cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thermal stress effects of Ge2Sb2Te5 phase change material: Irreversible modification with Ti adhesion layers and segregation of Te

This paper reviews material properties of chalcogenide phase change material Ge"2Sb"2Te"5 under thermal anneal treatments. Stress evolutions of pure Ge"2Sb"2Te"5 films and stacks of Ge"2Sb"2Te"5 integrating with Ti adhesion layers are investigated. Segregation of Te atoms in the Ge"2Sb"2Te"5 film to the interface drives an interaction between Ti and Te atoms and formation of Ti-Te binary phases. The irreversible phase segregation and modification of Ge"2Sb"2Te"5 change the crystallization process, completely suppress the final transformation into otherwise stable hcp phase, and thus impact the ultimate life-cycle of such a phase change based memory cell. Since the adhesion layer is required in cell applications, the optimization of adhesion layer material and thickness may improve the life-cycles and reliability of devices.
Pinning of dislocations and the origin of the stress anomaly in FeAl alloys

Abstract The anomalous stress rise found at intermediate temperatures in FeAl alloys may be caused by the presence of thermal vacancies produced as the temperature rises. Strong support for this hypothesis is provided by the demonstration that the same absolute values of stresses as well as stress increases are found both when testing at high temperatures and when testing at room temperature samples quenched from the same high temperatures. Examination of the superdislocations present after deformation shows strong pinning only at jogs produced by intersection with forest dislocations. Such sessile jogs on screw superdislocations lead to dipole and loop formation as the dislocations continue moving, hence producing the debris observed after deformation. In addition, edge superdislocations show a stepped morphology caused by line instabilities over a certain range of directions. There is no evidence of strong pinning and associated dislocation bowing by vacancy-aggregate type obstacles, and it is, therefore, deduced that the pinning obstacles responsible for the anomalous stress increase are probably relatively weak single vacancies, rather like solute atoms, and not stronger multi-vacancy defects.
A sensitive biologic assay for ACTH.

Fluorometric determination of corticosteroids in adrenal venous plasma of the acutely hypophysectomized rat has led to the development of 2 new techniques for the measurement of ACTH. The first, consisting of jugular injection of test material, with adrenal venous bleeding 5 minutes later, gives linearity of response to log doses of ACTH ranging from 0.05 to 1.0 milliunits (mU). The second method, consisting of retrograde injection of ACTH up the adrenal vein, with adrenal venous bleeding 90 seconds later, gives linearity of response over a range from 0.005 to 0.5 mU ACTH. The retrograde technique, while less precise, provides greater adrenal sensitivity to minute doses of ACTH than heretofore described. These methods are adaptable to the measurement of ACTH in biologic fluids.
What's New on the Internet? A Challenge for Library Webmasters.

Webmasters of library home pages are faced with a dramatically increasing number of new Internet sites from which to choose for inclusion on their Web pages. In this study, Cohen tracks the new sites announced on seven popular What’s New services on the Internet twice monthly during the first quarter of 1996 in order to determine the usefulness of these services to an academic library home page endeavor. Sites were classified into 20 subject categories. Of the more than 24,000 new sites classified, only a small percentage fell into subject areas of potential value for an academic library home page. Alternative Web‐based strategies are suggested for locating useful new Internet resources.
Excitation-contraction coupling: effects of "zero"-Ca2+ medium.

Abstract Frog sartorius muscles, exposed for up to 15–20 min to media containing ethylene glycol bis (β-aminoethyl ether) - N, N′-tetraacetic acid and thus having free Ca2+ concentration less than 10−8 M, produce isometric contractions with basically normal but speedier latency relaxation and earliest tension development. The excitation-contraction coupling is thus also basically normal, but speedier evidently in respect to release of activator Ca2+ from the sarcoplasmic reticulum.
Mandibular fractures in the dog. A retrospective study of 157 cases

One hundred fifty-seven mandibular fractures in 105 dogs occurred most frequently in male dogs less than 1 year of age. Automobile trauma was the most common cause. Fractures in the premolar region were significantly more frequent than fractures in other regions, and 113 fractures (72%) were open. One hundred forty-two fractures were stabilized, with tape muzzles being the most common method. Postoperative complications, the most common being dental malocclusion, occurred in 53 fractures (34%). Acceptable cosmetic and functional results were achieved in 89 dogs (85%). Fractures in the rostral portion of the mandible had shorter average time to clinical union than other mandibular fractures. Average time to clinical union for fractures in the caudal portions of the mandible was longer than that currently reported.
Angular distribution of fluorescence from liquids and monodispersed spheres by evanescent wave excitation

Experimental data on the angular distribution of fluorescence from thick liquid dye layers excited by evanescent waves are found to agree well with Fresnel theory and with an effective thickness formulation. Qualitative agreement of theory with fluorescence data obtained from monodispersed spherical particles having diameters comparable to the wavelength of the incident evanescent radiation and impregnated with dye molecules is also attained. From our results, the optimum incident and observation angles and polarizations to enhance the contrast and SNR for inelastic ATR reemission spectroscopy applied to studying micron or submicron layers of particulates can be predicted.
Predicting WAIS-R Scores from the Revised Beta for Low Functioning Minority Group Offenders.

Investigated the use of the Revised Beta for predicting WAIS-R scores of low functioning minority group criminal offenders. Ninety black and Hispanic offenders who scored below 80 on the Beta were administered the WAIS-R. For the entire group, mean scores on the two measures were correlated only moderately and were not interchangeable. Offenders scored significantly lower on the Beta than on the WAIS-R. Subgroup analyses of blacks (N = 67) and Hispanics (N = 23) revealed that the Beta scores for the Hispanic offenders were not related significantly to either their WAIS-R Verbal or Full Scale scores.
In a Pinch

Background. Punch biopsy is a standard method for obtaining tissue sample in dermatology. Objective. The objective is to convey the use of towel clips when forceps are not available in performing a punch biopsy. Methods. After informed consent, a punch biopsy was performed when clinically indicated, using towel clips in place of forceps to aid in removal of the specimen from the patient. Results. The biopsy sample was satisfactory without tissue trauma or crush artifact. Conclusions. A towel clip is a reasonable alternative when forceps are not available when performing a punch biopsy.
Oscillation in enzyme reactions.

THE widespread existence of periodic phenomena in living organisms is well known. These events, like all other material phenomena in living systems, should ultimately be considered in terms of the individual chemical reactions occurring during the life process. Since chemical reactions occurring in biological systems are catalysed by enzymes, it was the purpose of our investigation to examine the possibility of oscillatory behaviour in enzyme-catalysed reactions.
Liquid crystals: Smoothing out the wrinkles

The optical properties of lyotropic liquid crystals formed by a multilayer stack of lipid membranes have attracted growing interest owing to their potential use in photonics. A new study demonstrates unprecedented dynamic control over the order of such systems
Fault trees and Markov models for reliability analysis of fault-tolerant digital systems

Abstract Reliability analysis of fault tolerant computer systems for critical applications is complicated by several factors. In this paper, we discuss these modeling difficulties and describe and demonstrate approaches to handling them. Three important techniques characterize our approach. First, behavioral decomposition separates the system failure modes specification from the recovery process specification. Second, a fault tree representation of the system failure modes is converted to an equivalent Markov model, to which the recovery models are added automatically. Third, the fault tree to Markov chain conversion allows the definition of new dynamic fault tree gates to capture the sequence dependent failure modes that are often associated with advanced fault tolerant systems. Two advanced fault tolerant computer systems are described, and fault tree models for their analysis are presented. HARP (the Hybrid Automated Reliability Predictor) is a software package developed at Duke University and NASA Langley Research Center that is used to analyze the example systems.
Regional prefrontal gray and white matter abnormalities in bipolar disorder

Abstract Background: Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies indicate that compared with healthy volunteers, patients with bipolar disorder have structural and functional abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex. The aim of this study was to investigate differences in prefrontal subregions between bipolar patients and healthy subjects. Methods: Bipolar patients hospitalized for a manic episode ( n = 17), and demographically matched healthy volunteers ( n = 12) were recruited. Contiguous 1-mm coronal T1-weighted MRI slices were obtained using a Picker 1.5 Tesla scanner. The gray and white matter volumes of five prefrontal subregions of interest were measured: superior, middle, inferior, cingulate, and orbital. Results: Bipolar patients had smaller left prefrontal gray matter volumes, specifically in the middle and superior subregions and smaller right prefrontal gray matter volumes, specifically in the inferior and middle subregions. White matter differences were not observed in any of the prefrontal subregions. Conclusions: The results suggest that bipolar patients have subregion-specific gray matter volume reductions in the prefrontal cortex as compared to healthy subjects. Further investigations into the role of specific prefrontal subregions in bipolar disorder are warranted.
Calcium-triggered light emission in Renilla. A unitary biochemical scheme for coelenterate bioluminescence

Abstract A system which emits light upon calcium addition was obtained from the bioluminescent sea pansy Renilla by extracting in EDTA. The activity has properties similar t o photoproteins isolated from other coelenterates, but differs by virtue of being associated with a particulate material. A unitary biochemical scheme in coelenterates is proposed, in which the oxidation of a luciferin is postulated to form a stable protein (enzyme)-bound peroxide intermediate, whose further reaction to form a dioxetane ring is triggered by the Ca++-Protein interaction. The concerted cleavage of the dioxetane ring yields one of the carbonyl fragments in the excited state.
The Relationship Between Community Species Richness and the Richness of the Parasite Community in Fundulus heteroclitus

Abstract: This study examined the relationship between the metazoan parasite community in a focal species, Fundulus heteroclitus, and the species richness of the free-living community. Four distinct salt marsh areas were selected in order to reflect a gradient in free-living species richness and time post-restoration (unrestored, 0, 10, and 20 yr post-restoration). A total of 960 fish was studied, with 30 collected per site in each of 8 consecutive seasons between 2005 and 2007. Species richness and abundance of birds, fish, and benthic macroinvertebrates varied significantly between sites. However, increasing richness in the free-living community was neither positively nor negatively correlated with richness in the parasite infracommunity in F. heteroclitus. These results demonstrate that the relationship between community species richness and parasite richness is not linear. The data suggest that the diversity of parasites may be more correlated with measures of community composition, such as the struct...
Modelling and Detecting Decisions in Multi-party Dialogue

We describe a process for automatically detecting decision-making sub-dialogues in transcripts of multi-party, human-human meetings. Extending our previous work on action item identification, we propose a structured approach that takes into account the different roles utterances play in the decision-making process. We show that this structured approach outperforms the accuracy achieved by existing decision detection systems based on flat annotations, while enabling the extraction of more fine-grained information that can be used for summarization and reporting.
Sampling biases in IP topology measurements

Considerable attention has been focused on the properties of graphs derived from Internet measurements. Router-level topologies collected via traceroute-like methods have led some to conclude that the router graph of the Internet is well modeled as a power-law random graph. In such a graph, the degree distribution of nodes follows a distribution with a power-law tail. We argue that the evidence to date for this conclusion is at best insufficient We show that when graphs are sampled using traceroute-like methods, the resulting degree distribution can differ sharply from that of the underlying graph. For example, given a sparse Erdos-Renyi random graph, the subgraph formed by a collection of shortest paths from a small set of random sources to a larger set of random destinations can exhibit a degree distribution remarkably like a power-law. We explore the reasons for how this effect arises, and show that in such a setting, edges are sampled in a highly biased manner. This insight allows us to formulate tests for determining when sampling bias is present. When we apply these tests to a number of well-known datasets, we find strong evidence for sampling bias.
Somatotropin Treatment Reduces Energy Intake without Altering Protein Intake in Pigs Selecting between High and Low Protein Diets

The current experiment examined the effect of somatotropin (STH) on feed intake and diet selection in pigs selecting between high (24% CP) and low (12% CP) protein diets. Sixteen pigs (initial weight 69 +/- 2 kg) were individually penned and allowed to select between the diets for a 7-d pretreatment period and a 14-d treatment period during which time they received daily, subcutaneous injections of porcine somatotropin (0 or 4 mg/d). A 6-d withdrawal period followed. Feed intake was recorded daily. Over the 14-d treatment period, feed intake in pigs treated with STH was 21% less than that in the control group (2.49 vs. 3.17 kg/d, P < 0.01). The decrease in total intake was accounted for entirely by a decrease in the amount of the 12% CP diet selected (1.00 vs. 2.00 kg/d, P <0.01). STH-treated pigs altered their selection pattern such that energy intake was reduced, but total protein intake was unaffected. Control pigs selected a diet that was 15-16% crude protein throughout the study. STH-treated pigs selected a higher protein diet (18%, P < 0.02). During the withdrawal period, total feed intake began to normalize, such that by the third day of withdrawal, intake was not different than that in the control group. The recovery of total intake was accomplished by increased consumption of both diets rather than a specific normalization of low protein diet consumption. The results indicate that pigs treated with STH decrease feed intake, which is due to a decrease in the amount of 12% CP diet consumed. The change in dietary selection pattern is likely associated with a change in energy retention (carcass lipid + protein) associated with the STH-induced changes in composition of gain.
New TB treatments hiding in plain sight.

As tuberculosis (TB) toll is revised upward according to the WHO's last estimates, the lack of vaccine strategy and the lengthy antibiotic treatments that unfortunately promote the emergence of drug resistance are a major set back in the fight against this pathogen. In this issue of EMBO Molecular Medicine, Schiebler et al (Mtb) propose a novel and compelling new approach to target Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) by pharmacologically stimulating intracellular mycobacteria clearance through autophagy.
Comparison of Three Commercial Systems for Identification of Yeasts Commonly Isolated in the Clinical Microbiology Laboratory

We evaluated three commercial systems (RapID Yeast Plus System; Innovative Diagnostic Systems, Norcross, Ga.; API 20C Aux; bioMerieux-Vitek, Hazelwood, Mo.; and Vitek Yeast Biochemical Card, bioMerieux-Vitek) against an auxinographic and microscopic morphologic reference method for the ability to identify yeasts commonly isolated in our clinical microbiology laboratory. Two-hundred one yeast isolates were compared in the study. The RapID Yeast Plus System was significantly better than either API 20C Aux (193 versus 167 correct identifications; P < 0.0001) or the Vitek Yeast Biochemical Card (193 versus 173 correct identifications; P = 0.003) for obtaining correct identifications to the species level without additional testing. There was no significant difference between results obtained with API 20C Aux and the Vitek Yeast Biochemical Card system (P = 0.39). The API 20C Aux system did not correctly identify any of the Candida krusei isolates (n = 23) without supplemental testing and accounted for the major differences between the API 20C Aux and RapID Yeast Plus systems. Overall, the RapID Yeast Plus System was easy to use and is a good system for the routine identification of clinically relevant yeasts.
Brain-Type Natriuretic Peptide in the Diagnosis and Management of Persistent Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn

Objective. The diagnosis of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPHN) can often be difficult to make, especially in a clinical setting in which pediatric echocardiography is not readily available. A noninvasive test that could differentiate PPHN from other cardiorespiratory disease would be very useful in the early management of the disease, because it would allow rapid identification of those infants at greatest risk of requiring the services of a level 3 nursery. Brain-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is an endogenous peptide hormone secreted by the cardiac ventricles in response to increased wall stress and related ventricular filling pressures. The purpose of this study was to determine if BNP levels are elevated in newborns with PPHN and therefore may be used as a marker for differentiating PPHN from other forms of respiratory disease during the early newborn period. Method. We used a prospective cohort design with 3 groups. One group was diagnosed with PPHN by clinical and echocardiographic criteria (PPHN group: n = 15). The second group had been diagnosed with respiratory disease; however, PPHN had been ruled out by having no evidence of elevated pulmonary pressure by echocardiography (RD group: n = 17). The third group had no respiratory disease and was breathing room air (RA group: n = 15). BNP levels were measured with a point-of-care fluorescence immunoassay at various time intervals between birth and 150 hours of life. Results. There were no differences between groups for birth weight, gestational age, gender, race, Apgar scores at 1 minute, or age at time of initial blood sampling. Initial BNP levels (pg/mL) were elevated in the PPHN group relative to both the RA and RD groups (median [25%, 75%]: PPHN group = 1610 [1128, 1745]; RD group = 132 [76, 327]; RA group = 248 [127, 395]). There was no difference in the initial BNP level between the RA and RD groups. BNP levels remained elevated in the PPHN group over both groups for the first 4 days of life. BNP levels correlated with the gradient of the tricuspid regurgitation jet and with the ratio of tricuspid regurgitation jet gradient to mean blood pressure. BNP levels were not affected by administration of dopamine or dobutamine. BNP weakly correlated with the oxygenation index but not with the alveolar-arterial oxygenation gradient. Conclusions. Our findings indicate that BNP levels are elevated in infants with PPHN but not in infants with other forms of respiratory distress not associated with PPHN. Elevated BNP levels in term or near-term infants with respiratory distress should increase the suspicion of PPHN. Serial determination may also be helpful in monitoring the clinical course of such infants.
Stool Water Loss in Very-low-birth-weight Neonates

Fluid requirements in very-low-birth-weight (VLBW) infants include compensation for renal, insensible (skin and lung), and stool losses and provision for fluid retained for growth. Current estimates of stool water losses in VLBW infants are based on measurements established in term neonates. Therefore, the water content of 24-hour stool collections were determined in 11 healthy VLBW male infants on full enteral feeds and compared to the working norms. The neonates in this study were less than 2 weeks old with a mean +/- SD birth weight and gestational age of 1,311 +/- 112 g and 30.8 +/- 1.5 weeks, respectively. They were receiving only enteral formula feedings of 100 ml/kg/day or more with no parenteral fluid supplementation. The mean +/- SD number of stools and water content of the stools was 2.7 +/- 2.0/day and 7.2 +/- 4.0 ml/kg/day, respectively. There was a significant correlation (r = 0.696, p less than 0.02) between gestational age at birth and number of stools per day, but the correlation between stool water loss per day, gestational age, volume of feedings per day, and birthweight was not significant. Based on this study, 7 ml/kg/day is a reasonable estimate of daily stool water loss in VLBW babies.
Effects of Hypophysectomy on Lipolytic Response of Adipose Tissue To Pituitary Hormones.

SummaryHypophysectomy reduces the in vitro output of FFA by adipose tissue in response to both corticotropin and thyrotropin. Fasting slightly enhances the effects of these hormones on FFA output, but does not alter their effect on glycerol production, suggesting that the enhancement is due to decreased reesterification rather than increased lipolysis. Hypophysectomy also reduces FFA and glycerol production in response to fasting. It is suggested that the reduced fat mobilization usually found in hypophysectomized rats may be due to reduced sensitivity of adipose tissue to physiological stimuli for FFA mobilization rather than to a deficiency of lipolytic agents.
Rate studies on polyaniline films preparation in static cells and in fluidized bed electrode reactors

Aniline was polymerized using a static electrochemical cell and a fluidized bed electrode reactor (both static and fluidized beds) to form thin films, respectively, on plate and particulate substrates. Parameters such as reaction time, applied voltage, anolyte flowrate, and monomer concentration on the rate of polymerization were studied and correlated with polymer film thickness and surface morphology, as observed on a scanning electron microscope.
Pulmonary functional MR imaging

Summary form only received as follows: The newer generation MR scanner with its higher-performance gradient system and echo-planner capability can control the gradient system very accurately and rapidly. The fast MRI techniques, which are facilitated by the emergence of these new MR systems with enhanced gradients, are essential for the MR imaging of the lung. Fast MR imaging techniques with a very short TE are overcoming the problem of inhomogeneous magnetic susceptibility. In addition, the single-shot fast SE sequence can now depict the lung parenchyma, providing a platform for MR imaging of the lung. Contrast-enhanced MR imaging and arterial spin-labeling methods provide noninvasive pulmonary perfusion imaging. Oxygen-enhanced MR and hyperpolarized noble gas techniques have made MR ventilation imaging feasible. Moreover, combination of these MR ventilation-perfusion MR imaging is extremely important, as gas exchange in the lung can be achieved only when ventilation and perfusion are coordinated each other. MR-based data on pulmonary ventilation and perfusion have to be matched by the order of image pixels. In addition, MR data sets with high spatial and temporal resolution can be analyzed with mathematical models pixel by pixel, yielding important physiological information beyond simple visual image interpretation. Pulmonary function MR imaging may be part of the twenty-first century version of pulmonary function testing. The development and use of these functional techniques provides continuing challenges to researchers in engineering and computer science.
Institutional Activism and Community Building: Human Relations Responses to 9/11 in Orange County, California

Since its creation in 1971, the Orange County Human Relations Commission (OCHRC) has established itself as a central actor in addressing issues of diversity and social justice in Orange County, California, a region with a growing Muslim population approaching 200,000. Following the events of 9/11, the OCHRC organized a programmatic response linked to broader community-building initiatives that sought to promote inclusion of Muslim Americans into civic institutions, to expand networks among institutional and community activists countywide, and to cultivate capacities for deeper political engagement. Their response represents an example of institutional activism undertaken through the means of community organizing and helps us to understand how such noncontentious activities can work within institutional constraints and still contribute to long-term social change. This research is based primarily on a series of focused qualitative interviews and is part of broader historical research on the OCHRC.
Electromagnetic-capillary instabilities of liquid cylinder - Production of spherical shells in microgravity

A stability analysis is carried out for an infinitely long, hollow liquid column, that carries an axial electric current of constant density. The column is initially in static equilibrium, balanced by surface tension, electromagnetic pinch, and the radial pressure difference across the annular region
Manufacturable process for Si-SET fabrication

In this report, we describe the fabrication and experimental demonstration of Si single-electron transistor. The CMOS compatible process flow uses lithography, dry etching and chemical mechanical polishing. The fabricated device showed Coulomb blockade oscillations well above 150 K.
RECOGNITION OF TWO CLASSES OF OLIGOPROLINE SEQUENCES IN PROFILIN-MEDIATED ACCELERATION OF ACTIN-BASED SHIGELLA MOTILITY

The gram negative rod Shigella flexneri uses it surface protein IcsA to induce host cell actin assembly and to achieve intracellular motility. Yet, the IcsA protein lacks the oligoproline sequences found in ActA, the surface protein required for locomotion of the gram positive rod Listeria monocytogenes. Microinjection of a peptide matching the second ActA oligoproline repeat (FEFPPPPTDE) stops Listeria locomotion (Southwick, F.S., and D.L. Purich. 1994a. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 91:5168-5172), and submicromolar concentrations (intracellular concentration 80-800 nM) similarly arrest Shigella rocket-tail assembly and intracellular motility. Coinjection of a binary solution containing profilin and the ActA analogue increased the observed rates of intracellular motility by a factor of three (mean velocity 0.90 +/- 0.07 mu m/s, SD n=16 before injection vs 0.3 +/- 0.1 mu m/s, n=33 postinjection, intracellular concentration = 80 nM profilin plus 80 nM ActA analogue). Recent evidence suggests the ActA analogue may act by displacing the profilin-binding protein VASP (Pistor, S.C., T. Chakaborty, V. Walter, and J. Wehland. 1995. Curr. Biol. 5:517-525). At considerably higher intracellular concentrations (10 muM), the VASP oligoproline sequence (GPPPPP)3 thought to represent the profilin-binding site (Reinhard, M., K. Giehl, K. Abel, C. Haffner, T. Jarchau, V. Hoppe, B.M. Jockusch, and U. Walter. 1995. EMBO (Eur. Mol. Biol. Organ.) J. 14:1583-1589) also inhibited Shigella movement. A binary mixture of the VASP analogue and profilin (each 10 muM intracellular concentration) led to a doubling of Shigella intracellular migration velocity (0.09 +/- 0.06 mu m/s, n = 25 preinjection vs 0.18 +/- 0.10 mu m/s, n = 61 postinjection). Thus, the two structurally divergent bacteria, Listeria and Shigella, have adopted convergent mechanisms involving profilin recognition of VASP oligoproline sequences and VASP recognition of oligoproline sequences in ActA or an ActA-like host protein to induce host cell actin assembly and to provide the force for intracellular locomotion and cell-cell spread.
A fast neural net training algorithm and its application to voiced-unvoiced-silence classification of speech

The authors describe a fast training algorithm for feedforward neural nets, and apply it to a two-layer neural network to classify segments of speech as voiced, unvoiced, or silence. The speech classification method is based on features computed for each speech segment and used as input to the network. The network weights are trained using a fast training algorithm which uses a quasi-Newton error minimization method with a positive-definite approximation of the Hessian matrix. When used for voiced-unvoiced-silence classification of speech frames, the performance of the network compares favorably with that of current approaches. Experimental results are presented for speaker-dependent speech classification, including evaluation of the effects of the type of input data used during training. The results indicate satisfactory performance with errors in the range 3-5%, based on manual classification of the speech frames. >
HDAC6 and SIRT2 Regulate the Acetylation State and Oncogenic Activity of Mutant K-RAS

Activating point mutations in K-RAS are extremely common in cancers of the lung, colon, and pancreas and are highly predictive of poor therapeutic response. One potential strategy for overcoming the deleterious effects of mutant K-RAS is to alter its post-translational modification. While therapies targeting farnesylation have been explored, and ultimately failed, the therapeutic potential of targeting other modifications remains to be seen. We recently demonstrated that acetylation of lysine 104 attenuates K-RAS transforming activity by interfering with GEF-induced nucleotide exchange. Here, we have identified HDAC6 and SIRT2 as deacetylases that regulate the acetylation state of K-RAS in cancer cells. By extension, inhibition of either of these enzymes dramatically affects the growth properties of cancer cell lines expressing mutationally activated K-RAS. These results suggest that therapeutic targeting of HDAC6 and/or SIRT2 may represent a new way to treat cancers expressing mutant forms of K-RAS.
Stratified motion planning on non-smooth domains with application to robotic legged locomotion and manipulation

Presents an extension of the authors' previous stratified motion planning results to the case where the base manifold upon which the motion planning occurs is not smooth. Robotic applications of this work includes motion planning for legged robots over non-smooth (but known) terrain and manipulation of non-smooth objects with multiple robotic manipulators.
Approximate solutions to coupled shear walls on fixed and flexible foundations

In this paper, closed form approximate solutions to the equations of motion for coupled shear walls are developed using Ritz-Galerkin method. Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the equations of motion. These equations and solutions were developed for two different cases, one for the coupled shear wall on fixed foundation and the other for coupled shear wall on flexible foundation. Through literature review, it is identified that previous studies addressed only the free vibration of coupled shear wall system without considering external load. The main focus of this paper is to develop equations of motion with external load applied to coupled shear walls on both fixed and flexible base using variational approach. Then cast equations of motion and corresponding boundary conditions into non-dimensional form. The solution of equations of motion is developed through the use of the Ritz-Galerkin technique. Thus attempts were made to develop equations of motion considering a driving force, ݌ሺݔ, ݐሻ on the structure. By using selected shape functions for the longitudinal and lateral defelections, a matrix eigenvalue equation is derived for both cases yielding closed form approximate solution.
Mammalian DNA Methyltransferase Structural Themes

The methylation of mammalian DNA, primarily at CpG dinucleotides, has long been recognized to play a major role in controlling gene expression among other functions. The DNA methyltransferases (Dnmts) 1, 3a, and the protein factors Dnmt3L and UHRF1 are required, respectively, for de novo and maintenance methylation. Recent data demonstrated that the mammalian genomes also contain 5-hydroxymethylcytosine, enzymatically converted from 5-methylcytosine, suggesting that the DNA methylation is regulated in mammalian cells via enzymatic conversion. Given their importance, many basic questions remain to be answered about the proteins responsible for DNA methylation and hydroxymethylation, and for coordination with the parallel histone-modification system.
Mouse models of adrenocortical tumors

The molecular basis of the organogenesis, homeostasis, and tumorigenesis of the adrenal cortex has been the subject of intense study for many decades. Specifically, characterization of tumor predisposition syndromes with adrenocortical manifestations and molecular profiling of sporadic adrenocortical tumors have led to the discovery of key molecular pathways that promote pathological adrenal growth. However, given the observational nature of such studies, several important questions regarding the molecular pathogenesis of adrenocortical tumors have remained. This review will summarize naturally occurring and genetically engineered mouse models that have provided novel tools to explore the molecular and cellular underpinnings of adrenocortical tumors. New paradigms of cancer initiation, maintenance, and progression that have emerged from this work will be discussed.
A humanistic environment for dental schools: what are dental students experiencing?

A Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) standard now requires that dental schools commit to establishing a “humanistic culture and learning environment” for all members of the academic environment. The aim of this study was to identify students’ perceptions of factors that affect the dental school environment and to test differences in their experiences in terms of gender and year. This picture of the existing environment was meant to serve as a first step toward creating and supporting a more humanistic academic environment. A mixed-methods approach was used for data collection during the 2009–10 and 2010–11 academic years at one U.S. dental school. Four focus groups were first conducted to explore challenges and conflicts faced by students during their dental education. A written survey informed by the focus group results was then used to obtain quantitative data. The survey response rate was 47 percent (N=188). Faculty inconsistency, cheating, and belittlement/disrespect were experienced by many of the responding dental students during their education, similar to what has been documented in medicine. These students also reported experiencing both constructive communication (90 percent) and destructive communication (up to 32 percent). The female students reported more gender discrimination and sexual harassment than their male peers, and the clinical students reported more experience with belittlement and destructive communication than the preclinical students. The results suggest that greater effort should be directed toward creating a more humanistic environment in dental schools. Based on the issues identified, steps academic institutions can take to improve these environments and student skills are outlined.
A new fungal large subunit ribosomal RNA primer for high throughput sequencing surveys

The inclusion of phylogenetic metrics in community ecology has provided insights into important ecological processes, particularly when combined with high-throughput sequencing methods; however, these approaches have not been widely used in studies of fungal communities relative to other microbial groups. Two obstacles have been considered: (1) the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region has limited utility for constructing phylogenies and (2) most PCR primers that target the large subunit (LSU) ribosomal unit generate amplicons that exceed current limits of high-throughput sequencing platforms. We designed and tested a PCR primer (LR22R) to target approximately 300–400 bp region of the D2 hypervariable region of the fungal LSU for use with the Illumina MiSeq platform. Both in silico and empirical analyses showed that the LR22R–LR3 pair captured a broad range of fungal taxonomic groups with a small fraction of non-fungal groups. Phylogenetic placement of publically available LSU D2 sequences showed broad agreement with taxonomic classification. Comparisons of the LSU D2 and the ITS2 ribosomal regions from environmental samples and known communities showed similar discriminatory abilities of the two primer sets. Altogether, these findings show that the LR22R–LR3 primer pair has utility for phylogenetic analyses of fungal communities using high-throughput sequencing methods.
Neural Reward Processing Mediates the Relationship between Insomnia Symptoms and Depression in Adolescence.

Study objectives Emerging evidence suggests that insomnia may disrupt reward-related brain function-a potentially important factor in the development of depressive disorder. Adolescence may be a period during which such disruption is especially problematic given the rise in the incidence of insomnia and ongoing development of neural systems that support reward processing. The present study uses longitudinal data to test the hypothesis that disruption of neural reward processing is a mechanism by which insomnia symptoms-including nocturnal insomnia symptoms (NIS) and nonrestorative sleep (NRS)-contribute to depressive symptoms in adolescent girls. Method Participants were 123 adolescent girls and their caregivers from an ongoing longitudinal study of precursors to depression across adolescent development. NIS and NRS were assessed annually from ages 9 to 13 years. Girls completed a monetary reward task during a functional MRI scan at age 16 years. Depressive symptoms were assessed at ages 16 and 17 years. Multivariable regression tested the prospective associations between NIS and NRS, neural response during reward anticipation, and the mean number of depressive symptoms (omitting sleep problems). Results NRS, but not NIS, during early adolescence was positively associated with late adolescent dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) response to reward anticipation and depressive symptoms. DMPFC response mediated the relationship between early adolescent NRS and late adolescent depressive symptoms. Conclusions These results suggest that NRS may contribute to depression by disrupting reward processing via altered activity in a region of prefrontal cortex involved in affective control. The results also support the mechanistic differentiation of NIS and NRS.
DNA-Programmed Modular Assembly of Cyclic and Linear Nanoarrays for the Synthesis of Two-Dimensional Conducting Polymers

Nanometer-scale arrays of conducting polymers were prepared on scaffolds of self-assembling DNA modules. A series of DNA oligomers was prepared, each containing six 2,5-bis(2-thienyl)pyrrole (SNS) monomer units linked covalently to N4 atoms of alternating cytosines placed between leading and trailing 12-nucleobase recognition sequences. These DNA modules were encoded so the recognition sequences would uniquely associate through Watson–Crick assembly to form closed-cycle or linear arrays of aligned SNS monomers. The melting behavior and electrophoretic migration of these assemblies showed cooperative formation of multicomponent arrays containing two to five DNA modules (i.e., 12–30 SNS monomers). The treatment of these arrays with horseradish peroxidase and H2O2 resulted in oxidative polymerization of the SNS monomers with concomitant ligation of the DNA modules. The resulting cyclic and linear arrays exhibited chemical and optical properties typical of conducting thiophene-like polymers, with a red-end ab...
Cephalosporin Antibiotics in Therapy of Experimental Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae Meningitis in Rabbits

Six cephalosporin antibiotics (cefamandole, cefazolin, cephacetrile, cephalothin, cephaloridine, and cephradine) and two penicillins (ampicillin and penicillin G) were evaluated in vitro and in a rabbit model of experimental meningitis due to Haemophilus influenzae or Streptococcus pneumoniae. The percentage penetration ([concentration in cerebrospinal fluid/concentration in serum] X 100%) of these antibiotics varied from 0.7% for cephalothin to 17% for cephaloridine. The penetration varied inversely with binding to serum proteins. The bactericidal rate of all of the cephalosporin antibiotics was similar in vitro and in vivo to that of penicillin G. However, as demonstrated with cephalothin, concentrations considerably above the minimal bactericidal concentration (as determined in broth) were necessary to initiate the bactericidal effect. Cefamandole was found to be as effective as ampicillin in the therapy of H. influenzae meningitis in rabbits. Cephalosporin antibiotics are widely used as alter
Biocatalytic Synthesis of Polyesters by Enzyme-Catalyzed Transesterification in Organic Media

Enzyme-catalyzed preparation of polymers offers several potentially valuable advantages over the usual polymerization procedures. This paper summarizes our successful use of lipase-catalyzed polycondensations to prepare both a series of achiral [AA-BBJx polyesters from simple bis(2,2,2- trichloroethyl) alkanedioates and diols and of an optically active, epoxy-substituted polyester having a stereochemical purity estimated to be greater than 96%, from racemic bis(2,2,2-trichloroethyl) trans- 3,4-epoxyhexanedioate and 1,4-butanediol. The somewhat less successful polycondensation of a series of A-B monomers is also described. All of the reactions were carried out at ambient temperature in anhydrous, low to intermediate polarity, organic solvents such as ether, THF, and methylene choride, using porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) as the catalyst. Possible explanations for the difference between the A-B and AA + BB cases, based on NMR analysis of the reactions' progress are considered.
Turbine Erosion Exposed to Particulate Flow

This work presents the results of a detailed study of blade erosion in a two stage axial flow gas turbine. The computations combine particle-blade impact characteristics, as determined from a three dimensional trajectory analysis with blade material erosion equation, which is obtained from experimental data to predict blade erosion. The results show that the pattern and intensity of blade erosion is dependent on the blade row location and that the first rotor is subject to maximum erosion.Copyright © 1986 by ASME
Numerical Investigation and Validation for Open Rotor Hover Performance

The aerodynamic performance of two open fan configurations is investigated and compared using Computational Fluid Dynamics analysis. Two open fan systems based on NACA0012 and NACA64-212 platforms are investigated, where the first fan is modeled at three different rotational speeds and the second fan is modeled at three different blade twists. Aerodynamic characteristics and hover performance are evaluated for both open fans over a range of collective angles. Numerical simulations indicate that the blade chord length has a significant impact on the formation of laminar and turbulent boundary layers on the fan surface, and thus the hover characteristics especially at high thrust levels. Computational results for the NACA0012 open fan are validated with the wind tunnel test data, indicating that thrust and power characteristics has been correctly predicted using the current turbulence modeling method.
Abstract 166: Ideal Timeframe for Post-Discharge Follow-Up Appointment in ACS and CHF BRIDGE Patients

Background: Current research and guidelines vary greatly on the ideal time for initial post-discharge follow-up for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and congestive heart failure (CHF). BRIDGE is a nurse practitioner-delivered cardiac transitional care program for patients lacking primary care or cardiology follow-up at discharge. BRIDGE referrals are seen within 14 days of discharge. This study aimed to determine the ideal timeframe for initial post-discharge follow-up. Methods: Retrospective data from the BRIDGE registry were abstracted for ACS and CHF patients referred to BRIDGE and readmitted within 30 days. Patients were divided into 4 cohorts based on the number of days to readmission: Time (T)1=0-3 days, T2=4-7 days, T3=8-14 days, and T4=15-30 days. Readmissions were further classified as the same cardiac reason as index admission, “Different Cardiac” or “Non-Cardiac.” ACS and CHF readmissions were compared by time to readmission and reason for readmission . Results: Of 2367 patients (mean age 64.9, 58% male and 85.3% white), 733 patients had an admission for ACS and 548 for CHF. Regardless of BRIDGE attendance, 16.8% (n=123) of ACS patients and 25.4% (n= 139) of CHF patients and were readmitted within 30 days. The majority of readmissions within 30 days (ACS 62.6%, CHF 53.2%) were on or before the 14th day post-discharge. Nearly half of T1 readmissions (ACS=47.6%, CHF=55.6%) were for Non-Cardiac reasons. For all other timeframes, ACS patients had more readmissions for Different Cardiac reasons, and CHF patients more often were readmitted for CHF. In contrast to 30 day readmission rates for the entire population (16.8% and 25.4%), the 30-day readmission rate for ACS and CHF patients who attended their BRIDGE appointment was 6.4% and 15.4% respectively . Conclusions: For both CHF and ACS patients, greater than 50% of readmissions occurred before 14 days, with the majority of cardiac-related reasons occurring after the 3rd day post-discharge. Based on BRIDGE readmission rates, follow-up at 14 days substantially reduces 30-day readmissions in both ACS and CHF patients. However, seeing patients earlier or additionally during the 4-7 day period may further reduce 30-day readmissions. ![][1] [1]: /embed/graphic-1.gif