cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Glutamine Repeats and Neurodegenerative Diseases: Molecular Aspects

In March of 1993, I learned from Marcy McDonald that the gene for Huntington disease (HD) had been identified by an international collaboration of researchers. The excitement surrounding this finding was considerable, as one might expect; however, the stunning aspect of the discovery was the detection of an expanded run of the amino acid glutamine in patients affected with HD. This meant that there was a second neurodegenerative disorder caused by an expanded glutamine repeat (the first being Kennedy disease, a.k.a. spinal and bulbar muscular atrophy), and the fact that it was HD made the discovery all the more spectacular. Over the past 10 years, CAG trinucleotide-repeat expansions encoding hyperextended polyglutamine tracts have been identified as the cause of nine inherited neurodegenerative diseases. These discoveries have created an entirely new field of research that has attracted the attention of molecular biologists, model-organism geneticists, and protein biochemists, in addition to clinical neurologists and medical geneticists. The polyglutamine-repeat diseases comprise HD, Kennedy disease, six types of spinocerebellar ataxia, and an exceedingly rare disorder known as dentatorubral-pallidoluysian atrophy or, in North Carolina, as Haw River syndrome.
Bladder dysfunction and management in multiple sclerosis.

Symptomatic bladder dysfunction occurs at some time in most patients with multiple sclerosis. The relapsing-remitting course and progressive loss of mobility associated with multiple sclerosis make management of urinary urgency and incontinence difficult. Urodynamic evaluation serves as a guideline for appropriate treatment. After accurate diagnosis of bladder dysfunction, a management program is developed with use of fluid schedules, voiding techniques, neuropharmacologic manipulation, intermittent catheterization, surgical treatment, and other adjunctive measures as indicated. The goals of treatment are to protect and preserve renal function, relieve symptomatic voiding dysfunction, and avoid subsequent urinary complications. A management program should be individualized, dynamic, and monitored with periodic, systematic urologie review to maintain these goals.
A senior student affairs officer's perspective on the AISP model

The AISP model is particularly appealing to senior student affairs officers because it is not complicated and it emphasizes assessment and a coordinated team approach for making sound decisions about students of concern.
Alternative Optical Technologies - More than curiosities?

As optical lithography reaches it physical limits, alternative technologies become interesting. There have been several such alternatives that are still optical, but have some departure from conventional projection methods. This papers presents some of these alternative optical technologies, namely the use of surface plasmons and plasmonic lithography, metamaterials and superlenses, evanescent wave lithography, solid immersion lithography, and stimulated transmission depletion (StED) lithography. Additionally, the viability of interferometric lithography (IL) is addressed for application to sub-32nm generations by using an information content metric and comparing results to 193nm lithography, double patterning, and EUV.
SWIFT Code Assessment for Two Similar Transonic Compressors

One goal of the NASA Fundamental Aeronautics Program is the assessment of computational fluid dynamic (CFD) codes used for the design and analysis of many aerospace systems. This paper describes the assessment of the SWIFT turbomachinery analysis code for two similar transonic compressors, NASA rotor 37 and stage 35. The two rotors have identical blade profiles on the front, transonic half of the blade but rotor 37 has more camber aft of the shock. Thus the two rotors have the same shock structure and choking flow but rotor 37 produces a higher pressure ratio. The two compressors and experimental data are described here briefly. Rotor 37 was also used for test cases organized by ASME, IGTI, and AGARD in 1994-1998. Most of the participating codes over predicted pressure and temperature ratios, and failed to predict certain features of the downstream flowfield. Since then the AUSM+ upwind scheme and the k- turbulence model have been added to SWIFT. In this work the new capabilities were assessed for the two compressors. Comparisons were made with overall performance maps and spanwise profiles of several aerodynamic parameters. The results for rotor 37 were in much better agreement with the experimental data than the original blind test case results although there were still some discrepancies. The results for stage 35 were in very good agreement with the data. The results for rotor 37 were very sensitive to turbulence model parameters but the results for stage 35 were not. Comparison of the rotor solutions showed that the main difference between the two rotors was not blade camber as expected, but shock/boundary layer interaction on the casing.
Salmonella Cerro isolated over the past twenty years from various sources in the US represent a single predominant pulsed-field gel electrophoresis type

Salmonella Cerro prevalence in US dairy cattle has increased significantly during the past decade. Comparison of 237 Salmonella isolates collected from various human and animal sources between 1986 and 2009 using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, antimicrobial resistance typing, and spvA screening, showed very limited genetic diversity, indicating clonality of this serotype. Improved subtyping methods are clearly needed to analyze the potential emergence of this serotype. Our results thus emphasize the critical importance of population-based pathogen surveillance for the detection and characterization of potentially emerging pathogens, and caution to critically evaluate the adequacy of diagnostic tests for a given study population and diagnostic application.
Impermeant stilbene disulfonic acids block chemotactic peptide receptor function on human granulocytes.

Anion transport is important in a variety of cell functions. 4,4′-Diisothiocyanostilbene-2,2′-disulfonic acid (DIDS) and 4-acetamido-4′-isothiocyanostilbene2,2′-disulfonic acid (SITS) are two impermeant agents that have been reported to specifically block the anion channel in erythrocytes. These agents block several responses of human neutrophils to stimulation by immune complexes, the synthetic chemotaxinN-formyl-met-leu-phe (FMLP), and a calcium ionophore. They also alter the function of C3b receptors on the neutrophil surface. We studied the effects of DIDS and SITS on the aggregation of human neutrophils, a process that has been implicated in a number of diverse clinical syndromes. Both DIDS and SITS inhibited granulocyte aggregation induced by FMLP, zymosan-activated plasma, 12-O-tetra-decanoylphorbolmyristate acetate (TPA), and the calcium ionophore A23187. To further study the mechanism of inhibition the effects of DIDS and SITS on FMLP-receptor function were tested. Similar concentrations of the anion channel blockers also inhibited binding of radiolabeled FMLP to its specific receptor on the neutrophil surface. Inhibition of binding was due to a decrease in both the number and affinity of the surface receptors available for FMLP; DIDS did not inactivate FMLP. The effects of stilbene disulfonic acid on cell function may be due to effects of these agents on other cell-surface structures in addition to the anion channel.
The symmetrical law of effect and the matching relation in choice behavior.

In a concurrent-chains procedure, pigeons chose between outcomes that differed in the rate of response-independent delivery of food and electric shocks. The application of functional measurement techniques confirmed the matching relation—between choice and rate of reinforcement value—for two of three pigeons. Scale values of the outcomes were extracted for the two birds that conformed to matching, and the value of a single occurrence of shock per minute—in terms of negative food units—was estimated. A second experiment with concurrent chains provided a test of these parameter estimates. The close correspondence between predicted and obtained choice behavior found in Experiment II indicated that the estimates of outcome value were indeed reliable. Both experiments together support the contention that the effects on choice behavior of positive and aversive stimuli appear to be equal, though opposite in sign.
Human colonization of the Americas: timing, technology and process

Abstract Geological and archeological research indicates that humans first colonized the Americas with the use of watercraft along the southern coast of the Bering Land Bridge and the western coast of the Americas. Early dates from a number of archeological sites in the Americas indicate human colonization of the Americas began prior to ca. 13,000 BP. A review of archeological sites in eastern Beringia identifies several distinctive cultural traditions which had developed by 11,000–10,000 BP. Geological, biological, linguistic evidence, and dated human skeletal remains all suggest human occupation of the Americas prior to ca. 11,500 BP. Glacial geology indicates colonization could have begun ca. 14,000–13,000 BP along the western coasts of the Americas and ended about 5000 BP with deglaciation of the Canadian eastern Arctic and coastal Greenland. The use of watercraft and coastal navigation prior to 11,000 BP are inferentially demonstrated. A model for early coastal and subsequent inland colonization of the Americas along large ecological zones best fits current geologic and archeological data.
Analytical/experimental study of cracking in composite laminates under biaxial loading☆

Abstract An interlaminar-shear-stress analysis was developed for deformation and progressive damage in biaxially-loaded bidirectional three-layer composite laminates. The special cases of a crossply laminate under biaxial normal loading and shear loading discussed previously were combined Tsai and Daniel, 1992a , Tsai and Daniel, 1992b ; Tsai et al., 1990 , in Microcracking-induced Damage in Composites (Edited by G. J. Dvorak and D. C. Lagoudas), AMD—Vol. 111, MD—Vol. 22. ASME, New York). The model gives closed-form solutions for stress distributions, crack densities and reduced stiffness of the damaged layers and the laminate. The model was partially verified by conducting off-axis uniaxial tensile tests of [ 0 90 2 ] s crossply laminates. The stress-strain behavior, matrix cracking and the variation of engineering constants with matrix cracking were predicted and verified experimentally.
Accounting for Ligand Conformational Restriction in Calculations of Protein-Ligand Binding Affinities

The conformation adopted by a ligand on binding to a receptor may differ from its lowest-energy conformation in solution. In addition, the bound ligand is more conformationally restricted, which is associated with a configurational entropy loss. The free energy change due to these effects is often neglected or treated crudely in current models for predicting binding affinity. We present a method for estimating this contribution, based on perturbation theory using the quasi-harmonic model of Karplus and Kushick as a reference system. The consistency of the method is checked for small model systems. Subsequently we use the method, along with an estimate for the enthalpic contribution due to ligand-receptor interactions, to calculate relative binding affinities. The AMBER force field and generalized Born implicit solvent model is used. Binding affinities were estimated for a test set of 233 protein-ligand complexes for which crystal structures and measured binding affinities are available. In most cases, the ligand conformation in the bound state was significantly different from the most favorable conformation in solution. In general, the correlation between measured and calculated ligand binding affinities including the free energy change due to ligand conformational change is comparable to or slightly better than that obtained by using an empirically-trained docking score. Both entropic and enthalpic contributions to this free energy change are significant.
The Efficiency of Radiation Detection by Photographic Films: State-of-the-Art and Methods of Improvement

The performance of photographic films as radiation detectors has rested at a state-of-the-art platean for some time. In terms of detective quantum efficiency (abbreviated DQE) this plateau is at about 1% for the best films, which 1% should be compared with 100% for an ideal photon counter. The physical causes for the 100-fold discrepancy between reality and ideal performance are examined in detail: incomplete light absorption; a small inefficiency in convertihg photons into photoelectrons; a large loss due to recombination. of electrons with holes; a small loss dictated by a four-atom threshold;. a small loss dictated by random grain position; a large loss from the use of a wide dispersion of grain sizes. These factors account quantitatively for substantially all of the discrepancy between reality and ideal performance. We show that the recombination loss is a necessity that must ordinarily be tolerated in order to secure a good shelf life for films. Part of the loss may be recouped by the well-known method of latensification. Films with a wide dispersion of grain sizes will have a higher DQE if the grains operate at a threshold of two processed photons instead of four. Latensification permits one to approach the two-atom threshold condition.
Sexual Orientation and Occupational Attainment

Research shows that sexual minorities and heterosexuals differ in the level of success in educational and earnings attainment, but differences in occupational attainment have been unclear. To extend the literature, this article examines sexual orientation differences in young adulthood occupational status by analyzing the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health Waves 1 to 4. Drawing from the life course literature, a theoretical framework is developed to explain how sexual orientation shifts opportunities and constraints in the occupational attainment process. The analysis shows that the association between sexual orientation and occupational status depends on gender, the type of sexual experience used to measure sexual orientation, and the timing of first sexual experience. Women who report their first same-sex attraction or sexual contact in young adulthood have lower occupational status than those without such experience, and men who report their first same-sex dating relationships in young ad...
Jail Officers’ Perceptions of the Work Environment in Traditional Versus New Generation Facilities

New Generation jails have emerged as an important innovation in local incarceration. The results of existing research suggest that new generation jail design and operation can positively impact inmates and staff, but the literature is far from unequivocal. The current study utilized data collected from a single jail complex to provide a unique test of how the type of facility influences jail staff perceptions of the work environment along several dimensions. Our results revealed few differences between correctional officers working in traditional units and those posted in new generation units. We discuss the implications of these findings, including the use of direct supervision inmate management in traditional as well as new generation jails.
FORWARD CASCADE OF WHISTLER TURBULENCE: THREE-DIMENSIONAL PARTICLE-IN-CELL SIMULATIONS

This manuscript describes the first ensemble of three-dimensional (3D) particle-in-cell (PIC) plasma simulations of whistler turbulence. The computational model represents a collisionless, homogeneous, magnetized plasma on which an initial spectrum of relatively long wavelength whistler fluctuations is imposed. The simulations represent a range of initial fluctuation amplitudes and follow the temporal evolution of the system as it decays into a broadband, anisotropic, turbulent spectrum at shorter wavelengths via a forward cascade. The resulting 3D turbulence is similar in many ways to whistler turbulence from previous two-dimensional (2D) PIC simulations, although the anisotropies in 3D are stronger than in comparable 2D runs. The most important difference is that reduced magnetic fluctuation spectra from the 3D simulations show a clear break in the perpendicular wavenumber (k ⊥) spectra. Spectra at small k ⊥ are relatively steep, but spectra at larger k ⊥ are even steeper, similar in character to magnetic spectra at electron scales recently measured in the solar wind.
Male response to an aggressive visual signal, the wing wave display, in swamp sparrows

Signaling often involves complex suites of behaviors that incorporate different sensory modalities. Whatever modality is used to establish that a signal functions in communication researchers must demonstrate that receivers respond to it. The territory defense response of male swamp sparrows involves a variety of behaviors that includes both vocal and visual displays. One of these, the “wing wave” display, is a distinctive movement that predicts physical attack. Here, we use robotic taxidermic mounts paired with song to test the hypothesis that wing waving is a signal and, specifically, that male receivers respond to wing waving as a signal of aggressive intent. As predicted, subjects responded more aggressively to the mount during wing waving trials than during stationary trials. A second experiment demonstrated that this effect cannot be attributed simply to increased attention to movement. Less expectedly, subjects did not alter their own display behavior in response to wing waving as compared to a static mount. We conclude that the wing wave display in the context of singing is a signal that functions in male–male aggressive communication. Questions remain, including whether wing waving functions as a signal in the absence of singing and whether wing waving and song are redundant signals or communicate different information.
Studies on the Induction and Repression of Enzymes in Rat Liver

1 Tyrosine aminotransferase may be separated into four isolatable forms on hydroxyapatite columns. Form I is found in kidney, heart, brain and other tissues while forms II, III and IV appear to be unique to the liver in the rat. Forms II, III and IV were purified more than 1000-fold from liver while form I was purified 30-fold from kidney and heart. 2 The several forms have been compared kinetically and physicochemically. The Km for tyrosine of form I is significantly higher than that of the other three forms. On the other hand, in the presence of glutamate, V for all substrates studied is significantly lower for form II than for the other three forms. In addition, Kis for 2-oxoglutarate in the presence of glutamate is somewhat lower and in the presence of pyridoxal 5′-phosphate is significantly higher than for forms III and IV. The moledular weights and absorption spectra of forms II, III and IV could not be distinguished one from another. In contrast to forms II, III and IV the activity of form I was destroyed by brief heating at 60°C in the presence or absence of cofactors. For I also had a higher pH optimum than the other three forms. 3 In the fetus, glucagon, adenosine 3′:5′-monophosphate and guanosine 3′:5′-monophosphate induced predominantly form II. In the neonatal animal, hydrocortisone induced both forms II and III, while hydrocortisone in the presence of insulin induced form IV “prematurely”. This latter induction was insensitive to the action of actinomycin D. The rates in vivo of degradation of forms II, III and IV after hydrocortisone induction were indistinguishable. In the isolated perfused liver, hydrocortisone induced forms II, III and IV as had previously been shown in vivo, while adenosine 3′: 5′-monophosphate induction was limited to forms II and III and insulin stimulated the level of form IV only. The significance of the differences in form I as compared to the hepatic forms, as well as the implications of selective metabolic regulation of the other three hepatic forms, are discussed.
Thermal Analysis of Reactions in Soda–Lime Silicate Glass Batches Containing Melting Accelerants: I, One‐ and Two‐Component Systems

To identify each glass melting reaction in a multicomponent system, one-component and two-component reaction processes were studied using DTA, TGA, and XRD. Two-component mixtures were prepared by choosing pairs in the same ratio as in a commercial container glass batch composition (sand-soda ash-calcite-dolomite-feldspar). The presence of silica in the silicia-calcite system decreased the termination temperature of the decomposition of calcite, but did not alter the onset of decomposition. Similar behavior was found in the dolomite-silica system. A double carbonate (Na[sub 2]Ca(CO[sub 3])[sub 2]) formed via solid-state reaction in the calcite-soda ash system, and metasilicate/disilicate phases were detected during the fusion process in the soda ash-silica system. The effects of reaction accelerant additions in the soda ash-silica system were investigated using 1 wt% additions of sodium sulfate, sodium nitrate, and sodium chloride. Sodium chloride was the most effective melting accelerant, lowering the termination temperature of CO[sub 2] release by [approximately]80C compared with the soda ash-silica system with no additives. NaCl additions caused complete reaction and/or fusion of Na[sub 2]CO[sub 3] prior to its melting temperature. Sodium sulfate additions acted to suppress metasilicate/disilicate formation by coating quartz grains and shifted consequent CO[sub 2] release to higher temperature.
Improving phoneme and accent estimation by leveraging a dictionary for a stochastic TTS front-end

Determining the correct phonemes and pitch accents is important for creating natural Japanese speech. We implemented a TTS front-end system based on an n-gram model. However, the vocabulary of the word n-gram model is limited to the list of the words found in the training corpus, and collecting a very large training corpus is not an easy task. In this paper, we propose using an additional class n-gram model to incorporate not only the words found in the training corpus, but the words found in the dictionary to further improve the accuracy. In our experiments, our proposed model relatively improves the accuracy for estimating accents by 16.9% and the accuracy for estimating phonemes by 21.6% compared to the word n-gram model.
Lateral variations in upper mantle thermal structure inferred from three‐dimensional seismic inversion models

Global shear wave velocity variations in the upper mantle (Woodhouse and Dziewonski, 1984) are employed as a basis for inferring lateral heterogeneities in temperature or composition at a depth of 150 km. Using experimentally determined elastic moduli for the olivine solid solution and Hashin-Shtrikman bound theory, Vs and its partial derivatives with respect to temperature or composition (iron content) are calculated for the depth of interest. Based on these results, the observed seismic Vs variations are interpreted as temperature and compositional deviations relative to a spherically symmetric reference model. If it is assumed that the Vs variations primarily represent lateral temperature changes, then the present results can be used to construct a global surface heat flow map from the geotherm families of Pollack and Chapman (1977). Our inferred heat flow patterns, calculated independently of actual heat flow data, show clear agreement with the surface heat flow maps proposed by Chapman and Pollack (1975) and Chapman (1985). This result is consistent with and supports thermal structure as the primary governing factor in the generation of upper mantle lateral velocity variations. Compositional changes appear to correlate with temperature, but affect velocity structure to a lesser extent.
Essential physics of carrier transport in nanoscale MOSFETs

The device physics of nanoscale MOSFETs is explored by numerical simulations of a model transistor. The physics of charge control, source velocity saturation due to thermal injection, and scattering in ultrasmall devices are examined. The results show that the essential physics of nanoscale MOSFETs can be understood in terms of a conceptually simple scattering model.
Changes in connectivity in active contour models

Techniques that are useful for tracking objects that change their connectivity have been demonstrated. Contours are extracted from objects moving in two dimensions whose motion is nonrigid and whose connectivity may change. A previously proposed solution for nonrigid motion, which involves the use of simulated elastic curves to track objects, is extended to allow elastic materials to break, grow, and connect open endpoints. The extensions allow object tracking even when the connectivity of objects changes. An algorithm for tracking objects that divide in two is developed based on these extensions. The algorithm is tested using a computer-generated image sequence simulating cell division. >
Bankruptcy, absolute priority, and the pricing of risky debt claims

Abstract In practice, there are substantial deviations from the doctrine of ‘absolute priority’, which governs the rights of the firm's claimholders in the event of bankruptcy. To determine whether or not the possibility of such deviations is reflected in the prices of the firm's securities, this study examines the risk and return characteristics of financial claims against firms in court-supervised bankruptcy proceedings. Debt claims against bankrupt firms are indeed ‘risky’, exhibiting levels of systematic risk similar to that of common stocks in general. While some of the findings are anomalous, the data are generally consistent with the view that the capital market ‘properly’ prices risky debt claims to reflect both their risk characteristics and the possibility of departures from the doctrine of absolute priority.
ECG Detection of Murine Chagasic Cardiomyopathy

Abstract Chagas' disease, induced by Trypanosoma cruzi, is a common cause of infectious myocarditis. Recent clinical treatment trials and vaccine studies indicate that chagasic immunopathology is directed against the parasite and not self-antigens. Therefore, vaccines may have the potential to protect against disease progression. Certain combinations of mouse and parasite strains produce significant histopathology and can be used for safety analyses of new vaccination strategies. The goals of this study were to determine (1) whether the development of chagasic cardiomyopathy in the murine model could be identified by electrocardiogram (ECG); and (2) whether these potential chagasic ECG changes would correlate with histopathologic findings. Groups of BALB/c, C57BL/6, and C3H mice were infected with different parasite strains (Tulahuen, Brazil, or Sylvio-X10/4) and evaluated weekly by ECG. Selected tissues from subsets of mice were harvested periodically for blinded histologic evaluation. Significantly incr...
A Wandering Mind Is an Unhappy Mind

We developed a smartphone technology to sample people's ongoing thoughts, feelings, and actions and found (i) that people are thinking about what is not happening almost as often as they are thinking about what is and (ii) found that doing so typically makes them unhappy.
LACTICIFEROUS PLANTS OF THE KARAPARANÁ‐IGARAPARANÁ REGION OF COLOMBIA

During the first fifteen years of the present century, the production of rubber from wild trees was a thriving, though nefarious, industry in the northwestern part of the Amazon Valley. The heaviest concentration of this primitive forest industry — and the most widely notorious — was centered in the area drained by the Rios Karaparana and Igaraparana, northern tributaries of the Rio Putumayo, lying between the Rios Putumayo and Caqueta (Map 1). In this hey day of rubber production, the area was claimed by both Colombia and Peru, but the Peruvians actually occupied and exploited it. As a result of the war between Colombia and Peru in the early 1930’s, the boundaries have been set with the Rio Putumayo as the frontier. Colombia is now in possession of the areas north of the Putumayo, which are incorporated into the Colombian political unit known as the Comisaria del Amazonas.
TURNING POINTS IN THE LIFE COURSE: WHY CHANGE MATTERS TO THE STUDY OF CRIME*

This article examines conceptual issues relating to continuity and change in crime over the life course. Building on past efforts, we first distinguish self-selection from a cumulative, developmental process whereby delinquent behavior attenuates adult social bonds (e.g., labor force attachment, marital cohesion). We then conceptualize various types of change and argue that social capital and turning points are crucial in understanding processes of change in the adult life course. These concepts are illustrated by examining person-based, life-history data drawn from the Gluecks' longitudinal study of 1,000 men. Although adult crime is clearly connected to childhood behavior, these qualitative data suggest that both incremental and abrupt change are structured by changes in adult social bonds. We conclude with some hypotheses and implications for future research on subjective contingencies, opportunity structures, and chance encounters as potential turning points for change, especially as they interact with race, class location, and historical context.
Cognitive function in fibromyalgia patients

Objective. To evaluate fibromyalgia (FM) patients for the presence of cognitive deficits and to test the hypothesis that abnormalities would fit a model of cognitive aging. Methods. We studied 3 groups of patients: FM patients without concomitant depression and in the absence of medications known to affect cognitive function (n 5 23), age- and education-matched controls (n 5 23), and education-matched older controls who were individually matched to be 20 years older (63 years) than the FM patients (n 5 22). We measured speed of information processing, working memory function, free recall, recognition memory, verbal fluency, and vocabulary. We correlated performance on cognitive tasks with FM symptoms, including depression, anxiety, pain, and fatigue. We also determined if memory complaints were correlated with cognitive performance. Results. As expected, older controls performed more poorly than younger controls on speed of processing, working memory, free recall, and verbal fluency. FM patients performed more poorly than age-matched controls on all measures, with the exception of processing speed. FM patients performed much like older controls, except that they showed better speed of processing and poorer vocabulary. Impaired cognitive performance in FM patients correlated with pain complaints, but not with depressive or anxiety symptoms. FM patients reported more memory problems than did the older and younger controls, and these complaints correlated with poor cognitive performance. Conclusion. Cognitive impairment in FM patients, particularly memory and vocabulary deficits, are documented in this study. Nevertheless, the intact performance on measures of information processing speed suggests that the cognitive deficits are not global. FM patients’ complaints about their memory are likely to be legitimate, since their memory function is not age appropriate.
Stability of macromolecular complexes

Macromolecular interactions are crucial in numerous biologic processes, yet few general principles are available that establish firm expectations for the strength of these interactions or the expected contribution of specific forces. The simplest principle would be a monotonic increase in interactions as the size of the interface grows. The exact relationship might be linear or nonlinear depending on the nature of the forces involved. Simple "linear-free energy" relationships based on atomic properties have been well documented, for example, additivity for the interaction of small molecules with solvent, and, recently, have been explored for ligand-receptor interactions. Horton and Lewis propose such additivity based on buried surface area for protein-protein complexes. We investigated macromolecular interactions and found that the highest-affinity complexes do not fulfill this simple expectation. Instead, binding free energies of the tightest macromolecular complexes are roughly constant, independent of interface size, with the notable exception of DNA duplexes. By comparing these results to an earlier study of protein-ligand interactions we find that: (1) The maximum affinity is approximately 1.5 kcal/mol per nonhydrogen atom or 120 cal/mol A(2) of buried surface area, comparable to results of our earlier work; (2) the lack of an increase in affinity with interface size is likely due to nonthermodynamic factors, such as functional and evolutionary constraints rather than some fundamental physical limitation. The implication of these results have some importance for molecular design because they suggest that: (1) The stability of any given complex can be increased significantly if desired; (2) small molecule inhibitors of macromolecular interactions are feasible; and (3) different functional classes of protein-protein complexes exhibit differences in maximal stability, perhaps in response to differing evolutionary pressures. These results are consistent with the widespread observation that proteins have not evolved to maximize thermodynamic stability, but are only marginally stable.
Microprocessor Control of Double Output Induction Generator, Part I: Inverter Firing Circuit

This paper investigates the design and implementation of a firing scheme using the INTEL 8086 microprocessor to control the inverter firing angle of the Variable Speed Constant Frequency Double Output Induction Generator (VSCF-DOIG). The INTEL 8086 microprocessor is used to control the firing angle of the DC-linked inverter of the VSCF-DOIG. In this system, the microprocessor computes the voltage signals from a reference voltage pot and then outputs the calculated firing angle shifting time (as opposed to deriving it from a table look-up method) to the interface timer. This gives full range control of the firing angle between 0° and 180°, and updates the phase shifting timer in each cycle based on the values of the past three cycles. The control circuit is designed for multi-tasked purpose. The hardware, software, interface, I/O, and experimental results are presented in this paper.
Characterizing the reproductive hormone milieu in infertile women with diminished ovarian reserve.

Objective To elucidate the reproductive hormone profiles in association with a diagnosis of diminished ovarian reserve (DOR). Design Prospective observational study. Setting Academic tertiary care infertility practice. Patient(s) Eight regularly cycling infertile women diagnosed with DOR as the underlying contributor to infertility and 14 age-comparable healthy controls. Intervention(s) Daily morning urine voids were collected during one menstrual cycle. Main Outcome Measure(s) Urinary excretion of gonadotropins (FSH, LH) and metabolites of estrogen (E; estrone conjugate) and P (pregnanediol 3 glucoronide) during an entire menstrual cycle in women with DOR and healthy controls. Result(s) Women with DOR demonstrated significantly higher urinary FSH levels in the early follicular phase, exaggerated amplitudes, significantly protracted durations of LH, concomitant FSH surges, and significantly impaired luteal phase urinary excretions of estrone conjugate and pregnanediol 3 glucoronide compared with the controls. Conclusion(s) Women with DOR demonstrate reproductive hormone profiles that are distinct from age-comparable controls, share similarities with profiles previously described during menopause transition, as well as exhibit unique features not previously recognized in the context of reproductive aging.
Immunocompatibility properties of lipid-polymer hybrid nanoparticles with heterogeneous surface functional groups.

Here we report the immunological characterization of lipid–polymer hybrid nanoparticles (NPs) and propose a method to control the levels of complement activation induced by these NPs. This method consists of the highly specific modification of the NP surface with methoxyl, carboxyl, and amine groups. Hybrid NPs with methoxyl surface groups induced the lowest complement activation, whereas the NPs with amine surface groups induced the highest activation. All possible combinations among carboxyl, amine, and methoxyl groups also activated the complement system to a certain extent. All types of NPs activated the complement system primarily via the alternative pathway rather than the lectin pathway. The classical pathway was activated to a very small extent by the NPs with carboxyl and amine surface groups. Human serum and plasma protein binding studies showed that these NPs had different protein binding patterns. Studies of both complement activation and coagulation activation suggested that NPs with methoxyl surface groups might be an ideal candidate for drug delivery applications, since they are not likely to cause any immunological adverse reaction in the human body. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
IL-1α Stimulates Cathepsin K Expression in Osteoclasts via the Tyrosine Kinase-NF-κB Pathway

Interleukin-1alpha (IL-1alpha) is a powerful activator of osteoclast cells. However, the underlying mechanism for this activation is unknown. In this study, we reveal that IL-1alpha up-regulates the expression of cathepsin K protein, a key protease in bone resorption, by five-fold. Northern blot analysis and promoter analysis show that this induction occurs at the transcriptional level, in a dose-responsive and time-dependent manner. No increase in expression occurs in the presence of either pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC), a selective inhibitor of NF-kappaB, or Genistein, a protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suggesting that IL-1alpha up-regulation may be via the tyrosine kinase-NF-kappaB pathway to regulate cathepsin K expression. Antisense oligonucleotides to p65, but not the p50 subunit of NF-kappaB, suppress the IL-1alpha-induced expression of cathepsin K. We therefore conclude that IL-1alpha up-regulates cathepsin K gene expression at the transcription level, and this regulation may be via the tyrosine-kinase-NF-kappaB pathway.
Path planning for two planar robots moving in unknown environment

The authors investigate the problem of planning a collision-free path for a 5-link closed chain, which represents two planar robot manipulators cooperatively carrying a small object 2-D workspace that is filled with unknown stationary obstacles. It is assumed that the shapes of the obstacles are arbitrary, their positions are not known, and any point on the robots is subject to collision. The path of the closed chain is planned continuously, based on the arms' start position, target position, current position, and the sensory feedback. The configuration space of the closed chain is divided into two 2-D subspaces. In each 2-D subspace, a connected free space is denoted as a free region. Within each free region, Lumelsky's algorithm Bug2 is adopted to find the collision-free path. The connectivity between free regions is discussed. A systematic search method is used to determine if there is an unvisited free region when no collision-free path can be found in visited free regions. The proposed algorithm is nonheuristic and converges. >
Dynamically adapting file domain partitioning methods for collective I/O based on underlying parallel file system locking protocols

Collective I/O, such as that provided in MPI-IO, enables process collaboration among a group of processes for greater I/O parallelism. Its implementation involves file domain partitioning, and having the right partitioning is a key to achieving high-performance I/O. As modern parallel file systems maintain data consistency by adopting a distributed file locking mechanism to avoid centralized lock management, different locking protocols can have significant impact to the degree of parallelism of a given file domain partitioning method. In this paper, we propose dynamic file partitioning methods that adapt according to the underlying locking protocols in the parallel file systems and evaluate the performance of four partitioning methods under two locking protocols. By running multiple I/O benchmarks, our experiments demonstrate that no single partitioning guarantees the best performance. Using MPI-IO as an implementation platform, we provide guidelines to select the most appropriate partitioning methods for various I/O patterns and file systems.
An approach for automatic data virtualization

Analysis of large and/or geographically distributed scientific datasets is emerging as a key component of grid computing. One challenge in this area is that scientific datasets are typically stored as binary or character flat-files, which makes specification of processing much harder. In view of this, there has been recent interest in data virtualization, and data services to support such virtualization. This paper presents an approach for automatically creating data services to support data virtualization. Specifically, we show how a relational table like data abstraction can be supported for complex multidimensional scientific datasets that are resident on a cluster. We have designed and implemented a tool that processes SQL queries (with select and where statements) on multi-dimensional datasets. We have designed a meta-data description language that is used for specifying the data layout. From such description, our tool automatically generates efficient data subsetting and access functions. We have extensively evaluated our system. The key observations from our experiments are as follows. First, our tool can correctly and efficiently handle a variety of different data layouts. Second, our system scales well as the number of nodes or the amount of data is scaled. Third, the performance of the automatically generated code for indexing and contracting functions is quite comparable to the performance of hand-written codes.
Creep, Strength and Moisture Absorption of Adhesive Bonded FRP Joints

The effects of the environment on adhesive bonded single lap joints formed using XMC-3 and SMC-R50 composites were investigated. Tests were performed at temperatures of 23C and 93C with test coupons immersed in air, water, and 5% NaClwater mixture. The weight changes of both bonded joints (XMC-3 to SMC-R50 and SMC-R50 to SMC-R50) and unbonded materials were measured. Data were also obtained showing the effects of moisture, temperature, and applied load on changes in weight, on creep deformation, lap shear strength, and separation modes of the joints.
The Epidemiology of Firearm Suicide in the United States

Context Little attention has been given to the role of firearms in suicide. In 1998, firearms were the leading method of committing suicide for both men and women, responsible for three times the number of suicides compared to the next leading method. Understanding the epidemiology of firearm suicide will increase awareness of firearm suicide as a major public health problem.
The protean career: A quarter-century journey

This is a review of the development of the authors ideas on the protean career. The origins include both personal experience and scholarly inquiry. I first applied the adjective ‘‘protean’’ to careers in 1976, in Careers in organizations. It described a career orientation in which the person, not the organization, is in charge, where the persons core values are driving career decisions, and where the main success criteria are subjective (psychological success). This paper traces the link between the protean concept and the context of growing organizational restructuring, decentralization, and globalization. Current research related to the protean concept is discussed, and quandaries to guide future research are presented. The paper concludes with a suggestion for examining situations where people are pursuing their ‘‘path with a heart’’ with the intensity of a calling, along with some questions to help researchers self-assess their own career direction, with an assist from Yogi Berra.
Current Concept Review - Osteochondritis Dissecans*

Osteochondritis dissecans is a localized injury or condition affecting an articular surface that involves separation of a segment of cartilage and subchondral bone. It is found primarily in the ankle, knee, and elbow joints. Although relatively infrequent, osteochondritis dissecans has been reported extensively in the orthopaedic literature. Various theories about its etiology have been proposed, but none has been accepted universally or has adequately explained its occurrence; however, the lesion is probably caused by factors that vary depending on the specific joint involved and on the specific site within that joint. The treatment of osteochondritis dissecans has evolved from the removal of loose bodies, first reported more than 150 years ago108, to the resurfacing of defects with an osteochondral autogenous graft158. The results of current treatment are still not uniformly successful. Osteochondritis dissecans has been confused with other abnormalities of the joint surface, and therefore the orthopaedic literature must be read with care. Other, severe conditions described in the literature have been grouped under the heading of osteochondritis dissecans; these have included osteochondral fractures104,110,116,123,133, osteonecrosis, accessory centers of ossification, osteochondrosis, and hereditary epiphyseal dysplasia22,118,119,147. In several clinical investigations, different terms, such as osteochondrosis dissecans107 and osteochondral fragments51,70,81,83,122, have been used to describe this entity. The recognition that many disorders may result in an osteochondritis dissecans-like lesion is fundamental to an understanding of this condition. The orthopaedic literature includes descriptions of lesions of osteochondritis dissecans in the talus5,12,28, the capitellum19,96,156, the patella43,127,138, the femoral head107, the distal part …
The Problem of Convective Moistening

Convective representations strive to simulate, in a realistic way, convective precipitation and the feedback of convection upon the explicitly simulated flow. The prediction of convective precipitation and convective heating are of obvious importance and a great deal of work has been devoted to improving and evaluating the fidelity with which convective schemes reproduce these quantities. Historically, the moistening of the atmosphere by convection has been of secondary concern, perhaps because it is not obviously of great importance to very short range weather prediction. On the other hand, it must become an increasingly important concern as the range of the forecast increases, while it is arguably among the most important problems in climate simulations, given that water vapor is the most important feedback mechanism in virtually all climate simulations performed to date.
In-Vehicle Noise Alters the Perceived Meaning of Auditory Signals

Research on driver perception and interpretation of auditory signals has generally been conducted under conditions of low-to-moderate ambient in-cab noise. In a series of four experiments, the effects of various ambient noise conditions on the perceived meaning of auditory signals were investigated. Noise conditions that may be realistically anticipated in the course of normal driving altered the perceived urgency and meaning of signals. The presence and extent of such changes was a function of the specific auditory signal, the ambient noise condition, and their interaction. The results indicate that in-vehicle auditory signal design criteria developed only under low-to-moderate ambient noise conditions are not likely to be sufficient. The significant signal-by-ambient noise interaction further suggests that multiple noise backgrounds must be considered.