cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sexual Harassment Litigation: a Road to Re-victimization or Recovery?

Various aspects of the judicial process have been hypothesized as damaging to sexual harassment plaintiffs, though limited research has been conducted that actually examines this hypothesis. We examined data from a large sample of women who participated in a class action lawsuit alleging workplace sexual harassment and discrimination (n = 1218) and another sample of similarly situated women who opted out of litigation (n = 465, non-litigants). We then followed the litigants for 5 years. This study takes an initial look at some of the variables theorized to play a role in the psychological outcomes of both harassment and subsequent litigation. Both the severity of harassment and participation/persistence in the litigation process were related to psychological outcomes at each of three assessments across a 5-year period; the frequency and severity of harassment, as well as plaintiffs’ cognitive appraisals of their situation, appeared to have the strongest relationship to psychological harm. Results of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed that participation and persistence in litigation played a consistent role in psychological outcomes across time, over and above the impact of harassment itself. However, litigation did not appear to be the cause of psychological outcomes as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, in particular, was the result of the original harassment experience.
A MOUNTAIN SNOWCOVER MODEL FOR CRATER LAKE NATIONAL PARK OREGON AND VICINITY

Streamflow forecasters, climatologists, and wildlife researchers have expressed a need for a snowcover model which uses easily obtained point-source snow data to generate synthetic mountain snowfields on a monthly and historical basis. This paper describes a method by which snowcover elements (snow depth, snow-water equivalent, and areal extent of snowcover) can be modeled at high areal, temporal, and historical resolution. Forty-five snow courses located at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon and vicinity, were sampled weekly for the 1977–1978 snow year. Snow-core site topographic data were regressed against snowcover data to yield best-fit linear equations. These equations were grouped into various temporal-spatial sets and entered into a time-series reduction procedure. This process generated snowcover questions which produced synthesized snowcover values for a specific month and year given site topographic information.
Neuromorphic neural interfaces: from neurophysiological inspiration to biohybrid coupling with nervous systems

Objective Computation in nervous systems operates with different computational primitives, and on different hardware, than traditional digital computation and is thus subjected to different constraints from its digital counterpart regarding the use of physical resources such as time, space and energy. In an effort to better understand neural computation on a physical medium with similar spatiotemporal and energetic constraints, the field of neuromorphic engineering aims to design and implement electronic systems that emulate in very large-scale integration (VLSI) hardware the organization and functions of neural systems at multiple levels of biological organization, from individual neurons up to large circuits and networks. Mixed analog/digital neuromorphic VLSI systems are compact, consume little power and operate in real time independently of the size and complexity of the model. Approach This article highlights the current efforts to interface neuromorphic systems with neural systems at multiple levels of biological organization, from the synaptic to the system level, and discusses the prospects for future biohybrid systems with neuromorphic circuits of greater complexity. Main results Single silicon neurons have been interfaced successfully with invertebrate and vertebrate neural networks. This approach allowed the investigation of neural properties that are inaccessible with traditional techniques while providing a realistic biological context not achievable with traditional numerical modeling methods. At the network level, populations of neurons are envisioned to communicate bidirectionally with neuromorphic processors of hundreds or thousands of silicon neurons. Recent work on brain-machine interfaces suggests that this is feasible with current neuromorphic technology. Significance Biohybrid interfaces between biological neurons and VLSI neuromorphic systems of varying complexity have started to emerge in the literature. Primarily intended as a computational tool for investigating fundamental questions related to neural dynamics, the sophistication of current neuromorphic systems now allows direct interfaces with large neuronal networks and circuits, resulting in potentially interesting clinical applications for neuroengineering systems, neuroprosthetics and neurorehabilitation.
Goal-Directed Drinking Behaviors Can Be Modified Through Behavioral Mimicry

Purpose This study tested whether behavioral mimicry can alter drinking behavior. It was hypothesized that participants would increase drinking behaviors given increased confederate drinking but no...
Rapid silicon carbide micro-crystal growth by high power CO2 laser

This paper presents an ultra-fast growth of silicon carbide crystal with the size up to 50 μm from SiC nanopowders. By using a CO2 laser with a power of 30W to heat the silicon carbide nanopowders in a vacuum chamber, the nanopowders tends to congregate together to form larger particles first. Following the slow cooling process, the congregate formation would further transform to final SiC micro-crystals. The two types of final products grown from quenching process and slow cooling process were analyzed by SEM. The lattice structure of final SiC micro-crystal was determined to be hexagonal structure according to the XRD analysis.
Estimated IQ Systematically Underestimates Neurocognitive Sequelae in Irradiated Pediatric Brain Tumor Survivors.

PURPOSE While cranial irradiation is often essential to attain a cure for pediatric brain tumors, it is associated with adverse neurocognitive outcomes, primarily manifested as declines in full-scale IQ (FSIQ). This decline results primarily from a decline in processing speed, a component of FSIQ. However, estimated IQ (EIQ) is frequently used in research and clinical settings but does not incorporate processing speed. We hypothesized that EIQ systematically underestimates neurocognitive sequelae in irradiated pediatric brain tumor survivors. METHODS AND MATERIALS We treated 185 pediatric brain tumor patients with proton radiation therapy. All patients had at least 1 neuropsychological evaluation at baseline and/or 1 or more follow-up evaluations with sufficient data to calculate both FSIQ and EIQ. The Wechsler Intelligence Scales were used to calculate FSIQ and EIQ for each patient, and mixed linear models were used to assess disparities between FSIQ and EIQ. RESULTS At baseline, EIQ was 2.2 points (95% confidence interval 1.2-3.2 points) higher on average than FSIQ (P < .001). The median follow-up period was 26 months. The disparity between EIQ and FSIQ persisted and worsened over time (P = .012), with FSIQ losing on average 0.4 points/year (95% confidence interval 0.01-0.8 points/year) relative to EIQ. The disparity at baseline varied with sex and age. CONCLUSIONS EIQ systematically underestimates the neurocognitive sequelae of children treated with cranial radiation therapy. FSIQ is much more likely than EIQ to identify neurocognitive deficits, allowing for appropriate interventions, as well as academic services and accommodations. Thus, EIQ should have a very limited role in both clinical and research settings for this population.
Lessons Learned in the Development of a Computable Phenotype for Response in Myeloproliferative Neoplasms

Determining response status in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms is a complex problem requiring the integration of both structured and unstructured data elements from disparate information systems. By applying multiple techniques, a collaborative team of informatics professionals and research personnel were able to determine which elements were amenable to automated extraction and which required expert adjudication. With this knowledge in mind, we were able to build a system that joins together programmatically-derived and manually-abstracted data elements to facilitate response assessment – an important end point in clinical and translational research in this disease area.
A Live-Attenuated Prime, Inactivated Boost Vaccination Strategy with Chimeric Hemagglutinin-Based Universal Influenza Virus Vaccines Provides Protection in Ferrets: A Confirmatory Study

Influenza viruses cause severe diseases and mortality in humans on an annual basis. The current influenza virus vaccines can confer protection when they are well-matched with the circulating strains. However, due to constant changes of the virus surface glycoproteins, the vaccine efficacy can drop substantially in some seasons. In addition, the current seasonal influenza virus vaccines do not protect from avian influenza viruses of human pandemic potential. Novel influenza virus vaccines that aim to elicit antibodies against conserved epitopes like the hemagglutinin stalk could not only reduce the burden of drifted seasonal viruses but potentially also protect humans from infection with zoonotic and emerging pandemic influenza viruses. In this paper, we generated influenza virus vaccine constructs that express chimeric hemagglutinins consisting of exotic, avian head domains and a consistent stalk domain of a seasonal virus. Using such viruses in a sequential immunization regimen can redirect the immune response towards conserved epitopes. In this study, male ferrets received a live-attenuated vaccine virus based on the A/Ann Arbor/6/60 strain expressing a chimeric H8/1 (cH8/1) hemagglutinin, which was followed by a heterologous booster vaccination with a cH5/1N1 formalin inactivated non-adjuvanted whole virus. This group was compared to a second group that received a cH8/1N1 inactivated vaccine followed by a cH5/1N1 inactivated vaccine. Both groups showed a reduction in viral titers in the upper respiratory tract after the A(H1N1)pdm09 virus challenge. Animals that received the live-attenuated vaccine had low or undetectable titers in the lower respiratory tract. The results support the further development of chimeric hemagglutinin-based vaccination strategies. The outcome of this study confirms and corroborates findings from female ferrets primed with a A/Leningrad/134/17/57-based live attenuated cH8/1N1 vaccine followed by vaccination with an AS03-adjuvanted cH5/1N1 split virus vaccine 10.
Deep learning-based quantitative analysis of dental caries using optical coherence tomography: an ex vivo study

The conventional approach for diagnosing dental caries is clinical examination and supplemented by radiographs. However, studies based on the clinical and radiographic examination methods often show low sensitivity and high specificity. Machine learning and deep learning techniques can be used to enhance optical coherence tomography (OCT) to more accurately identify diseased and damaged tissue. In this paper, we present a novel approach combining OCT imaging modality and deep convolutional neural network (CNN) for the detection of occlusal carious lesions. A total of 51 extracted human permanent teeth were collected and categorized into three groups: Non-carious teeth, caries extending into enamel, and caries extending into dentin. In data acquisition and ex-vivo OCT imaging, the samples were imaged using spectral-domain OCT system operating at 1300nm center wavelength with a scan rate of 5.5-76kHz, and axial resolution of 5.5μm in air. To acquire images with minimum inhomogeneity, imaging was performed multiple times at different points. For deep learning, OCT images of extracted human carious and non-carious teeth were input to a CNN classifier to determine variations in tissue densities resembling the demineralization process. The CNN model employs two convolutional and pooling layers to extract features and then classify each patch based on the probabilities from the SoftMax classification layer. The sensitivity and specificity of distinguishing between carious and non-carious lesions were found to be 98% and 100%, respectively. This proposed deep learning-based OCT method can reliably classify the oral tissues with various densities, and could be extremely valuable in early dental caries detection.
NEURAL CORRELATES OF KNEE MOTOR CONTROL FOR YOUNG FEMALES WITH PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN

Background:Patellofemoral pain (PFP) is a common knee pain condition that affects up to 30% of adolescents and is disproportionately distributed between sexes, affecting females 2-10 times more fre...
The Impact of Trade Liberalization on the Import Growth: Evidence from Four Recently Acceded Members of WTO

This paper intends to show that trade liberalization has had a notable effect on the import growth of four developing countries that have joined the WTO in the year 2000: Albania, Georgia, Jordan and Oman. The Random Effects (RE) estimator, the Fixed Effects (FE) estimator and the Generalized Method of Moments (GMM) have been applied to the panel data models and a negative coefficient has resulted for the tariffs imposed on the imports, which confirms that tariff barriers and import growth move in different directions. The results also indicate that joining the WTO and growth in domestic income have a positive effect on the import growth, while both real effective exchange rate and foreign exchange reserves have negative effects on the import growth. Therefore, trade liberalization can be an effective policy for increasing the import growth in the selected developing countries.
Perfusion Is Not Measurably Decreased in Idiopathic Clubfoot

Purpose: Abnormal vasculature has been observed in as much as 85% of children with severe clubfoot. The purpose of this study was to compare perfusion of the feet of patients with clubfoot and unaffected controls. Methods: A Masimo Radical 7 Pulse Oximeter (Masimo Corporation, Irvine, CA) was used to measure the perfusion index of the foot children five years of …
College students' disclosure of mental health problems on campus.

Objective: To explore, in two studies, student experiences with disclosing diagnosed and undiagnosed mental health problems to faculty, staff, and peers. Participants: Participants for both studies...
Genome Sequence of Flavobacteriaceae Strain W22, Isolated from a Tree Hole Mosquito Habitat.

ABSTRACT The bacterium Flavobacteriaceae strain W22 was isolated from the water column of a tree hole larval habitat of the mosquito Aedes triseriatus. The draft genome contained 3,796,379 bp, a G+C content of 35.4%, and several genes encoding enzymes functioning in polysaccharide degradation, gliding motility, and the type IX protein secretion system (T9SS).
4 – Target Identification

Publisher Summary Target identification provides the basis for physical protection systems (PPS) design by focusing on what to protect, while PPS design addresses how to protect. This chapter describes the role of target identification in PPS design, which is an evaluation of what to protect without consideration of the threat or the difficulty of providing physical protection. It determines areas, assets, or actions to be protected and generally is those that have undesirable consequence of loss to the enterprise. The criteria for selecting items to protect depend on the undesirable consequences to be prevented. Some undesirable consequences are loss of life, loss of material or information through industrial espionage, and environmental damage due to release of hazardous material by theft or sabotage. It is found that the consequence of the loss may cover a spectrum, from unacceptable to financial loss to the relatively less severe. A major result of target identification is the prioritization of targets based on the consequence of the loss of the asset. The PPS is designed to protect a minimum number of critical components to a high degree. The Sabotage Fault Tree Analysis is also presented in the chapter.
Early assessment of postoperative adrenal function is necessary after adrenalectomy for mild autonomous cortisol secretion

Abstract Background The diagnostic threshold for mild autonomous cortisol secretion using low dose, overnight, dexamethasone suppression testing is recognized widely as a serum cortisol ≥1.8 mcg/dL. The degree to which these patients require postoperative glucocorticoid replacement is unknown. Methods We reviewed adult patients with corticotropin (ACTH)-independent hypercortisolism who underwent unilateral laparoscopic adrenalectomy for benign disease with a dexamethasone suppression testing ≥1.8 mcg/dL at our institution from 1996 to 2018. Patients with a dexamethasone suppression testing of 1.8 to 5 mcg/dL were compared with those with a dexamethasone suppression testing >5 mcg/dL. Results We compared 68 patients with a preoperative dexamethasone suppression testing of 1.8 to 5 mcg/dL to 53 patients with a preoperative dexamethasone suppression testing >5 mcg/dL. Preoperative serum ACTH (mean 10.0 vs 9.2 pg/mL), adenoma size (mean 3.4 vs 3.5 cm), and side of adrenalectomy (37 and 47% right) were similar between groups (P > .05 each). Patients with a dexamethasone suppression testing 1.8 to 5 mcg/dL were older (mean values 58 ± 11 vs 52 ± 16 years ; P = .01), less likely to be female (63 vs 81%; P = .03), had greater body mass indexes (33.1 ± 8.4 vs 29.1 ± 5.6; P = .01), and had lesser 24 hour preoperative urine cortisol excretions (32.6 ± 26.7 vs 76.1 ± 129.4 mcg; P = .03). Postoperative serum cortisol levels were compared in 22 patients with a dexamethasone suppression testing of 1.8 to 5 mcg/dL to 14 patients with a dexamethasone suppression testing >5 mcg/dL. Those with dexamethasone suppression testing 1.8 to 5 mcg/dL had greater postoperative serum cortisol levels (8.0 ± 5.7 vs 5.0 ± 2.6 mcg/dL; P = .03), were less likely to be discharged on glucocorticoid replacement (59% vs 89%; P = .003), and had a decreased duration of treatment (4.4 ± 3.8 vs 10.7 ± 18.0 months; P = .04). Conclusion Assessment of early postoperative adrenal function with mild autonomous cortisol secretion is necessary to minimize unnecessary glucocorticoid replacement.
Outcome of adjuvant chemotherapy in elderly patients with early-stage, hormone receptor-positive, HER-2-negative breast cancer.

The proportion of breast cancer cases among elderly (over 70 years old) patients is expected to rise from 24% to 35% by the next decade. However, elderly patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2)-negative, node-negative breast cancer were underrepresented in prior landmark prospective trials. Using a nationwide hospital cancer registry, our study of 12 004 elderly patients demonstrates that adjuvant chemotherapy was not associated with overall survival (hazards ratio [HR] 0.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77-1.20, P = .71). Given the toxicities associated with systemic treatment, cautious recommendation or the omission of chemotherapy may be considered in select elderly patients.
Symbolic computation of conservation laws of nonlinear partial differential equations in multi-dimensions

A direct method for the computation of polynomial conservation laws of polynomial systems of nonlinear partial differential equations (PDEs) in multi-dimensions is presented. The method avoids advanced differential-geometric tools. Instead, it is solely based on calculus, variational calculus, and linear algebra. Densities are constructed as linear combinations of scaling homogeneous terms with undetermined coefficients. The variational derivative (Euler operator) is used to compute the undetermined coefficients. The homotopy operator is used to compute the fluxes. The method is illustrated with nonlinear PDEs describing wave phenomena in fluid dynamics, plasma physics, and quantum physics. For PDEs with parameters, the method determines the conditions on the parameters so that a sequence of conserved densities might exist. The existence of a large number of conservation laws is a predictor of complete integrability. The method is algorithmic, applicable to a variety of PDEs, and can be implemented in computer algebra systems such as Mathematica, Maple, and REDUCE. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2006
Optical and electronic properties of SiTex (x = 1, 2) from first-principles

The optical and electronic properties of α-SiTe, β-SiTe, and RX-SiTe2 are investigated. A detailed analysis of electronic properties is done using standard density functional theory (DFT) and hybrid functional methods. The static dielectric properties are investigated using the density functional perturbation theory method. The optical properties are studied under three different methods: standard DFT, many-body Green's functions, and the Bethe–Salpeter equation. Our calculations show that the SiTe compounds possess extremely high static dielectric constants in their bulk forms [e0(⊥) = 68.58 and e0(‖) = 127.29 for α-SiTe, and e0(⊥) = 76.23 and e0(‖) = 74.61 for β-SiTe]. The frequency-dependent dielectric functions Im(e) have very large values (>100) in the optical regime, which are among the highest of layered materials, suggesting them as excellent light absorbents in the corresponding frequencies. α-SiTe exhibits a high degree of optical anisotropy as compared to the other two compounds, consistent with their structural configurations. A strong interlayer excitonic effect is observed in bulk RX-SiTe2. In addition, an analysis of Raman intensity is also performed.
TRIM8 modulates the EWS/FLI oncoprotein to promote survival in Ewing sarcoma

Fusion-transcription factors (fusion-TFs) represent a class of driver oncoproteins that are difficult to therapeutically target. Recently, protein degradation has emerged as a strategy to target these challenging oncoproteins. The mechanisms that regulate fusion-TF stability, however, are generally unknown. Using CRISPR-Cas9 screening, we discovered tripartite motif-containing 8 (TRIM8) as an E3 ubiquitin ligase that ubiquitinates and degrades EWS/FLI, a driver fusion-TF in Ewing sarcoma. Moreover, we identified TRIM8 as a selective dependency in Ewing sarcoma compared with >700 other cancer cell lines. Mechanistically, TRIM8 knockout led to an increase in EWS/FLI protein levels that was not tolerated. EWS/FLI acts as a neomorphic substrate for TRIM8, defining the selective nature of the dependency. Our results demonstrate that fusion-TF protein stability is tightly regulated and highlight fusion oncoprotein-specific regulators as selective therapeutic targets. This study provides a tractable strategy to therapeutically exploit oncogene overdose in Ewing sarcoma and potentially other fusion-TF-driven cancers.
The Children's Ward

NANNY WAS IRISH, I told my mother, born in Scotland. Her sister was Head of Ladies' Ready To Wear at the biggest shop in Greenoch. Her oldest sister that was, there were nine in the family. The youngest of all was Our Joseph, not much older than me, and when the little princesses visited Greenoch, Nanny went to see them, along with all the other people lining the streets, but they couldn't hold a candle to Our Joseph. Nanny took care of me because once before she had taken care of a little boy who was sick the same way I was. So she understood my diet. "Poor wee thing," she would say and tell how one day somebody brought her a box of chocolates and the boy took some, which of course he wasn't supposed to do, and when he heard her coming he sat down on the box and squashed the chocolates flat. But when she caught me lifting icing off my sister's birthday cake, I was spanked. "This hurts me more than it does you," Nanny would say, her wrists like steel, while I screamed. Yet she looked back on that boy with tenderness. "Poor wee lamb" ?and she explained how with the disease we had you were supposed to die before you were seven. "And did he die, Nanny; Is he dead now?" But I never found out.
Example of Real‐Time Quantitative Reverse Transcription–PCR (Q‐RT‐PCR) Analysis of Bacterial Gene Expression during Mammalian Infection: Borrelia burgdorferi in Mouse Tissues

This unit provides a chronological in-depth description of all protocols needed for quantitative reverse transcription–PCR (Q-RT-PCR) analysis of Borrelia burgdorferi gene expression within infected mouse tissues. Specifically, this unit discusses the extraction of RNA from infected mouse tissues, removal of contaminating genomic DNA from the purified RNA, preparation of cDNA and genomic DNA standards, LightCycler-based PCR, and a relative quantification analysis of the cDNA. Q-RT-PCR as a highly relevant and powerful tool used to detect gene expression by bacteria within mammalian host tissues. It is also an invaluable technique used to measure and assess the small differences in expression that can exist among a set of genes, whereas this type of analysis is not feasible using less-sensitive techniques such as indirect immunofluorescence analysis or qualitative RT-PCR. Although the protocols described herein are tailored for B. burgdorferi, they are broadly applicable to other microbes. Keywords: quantitative RT-PCR; mouse infection; Borrelia burgdorferi; gene expression; RNA; cDNA; LightCycler
PATTERNS OF CONCEPTION, NATALITY, AND MORTALITY FROM MIDWESTERN CEMETERIES: A Sociological Analysis of Historical Data

Our research demonstrates the potential of cemeteries data for sociology and contributes to a greater understanding of demographic and social patterns characterizing the Midwest since its Euramerican settlement. We examine data from ten cemeteries (2,021 burials) spanning the 1830s-1980s in east-central Illinois. Seasonal conception patterns reflect winter and spring peaks, with indication of the spring peak dissipating more recently. Seasonal mortality patterns show a tendency for younger people to die in late summer and older people to die in late winter. Contrary to national patterns, we found female deaths exceeding male deaths in the 10-64 age group. As expressions of gender bias, females are disproportionately identified on gravestones in terms of familial relationships. Of the different cemetery types surveyed (1 family, 4 neighborhood, 2 community, 3 church), only the church cemeteries continue to be used, suggesting a sectarian role in preserving otherwise declining communities.
Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopic Data for Space Astronomy: Needs and Availability

Most of our information about the Universe comes to us in the form of photons. In order to understand the messages they carry with them, we must study the origins of the photons and work out their histories as they journeyed through space. By analysis of the events in which the photons participated, we can construct pictures of the diverse physical and chemical environments and processess occurring in the Universe and we can learn about the nature of the astrophysical entities in which the photons were created. Because many of the astronomical photons are absorbed or redirected by the Earth’s atmosphere, space-based observing techniques have been developed and refined over the past several decades. The 1990’s will see the see the launch of a number of important new space astronomy missions that will produce vast amounts of high-resolution spectral data.
Stable marriages with multiple partners: efficient search for an optimal solution

This paper considers the many-to-many version of the original stable marriage problem posed by Gale and Shapley [1]. Each man and woman has a strict preference ordering on the members of the opposite sex and wishes to be matched with upto his or her specified number of partners. In this setup, a polynomial time algorithm for finding a stable matching that minimizes the sum of partner ranks across all men and women is provided. It is argued that this sum can be used as an optimality criterion for minimizing total dissatisfaction if the preferences over partner-combinations satisfy a no-complementarities condition. The results in this paper extend those already known for the one-to-one version of the problem.
A special section for correspondence and controversy

Foreword. Critics have tended to dismiss work on the "doomsday equation" with ridicule: "fanciful, . . . adds little to our understanding of population processes. . . " (unidentified reviewer of a 1975 manuscript); or with anger because the implications of the equation are discerned cor rectly, which is to say pessimistically. These critics are not amused by von Foerster and company's steadfast rejection of limits. Indeed, von Foerster joins ranks with the optimists in observing that technology has invariably proved adequate for meeting the needs of ever larger human populations, so that any burden of proof should rest with those who expect such achievements to falter. Seeming resource con straints have always been vanquished by invention, and the human popu lation has not been limited to the growth process postulated by Mal thus. The proposed equation states that population grows still more rapidly than at the Malthusian, geometric rate. Instead, the logarithmic growth rate increases as population numbers increase. As we become more in num bers, not only the base but also the percentage increase on that base grow larger.
Computational design and biochemical characterization of maize nonspecific lipid transfer protein variants for biosensor applications

Lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) are a family of proteins that bind and transfer lipids. Utilizing the maize LTP, we have successfully engineered fluorescent reagentless biosensors for the natural ligand of LTPs; this was achieved by using computational protein design to remove a disulfide bridge and attaching a thio-reactive fluorophore. Conformational change induced by ligand titration is thought to affect the fluorescence of the fluorophore, allowing detection of ligand binding. Fluorescence measurements show that our LTP variants have affinity to palmitate that is consistent with wild-type LTP. These molecules have the potential to be utilized as scaffolds to design hydrophobic ligand biosensors or to serve as drug carriers.
Preparation and characterization of molybdenum and tungsten compounds with diazabutadiene ligands constructed from amino esters and glyoxal: Crystal structures of meso and C2-symmetric isomers of Mo(CO)4(dab-asp(OMe)-OMe)

Abstract The title compounds were prepared by heating solutions of ester protected amino acids (H- l -Ala-OEt, H-β-Ala-OEt, H- l -Val-OMe, GABA-OMe, H- l -Asp(OMe)-OMe) and glyoxal in the presence of M(CO) 4 (pip) 2 (M=Mo, W). The resulting novel complexes, M(CO) 4 (dab-xxx-OR) (dab=diazabutadiene), contain an N,N ′-diimine ligand and were characterized by 1 H- and 13 C-NMR, IR, and UV–vis measurements. The low energy band in the visible portion of the electronic spectrum is assigned to a MLCT transition and exhibits solvatochromism. The valine, alanine and aspartic ester derivatives have C 2 symmetry resulting from the C 2 symmetry of the ligand. The reaction of the alanine and aspartic amino esters in the presence of NEt 3 produces diastereomeric mixtures caused by racemization at the amino acid α-carbon. Racemization is not observed during the formation of the valine derivatives. The crystal structures of ( R,S )-Mo(CO) 4 (dab-asp(OMe)-OMe) ( 5- RS ), and ( S,S )-Mo(CO) 4 (dab-asp(OMe)-OMe) ( 5- SS ), were determined. The structure of 5- RS confirms that racemization at the α-carbon occurred. 5- SS has C 2 symmetry.
Interrogation of N-linked oligosaccharides using infrared multiphoton dissociation in FT-ICR Mass Spectrometry

The structural elucidation of oligosaccharides remains a major challenge. Mass spectrometry provides a rapid and convenient method for structural elucidation based on tandem mass spectrometry. Ions commonly are selected and subjected to collision-induced dissociation (CID) to obtain structural information. Unfortunately, N-linked oligosaccharides are relatively large compounds and are not readily fragmented using CID. In this report, we illustrate the use of infrared multiphoton dissociation (IRMPD) to obtain structural information for large N-linked oligosaccharides. The IRMPD and CID behavior of oligosaccharides were compared for high-mannose-type oligosaccharides. Fragmentation that could not be obtained through conventional CID in Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry was observed with N-linked oligosaccharides. O-Linked and N-linked glycans of similarly large sizes were compared. It was found that internal cross-ring cleavages were observed only for N-linked oligosaccharides. The mannose branch points of N-linked oligosaccharides are apparently more susceptible to cross-ring cleavages.
Diffusion-weighted imaging to assess treatment response in a child with trilateral retinoblastoma

Trilateral retinoblastoma (TRb) is a rare condition in which children with bilateral retinoblastoma develop primary midline intracranial neuroblastic tumors. The intracranial lesions are difficult to follow after treatment due to residual mass-like enhancement that may represent persistent tumor or treated disease. We highlight a case where close evaluation of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) characteristics accurately depicted the extent of treated disease versus residual tumor after chemotherapy.
Morbidity and Mortality After Ambulatory Surgery-Reply

In Reply. —We thank Dr Feldman and colleagues for their close scrutiny of our article but note that they object to our finding that ambulatory surgical patients are generally healthier than the general population. Although they present data from their large tertiary referral institution that the ASA PS classification of their ambulatory surgical patients rose slightly during a 4-year period, their data do not address any relationship between this minor rise and the health status of a finite population. At the Mayo Clinic, also a large tertiary referral institution, the ASA PS data during the 1987 through 1990 period for our total ambulatory surgical population was similar to that of the institution of Feldman and colleagues (unpublished data, Mayo anesthesiology database). In contrast, ambulatory surgical patients from a finite population, such as Olmsted County, Minnesota (the county in which the Mayo Clinic resides), were healthier than Mayo ambulatory surgical patients
Evaluation of flavonoids inGossypium arboreum (L.) cottons as potential source of resistance to tobacco budworm.

Asiatic cottons [Gossypium arboreum (L.)] have been investigated as a source of resistance to the tobacco budworm [Heliothis virescens (Fab.)] because their diversely colored petals have been presumed to contain various allelochemicals. However, we found that larvae fedG. arboreum squares (buds) grew about equally compared with those fed squares from commercialG. hirsutum lines. The best source of resistance was found in severalG. hirsutum double-haploid (DH) lines. In our investigation of allelochemicals, G.arboreum lines were found to contain much less gossypol in leaves, squares (buds), and petals thanG. hirsutum L. lines. Flavonoids were significantly higher inG. arboreum lines only in petals. Of 22G. arboreum lines from which squares were gathered and fed to tobacco budworm (TBW) larvae in the laboratory, larval growth was not significantly decreased on any, but larval survival was decreased on six. When the square flavonoids were isolated and incorporated in laboratory diets for the TBW, moderate toxicity was observed. However, the estimated toxicities were not greater than those of the same flavonoid isolates fromG. hirsutum lines. The most prevalent flavonoids, all previously found in G.arboreum plant tissues, were gossypetin 8-0-glucoside and gossypetin 8-0-rhamnoside, neither of which were present inG. hirsutum tissue. Quercetin 3-0-glucoside, quercetin-3′-0-glucoside, and quercetin 7-0-glucoside were also present in significant amounts in both species. Gossypetin 8-0-rhamnoside and gossypetin 8-0-glucoside were the most toxic flavonoids tested (the ED50% was estimated to be 0.007 and 0.024) and therefore may prove to be contributing factors of resistance to TBW feeding.
Integration of reconfigurable inspection with stream of variations methodology

Abstract This paper describes an advanced closed loop quality control methodology for reconfigurable manufacturing systems. The methodology enables rapid root-cause diagnostics for faster ramp-up of reconfigurable systems through integration of the Reconfigurable Inspection Machine (RIM) and the Stream of Variations (SoV) methodology. The RIM enables reconfigurable, rapid, and accurate inspection using non-contact sensors while the SoV methodology is used to quickly analyze the measurements and identify the root-cause of the errors produced during machining. The feasibility of the industrial concept was experimentally validated. A machining error was introduced during machining of an engine head. Measurement information collected by the RIM was processed and used to locate the root-cause of the error using the SoV methodology.
Ultrafast carrier dynamics in single-walled carbon nanotubes probed by four-wave mixing measurements

Time resolved four-wave mixing measurements are carried out in single-walled carbon nanotubes in water. Electronic dephasing times are response limited to below 80 fs. The interband cascade of electronic population is completed in 400 fs, followed by vibrational energy redistribution and cooling which lasts 100 ps.
Evolution of prey specificity via three steps

Comparative experiments with two extant sister-species ofChrysopa provide the first demonstration of mechanisms whereby a general predator (e.g., aC. quadripunctata-like ancestor) may have given rise to a specialist (C. slossonae). First, the generalist expresses characteristics (e.g., phenotypic plasticity in larval and adult behaviour, defence-related morphology) that promote establishment on the specialist's ant-tended prey. Second, the patterns of variation among populations of the generalist suggest heritability and repeatability in traits that influence survival and reproduction on the specialist's prey — a requirement for evolutionary adaptation to the specific prey. Third, sympatric populations of the generalist and specialist have ovolved reproductive isolation, thus maintaining prey fidelity. This descriptive model appears broadly applicable to predacious as well as herbacious insects.
Evaluation of aerosol deconvolution algorithms for determining submicron particle size distributions with diffusion battery and condensation nucleus counter

Abstract Determining the particle size distribution of airborne particles is important in many contexts, including understanding and thus reducing the deposition of particles on micro-electronic components during their manufacture. Sizing of particles smaller than 0.1 μm is usually done with a diffusion battery, which requires use of a deconvolution algorithm to obtain particle size distributions. The following algorithms were evaluated: CINVERSE (Crump and Seinfeld, Aerosol Sci. Technol.1, 363, 1982). Twomey's iterative procedure (Twomey, J. Comput. Phys.18, 188, 1975), expectation maximization (Maher and Laird, J. Aerosol Sci.16, 557, 1985), constrained least-squares fit (Nelder and Mead, Comput. J.7, 308, 1965; Cooper and Spielman, Atoms. Envir.10, 1976). Expectation maximization and constrained least-squares fit are more suited to this use than are the other two. The non-monotonic response of the diffusion battery with respect to particle size cannot be corrected for by any such algorithm. One could modify the diffusion battery to prevent entrance of the larger particles or one could use an independent measurement of the larger particles to correct the diffusion battery data. Using the latter approach provided an improved estimate of the particle size distribution in a clean room.
Discussion of Paper Entitled " Wheat Germ Oil in the Control of Fowl Paralysis " by Erwin Jungherr.

Abstract DR. ERWIN JUNGHERR of the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station has chosen wisely to include in his paper on the value of wheat germ oil in the control of fowl paralysis a discussion of recent work on nutritional encephalomalacia, since some of the gross symptoms of this disease are similar to those of fowl paralysis and might be confused with them. He has brought out very clearly that, whereas vitamin E has been found by Dam, Glavind, Bernth, and Hagens, (1938) and by Pappenheimer, Goettsch, and Jungherr (1939) to be effective in preventing the development of nutritional encephalomalacia, a number of investigators have shown that this vitamin is without effect in the prevention of fowl paralysis. He concluded, therefore, that the favorable results obtained by Butler and Warren (1938) and by Butler, Warren, and Hammersland (1938) in the control of fowl paralysis by means of wheat germ oil have not been . . .
The early identification of anticonvulsant activity: role of the maximal electroshock and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazol seizure models

A number of widely different animal seizure models have been employed in the search for new and novel anticonvulsant drugs useful for the tratment of human epilepsy. At present, no single laboratory test will, in itself, establish the presence or absence of anticonvulsant activity or fully predict the clinical potential of a test substance. Of the many available animal models, the maximal electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentylenetetrazol (scPTZ) tests still represent the most commonly employed models for the routine screening and identification of new, anticonvulsant drugs. This chapter will briefly describe how these two tests are conducted, their limitations and how they have contributed in the past and to the present day anticonvulsant drug discovery process.
Fire resistance versus flame spread resistance

Current fire resistance tests of compartment boundary materials should be referred to as “fire spread resistance” tests. Unless additional fire protection measures have been taken, compartment boundaries are rarely able to prevent the spread of fire out of the space of origin. The true fire resistance of all key building components, therefore, must be judged on ability of those components to withstand fire exposure from two sides.
Discriminant analysis techniques for the identification of atmospheric pollutants from passive Fourier transform infrared interferograms

Abstract Discriminant analysis techniques are developed for the detection of analyte signals directly from passive Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) interferograms. The interferograms are preprocessed through the use of digital filters to isolate the spectral frequencies associated with a targeted analyte band. Subsequent application of the discriminant results in a yes/no decision regarding the presence of the analyte. Interferograms collected by a mobile FT-IR remote sensor are used in developing this methodology. Simplex optimization, coupled with a novel objective function, is found to produce the optimum discriminant for the prediction of the presence of the test analyte, SF 6 . The developed discriminant is able to detect low levels of SF 6 , while exhibiting a false alarm rate of less than 1%. This discriminant-based detection scheme can be implemented through the use of only a short interferogram segment, thereby decreasing the size of the interferogram that must be collected. This reduction in data collection requirements has great potential impact in the design of future FT-IR remote sensors.
Reason And Feeling: Confucianism And Contractualism

Soulignant l'inseparabilite des raisons, des jugements et des sentiments moraux dans l'experience morale quotidienne, l'A. compare la conception de la personne bonne dans la theorie contractualiste et la doctrine confuceenne. Malgre le meme role fondamental de la rationalite et du principe dans les deux philosophies de l'action, l'A. conclut en demontrant l'asymetrie du formalisme moral et de l'emotivisme.
Multi-modal investigation of geoscientific data - adding touch and sound to 3D visualization of surface based data

Summary This paper describes ongoing research in the area of Virtual Environments with application to geoscientific data. Building on recent experience with interactive stereo systems we are enhancing these purely visual systems by using forcefeedback technology (touch) and real-time sound synthesis. The paper describes a general approach for the use of this new method and several prototype applications dealing with geoscientific data from different domains. First results are encouraging and point to a variety of potentially powerful applications of the method
Catalytic properties of dihydroorotate dehydrogenase from Saccharomyces cerevisiae: studies on pH, alternate substrates, and inhibitors.

Abstract Yeast dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHOD) was purified 2800-fold to homogeneity from its natural source. Its sequence is 70% identical to that of the Lactococcus lactis DHOD (family IA) and the two active sites are nearly the same. Incubations of the yeast DHOD with dideuterodihydroorotate (deuterated in the positions eliminated in the dehydrogenation) as the donor and [14C]orotate as the acceptor revealed that the C5 deuteron exchanged with H2O solvent at a rate equal to the 14C exchange rate, whereas the C6 deuteron was infrequently exchanged with H2O solvent, thus indicating that the C6 deuteron of the dihydroorotate is sticky on the flavin cofactor. The pH dependencies of the steady-state parameters (kcat and kcat/Km) are similar, indicating that kcat/Km reports the productive binding of substrate, and the parameters are dependent on the donor–acceptor pair. The lower pKa values for kcat and kcat/Km observed for substrate dihydroorotate (around 6) in comparison to the values determined for dihydrooxonate (around 8) suggest that the C5 pro S hydrogen atom of dihydroorotate (but not the analogous hydrogen of dihydrooxonate), which is removed in the dehydrogenation, assists in lowering the pKa of the active site base (Cys133). The pH dependencies of the kinetic isotope effects on steady-state parameters observed for the dideuterated dihydroorotate are consistent with the dehydrogenation of substrate being rate limiting at low pH values, with a pKa value approximating that assigned to Cys133. Electron acceptors with dihydroorotate as donor were preferred in the following order: ferricyanide (1), DCPIP (0.54), Qo (0.28), fumarate (0.15), and O2 (0.035). Orotate inhibition profiles versus varied concentrations of dihydroorotate with ferricyanide or O2 as acceptors suggest that both orotate and dihydroorotate have significant affinities for the reduced and oxidized forms of the enzyme.
The location of the lanthanide ion binding site on bovine trypsin

Summary Using the effect of a paramagnetic probe, Gd +3 , on the NMR relaxation time of inhibitor protons, the metal-inhibitor distances in a bovine trypsin ternary complex has been measured. The decrease due to Gd +3 in the spin-spin and spin-lattice relaxation times of the ortho and methyl protons of the inhibitor, p -toluamidine, has been measured at pH 6. The Solomon-Bloembergen equations were used to calculate distances of 8.8 ± 0.5 A and 10.0 ± 0.5 A from the metal ion to the ortho and methyl protons, respectively. From examination of the crystal structure of the enzyme it appears that the side chains of Asp 194 and Ser 190 are likely ligands for the metal ion.
Reprogramming control of an allosteric signaling switch through modular recombination

Many eukaryotic signaling proteins are composed of simple modular binding domains, yet they can display sophisticated behaviors such as allosteric gating and multi-input signal integration, properties essential for complex cellular circuits. To understand how such behavior can emerge from combinations of simple domains, we engineered variants of the actin regulatory protein N-WASP (neuronal Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein) in which the "output" domain of N-WASP was recombined with heterologous autoinhibitory "input" domains. Synthetic switch proteins were created with diverse gating behaviors in response to nonphysiological inputs. Thus, this type of modular framework can facilitate the evolution or engineering of cellular signaling circuits.