Prevalence of Migraine in Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Objective.—To determine the prevalence of migraine in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and to examine the relationships between headache type and other clinical, serologic, and treatment features of the disease. Background.—Headaches are common in SLE and are a significant source of patient disability. The exact prevalence of headaches in patients with SLE is unknown. The classification of headache syndromes in SLE is also unclear. Previous studies were based on small numbers of patients and the headache types and criteria to define headache types varied widely. Methods.—Four hundred fourteen patients meeting American College of Rheumatology criteria for the diagnosis of SLE were sent the University of California, San Diego Migraine Questionnaire. Patients who completed the questionnaire had their medical records reviewed for constitutional, respiratory, cardiac, vascular, skin, musculoskeletal, other neuropsychiatric, hematologic, renal, and immunologic manifestations of the disease. Recent corticosteroid, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, antimalarial, and immunosuppressive medications were also recorded. Results.—One hundred eighty-six patients completed the questionnaire. Sixty-two percent of patients reported headaches: 39% met diagnostic criteria for migraine and 23% met criteria for nonmigrainous headache. Of the patients with migraine, 56% met criteria for migraine without aura and 44% met criteria for migraine with aura. There were no significant associations between headache type and other clinical, serologic, or treatment features of the disease. Conclusions.—There is a high prevalence of migraine in patients with SLE, and patients should be routinely evaluated for migraine symptoms.
“He Is No Different from Other Men”: Complimenting and Responding to Compliments through Membership Categorization Practices

This brief analysis examines the interactional practice of complimenting and responding to compliments using MCA. The topic is not new; numerous CA studieshave brought to light how people tend to respond to compliments and how such tendencies can be understood in terms of the sequential organization of turn-taking. In American English, for instance, a compliment tends to call for aresponse in the following turn, which downgradespraise or shiftsthe referent (Pomerantz, 1978). While CA’s microanalysisof turn-by-turn interaction has enabled us to “specifythe normative structuring and logics of particular courses of social action” (Heritage, 2005),MCA is gradually gaining the attention of scholars of social interaction for its ability to reveal “members’ methodical practices in describing the world, and displaying their understanding of the world and of the commonsense routine workings of society” (Fitzgerald, Housley, & Butler,2009, p. 47). This paper offersan example of MCAapplied toa compliment-response sequence.
The Irrigation Demand for Electricity

This paper examines the regional differences in the irrigation demand for electricity. The analysis is based upon the Rural Electric Cooperatives' statistics on the sale of power for irrigation. A simultaneous-equation system is developed to focus on both the short-run utilization of electricity in irrigation and the long-run determination of the number of irrigators using electricity. The structural equations are estimated using pooled, state-level data for the period 1969-79. In light of the model's results, the impacts of changes in relative energy prices on irrigation are examined. There are substantial differences in the irrigation practices among regions in the United States. Farmers choose irrigation systems in response to climate, factor prices, and relative returns from agriculture. Irrigation accounted for over 14% of total energy use in crop production in 1974, and it is estimated that over 60% of all irrigation power equipment is electric (FEA/USDA and Brantwood Publications). This note shows demand estimates for irrigation electricity in various regions. Unlike most electric utilities, the Rural Electric Cooperatives (RECs) collect and publish information on the use of electricity for irrigation.' A study of the RECs' irrigation demand for electricity provides a perspective on regional differences in the irrigation demand for electricity and on the impact of changes in relative energy prices. Information on the factors that affect irrigation demand growth are needed by the cooperatives to plan for the capacity required to serve irrigation farmers. This investigation joins others which deal with energy and irrigation. Sloggett and Clark investigated the differences in irrigation techniques. Hexem and Heady, King et al., Mapp and Dobbins, and Katzman and Matlin applied linear programming models to irrigation analysis. This study employs econometric modeling to estimate price elasticities and the pattern of interfuel substitution for the irrigation use of electricity. The next section presents a simultaneous equation model for regional irrigation demand for electricity. The empirical estimation, using pooled state-level data for the period 1969-79, is then described. The final section discusses the potential impact of relative energy price changes on irrigation demand.
Credit Rationing, Interest Rate Lags, and Monetary Policy Speed

I. Introduction, 54. — II. The basic argument, 56. — III. Disequilibrium effective demand, 60. — IV. The model, 63. — V. Solution, 68. — VI. Empirical relevance, 74. — VII. Credit contraction multiplier, 76. — VIII. Qualifications, 79. — IX. Summary and conclusion, 82.
Application of Linear Programming to a Controversy on Air Pollution Control

A linear programming model for air pollution abatement is presented. It is based on the simplifying assumption that air quality goals may be expressed as maximum allowable emission flows in an airshed. The solution of the model for the St. Louis Airshed is examined to evaluate certain charges that it is economically infeasible for purposes of air pollution control to impose restrictions on the sulfur content of coal. It is found that such a regulation is justified for certain types of stokers but not others, that furnaces with a heating efficiency of 75% or less should be converted to natural gas. Uncertainty over certain key parameters precludes judgment as to whether the use of low sulfur coal is optimal for pulverized coal furnaces.
The Relationship Between Causal and Noncausal Mismatched Estimation in Continuous-Time AWGN Channels

A continuous-time finite-power process with distribution P is observed through an AWGN channel, at a given signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), and is estimated by an estimator that would have minimized the mean-square error if the process had distribution Q. We show that the causal filtering mean-square error (MSE) achieved at SNR level snr is equal to the average value of the noncausal (smoothing) MSE achieved with a channel whose SNR is chosen uniformly distributed between 0 and snr. Emerging as the bridge for equating these two quantities are mutual information and relative entropy. Our result generalizes that of Guo, Shamai, and Verdu (2005) from the nonmismatched case, where P = Q, to general P and Q. Among our intermediate results is an extension of Duncan's theorem, that relates mutual information and causal MMSE, to the case of mismatched estimation. Some further extensions and implications are discussed. Key to our findings is the recent result of Verdu on mismatched estimation and relative entropy.
Cell-surface expression, progestin binding, and rapid nongenomic signaling of zebrafish membrane progestin receptors α and β in transfected cells

Recently, a unique family of membrane progestin receptors (mPRa, mPRb, and mPRg) was identified, which may be responsible for mediating rapid, nongenomic actions of progestins in a variety of target tissues. In this study, the mPRa and mPRb isoforms from zebrafish were shown to be rapidly and specifically activated by the maturation-inducing steroid (MIS) of this species, 4-pregnen-17,20b-diol-3-one (17,20b-DHP). The zebrafish mPRa and a previously uncharacterized mPRb isoform were stably expressed in nuclear progesterone receptor-deficient mammalian breast cancer cells, MDA-MB-231. Expression and surface localization of the receptors were verified by flow cytometry, biotin surface labeling, and Western blotting. Plasma membrane proteins from mPRa- or mPRb-transfected cells showed high affinity (mPRa, Kd 7 nM; mPRb, Kd 12 nM), saturable, displaceable, single-binding sites specific for 17,20b-DHP, whereas negligible specific 17,20b-DHP binding was observed in nontransfected cells. Progestin treatment caused significant activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) within 5 min in cells transfected with either of the receptors as measured by western blotting and flow cytometry. The rank order of the potencies of several progestins in activating MAPK via mPRa and mPRb was the same (17,20b-DHPOprogesterone O4-pregnen-17,20b,21triol-3-one). Interestingly, the MIS in zebrafish, 17,20bDHP, was also the most potent inhibitor, among the progestins tested, of adenylyl cyclase activity in cells transfected with either of the receptors. This progestin significantly decreased cAMP levels in both mPRa- and mPRb-transfected cells in a dose-responsive and timedependent manner. In addition, signaling of the zebrafish mPRa was blocked by pertussis toxin, implying activation of aG i protein, while sensitivity to pertussis or cholera toxin was not shown with mPRb-mediated signaling, possibly indicating that this receptor activates a different pertussis toxin-insensitive G protein. The results of this study suggest that zebrafish mPRa and mPRb signal similarly upon progestin binding resulting in rapid activation of MAPK and downregulation of adenylyl cyclase activity.
Epstein-Barr Virus Nuclear Protein 2 Has at Least Two N-Terminal Domains That Mediate Self-Association

Previous genetic and biochemical analyses have indicated that the Epstein-Barr virus EBNA-2 amino terminus is important for primary B-lymphocyte growth transformation and may be involved in self-association. We now report that EBNA-2 has at least two domains, amino acids 1 to 60 and 96 to 210, which independently mediate homotypic association, 1 to 60 with 1 to 60 and 96 to 210 with 96 to 210. EBNA-2 self-association is likely to be critical to the ability of EBNA-2 to interact simultaneously with multiple cellular transcription factors, coactivators, and histone acetyltransferases through its RBPJkappa binding and acidic activating domains.
Cytotoxic and Cytodifferentiative Components of 6-Thioguanine Resistance in HL-60 Cells Containing Acquired Double Minute Chromosomes

As an experimental strategy for potentially dissociating and studying the cytotoxic and cytodifferentiative antileukemic effects of 6-thioguanine (6-TG), cultured human promyelocytic leukemia cells (HL-60) were serially selected for growth in increasing concentrations of 6-TG (0.5 to 50 micrograms/ml). Three acquired characteristics, cytotoxic resistance, cytodifferentiative resistance, and double minute chromosomes (DM), were monitored at successive 6-TG selection levels. Approximately 200-fold resistance to the cytotoxic effect of 6-TG was acquired at the first selection step, and it neither increased at higher 6-TG selection levels nor reverted to greater sensitivity in cells subcultured off of drug. This was due to the irreversible loss of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) activity. In contrast, a lesser, not completely quantifiable, degree of resistance developed to the cytodifferentiative effects of the purine nucleobases hypoxanthine and 6-TG which varied as a function of 6-TG selection pressure. Numerous DM, not observed in the parental wild-type HL-60 cells, appeared at 6-TG (0.5 micrograms/ml) selection which varied substantially in parallel with 6-TG selection pressure up to 6-TG (20 micrograms/ml). At higher selection levels (50 micrograms/ml or prolonged culture on 20 micrograms/ml), a marked decrease in DM occurred which was associated with the acquisition of new marker chromosomes. The most consistent marker was a chromosome 6 with additional material in the short arm (6p+); this was noted as a single copy in the basal 6-TG/20 subline but as two copies (trisomy 6; 2p+) in independently selected higher 6-TG-resistant subcultures. These cytogenetic findings suggest the presence of amplified genes which increased in number and shifted from a predominance in extra-chromosomal DM to intrachromosomal sites as a function of 6-TG selection. Among the 6-TG-resistant sublines, there was no change or a decrease in the amplification level of the known amplified oncogene c-myc from that demonstrated in parental HL-60 cells. Although proof requires detailed analyses with specific gene probes, the overall results imply that: (a) the cytotoxic component of the resistance is due to an invariant loss of HPRT which, therefore, is not likely to be related to amplified genes; (b) the cytodifferentiative component of the resistance is due to a positively selectable mechanism which could be directly or indirectly related to 6-TG-selected amplified genes; and (c) variations in the cytogenetic indicators of amplified genes and the resistance to 6-TG cannot be simply ascribed to quantitative variations in c-myc amplification.
The design of an audio signal processor system based on DSP

Describes the design of an audio signal processor system using a digital signal processor (DSP). The use of a high speed DSP with 24-bit wide data buses allows the implementation of many digital audio algorithms. These algorithms cover standard audio functions: equalizer, volume and balance control, as well as special functions: reverberations, base width enhancement, adaptive equalizer, dynamic range control, etc. The special audio functions are only available through the use of digital signal processing routines. >
Mathematical thinking and origami

The purpose of this paper is to describe the mathematics that emanates from the construction of an origami box. We first construct a simple origami box from a rectangular sheet and then discuss some of the mathematical questions that arise in the context of geometry and calculus.
Listeria monocytogenes Endovascular Graft Infection

Although best managed by surgical resection, we present a case of Listeria monocytogenes endovascular graft infection alternatively treated with graft retention and antibiotic induction followed by a lifelong suppressive course. The epidemiological, pathological, and clinical features of this unique entity are reviewed.
Cold Opportunity (C): The Absolut Icebars Story

Suitable for MBA and executive learners, this case series presents an engaging narrative that prompts students to discuss entrepreneurial thinking. An entrepreneur who loves his native Swedish Lapland uses his natural gift for effectuation to ask What? What next? And What now? As his ventures evolve, students begin to ask themselves how they would master similar challenges to their own entrepreneurial plans and expectations. The case can be taught in either one or two sessions of a 90-minute MBA course or a four-hour executive education class. An effective complement is the technical note entitled, â€œWhat Makes Entrepreneurs Entrepreneurialâ€? (UVA-ENT-0065).
Broadband Photonic Crystal Passive Filters for Monolithically Integrated InP Photonic Integrated Circuits

Two broadband, InP photonic crystal optical filters with reduced back-reflections are demonstrated: one 10µm-long low-pass with 20dB stop-band extinction; one 30µm-long, 40-nm bandwidth notch with 20dB extinction. Both could find applications as band-rejection filters in monolithic InP photonic integrated circuits.
Future Directions in Childhood Adversity and Youth Psychopathology

Despite long-standing interest in the influence of adverse early experiences on mental health, systematic scientific inquiry into childhood adversity and developmental outcomes has emerged only recently. Existing research has amply demonstrated that exposure to childhood adversity is associated with elevated risk for multiple forms of youth psychopathology. In contrast, knowledge of developmental mechanisms linking childhood adversity to the onset of psychopathology-and whether those mechanisms are general or specific to particular kinds of adversity-remains cursory. Greater understanding of these pathways and identification of protective factors that buffer children from developmental disruptions following exposure to adversity is essential to guide the development of interventions to prevent the onset of psychopathology following adverse childhood experiences. This article provides recommendations for future research in this area. In particular, use of a consistent definition of childhood adversity, integration of studies of typical development with those focused on childhood adversity, and identification of distinct dimensions of environmental experience that differentially influence development are required to uncover mechanisms that explain how childhood adversity is associated with numerous psychopathology outcomes (i.e., multifinality) and identify moderators that shape divergent trajectories following adverse childhood experiences. A transdiagnostic model that highlights disruptions in emotional processing and poor executive functioning as key mechanisms linking childhood adversity with multiple forms of psychopathology is presented as a starting point in this endeavour. Distinguishing between general and specific mechanisms linking childhood adversity with psychopathology is needed to generate empirically informed interventions to prevent the long-term consequences of adverse early environments on children's development.
DAMAGE ANALYSIS FOR RUBBLE-MOUND BREAKWATERS

Storm damage to rubble-mound structures can range from the piece-wise removal of individual armour stones to the large-scale sliding of the entire armour layer. This paper presents an overview of qualitative and quantitative descriptions of various types of armour layer damage due to wave action. This work is based on a series of large-scale physical models of revetment stability. The discussion includes methods for measuring the change in profile and the use of the normalized area eroded, S. A new parameter, dc is introduced as a measure of the minimum depth of cover remaining on the structure. An analysis method is presented which predicts the armour layer's factor of safety against sliding.
Symposium Introduction: Resilient Cities: Environment | Economy | Equity

This essay is an introduction to articles on urban resiliency written by participants in the Idaho Law Review's symposium, Resilient Cities: Environment | Economy | Equity, which was held in Boise, Idaho on April 4, 2014.
Considerations on Building a Competitiveness Evaluation Index System for the Regional Talent

Building and selecting a competitiveness evaluation index system will contribute to achieve the overall target of regional social and economic development,to fulfill the important role of talent in social and economic development,and to determine the strategies of competition for talent and development.This paper discusses he building of a competitiveness evaluation index system for the regional talent from te perspectives of the scientific notion and evaluation of the talent,the importance of the research on this topic,the application of the competitiveness evaluation index system,and the major problems encountered in this research.
Androgen repression of cytokeratin gene expression during rat prostate differentiation: evidence for an epithelial stem cell-associated marker

Cytokeratin (CK) 8 mRNA expression in developing and degenerating rat prostate was studied using in situ hybridization with an antisense RNA-probe. It was found that: 1) the CK 8 antisense probe was accumulated only within prostatic epithelial cells; 2) after castration, CK 8 mRNA signals in ventral prostate (VP) sections were significantly increased, and elevated CK 8 mRNA expression persisted even long after prostate involution was complete; and 3) during prostate development, the strongest CK 8 mRNA staining was found in the early neonatal prostatic epithelia which were composed mainly of prostatic stem cells. Thereafter, a shift of CK 8 mRNA staining to peripheral regions and decreased overall CK 8 mRNA levels were noted. These data indicate that excessive expression of CK 8 mRNA is a characteristic of prostatic stem cells, and CK molecules are excellent markers for determining the hierarchical pathway of cell differentiation in prostate epithelium.
The Effect of Class Size Quality of Instruction–Large Class Size Versus Small

As is the case in many business schools across the country, the personnel within the School of Business at Indiana State University are forced to deal with an increasing student-faculty ratio. Our School of Business classes until three years ago were, with few exceptions, smaller than 60 students; however, since that time the number of students majoring in business has grown tremendously. This growth coupled with little appreciable increase in faculty has caused the School to institute large lecture classes in the basic courses, particularly Marketing and Management and even in Accounting.
Patrick Brontë, [‘Two Autobiographical Letters Sent to Mrs Gaskell’] (1855), in A Man of Sorrow: The Life, Letters and Times of the Rev. Patrick Brontë , by John Lock and Canon W. T. Dixon (London: Nelson, 1965), pp. 494–6, 497–8

Since, at Mr Nicholls’ request and mine, you have kindly consented to give a brief account of my daughter Charlotte’s life, I will state a few facts which, as her biographer, you might wish to know. For the gratification of those who might be desirous of knowing anything of me — I will, in as few words as I can, gratify their curiosity. My father’s name was Hugh Bronte. He was a native of the south of Ireland, and was left an orphan at an early age. It was said that he was of ancient family — whether this was, or was not so, I never gave myself the trouble to enquire, since his lot in life as well as mine, depended, under providence, not on family descent but our own exertions. He came to the north of Ireland, and made an early, but suitable marriage.
Expanding Women’s Participation in STEM: Insights From Parallel Measures of Self-Efficacy and Interests

Despite social cognitive and cultural barriers, women continue to consider and declare science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) majors. Research suggests that both self-efficacy and interest are necessary to approach a career goal; however, women in STEM report lower interest and confidence compared to their male counterparts. Using integrative career profiles of 448 potential and declared STEM majors, we investigated Realistic, Investigative, Artistic, Social, Enterprising, and Conventional thresholds of self-efficacy and interest among women and men using the career and personality assessments integrative online system. Results indicated gender as a moderator for the Realistic threshold, where women have a lower threshold for approaching and declaring a STEM major compared with men. Women in this sample showed similar levels of Investigative self-efficacy and interests compared with men. This study adds to prior literature investigating people–thing orientations among men and women in STEM. The...
Network-coded cooperative communications with multiple relay nodes: Achievable rate and network optimization

Abstract Network-coded cooperative communications (NC-CC) refers to the use of network coding (NC) in cooperative communications (CC). Prior studies have shown that NC has the potential to improve the performance of CC when there are multiple sessions in the wireless network. These studies were done for the case when multiple sessions are sharing a single relay node. However, how NC-CC behaves when multiple relay nodes are employed remains an open problem. In this paper, we explore this problem by analyzing the achievable rate of each session in this setting. We develop closed form formulas for the mutual information and the achievable data rate for each session. We show that prior results for a single relay is a special case of our result. Based on these findings, we then study a network optimization problem that requires joint optimization of session grouping, relay node grouping, and matching of session/relay groups. We show that this problem is NP-hard, and present a polynomial time heuristic algorithm to solve this problem. Using simulation results, we show this algorithm is highly competitive and can produce results that are near to optimality.
Descriptive Content Analysis on E-Service Research

The current study systematically and thoroughly reviewed the extant literature on e-service quality research to examine 1) how e-service is defined by researchers, 2) how e-service quality is defined by researchers, 3) what e-service quality scales and dimensions have been identified, 4) what outcome variables have been assessed in the e-service quality literature, and 5) what theories have been applied in the literature. A total of 72 articles published between 2003 and 2013 were content analyzed. The selected articles focused primarily on e-service quality in the context of B2C e-retailing. The findings of the study provide valuable information to e-service researchers by identifying gaps and disparities in the e-service quality literature. This study provides several crucial suggestions and directions for future research.
Abstract P254: Protein Kinase C Binding Protein 1 Inhibits Hypoxia-Inducible Factor 1 Action in the Heart

The response to hypoxia in tissues is regulated by the heterodimeric transcription factor hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1). We have investigated the transcriptional effects of hypoxia-inducible f...
Job Satisfaction and Work-Related Stress: Results From a National Survey of Prison Wardens

The job of prison warden encompasses numerous external pressures and internal challenges, along with commensurately high performance expectations, the cumulative impact of which may be reflected in...
Legal Issues: New Control in Congress

The ink had barely dried on the 2014 Congressional election results when commentators and pundits started speculating on what the results might mean for the incoming 114th Congress. With at least 53 seats in the Senate, the Republicans take over control of that chamber from the Democrats. And by winning at least 244 seats in the House, the Republicans are extending their majority in the House to levels that haven’t been seen since the Hoover administration. Most of the speculation has focused, of course, on the areas where Congressional Republicans and the Obama Administration have had significant conflict, including health care, particularly the Affordable Care Act (“Obamacare”), immigration reform, and environmental policy. However, the changes in Congressional leadership are likely to also have a significant impact on issues of concern to the information industry, including copyright and patent reform, net neutrality, privacy and government surveillance practices, and Internet taxation.
Chemotherapy Induces Oral Mucositis in Mice Without Additional Noxious Stimuli

Oral mucositis (OM) is a serious side effect of cancer chemotherapy. The pathobiology of oral mucositis remains incompletely understood due to lack of appropriate models which recapitulate the human condition. Existing rodent models are intraperitoneal and require radiation, chemical or mechanical injury to the chemotherapy protocol to induce oral lesions. We aimed to develop an OM mouse model that is induced solely by chemotherapy and reproduces macroscopic, histopathologic and inflammatory characteristics of the human condition. Female C57BL/6 mice were given intravenous 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) injections every 48 hours, for 2 weeks. A high daily dose of intraperitoneal administration was tested for comparison. Mice were monitored daily for weight loss. Epithelial histomorphometric analyses in tongue, esophageal and intestinal tissues were conducted coupled with assessment of apoptosis, cell proliferation, neutrophilic infiltration and the integrity of adherens junctions by immunohistochemistry. Neutropenia was assessed in peripheral blood and bone marrow. Tissues were analyzed for pro-inflammatory cytokines at the protein and mRNA levels. Daily intraperitoneal administration of 5-FU led to rapid weight loss and intestinal mucositis, but no oral inflammatory changes. Intravenous administration triggered atrophy of the oral and esophageal epithelium accompanied by reduction in cell proliferation and increased apoptosis. Coincidental with these changes were up-regulation of NF-κB, TNFα, IL-1β, GM-CSF, IL-6 and KC. Despite neutropenia, increased oral neutrophilic infiltration and reduced E-cadherin was observed in oroesophageal mucosae. We developed a novel experimental tool for future mechanistic studies on the pathogenesis of chemotherapy-induced OM.
Nexus Work: Managing Ambiguity in Network Based Projects

Theorists have argued that network based projects rely upon lateral modes of coordination, but little research examines how the ambiguity that ensues is managed. With an ethnographic study of music producers, we studied how those in the structurally central 'nexus' role integrated contributions from experts without direct authority over them. We found that nexus actors differentiated their responses to three types of ambiguity: an ambiguous quality metric; ambiguous occupational jurisdictions; and an ambiguous transformation process. Our grounded theoretical explanation of the nexus role specifies an underappreciated relational form of brokerage that contrasts with structural conceptions of brokerage and delineates the types of ambiguity that can be resolved through relational work.
Fungal Infections of the Central Nervous System: Clinical, Radiographic and Laboratory Manifestations

Objective To assess the epidemiological aspects of central nervous system CNS fungal infections at tertiary care teaching hospitals Patients and methods We conducted a retrospective electronic medical record review of clinical radiographic laboratory and microbiological data from patients at Mayo Clinic Rochester MN and Jacksonville FL with a proven or probable diagnosis of a CNS fungal infection from January to December Results We identified proven probable CNS fungal infections had fungal meningitis had a tissue diagnosis and had CNS imaging indicative of infection with positive fungal cultures from other organs Most patients were male with a median age of years were immunosuppressed of whom received prednisone mg daily for weeks Cryptococcus spp was the most frequent infection identified and headache was the most common presenting symptom Survival was significantly worse for patients with CNS aspergillosis compared to those with CNS Cryptococcus spp hazard ratio P
The Christian in the Age of the ID

It is contended that today's society is in the throes of meaninglessness and valuelessness. Although-many historical, cultural, and psychological factors are involved, this paper concentrates on tw...
Quantum Statistics of Nonlinear Optics

In these lectures we shall discuss a number of intrinsically quantum mechanical features of light. We begin with a discussion of photon statistics, including photon antibunching, and sub-Poissonian photon statistics.1 We then describe phase sensitive quantum fluctuations and the property of squeezing.2 Squeezed states of light have fewer fluctuations in one quadrature than a coherent state. This offers the possibility of an enhanced signal to noise ratio in optical communication systems compared to the quantum limit imposed using coherent light sources. Squeezed states also have potential applications in the detection of very weak forces such as gravitational radiation, where the quantum noise in the detector is comparable to the signal strength.
Synchronous and Mirror Couplings

This chapter contains a rigorous construction of mirror couplings and a few theorems on the hot spots problems. Some of these theorems are proved using synchronous couplings and some using mirror couplings.
Distinct systemic microbiome and microbial translocation are associated with plasma level of anti-CD4 autoantibody in HIV infection

Microbial signals have been linked to autoantibody induction. Recently, we found that purified anti-CD4 autoantibodies from the plasma of chronic HIV-1-infected patients under viral-suppressed antiretroviral therapy (ART) play a pathologic role in poor CD4+ T cell recovery. The purpose of the study was to investigate the association of systemic microbiome and anti-CD4 autoantibody production in HIV. Plasma microbiome from 12 healthy controls and 22 HIV-infected subjects under viral-suppressed ART were analyzed by MiSeq sequencing. Plasma level of autoantibodies and microbial translocation (LPS, total bacterial 16S rDNA, soluble CD14, and LPS binding protein) were analyzed by ELISA, limulus amebocyte assay, and qPCR. We found that plasma level of anti-CD4 IgGs but not anti-CD8 IgGs was increased in HIV+ subjects compared to healthy controls. HIV+ subjects with plasma anti-CD4 IgG > 50 ng/mL (high) had reduced microbial diversity compared to HIV+ subjects with anti-CD4 IgG ≤ 50 ng/mL (low). Moreover, plasma anti-CD4 IgG level was associated with elevated microbial translocation and reduced microbial diversity in HIV+ subjects. The Alphaproteobacteria class was significantly enriched in HIV+ subjects with low anti-CD4 IgG compared to patients with high anti-CD4 IgG even after controlling for false discovery rate (FDR). The microbial components were different from the phylum to genus level in HIV+ subjects with high anti-CD4 IgGs compared to the other two groups, but these differences were not significant after controlling for FDR. These results suggest that systemic microbial translocation and microbiome may associate with anti-CD4 autoantibody production in ART-treated HIV disease.
Ultrasound Detection and Imaging Using Microring Resonators and Laser Generated Focused Ultrasound

Optical detection of ultrasound is based on the interaction of strain field and optical field in an optical resonator for sensitive detection. Special optical transmitters generate and focus ultrasound, targeting high-amplitude focused ultrasound for imaging and therapeutic applications.
Channel Power: A Proposed Multidimensional Perspective

Taylor (1992) suggests that existing conceptualizations and operationalizations of power in the channels literature are based on a unidimensional conceptualization of channel unit interaction. The following discussion extends this argument by demonstrating how the current conceptualizations of power (1) fail to capture the larger domain of power and (2) understate that portion of power which is captured by the current conceptualizations by failing to distinguish between appropriate conditions of power. We present an alternative multidimensional power conceptualization which purports to overcome these limitations.
Discrete Element Analysis of Earthquake Fault Rupture-Soil-Foundation Interaction

AbstractEarthquake fault rupture-soil-foundation interaction (FR-SFI) was simulated using the discrete element method (DEM) with irregularly shaped sphere-clusters to capture the three-dimensional ...
Does Smoking Status Influence Health-Related Quality of Life Outcome Measures in Patients Undergoing ACDF?:

Study design:Retrospective comparative study.Objective:Whereas smoking has been shown to affect the fusion rates for patients undergoing an anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), the relat...