cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Estimation of human-observer templates in two-alternative forced-choice experiments

A method is presented for directly estimating the weights, or 'linear template' used by an observer performing a signal- known-exactly detection task in a two-alternative forced- choice (2-AFC) experiment. The approach generalizes prior work by Ahumada, and Beard and Ahumada, to 2-AFC experiments and correlated image noise, and yields an unbiased estimate of the observer template. The estimation procedure is checked against a known linear detection strategy, and human-observer templates estimated from some preliminary psychophysical experiments are shown.
Parametric Study of Inlet Oil Temperature and Pressure for a Half-Circumferential Grooved Journal Bearing

A parametric study of the effects of oil inlet temperature and pressure in half-circumferential grooved journal bearings under aligned and misaligned conditions has been carried out by solving numerically the coupled Reynolds and energy equations system. Five different sets of boundary conditions for the energy equation have been used which include mixing between recirculating oil and inlet oil and a contraction ratio for the cavitation region. The effects of changes of the wall temperature and of the LID ratio have also been examined. For the ranges of parameters found in internal combustion engines, the wall temperature and heat transfer rate have been found to be of secondary importance to the mixing effectiveness at the groove and the resulting final mixture temperature. Realistic inlet pressure increases also have been found in capable of affecting significantly the bearing performance. The variability of the temperature, though, has been shown to smooth out the peaks of both pressure and friction du...
Local n-connectivity of decomposition spaces

Abstract A corollary of the main result of this paper is the following Theorem. Suppose f: X → Y is a closed surjection of metrizable spaces whose point inverses are LCn + 1-divisors (n ⩾ 1). If Y is complete and f is homology n-stable, then Y is LCn + 1 provided X is LCn + 1. Intuitively, f is homology n-stable if the Cech homology groups of its point inverses are locally constant up to dimension n. In addition, we obtain sufficient conditions for the Freudenthal compactification to be LCn.
Observations on the centromere area of human chromosomes.

Das dem Centromer der menschlichen Chromosomen (ebenfalls bei andern Arten) anliegende Gebiet erscheint hell, klar und rund. Dies wurde in einigen Zellen bei fast jedem Centromer, bei andern Zellen nur selten oder uberhaupt nicht beobachtet. Eine ahnliche Erscheinung trat auch in Form von Streifen auf, die sich manchmal vom Centromer aus zu anliegenden Chromosomen erstreckten oder sich ins Cytoplasma ausbreiteten. Die mogliche Deutung dieser Beobachtung wurde besprochen.
Sirtuins in Epigenetic Regulation

1.1. Discovery of Sirtuins The founding member of sirtuin is the yeast-silencing information regulator 2 (SIR2) protein, one of four proteins (SIR1–4) required for silencing the mating-type information loci in yeast.1 SIR2–4, but not SIR1, are also required for gene silencing at telomeres.2 SIR2 also mediates gene silencing at the rDNA (rDNA) loci, which was shown to be independent of other SIR proteins.3,4 Immunofluorescence imaging showed that SIR2 is mainly in the nucleolus and telomeres in yeast.5 It was demonstrated that the silenced genetic loci have low histone acetylation levels compared to loci that are not silenced. Mutation in Sir2–4 increased histone acetylation levels and overexpression of SIR2 but not other SIR proteins led to decreases in histone H4, H2B, and H3 acetylation.6 Analyzing the sensitivity of yeast chromatin to micrococcal nuclease and dam methyltransferase indicated that Sir2 mutation affects the chromatin structure in the rDNA and mating-type loci.7 These interesting discoveries on SIR2 were further elevated by two discoveries made by Guarente and co-workers. The first one was that SIR2 is important for the replicative life span of yeast cells,8 a finding that was later extended to higher eukaryotic species,9,10 although the role of sirtuins in life span is highly controversial11 and may depend on genetic background and diet conditions.12,13 The second discovery was that SIR2 is an NAD-dependent histone deacetylase (Figure ​(Figure11),14 which established SIR2 as a mechanistically novel lysine deacetylase and revealed the connection between gene silencing and cellular metabolism. Indeed, it was later found that the life span extension effect of SIR2 is dependent on NAD level and NAD metabolism.15−17 Several other groups similarly reported the enzymatic activity of SIR2.18 These landmark discoveries established sirtuins as important players in epigenetics and triggered the explosion of research interest in sirtuins. Figure 1 Enzymatic function of sirtuins. (A) NAD-dependent protein lysine deacylation activity of different sirtuins. (B) Enzymatic reaction mechanism of sirtuins. (C) Structure of a ternary sirtuin-NAD-acetyl peptide complex (PDB ID 2H4F). NAD, acetyl lysine, ...
Improved method for retinotopy constrained source estimation of visual-evoked responses.

Retinotopy constrained source estimation (RCSE) is a method for noninvasively measuring the time courses of activation in early visual areas using magnetoencephalography (MEG) or electroencephalography (EEG). Unlike conventional equivalent current dipole or distributed source models, the use of multiple, retinotopically mapped stimulus locations to simultaneously constrain the solutions allows for the estimation of independent waveforms for visual areas V1, V2, and V3, despite their close proximity to each other. We describe modifications that improve the reliability and efficiency of this method. First, we find that increasing the number and size of visual stimuli results in source estimates that are less susceptible to noise. Second, to create a more accurate forward solution, we have explicitly modeled the cortical point spread of individual visual stimuli. Dipoles are represented as extended patches on the cortical surface, which take into account the estimated receptive field size at each location in V1, V2, and V3 as well as the contributions from contralateral, ipsilateral, dorsal, and ventral portions of the visual areas. Third, we implemented a map fitting procedure to deform a template to match individual subject retinotopic maps derived from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). This improves the efficiency of the overall method by allowing automated dipole selection, and it makes the results less sensitive to physiological noise in fMRI retinotopy data. Finally, the iteratively reweighted least squares (IRLS) method was used to reduce the contribution from stimulus locations with high residual error for robust estimation of visual evoked responses. Hum Brain Mapp, 2013. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Channel assignment in cellular radio using genetic algorithms

The channel assignment problem has become increasingly important in mobile telephone communication. Since the usable range of the frequency spectrum is limited, the optimal assignment problem of channels has become increasingly important. Recently Genetic Algorithms (GAs) have been proposed as new computational tools for solving optimization problems. GAs are more attractive than other optimization techniques, such as neural networks or simulated annealing, since GAs are generally good at finding an acceptably good global optimal solution to a problem very quickly. In this paper, a new channel assignment algorithm using GAs is proposed. The channel assignment problem is formulated as an energy minimization problem that is implemented by GAs. Appropriate GAs operators such as reproduction, crossover and mutation are developed and tested. In this algorithm, the cell frequency is not fixed before the assignment procedures as in the previously reported channel assignment algorithm using neural networks. The average generation numbers and the convergence rates of GAs are shown as a simulation result. When the number of cells in one cluster are increased, the generation numbers are increased and the convergence rates are decreased. On the other hand, with the increased minimal frequency interval, the generation numbers are decreased and the convergence rates are increased. The comparison of the various crossover and mutation techniques in a simulation shows that the combination of two points crossover and selective mutation technique provides better results. All three constraints are also considered for the channel assignments: the co-channel constraint, the adjacent channel constraint and the co-site channel constraint. The goal of this paper is the assignment of the channel frequencies which satisfied these constraints with the lower bound number of channels.
Effect of Pressure on Polymer Blend Miscibility: A Temperature−Pressure Superposition

In this paper, we report on how interaction strength varies with pressure and temperature for several polyolefin mixtures. We find that the interaction energies that govern phase behavior in polymer blends are only a function of density for UCST polyolefin blends far from a critical point. As a result, the effects of pressure on miscibility can be predicted for such blends from knowledge of the effects of temperature on the interactions combined with PVT data. This remarkable simplification appears to be related to the van der Waals nature of the interactions between saturated hydrocarbons. Density dependence predicts the trends correctly for LCST polyolefin blends, but for these mixtures the interactions depend in a more complex way on T and P.
FT-IR measurement of mercaptoundecahydrododecaborate in human plasma

Abstract A simple and rapid method for the quantitative measurement of mercaptoundecahydrododecarborate (BSH), (which presently is one of the most useful agents for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy) in human plasma was developed by using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Different spacer thicknesses of the liquid sampling cell were examined and the optimal results were obtained by the 0.05 mm spacer. The subtraction of water absorbance from sample spectra resolved a B—H band at 2493 cm−1. The quantitative measurement of BSH was carried out by integration of the B—H band in the wavenumber range of 2534-2440 cm−1. However, at the lower BSH concentration range, a visual inspection of the spectrum to determine the wavenumber range was necessary so as to avoid any negative areas to be integrated. The lower limit of detection of BSH in aqueous solution and human plasma was 5 μg ml−1 (about 2.5 ppm of boron).
Comparison of the accuracy of bracket placement between direct and indirect bonding techniques.

An in vitro study was conducted to evaluate the accuracy of bracket placement for direct and indirect bonding techniques. Nineteen sets of duplicated Class II malocclusion models were divided into three groups: (1) one set for ideal bracket placement, (2) nine sets for direct bonding on mannequins, and (3) nine sets for indirect bonding. Both direct and indirect bonding were performed on all teeth except molars by nine faculty members from the Department of Orthodontics, University of Pennsylvania. The position of each bonded bracket from these two bonding groups was compared with that of the same tooth from the ideal group and to each other in terms of bracket height, mesiodistal position, and angulation. Our results indicated that both direct and indirect bonding techniques failed to execute ideal bracket placement. On individual teeth, there was no statistically significant difference in the accuracy of bracket placement between these two bonding techniques except for upper right second premolar and lower left central incisor, where indirect bonding yielded better results in bracket height (P < .05), and for lower left central incisor where indirect bonding was better in mesiodistal position (P < .05), and for upper right lateral incisor where direct bonding was closer to the ideal in angulation (P < .05). Overall, indirect bonding showed better bracket placement in bracket height (P < .05), whereas, no statistically significant difference was found between them regarding the angulation and mesiodistal position.
Social media adoption: toward a representative, responsive or interactive government?

Social media adoption is oftentimes seen as technologically determined by third parties outside of government, with government's role limited to reactively jump on the bandwagon and respond to citizen preferences. However, social media interactions are emergent and challenging existing bureaucratic norms and regulations. This paper provides empirical evidence for the institutionalization stages government agencies' move through when they are adopting new technologies. Adoption occurs at varying degrees of formalization and not all departments in the U.S. executive branch regulate and restrict the use of new technologies in the same way. The internal procedural and organizational changes that occur during the adoption process are extracted using qualitative interviews with social media directors in the 15 departments which received the executive order to "harness new technologies" in order to make the U.S. government more transparent, participatory and collaborative. In addition to the perceptions of federal social media directors, a process tracing approach was used to map the accompanying governance and institutional changes and follow-up orders to direct the adoption of social media. Tracing both the behavior of individual organizations as well as the institutional top-down responses, this paper is both relevant for academics as well as practitioners. It provides the basis for future large-scale research studies across all levels of government, as well as insights into the black box of organizational responses to a top-down political mandate.
Application of knockout mouse models to investigate the influence of FcγR on the tissue distribution and elimination of 8C2, a murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody.

Abstract The current work examines the role of Fcγ-receptors on the elimination and tissue distribution of 8C2, a model murine IgG1 monoclonal antibody. The plasma pharmacokinetics of 125Iodine-labeled 8C2 were investigated in C57BL/6 control mice, FcγRI/RIII knockout mice, and FcγRIIb knockout mice, following intravenous doses of 0.04, 0.1 and 0.4 mg/kg. Plasma samples were collected and radioactivity was counted. Concentration data were analyzed with a population pharmacokinetic model. Additionally, the tissue disposition of 8C2 was investigated using whole body autoradioluminography (WBAL) and via counting excised tissues. Areas under the plasma concentration vs. time curves AUC0–10 days ± SD (nM × days) were: 12.3 ± 0.3, 12.5 ± 1.3 and 15.1 ± 1.2 at 0.04 mg/kg; 39.3 ± 2.0, 28.9 ± 2.7 and 42.0 ± 9.4 at 0.1 mg/kg; and 225 ± 19, 158 ± 19 and 204 ± 26 at 0.4 mg/kg in C57BL/6, FcγRI/RIII(−/−) and FcγRIIb(−/−) mice. Strain was not a statistically significant predictor for any of the parameters of the population model. 8C2 plasma clearance, distribution clearance, and central compartment volume were 0.00543 L/days/kg, 0.0598 L/days/kg, and 0.057 L/kg. No substantial differences in 8C2 tissue uptake were identified by analysis of excised tissues or by WBAL. In conclusion, FcγR knockout is associated with only minor effects on the plasma and tissue disposition of 8C2, a model murine IgG1 mAb.
A Meta-analysis of School-based Smoking and Alcohol Use Prevention Programs

Tobacco and alcohol use among adolescents continue at historically high rates, and school-based interventions designed to deter students from smoking and drinking are increasingly being implemented. This study reports a meta-analysis of 47 smoking and 29 alcohol school-based intervention programs published after 1970. Results indicate that, in general, smoking and alcohol interventions have equally modest effects on immediate behavioral outcomes. Smoking interventions, however, have been more successful than alcohol interventions at altering students' long term behavior. All of the alcohol programs and all but one of the smoking programs reviewed successfully increased knowledge regarding the risks of these behaviors. Attitude change appears to be more difficult to achieve. Twenty-nine of 33 smoking studies and only 19 of 31 alcohol studies successfully changed students' attitudes. Finally, the data indicate that for immediate smoking outcomes and long-term alcohol outcomes innovative interven tions relyi...
DIFFUSIVE MOTION OF IONS IN SUPERIONIC CONDUCTORS : A COMPUTER SIMULATION STUDY OF CaF2

Superionic conductors are characterized by the fact that one type of ion, out of the two or more ionic species which the material contains, is mobile while the system as a whole behaves as a solid. CaF2 is one such material. The talk will be concerned with a computer simulation of CaF2 to study the nature of certain structural and dynamical correlations in that material. Using well known methods for treating ionic systems [1], the calculation was made for a temperature of 1 590 K and density of 2.525 g/cc, using the potential functions given by Kim and Gordon [2]. The calculation was initiated with the 108 Ca++'s and the 216 F-'s occupying the sites of the fluorite structure. The results show [3] quite unambiguously that under the above conditions the Ca++ ions perform thermal motions around sites of an f.c.c. lattice but the F- ions have no permanent mean position and have a liquid like constant of self-diffusion, namely, 2.6 x 10-5 cm2. s-1. From the pair correlation between the octahedral sites of the Ca++ f.c.c. lattice and the F-'s, it was inferred that the F-'s make considerable use of the octahedral sites during their diffusive motion. In later work [4], it has been shown that the Chudley-Elliott jump diffusion model [5], suitably modified, is able to account for the long time behaviour of the function , u(t) is the displacement of an F- ion. Probabilities of jumps in the 100 and 110 directions are 0.80 and 0.20, respectively, and the residence time 6 x 10-l2 s. It is possible, by direct measurement, to determine the flight time as well ; this work is in progress. There are indications that the F- diffusion is very sensitively dependent on the density of the system. Also, the substitution of a Mg++ in place of one of the 108 Ca++ makes a large increase in the constant of self-diffusion. These studies are in progress.
Abstract 2028: Krüppel-like factor 4 null mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibit DNA repair defects post exposure to gamma-irradiation

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL BACKGROUND: Kruppel-like factor 4 (KLF4) is a zinc finger transcription factor that exerts a potent inhibitory effect on cell cycle progression. KLF4 functions as a tumor suppressor in colorectal cancer and is involved in regulating centrosome duplication. Abnormal amplification of centrosomes has been shown to contribute to genetic instability by increasing the frequency of mitotic defects. AIM: To determine whether KLF4 is involved in maintaining genetic stability during cell division. METHODS: Mice heterozygous for the Klf4 alleles (Klf4+/−) on a C57BL/6 background were crossbred. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) that are wild type (Klf4+/+), heterozygous (Klf4+/−) or null (Klf4−/−) for the Klf4 alleles were derived from day-13.5 embryos. Post-senescence MEFs were derived by passing cells to senescence and maintaining them in culture until they spontaneously regained proliferative. Immuno-detection of histone variant γ-H2AX was performed to assess chromosome integrity. The levels of cell cycle regulators such as Cdk2, Cyclin E, and Cyclin D were determined by Western blotting. The presence of double strand breaks (DSB) was determined by western blot and immunofluorescence for histone variant -H2AX contains nuclear foci. Flow cytometry has been used to determine the level of DNA damage in both wildtype and klf4 null cells following gamma-irradiation. Furthermore, Expression profiles of fibroblasts isolated from mouse embryos wild type or null for the Klf4 alleles were examined by DNA microarrays. RESULTS: Cells that exhibits DSBs in their DNA can develop genomic instability, which can result in cancer formation. Compared to Klf4+/+ and Klf4−/− MEFs exposed to α-irradiation showed time-dependent increase in levels of histone variant -H2AX that persisted for up to 48 hours after the α-irradiation. On the other hand, Klf4+/+ halt cell cycle progression to allow repair of DNA damage. Western blot analysis showed that Cdk2, Cyclin E, Cyclin D and histone variant -H2AX expression were high in Klf4−/− MEFs. Furthermore, we found many of the down-regulated genes in Klf4-null MEFs encode DNA repair, and antioxidant genes. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this study demonstrate that Klf4 null mouse embryonic fibroblasts exhibit an impaired DNA damage response post gamma irradiation, when compared to wild-type cells. This data strongly suggest that the role for Klf4 in DNA damage repair in mouse embryonic fibroblast cells. These results indicate that KLF4 plays a crucial role in maintaining genetic stability and support the previous findings that KLF4 is a tumor suppressor. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2028. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2028
Presidential Rhetoric, Metaphor, and the Emergence of the Democracy Promotion Industry

When Ronald Reagan announced his desire for a Federal program dedicated to promoting democracy abroad, no one expected that program would grow into a $100 billion industry. This essay argues that the use of light/dark, sea, and disease metaphors animated the production of the democracy promotion industry, metaphors that built upon preexisting cultural enthymemes related to insecurity, American exceptionalism, and the U.S. role in navigating the dangers of the international. This case study suggests that presidents turn to metaphor because they recognize the power of metaphor, the ability of metaphor to connect public policy to common conceptions of America, and the difficulty opponents have in countering metaphorical depictions.
Complexes of tropone

Abstract An investigation of the meso-ionic compound, Tropone (T) as a ligand resulted in the isolation of fourteen complexes. They can be divided into two groups according to stoichiometry: (1) LiBr·T, MnCl2·T, CoCl2·T, CuCl2·T, Cu(NO3)2·T, NiCl2·T, NiBr2·T, CdCl2·T and (2) TiCl4·2T, CoCl2·2T, CoBr2·2T, CuBr2·2T, ZnCl2·2T, CaBr2·2T. Correlations are made between stoichiometry and i.r. spectra, while electronic spectra are used to define the Cu2+, Mn2+ and CoCl2·T complexes as octahedral, and CoCl2·2T and CoBr2·2T as tetrahedral. A comparison with complexes of meso-ionic ligands, sydnones, is made.
Role for a Novel Signaling Intermediate, Phosphatidylinositol 5-Phosphate, in Insulin-Regulated F-Actin Stress Fiber Breakdown and GLUT4 Translocation

The cellular functions and regulation of phosphatidylinositol (PtdIns) 5-phosphate (5-P), the newest addition to the family of phosphoinositides (PIs), are still elusive. Here we have examined a plausible role of PtdIns 5-P as a signaling intermediate in acute insulin action. A wortmannin-insensitive transient increase of PtdIns 5-P mass levels that peaked at 10 min, and declined 20 –30 min after insulin stimulation, was observed in both Chinese hamster ovary (CHO)-T cells stably expressing the insulin receptor and 3T3-L1 adipocytes. Similarly to insulin, found to induce a rapid disassembly of TexasRed phalloidin-labeled actin stress fibers in CHO-T cells, microinjected PtdIns 5-P, but not other PIs, decreased the number and length of F-actin stress fibers in this cell type to a magnitude seen in response to insulin. Likewise, increases of PtdIns 5-P by ectopic expression of the PtdIns 5-P-producing enzyme PIKfyve yielded a similar effect. As with insulin, the PtdIns 5-P-induced loss of actin stress fibers was independent of PI 3-kinase activation. Furthermore, sequestration of functional PtdIns 5-P, either by ectopic expression of 3xPHD domains that bind selectively PtdIns 5-P or by microinjecting the GST-3xPHD fusion peptide, abrogated insulininduced F-actin stress fiber disassembly in CHO-T cells. In 3T3-L1 adipocytes, microinjected PtdIns 5-P, but not other PIs, partially mimicked insulin’s effect of translocating enhanced green fluorescent protein-GLUT4 to the cell surface. Conversely, insulin-induced myc-GLUT4 vesicle dynamics was arrested in the presence of coexpressed enhanced green fluorescent protein-3xPHD. Involvement of PIKfyve membrane recruitment, but not activation, and/or a decrease in PtdIns 4,5-bisphosphate levels are likely to be among the mechanisms underlying the insulin-induced PtdIns 5-P increase. Together, these results identify PtdIns 5-P as a novel key intermediate for insulin signaling in F-actin remodeling and GLUT4 translocation. (Endocrinology 145: 4853– 4865, 2004)
Alternative indications for laser-assisted tympanic membrane fenestration

Background and Objective To assess the utility of the CO2 Flashscanner laser for treatment of selected middle ear diseases other than otitis media with effusion (OME) and acute otitis media (AOM). Study Design/Materials and Methods A retrospective review of the records of 144 patients treated with the OtoLAM® device, a Flashscanner laser, between July 1, 1998, and February 29, 2000. Patients treated for AOM or OME were excluded. Results Data are presented on 11 patients (17 ears). Four indications were identified: Elimination of middle ear fluid before auditory brainstem response with or without otoacoustic emission testing (ABR ± OAE), barotrauma, eustachian tube obstruction, tympanocentesis when a culture of middle ear fluid was deemed necessary. All tympanic membranes (TM) healed. Conclusions Fenestration of the TM can be accomplished for both diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. Laser assisted tympanic membrane fenestration seems to be effective in the management of middle ear fluid before ABR ± OAE, barotrauma, eustachian tube dysfunction, and for tympanocentesis. Lasers Surg. Med. 28:320–323, 2001. © 2001 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Sotalol for refractory sustained ventricular tachycardia and nonfatal cardiac arrest.

Abstract The efficacy and safety of sotalol were assessed by electrophysiologic testing and ambulatory recordings in 16 patients with recurrent sustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) or nonfatal cardiac arrest who were refractory to an average of 4.8 conventional antiarrhythmic agents. Twenty-four-hour ambulatory recordings were performed before and after sotalol therapy. Fourteen patients underwent baseline electrophysiologic study and sustained VT was inducible in 12. Oral sotalol (320 to 960 mg/ day) completely suppressed inducible sustained VT in 7 patients (58%), with modification in 3 (25%). Ventricular premature complexes were suppressed from baseline (mean ± standard deviation) 431 ± 616 to 60 ± 110/hr (p
Efficacy of a planned behavior model: Beliefs that contribute to computer usage intentions of student teachers and experienced teachers

The primary purpose of this study was to examine beliefs contributing to student teachers' and experienced teachers' intentions to use computer applications in their curricula. The secondary purpose was to investigate the efficacy of the decomposed theory of planned behavior for predicting such intentions. A purposeful sample of 19 teachers participated in semi-structured interviews. Results showed that both student and experienced teachers were motivated to use computers to prepare students for real world experiences. Although both groups reported high computer confidence, they expressed limitations in their usage. Student teachers focused on use of the Internet and not on using a variety of computer applications as tools for teaching and learning. Experienced teachers depended on both equipment resources and personal support from school administrators to successfully integrate technology into their classroom. Both teacher groups expressed the need for more computer-integrated training. This research provided support for using the decomposed theory of planned behavior to predict computer intentions and usage for teachers. Assessment of computer usage within any profession should be based upon a behavior model that complements the profession's cultural environment.
Polyriboadenylate polymerase solubilized from rat liver mitochondria

Abstract An enzyme that can synthesize polyriboadenylate chains from ATP has been solubilized from rat liver mitochondria and characterized. The enzyme incorporates AMP residues into the internucleotide linkage. It is insensitive to the usual inhibitors of RNA polymerases. In the native state, poly (A) polymerase is associated with a nuclease that degrades the product. Solubilization of this enzyme from isolated mitochondria releases active enzyme from inhibitory action of the nuclease.
Psychosocial correlates of immune responsiveness and illness episodes in US Air Force Academy cadets undergoing basic cadet training

This study examined psychosocial correlates of immune function and illness in 89 male first-year US Air Force Academy cadets. A psychosocial questionnaire was administered to cadets prior to their arrival at the academy and was readministered during cadet orientation and during the stressful environment of Basic Cadet Training (BCT). Immune responsiveness was analyzed by PHA-, PMA-, or anti-CD3-stimulated thymidine uptake in mononuclear leucocytes. Illness episodes were assessed via medical chart review and self-reported symptoms. There were significant increases in distress levels as cadets entered BCT. No psychosocial measure assessed prior to arrival at the academy predicted level of PHA-, PMA-, and anti-CD3-stimulated thymidine uptake or risk of illness. However, hostility levels reported during BCT predicted risk of illness in the four weeks following psychosocial assessment (odds ratio = 7.1; 95% confidence interval: 1.4-36.1). Elevated response to environmental stressors and lower well-being levels also predicted impending illness, but only in the cohort of cadets who had not contracted food poisoning prior to assessment during BCT (OR = 9.3, CI = 1.9-46.7; OR = 0.09, CI = 0.02-0.53). These results suggest that self-report measures of hostility, response to environmental stressors and well-being may be useful predictors of impending illness episodes in males encountering high stress environments.
Illusions of apparent visual explosion and fusion

Presentation of a display consisting of a whole, solid disk in alternation with a display in which sectors of the disk are radially and symmetrically displaced about its center creates the illusion that the disk is visually exploded into its parts, together with the illusion that the parts come together and are then fused. The minimum stimulus-onset asynchrony between the displays needed to produce these illusions is longer for apparent fusion than for apparent explosion, and in each case increases with increasing number of parts in the broken-up figures. Control experiments show that the fusion-explosion asymmetry cannot be attributed to differences in the direction of induced apparent motion (inward vs. outward), or to differences in the compactness of the displays.
Verification of Gradient And Hessian Computation For Full Wavefield Inversion Using Automatic Differentiation

Most modern state-of-art full wavefield inversion techniques utilize local gradient-descent algorithms, which require computing the objective function gradient and (for second-order methods) the Hessian. Both the gradient and Hessian-vector products can be computed efficiently with the help of the adjoint-state method. However, derivation and implementation of the adjoint-state method for gradient and Hessian computations is complicated and error-prone. We show how automatic differentiation can be used to generate the gradient Hessian operations on a vector for verification purposes. We investigate different modes and types of implementation of automatic differentiation for gradient computation for several wave propagation algorithms. We conclude that automatic differentiation combined with differentiation in the user code to compute Hessian-vector products is a very efficient approach to verifying the adjoint-state generated values used for full wavefield inversion.
CORRELATION BETWEEN CADMIUM-INDUCED PULMONARY CARCINOGENICITY, METALLOTHIONEIN EXPRESSION, AND INFLAMMATORY PROCESSES : A SPECIES COMPARISON

Abstract There is sufficient evidence for pulmonary carcinogenicity of inhaled Cd compounds in rats whereas no such evidence was found in mice and hamsters; the evidence in humans has been termed limited, indicating significant species differences in pulmonary response to inhaled Cd. We hypothesized that expression of metallothionein (MT) protein in the lung after inhalation of Cd differs between species thereby providing different degrees of sequestration of Cd and protection from its effects. Rats and mice were exposed to 100 micrograms CdCl2 aerosols/m3 for 4 weeks, and the presence of MT was determined in lung and free lung cell homogenates as well as by immunocytochemistry in lung sections up to 28 days postexposure. In addition, pulmonary inflammatory, and cell proliferative responses were determined. Cd exposure significantly increased MT in homogenates of total lung in both species; however, no significant increase of MT in rat lung tissue after removal of free lung cells by lavage was found whereas MT was still significantly increased in lavaged mouse lung tissue throughout the postexposure time. In contrast, exposed rats showed significant increases in MT in the lavageable lung cells and mice did not. Histochemical analysis of lung sections revealed that mainly the epithelial cells of the bronchi, bronchioli, and alveoli of Cd-exposed mice expressed MT. Mice also exhibited a marked and sustained pulmonary inflammatory and cell proliferative response upon CdCl2 exposure which was not observed in rats. The retained Cd dose per gram lung was about 2-fold greater in mice, which is consistent with a greater deposition efficiency of inhaled Cd-aerosols in mice.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Athletic Trainers' Concussion-Management Practice Patterns

Context: A cornerstone of the recent consensus statements on concussion is a multifaceted concussion-assessment program at baseline and postinjury and when tracking recovery. Earlier studies of ath...
Vitek GPS card susceptibility testing accuracy using direct inoculation from Bactec 9240 blood culture bottles

The emergent need for antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) data for the therapy of bacteremic patients has led to the development of rapid methods and local procedure modification of some commercial AST products such as the direct inoculation from blood culture systems. We compared the Vitek GPS card results using direct and standardized inoculation with a reference broth microdilution method for 112 consecutive staphylococcal bloodstream infections (seven drugs). Among the 28 Staphylococcus aureus strains, 0%-3.6% total error/drug was observed with both Vitek inoculation procedures. However, the only oxacillin-resistant strain was not detected (100% true very-major error). For 84 coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS), the direct inoculation procedure had an 11.9% very-major error rate for oxacillin, ampicillin-sulbactam, and cephalothin, plus 4.8% very-major error rate for ciprofloxacin and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (total error rate 4.8%-16.7% for five of seven drugs compared). The Vitek direct inoculation procedure routinely missed 20.4% of oxacillin-resistant CNS strains. The use of Vitek direct inoculation procedures for staphylococcal bloodstream infection isolates (from BACTEC 9240 cultures) produced serious false-susceptible results; this procedure should be avoided in favor of routine package insert-recommended Vitek procedures or other reference-quality overnight incubation susceptibility tests.
Dipole-Bound Anions to Adenine-Imidazole Complex. Ab Initio Study

An interesting configurational change has been predicted for the adenine−imidazole complex upon dipole-bound attachment of an excess electron to this system. The presence of the electron reverses t...
Quark mass matrices without small parameters

Abstract In the context of composite quarks, leptons and Higgs, we build models of the quark mass matrix in which the only small parameters are powers of flavor gauge couplings. The interesting structure of the mass matrix results from the form of the approximate global symmetries in the models.
Synthesis, dark toxicity and induction of in vitro DNA photodamage by a tetra(4-nido-carboranylphenyl)porphyrin.

The total synthesis of tetra(4-carboranylphenyl)porphyrins 4 and 6 and their zinc(II) complexes 5 and 7 are described. These compounds were characterized by analytical and spectroscopic methods and, in the case of 5, by X-ray crystallography. The water-soluble nido-carboranylporphyrins 6 and 7 were found to have low dark toxicity towards V79 hamster lung fibroblast cells, using a clonogenic assay (50% colony survival, CS50>300 μM). Upon light activation nido-carboranylporphyrin 6 effectively induced DNA damage in vitro. Two different methods were used to assess the extent of DNA damage: the super-coiled to nicked DNA and the alkaline Comet assay using human leukemia K562 cells. Significant PDT-induced DNA damage was observed for porphyrin 6 using both assays, compared to light-only and porphyrin-only experiments. It is concluded that this type of nido-carboranylporphyrin is a promising sensitizer for both the boron neutron capture therapy and the photodynamic therapy of tumors.
Use of a.c. impedance methods to study the corrosion behaviour of implant alloys

Abstract The a.c. impedance method is a very useful technique for studying the corrosion behaviour of surgical implant alloys. In this article information is presented on how to efficiently and reliably acquire and analyse experimental data through the use of Nyquist, Bode and Rre versus ωRim plots. Also, experiments were conducted in which 316L stainless steel specimens were subjected to polarization conditions which caused pitting corrosion. The increased surface area caused by the pitting, inferred from a.c. impedance measurements of specimen capacitance, was found to be well correlated with ASTM standard methods for assessment of pitting.
The social representation of material culture and gender in children's books

This study examined the gender-typed portrayal of material culture in Caldecott Award children's books published between 1937 and 1989. Analyses of illustrations found that a larger proportion of female characters was shown using household artifacts, and a larger proportion of male characters was depicted using nondomestic production artifacts. Contrast analyses revealed no change over time in the proportions of female characters portrayed using household and production artifacts. Children's exposure to this representation may result in gender-linked modeling effects on preferences and skills related to technology and other material culture.
Measurement of polyunsaturated fatty acids of myocardial lipids by high performance liquid chromatography

This report describes a modified method for the separation and analysis of polyunsaturated fatty acids such as 20:4, 20:5, and 22:6, using HPLC. The results show that these fatty acids are well separated from the saturated acids. Since the unsaturated fatty acids elute earlier than saturated acids, and this method does not require the fractionation of free fatty acids using thin layer chromatography, a necessary step for the gas chromatographic analysis, the recoveries of polyunsaturated fatty acids were significantly higher as compared to those from gas chromatography. Furthermore, HPLC and gas chromatographic methods gave identical results for the acyl chain composition of phosphatidylserine. The advantages of using HPLC over gas chromatography in determining the acyl chain composition of free fatty acids and phospholipids are also discussed.
Low-Altitude Wind Shear Detection With Doppler Radar

Abstract The feasibility of using the next generation weather radar (NEXRAD) system to detect low-altitude wind shear near airports is investigated. We compare surface-measured horizontal shear with that observed aloft with Doppler radar to determine how the radar-estimated shear above the surface relates to the surface-measured shear. For five Oklahoma gust fronts, the Doppler radar estimate of shear (at heights between 50–600 m) averaged 1.6 times the shear measured at the surface. For none of 43 comparisons was the surface radial velocity difference across the gust front stronger than the radial velocity difference measured by Doppler radar aloft When the five gust fronts passed an instrumented tower a vertical profile through the lowest 440 m of the gust front could be determined. In all cases the wind speed and wind shear increased in the lowest 90 m of the atmosphere. In one case, the 90 m height had the peak wind shear, in all other case the peak wind shear was at a much higher altitude. The Federa...
Dressing Up Downtown: urban development and government public image in Qatar

A COMPARISON OF TWO PROJECTS undertaken in Doha, the capital of Qatar, provides an example of how ideas and technologies recommended by foreign consultants are brought into existing local social and political contests and are sometimes transformed in the process. Rather than view urbanization as the handiwork of foreign planners and technicians, the essay argues that the actions leading to the selection and implementation of particular “foreign planned” projects are linked to, and influence, the complex relations between local government agencies and the public. [Planning, foreign consultants, politics, Doha, Qatar]
Damping Subsynchronous Resonance by Phase Shifters

A method is presented to damp subsynchronous resonance (SSR) using a thyristor-controlled phase shifter to modulate the generator real power. A control approach is proposed in which generator speed and/or modal speed deviations are used as the control signals for the phase shifter. Location of the phase shifter in the network to damp subsynchronous oscillations effectively is also investigated. An eigenvalue analysis method is used to study the effectiveness of this approach. It is shown that all torsional modes of system-1 of the second IEEE benchmark can be successfully suppressed by the use of the phase shifter with proper control signals and location. To verify the analytical results, a digital computer study on the second IEEE benchmark for SSR studies was conducted using a detailed nonlinear generator model. Results of the study are reported. >
Assessment of an Emergency Disaster Response to Floods in Agadez, Niger

The ubiquitous nature of disasters presents many challenges in providing effective emergency response to build community sustainability. Limited availability of resources, the need to coordinate and distribute relief aid, and the involvement of different organizations, especially at the international level, complicate policy and response efforts. The goal of this research is to model the effectiveness of emergency response provided by one sector, humanitarian organizations. This project looks at response to a flood in Agadez, Niger, and an adjacent rural community. Following the disaster, a non-governmental organization, Shelter Box, responded immediately, distributing tents, cooking utensils, and supplies to survivors. A questionnaire was conducted of 100 households that received such aid. Results show that such temporary disaster relief helped recipients feel safe, helped rebuild lives, and helped make families feel normal again. The tents and supplies had been put to various uses; many still being used as dwellings while others were stored for cooler seasons. Emergency response was particularly effective in rural areas, where supplies were utilized to the fullest extent. These baseline indicators will guide further research to determine the effectiveness of humanitarian aid under different disaster scenarios and in contrasting contexts, and hence lead to improved policies.
A note on the effects of forward and rear-facing orientations on movement of horses during transport.

Abstract Several studies have attempted to determine the effects of orientation on a horse’s ability to maintain balance during transportation. The results have often been contradictory because of differences in trailer design and lack of simultaneous comparisons. In this study, three replications of two forward-facing and two rear-facing horses were transported at the same time over a standardized course to allow for simultaneous comparisons. Each animal’s total forward and backward motion during transport was calculated to estimate the effect of orientation on the horses’ ability to maintain balance. The course consisted of four laps around a 3.6-km rectangular course, each lap reversing direction, totaling 14.4 km. To mimic realistic travel, the course had artificial bumps, three turns (90°, 45°, and 135°), five straight-aways, and a hard stop at the end of each lap. Four horses were transported over the course in 3.7 m ×2.4 m stalls mounted in-line on a 16-m long commercial straight-deck trailer (16 wheels). At the end of the first run (four laps), the orientation of each horse, two forward and two rear-facing, was reversed for a second run. Twelve horses were transported in each of the two orientations. Movement was recorded using video cameras positioned perpendicular to the horse’s side. Movement while forward-facing ranged from 4.75 to 34.48 m, averaging 12.95 m; when rear-facing, movement ranged from 8.13 to 35.21 m, averaging 16.99 m, and was not statistically influenced by orientation ( P =0.1219) due to high variation. Certain horses did demonstrate a superior ability to maintain balance in a particular orientation. Thus individual characteristics and other factors may play a larger role than orientation alone in the ability of horses to maintain balance during transport.
Delta-Notch signaling regulates oligodendrocyte specification

Oligodendrocytes, the myelinating cell type of the central nervous system, arise from a ventral population of precursors that also produces motoneurons. Although the mechanisms that specify motoneuron development are well described, the mechanisms that generate oligodendrocytes from the same precursor population are largely unknown. By analysing mutant zebrafish embryos, we found that Delta-Notch signaling is required for spinal cord oligodendrocyte specification. Using a transgenic, conditional expression system, we also learned that constitutive Notch activity could promote formation of excess oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs). However, excess OPCs are induced only in ventral spinal cord at the time that OPCs normally develop. Our data provide evidence that Notch signaling maintains subsets of ventral spinal cord precursors during neuronal birth and, acting with other temporally and spatially restricted factors, specifies them for oligodendrocyte fate.