cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-cover Inequalities for Totally-Ordered Multiple Knapsack Sets: Theory and Computation.

We propose a method to generate cutting-planes from multiple covers of knapsack constraints. The covers may come from different knapsack inequalities if the weights in the inequalities form a totally-ordered set. Thus, we introduce and study the structure of a totally-ordered multiple knapsack set. The valid multi-cover inequalities we derive for its convex hull have a number of interesting properties. First, they generalize the well-known (1, k)-configuration inequalities. Second, they are not aggregation cuts. Third, they cannot be generated as a rank-1 Chvatal-Gomory cut from the inequality system consisting of the knapsack constraints and all their minimal cover inequalities. We also provide conditions under which the inequalities are facets for the convex hull of the totally-ordered knapsack set, as well as conditions for those inequalities to fully characterize its convex hull. We give an integer program to solve the separation and provide numerical experiments that showcase the strength of these new inequalities.
Mexifornia: A State of Becoming

Massive illegal immigration from Mexico into California, Victor Davis Hanson writes, "coupled with a loss of confidence in the old melting pot model of transforming newcomers into Americans, is changing the very nature of state. Yet we Californians have been inadequate in meeting this challenge, both failing to control our borders with Mexico and to integrate the new alien population into our mainstream." Part history, part political analysis, and part memoir, "Mexifornia" is an intensely personal work by one of our most important writers. Hanson is perhaps known best for his military histories and especially his social commentary about America and its response to terror after 9/11. But he is also a fifth-generation Californian who runs a family farm in the Central Valley and has written eloquent elegies for the decline of the small farm such as "Fields Without Dreams" and "The Land Was Everything." Like these books, "Mexifornia" is an intensely personal look at what has changed in California over the last quarter century. In this case, however, Hanson's focus is on how not only California, the Southwest, and indeed the entire nation has been affected by America's hemorrhaging borders and how those hurt worst are the Mexican immigrants themselves. A large part of the problem, Hanson believes, comes from the opportunistic coalition that stymies immigration reform and, even worse, stifles an honest discussion of a growing problem. Conservative corporations, contractors, and agribusiness demand cheap wage labor from Mexico, whatever the social consequences. Meanwhile, "progressive" academics, journalists, government bureaucrats, and La Raza advocates envision illegal aliens as a vast new political constituency for those committed to the notion that victimhood, not citizenship, is the key to advancement. The problems Hanson identifies may have reached critical mass in California, but they affect Americans who inhabit "Mexizona," "Mexichusetts" and other states of becoming. Hanson writes wistfully about his own growing up in the Central Valley when he was one of a handful of non-Hispanics in his elementary school and when his teachers saw it as their mission to give all students, Hispanic and "white" alike, a passport to the American Dream. He follows the fortunes of Hispanic friends he has known all his life--how they have succeeded in America and how they regard the immigration crisis. But if "Mexifornia" is emotionally generous at the strength and durability of the groups that have made California strong, it is also an indictment of the policies that got California into its present mess. But in the end, Hanson strongly believes that our traditions of assimilation, integration, and intermarriage may yet remedy a problem that the politicians and ideologues have allowed to get out of hand.
Chemistry of the cyclopentadienyl metal carbonyls

Abstract New compounds of the formula C 5 H 5 Co(CO)C 3 F 7 X (X = Br, Cl) can be prepared from sodium bromide or chloride and C 5 H 5 Co(CO)C 3 F 7 OClO 3 , the latter reagent being prepared in situ from C 5 H 5 Co(CO)C 3 F 7 I and AgClO 4 in benzene. A similar reaction with sodium cyanide or sodium thiocyanate did not give the monomeric cyanide or thiocyanate compounds: from the thiocyanate reaction a trimer [C 5 H 5 CoC 3 F 7 SCN] 3 was formed, and from the cyanide ion reaction the product obtained was a polymeric species [C 5 H 5 CoC 3 F 7 CN] x ( x ~4.5). The structures of these two species involve bridging CN and SCN groups. A dimeric halogen bridge species [C 5 H 5 CoC 3 F 7 I] 2 is also described; this material is interconvertible with C 5 H 5 Co(CO)C 3 F 7 I by the equilibrium: 2 C 5 H 5 Co(CO)C 3 F 7 I ⇄ 2 CO + (C 5 H 5 CoC 3 F 7 I) 2 Several ionic compounds containing perfluoropropyl groups are formed in reactions of C 5 H 5 Co(CO)C 3 F 7 I or [C 5 H 5 CoC 3 F 7 I] 2 and (C 4 H 9 ) 4 N + I − , KCN, or NH 4 + F − . These compounds contain anions of the general formula C 5 H 5 CoC 3 F 7 (X,Y) − [X,Y = I 2 , (CN) 2 , IF] and arise from displacement of a carbonyl or iodine bridge by the halide or cyanide anion.
Chapter 18 Computationally Assisted Protein Design

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the different aspects of a computationally assisted protein design. Protein design refers to the identiﬁcation of amino acid sequences that fold to predetermine structures. In some cases, structure itself may also be an element of design. De novo designed proteins have the potential to serve as novel therapeutics, catalysts, biomaterials, and molecular scaffolds. In addition, protein design tests the understanding of folding and structure–function relationships. The choice of the target structure is a key decision made during computational protein design (CPD). Most redesign efforts start with a high-resolution structure obtained through X-ray crystallography or solution nuclear magnetic resonance sometimes with modiﬁcations to reﬂect speciﬁc design goals. Two types of degrees of freedom that must be simultaneously optimized during CPD are the amino acid identities and their side chain conformations. The protein design algorithm DEZYMER has been used to introduce targeted mutations in thioredoxin, thereby evolving a tetrahedral tetrathiolate iron center. The designed protein, which forms a 1:1 monomeric complex with Fe(III), supports multiple cycles of oxidation and reduction.
Analysis of an electromagnetic tube placement device versus a self‐advancing nasal jejunal device for postpyloric feeding tube placement

BACKGROUND Initiation of enteral feeding is an important part of the best practice model for critically ill patients. Although nasogastric feeding is appropriate for the majority of patients requiring short-term nutrition support, certain patients benefit greatly from postpyloric feeding. OBJECTIVE To determine which of 2 specialized enteral tube systems achieved postpyloric placement on initial insertion attempt most efficiently. DESIGN Retrospective study comparing the Tiger 2 tube (T2T) and Cortrak Enteral Access System (C-EAS). SETTING Academic medical center, mixed intensive care unit (ICU). PATIENTS All patients admitted to the ICU between 2009 and 2013 who had either a C-EAS or T2T placed. MEASUREMENTS Success rate for postpyloric placement, congruency of real-time tube placement with x-ray confirmation for C-EAS, and complication rates. RESULTS Seventy-one T2T and 74 C-EAS patients were included. The T2T was postpyloric 62% (44/71) of attempted placements. C-EAS was postpyloric 43% (32/74) of attempted placements (P = 0.03). C-EAS tracings accurately reflected chest x-ray findings 83% and 82% for postpyloric and non-postpyloric insertion, respectively. During the entire study period, no adverse events were recorded. CONCLUSION Our institution evaluated 2 different systems designed to ensure postpyloric placement of a small bore feeding tube. No literature exists directly comparing the 2 systems. Our retrospective review, although limited, showed that the T2T was more effective at postpyloric placement on first attempt. Although 1 benefit of the C-EAS system may be real-time visualization, our practice showed this system to be user dependent, which likely led to less success with postpyloric placement. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2014;9:23–28. Published 2013 Society of Hospital Medicine
Urinary steroid profile during the puerperium

Abstract A study of the urinary steroid profile during puerperium has been undertaken in order to supplement the knowledge gained from our previous investigations of the urinary determinations of pregnanolone, pregnanediol, pregnanetriol, and total estrogens during pregnancy. Seventeen patients with normal and abnormal pregnancies were studied. The results obtained indicate that pregnanolone and pregnanetriol originate mainly from fetoplacental precursors and confirm the similar origin of pregnanediol and total estrogens. This investigation suggests that a puerperium study can also give additional information in regard to the kidney function of the mother and the presence or absence of a functional ovary of pregnancy.
Accurate Semantic Annotations via Pattern Matching

This paper addresses the problem of performing accurate semantic annotations in a large corpus. The task of creating a sense tagged corpus is different from the word sense disambiguation problem in that the semantic annotations have to be highly accurate, even if the price to be paid is lower coverage. While the state-of-the-art in word sense disambiguation does not exceed 70% precision, we want to find the means to perform semantic annotations with an accuracy close to 100%. We deal with this problem in the process of disambiguating the definitions in the WordNet dictionary. We propose in this paper a method that is able to tag words with high precision, using pattern extraction followed by pattern matching. This algorithm exploits the idiosyncratic nature of the corpus to be tagged, and achieves a precision of 99% with a coverage of 6%, measured on aW ordNet subset, respectively more than 12.5% coverage estimated for the entire WordNet.
Mechatronics and early mechanical design

This paper deals with the development of a set of studio projects for a sophomore level course that integrate mechanical and electrical systems. The paper discusses the types of projects that can be run, and how they are used to foster mechanical and electronic design. From an electronics perspective a simple and an inexpensive microcontroller is used. A variety of pre-designed modules are supplied to the students as well as code snippets to run these devices. The design challenges that are afforded to the student are included in the form of mechanical system design and implementation in our small scale machine shop located in the studio. A critical point to note is that the projects should not and cannot become projects in computer programming. The programming is considered ancillary to the objectives of the course; thus, the design, analysis, fabrication and actuation of a gripper is stressed more than the software to run the hardware.
SOME CHARACTERIZATIONS OF DESARGUESIAN TRANSLATION PLANES

In this note we consider finite translation planes with large translation complements. In particular, we characterize finite affine Desarguesian translation planes in two ways, according to the existence of subgroups in the translation complement that are divisible by relatively large integers, together with modest additional restrictions.
An integrated approach to characterize transcription factor and microRNA regulatory networks involved in Schwann cell response to peripheral nerve injury

The regenerative response of Schwann cells after peripheral nerve injury is a critical process directly related to the pathophysiology of a number of neurodegenerative diseases. This SC injury response is dependent on an intricate gene regulatory program coordinated by a number of transcription factors and microRNAs, but the interactions among them remain largely unknown. Uncovering the transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulatory networks governing the Schwann cell injury response is a key step towards a better understanding of Schwann cell biology and may help develop novel therapies for related diseases. Performing such comprehensive network analysis requires systematic bioinformatics methods to integrate multiple genomic datasets. In this study we present a computational pipeline to infer transcription factor and microRNA regulatory networks. Our approach combined mRNA and microRNA expression profiling data, ChIP-Seq data of transcription factors, and computational transcription factor and microRNA target prediction. Using mRNA and microRNA expression data collected in a Schwann cell injury model, we constructed a regulatory network and studied regulatory pathways involved in Schwann cell response to injury. Furthermore, we analyzed network motifs and obtained insights on cooperative regulation of transcription factors and microRNAs in Schwann cell injury recovery. This work demonstrates a systematic method for gene regulatory network inference that may be used to gain new information on gene regulation by transcription factors and microRNAs.
Molecular chaperone interactions with steroid receptors: an update.

In the 3 yr since William Pratt and David Toft published their comprehensive review of chaperone interactions with steroid receptors (1), progress has been made on several fronts that gives a better appreciation for the range of functions that chaperones serve in mediating steroid signaling. Steroid receptors remain the best characterized examples of an ever growing assortment of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins—diverse representatives from multiple signal transduction pathways—that rely on molecular chaperones for folding, stabilization, or functional modulation. Chaperone targets include multiple tyrosine and serine/threonine kinases (2), the arylhydrocarbon receptor (3–8), the heat shock transcription factor (9–11), common p53 mutants (Ref. 12 and references therein), nitric oxide synthase (13–15), and telomerase (16)—an impressive list of “hot topic” proteins. Often, investigators have restricted their interpretations of chaperone interactions as a simple reflection of folding insufficiency by the target protein. Supporting this view are two major facts: 1) chaperones generally function in overseeing protein folding processes and 2) it is commonly observed that the target signaling protein will fail to achieve its functional state and is more rapidly degraded by the proteolytic machinery when major chaperone interactions are disrupted. As with other targets, steroid receptors display functional instabilities when deprived of certain chaperones, and thus fit the mold of unstable protein target, but it is hoped that the reader will be convinced by recent findings that chaperone interactions with steroid receptors and, by extension, with unrelated signaling targets, serve a variety of functions that go beyond the simple explanation of folding insufficiency. ASSEMBLY OF STEROID RECEPTORCHAPERONE COMPLEXES: THE BASICS
Auger electron spectroscopy studies of GaAs and Si metal-semiconductor structures

The use of Auger electron spectroscopy (AES) combined with in situ sputter etching for revealing the metallurgy of the metal-semiconductor interface is presented. The physical basis, measurement techniques, and data interpretation for Auger analysis of thin-film structures are briefly reviewed. Results of a detailed study of an alloyed multilayered contact (Ni/Au-Ge) on n-type epitaxial GaAs are summarized to illustrate how electrical and metallurgical contact properties can be correlated using AES. In addition, the results of a study of the growth kinetics and chemical phase identification of palladium silicide on single-crystal Si is given, as well as the initial results of a study of aluminum-palladium silicide interaction at elevated temperature. (auth)
Spreading of a Water Drop Triggered by the Surface Tension Gradient Created by the Localized Addition of a Surfactant

The spreading of aqueous solutions of trisiloxane surfactants on solid surfaces has been studied extensively. Trisiloxane surfactants are used in pesticide delivery as adjuvants to promote spreading on leaves and provide a larger area for solute transfer. The spreading of a dew-drop on a leaf when a spray of pesticide is delivered is simulated by studying the spreading of a water drop on a hydrophobic surface when a small drop of aqueous trisiloxane surfactant is brought in contact with it. This study reveals many new features that differ from the spreading of an aqueous trisiloxane drop on a solid surface; the spreading of the substrate drop is characterized by an inertial rather than a viscous response, the imposed surface tension gradient dies out rapidly, and the spreading velocity is consistent with a balance of kinetic energy imparted to the substrate drop and the decrease in its surface energy.
Lignin for Reinforcing Rubber

Abstract Lignin, as made from the waste black liquor of the sulfate wood pulp process, is an effective reinforcing agent for synthetic or natural rubbers when incorporated into latex by the coprecipitation or master-batching procedure. GR-S, reinforced in this manner with 38.5 volumes of lignin, yields vulcanizates having a tensile strength of 2900 pounds per square inch and a tear resistance of 380 pounds per inch, values exceeded only with channel black. With 77 volumes loading the tensile strength of 2800 pounds per square inch and tear resistance of 550 pounds per inch are higher than those for any other pigment tested. In abrasion resistance lignin vulcanizates are between carbon blacks and the common inorganic fillers. Shore hardness values are close to those for channel black. Lignin-reinforced rubbers weigh appreciably less per unit volume, owing to the low specific gravity, 1.3, of lignin. The brown color of lignin permits a wide color range, without sacrifice of mechanical properties, by blendin...
On the Mechanism of Palladium-Catalyzed Aromatic C−H Oxidation

The mechanism of Pd-catalyzed aromatic C−H oxidation chemistry continues to be vigorously discussed. Historically, Pd(II)/Pd(IV) catalysis cycles have been proposed. Herein, we present a detailed study of Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed aromatic C−H chlorination and propose dinuclear Pd(III) complexes as intermediates. We have identified a succinate-bridged dinuclear Pd(II) complex, which self-assembles during catalysis, as the catalyst resting state. In situ monitoring of catalysis has revealed that chlorination proceeds with turnover-limiting oxidation of a dinuclear resting state, and that acetate ions, liberated during the formation of the catalyst resting state, catalyze the bimetallic oxidation. Informed by reaction kinetics analysis, relevant dinuclear Pd(III) complexes have been prepared and observed to undergo selective C−Cl reductive elimination. Based on the combination of kinetic data obtained during catalysis and explicit structural information of relevant intermediates, we propose a Pd(II)2/Pd(III)2 cata...
Drop Size Distribution and Air Velocity Measurements in Air Assist Swirl Atomizer Sprays

Detailed measurements of mean drop size (SMD) and size distribution parameters have been made using a Fraunhofer diffraction particle sizing instrument in a series of sprays generated by an air assist swirl atomizer. Thirty-six different combinations of fuel and air mass flow rates were examined with liquid flow rates up to 14 lbm/hr and atomizing air flow rates up to 10 lbm/hr. Linear relationships were found between SMD and liquid to air mass flow rate ratios. SMD increased with distance downstream along the center line and also with radial distance from the axis. Increase in obscuration with distance downstream was due to an increase in number density of particles as the result of deceleration of drops and an increase in the exposed path length of the laser beam. Velocity components of the atomizing air flow field measured by a laser anemometer show swirling jet air flow fields with solid body rotation in the core and free vortex flow in the outer regions.
Managing dirty data in organizations using ERP: lessons from a case study

The integrity of the data used to operate and make decisions about a business affects the relative efficiency of operations and quality of decisions made. Protecting that integrity can be difficult and becomes more difficult as the size and complexity of the business and its systems increase. Recovering data integrity may be impossible once it is compromised. Stewards of transactional and planning systems must therefore employ a combination of procedures including systematic safeguards and user‐training programs to counteract and prevent dirty data in those systems. Users of transactional and planning systems must understand the origins and effects of dirty data and the importance of and means of guarding against it. This requires a shared understanding within the context of the business of the meaning, uses, and value of data across functional entities. In this paper, we discuss issues related to the origin of dirty data, associated problems and costs of using dirty data in an organization, the process of dealing with dirty data in a migration to a new system: enterprise resource planning (ERP), and the benefits of an ERP in managing dirty data. These issues are explored in the paper using a case study.
Insulator-metal transitions in random lattices containing symmetrical defects.

We show in this paper, within the context of a tight-binding model, that when defects spanning more than one lattice size contain a plane of symmetry, the standard tendency of disorder to localize electronic states can be suppressed at certain energies in the band. A general transfer-matrix approach is used to show exactly that when such defects are sprinkled at random on a linear chain, \ensuremath{\surd}N (N is the number of states) of the electronic states will remain unscattered by the disorder regardless of the concentration of the defects. The location in the energy band of the unscattered states is determined by the unit transmission condition for a single defect. The delocalization-localization transition recently reported in a series of one-dimensional models, such as the random-dimer model, is shown to result from the general condition of symmetric internal structure. We demonstrate that the continuum limit of these models is simply a collection of randomly placed square barriers (or wells) on a line and show that regardless of the distribution of separations between the barriers, \ensuremath{\surd}N of the electronic states in the vicinity of the zero-reflectance condition will necessarily be extended.
Unusual presentation of Hodgkin disease—Painful hip

Abstract A 12-year-old girl presented with spontaneous onset of left hip pain. By plain radiographs and CT, she was found to have a femoral bone lytic lesion with peripheral sclerosis, adjacent to the physis of the left greater trochanter and no soft tissue mass. The differential diagnosis included osteomyelitis with abscess, eosinophilic granuloma, osteoid osteoma, osteoblastoma, or malignancy. Curettage of the lesion was pathologically characteristic of Hodgkin disease. A subsequent chest radiograph and CT unveiled an anterior mediastinal mass and multiple enlarged mediastinal lymph nodes. The patient is free of disease 7 years after receiving treatment with chemotherapy. Hodgkin disease should be considered in the differential diagnosis of symptomatic bone lesions. Prompt diagnosis will improve the management and effectiveness of therapy.
Amusing ourselves to life

In this article I feel compelled to pay tribute to one of mymentors, Neil Postman, who passed away in October 2003. As astudent of and believer in much of Postmans philosophy, it is mydesire to help carry his legacy through my work and strive tocreate ways in which to amuse ourselves to life.
Tumor-associated antigen from a human breast tumor cell line.

Abstract Membrane-bound antigens were solubilized and purified from the continuously growing human mammary adenocarinoma cell line SW527. Two distinct breast tumor-associated antigens (BTA-1 and BTA-2) were obtained, as well as purified HLA antigens. The molecular weights of BTA-1 and BTA-2 were estimated at 112,000 and 65,000, respectively, by analytical polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The two mitogens also differed in carbohydrate content and hexose/pentose ratio. Antibodies to these antigens, raised in rabbits, were shown to be directed against SW527 surface markers by an immune adherence hemagglutination assay. Purified BTA-1 and BTA-2 reacted with rabbit antibodies to SW527 and with antibodies to a tumor-associated antigen previously isolated from tumor tissue freshly obtained from a patient with mammary adenocarcinoma, but did not react with anti- β 2 -microglobulin. By indirect immunofluorescence assay, SW527 surface markers were shown to be recognized by antibodies in the serum of a patient with mammary adenocarcinoma; this reactivity was blocked by treatment of the serum with the tumor-associated antigen purified from fresh tissue. These results indicate that the antigens isolated from tumor cells in tissue culture and directly from human tumor tissue have common immunological properties.
TH-A-116-04: A Universal Predictive DVH Modeling Toolkit

Purpose: The goal of this work was to develop an efficient DICOM‐based tool to create predictive DVH (pDVH) models for treatment plan automation and knowledge‐based IMRT quality control (QC) independent of treatment planning system (TPS). Methods: The tool was implemented in MATLAB. RT dose and structure files exported from different TPSs including Eclipse, Pinnacle, and Tomotherapy were used as the input to the pDVH DICOM tool. pDVH models based on the correlation of expected dose to the distance from a voxel to the PTV surface in a cohort of patients were created for multiple treatment sites (intact prostate, prostate bed, head‐and‐neck, endometrial, cervical). To accelerate the computation of a distance vector field for efficient model building, multiple techniques were employed including GPUs acceleration and parallel computation using multiple CPU cores. The tool has a full GUI and can also run in batch mode with minimal user interaction. It automatically identifies outliers for treatment plan quality control and pDVH model refinement. Identified outliers can be replanned and reimported to refine the accuracy of the DVH prediction. Results: The inclusion of GPUs reduces computation time by 200 times, requiring <1 second to compute an OAR vector field and only a few seconds to build a pDVH model. The pDVH DICOM tool has been used by multiple institutions and pDVH models for intact prostate and cervical cancer were created in less than one hour without GPU acceleration. Conclusion: We developed a universal DICOM‐based tool that provides clinicians a novel and highly efficient plan quality control mechanism by predicting OAR DVHs based on local institutional best practices. This technology can be used to asses inter‐institutional and inter‐TPS plan quality based on aggregate clinical data instead of contrived benchmark planning sets. Supported by a research agreement with Varian Medical Systems.
The Cloud of Unknowing

The author presents a case of self-organizing daimonic mythopoiesis. The spiritual tourist, entheogenic experimenter, and the painter enfold a matrix of inter-developed "sorties" into the allotropic differentials of the autopoietic process. Fieldwork in Mandi, Himashal Pradesh, India provides an introduction to the virtualities of the peripersonal as it manifests in a "darshan" or self-showing of the goddess where the velocity of the psychopomp's body approaches pure phase-space. The immersive space of the peripersonal is further revealed in the author's absorption within the wire-frame virtualities of currently available three-dimensional modeling programs. Parallel work is conducted through experimentation with Animita muscaria , a traditional entheogen revered in various cultures. Possibly the ancient Soma of the Vedic scriptures, the mushroom provides occasion for somatic dissociation within which phenomenological data is gathered. Use is made of the phenomenological method of introspection, which more literally becomes a driving inward of the homuncular eye along a trajectory of the cine-somatic gaze through an introjected, intra-corporeal immersive scene. In the conclusion, this ancient "gaze of the clinic" is deemed useful to current research, as corporeality and the politics of peripersonal space enter new technological and juridical frames of reference in relation to agency, identity, and the state.
Integrating sustainability into business curricula: University of New Hampshire case study

Purpose – This paper aims to demonstrate how sustainable development education can be implemented at business schools, despite institutional barriers, through innovative and collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders. Businesses are beginning to accept their social responsibility through proactive approaches to maximizing their net social contribution, embracing opportunities and managing risks resulting from their economic, environmental and social impacts. Yet, many business schools are lagging in integration of sustainability into their curriculum, and as a result are not adequately educating future business leaders. Design/methodology/approach – This case study presents the challenges in developing and implementing sustainability education, as well as analyzes the various underlying drivers of these barriers. The paper provides a detailed description of some of the ways one business school has overcome these barriers, and provides generalizable insights that can help other bus...
THE SCOPE OF PERSONALITY PSYCHOLOGY REFERENCES IN THE ANNUAL REVIEW, 1950-1975

In this study are presented the results of an investigation of the scope of personality psychology as indicated by the contributions in the Annual Review of Psychology from 1950 to 1975 inclusive. ...
Lesions in the nuo operon, encoding NADH dehydrogenase complex I, prevent PurF-independent thiamine synthesis and reduce flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway in Salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium.

ABSTRACT In Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, PurF-independent thiamine synthesis (or alternative pyrimidine biosynthesis) allows strains, under some growth conditions, to synthesize thiamine in the absence of the first step in the purine biosynthetic pathway. Mutations have been isolated in a number of loci that prevent this synthesis and thus result in an Apb−phenotype. Here we identify a new class of mutations that prevent PurF-independent thiamine synthesis and show that they are defective in the nuo genes, which encode the major, energy-generating NADH dehydrogenase of the cell. Data presented here indicated that anuo mutant has reduced flux through the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway that may contribute to, but is not sufficient to cause, the observed thiamine requirement. We suggest that reduction of the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway capacity in a nuomutant is an attempt to restore the ratio between reduced and oxidized pyridine nucleotide pools.
Application of the rheology of monodisperse and polydisperse polystyrenes to the analysis of injection molding behavior

Monodisperse and polydisperse polystyrenes of equal weight average molecular weight (Mw) are evaluated for melt flow behavior in an Instron capillary rheometer and for injection molding behavior in a 12 ounce in-line reciprocationg screw injection molding machine. The influence of molecular weight distribution on the shape of the flow curves is deconstrated over a wide range of shear rate and temperature. The influence is also reflected in injection molding behavior as defined by pressure to fill or flash the mold at a given melt temperature. Studies of capillary rheometer data for correlation with injection moling beghavior indicate poor agreement when low shear rate viscosity data are used. Good agrement is foun using high shear rate viscosity data in the range 103 to 104 sec−1 Striking crossover points on melt rheology and injection colding area diagram curvs are found with the monodisperse and polydisperse polystyrenes of the same M These crossovers shift with melt temperature and make possible the determination of a “controlling shear rate” for the injection molding process. This is found to be 3500 sec−1 for short shot and 6200 sec−1 for flash with the ASTM test specimen mold used in this study.
Protein Nanoparticles for Intracellular Delivery of Therapeutic Enzymes

The use of enzymes as therapeutics is very promising because of their catalytic activity and specificity. However, intracellular delivery of active enzymes is challenging due to their low stability and large size. The production of protein-enzyme nanoparticles was investigated with the goal of developing a protein carrier for active enzyme delivery. β-Galactosidase (β-gal), an enzyme whose deficiency is the cause of some lysosomal storage disorders, was incorporated into enhanced green fluorescent protein nanoparticles prepared via desolvation. Particle size was found to be sensitive to the type of cross-linker, cross-linking time, and the presence of imidazole. The results indicate that β-gal activity is highly retained (>70%) after particle fabrication and >85% of protein is incorporated in the particles. Protein-enzyme nanoparticles exhibited higher internalization in multiple cell lines in vitro, compared with the soluble enzyme. Importantly, β-gal retained its activity following intracellular delivery. These data demonstrate that protein nanoparticles are a biocompatible, high-efficiency alternative for intracellular delivery of active enzyme therapeutics.
Enhancing the Development and Approval of Acute Stroke Therapies. Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable

Background— Previous Stroke Therapy Academic Industry Roundtable (STAIR) meetings focused on preclinical evidence of drug efficacy and enhancing acute stroke trial design and performance. A fourth (STAIR-IV) was held to discuss relevant issues related to acute stroke drug development and regulatory approval. Summary of Review— The STAIR-IV meeting had 3 main focus areas. The first topic was novel approaches to statistical design of acute stroke trials and appropriate outcome measures. The second focus was the need for better cooperation among participants in stroke therapy development that may be addressed through a national consortium of stroke trial centers in the United States and elsewhere. Lastly, regulatory issues related to the approval of novel mono and multiple acute stroke therapies were discussed. Conclusions— The development of additional acute stroke therapies represents a large unmet need with many remaining challenges and also opportunities to incorporate novel approaches to clinical trial design that will lead to regulatory approval. The STAIR-IV meeting explored new concepts of trial methodology and data analysis, initiatives for implementing a US clinical trialist consortium, and pertinent regulatory issues to expedite approval of novel therapies.
User evaluation of differential compression for motion imagery

Motion imagery will play a critical role in future combat operations. The ability to provide a real time, dynamic view of the battlefield, as well as the capability to maintain persistent surveillance, together make motion imagery a valuable source of information for the soldier. Acquisition and exploitation of this rich source of information, however, depends on available communications bandwidth to transmit the necessary information to users. Methods for reducing bandwidth requirements include a variety of image compression and frame decimation techniques. This study explores spatially differential compression in which targets in the clips are losslessly compressed, while the background regions are highly compressed. This study evaluates the ability of users to perform standard target detection and identification tasks on the compressed product, compared to performance on uncompressed imagery or imagery compressed by other methods. The paper concludes with recommendations for future investigations.
A statistical model for identifying proteins by tandem mass spectrometry.

A statistical model is presented for computing probabilities that proteins are present in a sample on the basis of peptides assigned to tandem mass (MS/MS) spectra acquired from a proteolytic digest of the sample. Peptides that correspond to more than a single protein in the sequence database are apportioned among all corresponding proteins, and a minimal protein list sufficient to account for the observed peptide assignments is derived using the expectation−maximization algorithm. Using peptide assignments to spectra generated from a sample of 18 purified proteins, as well as complex H. influenzae and Halobacterium samples, the model is shown to produce probabilities that are accurate and have high power to discriminate correct from incorrect protein identifications. This method allows filtering of large-scale proteomics data sets with predictable sensitivity and false positive identification error rates. Fast, consistent, and transparent, it provides a standard for publishing large-scale protein identif...
Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules, by Alexander McPherson. 1999. Cold Spring Harbor, New York: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press. Hardcover, 586 pp. $97

“Crystallization, as applied to proteins, was long held in high esteem, but hardly considered science.” I quote from the preface to Alexander McPherson's new survey of the field, Crystallization of Biological Macromolecules. Years ago, McPherson's previous monograph (Preparation and Analysis of Protein Crystals, 1982, Wiley) introduced me to the subject. The growth of knowledge about protein crystallization in the past 17 years is vividly illustrated by comparison of the two books. The slim old volume contained a single chapter on experimental procedures for protein crystallization. In contrast, the 1999 book has three chapters on experimental issues, plus several chapters that review the emerging understanding of the physical chemistry of macromolecular crystallization.
Photon-Emission From Peeling Pressure Sensitive Adhesives

When materials are deformed and fractured, new surfaces are formed which may contain charge concentrations, defects, and broken bonds. The consequences of such departures from non-equilibrium can be the emission of particles (electrons, ions, and neutral species) as well as photons (triboluminescence). Collectively, we refer to these emissions as fracto-emission. In the case of peeling pressure sensitive adhesives from various substrates, charge separation plays a dominant role in producing relatively intense photon-emission as well as other emissions. Here we report on a few of the properties of the photon emission from peeling commercial adhesive tapes and address in particular the time, spectral, and spatial domains.
Global mindset, global success at Tata Consultancy Services

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to exemplify how Mr Surya Kant, President of North American, UK and European Operations in Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), leads and grows a complex global company by adopting and operationalizing a global mindset.Design/methodology/approach – This paper applies a social constructionist interview method, which focuses upon the reflectivity of the research in critically constructing meaning from qualitative data collected through personal interviews. The paper links information gleaned from a semi‐structured interview with Mr Kant to a theoretical discussion of the construct of global mindset. In so doing, it demonstrates the paradox of complexity in global leadership and illustrates the applicability of theory in global leadership practice.Findings – This paper aids in making the case for the application of an inductive qualitative methodology by showing that inductive approaches to business research have, as their base, the lived experiences of people operating in ...
Omega-6 fatty acids and cardiovascular disease: friend, not foe?

The once-settled roles of all dietary fatty acid classes vis-a-vis coronary heart disease (CHD) seem to be under fire these days. For decades it had been received wisdom that "saturated fats are bad," and that margarines should replace butter to reduce risk for heart attacks. But a recent Time magazine cover that screamed, "EAT BUTTER" illustrates this changing perspective1. Olive oil, the poster child of the "Mediterranean Diet" and a rich source of oleic acid, has long been nearly worshiped as cardioprotective, but recent meta-analyses2 and animal feeding studies3 are challenging this view. Similarly, the marine-derived omega-3 fatty acids, which have historically found a place among the "healthiest" of all dietary fats have fallen on hard times based on the null findings in several recent randomized trials4, and now linoleic acid (LA), the principal vegetable-oil derived omega-6 fatty acid - once taken as a medicine by the tablespoon to lower cholesterol - is now being accused of causing, not preventing heart disease5. The only class that seems to be holding its own is the industrially-produced trans fats which, although clearly promoting CHD, are also slowly disappearing from the American diet6. Understandably, the American public is becoming jaded when it comes to official proclamations of what constitutes a "healthy fat."
Knowledge exchange: a destination perspective.

Abstract A number of tourism researchers have suggested that despite the proliferation of tourism research (there are now over 100 tourism journals) the exchange of knowledge from academic research to practical application in the tourism industry is poor. The argument made is that academic research seldom influences the real world of practice, and that for knowledge transfer to assist destinations for example, a paradigm shift is required. This regional spotlight will take a look at the challenges of knowledge transfer in tourism, and focus on a unique tourism research center in South Carolina, where private and public sectors have joined together in an effort to support applied and commercially relevant research in order to improve the competitiveness of the state as a tourism destination.
Silicon-Based Epitaxial Films for Mems

The objective of this work was to develop an improved wet etch-stop technology for silicon micromachining. To establish a reference for process improvement, the diffusion process currently used to fabricate p ++ Si:B etch stops was comprehensively investigated. Subsequently, a novel germanium- based epitaxial etch-stop technology was developed. A range of techniques were used to study p ++ silicon layers created by boron diffusion into (001) silicon wafers. The results revealed gradients in boron and lattice constant, as well as a graded three- dimensional dislocation array from lattice-mismatch stress. The gradients in boron concentration and dislocation density can lead to curl in micromachined structures. Although annealing steps can remove the boron gradient, a flat membrane will be a tenuous balance. Epitaxial films of p ++ Si:B and strain-compensated p ++ Si 1-x Ge x :B can remove composition gradients and improve process control. However, it is undesirable to depend on p -type layers doped at levels near the solubility limit to prevent etching. We have therefore developed a unique etch stop created from relaxed SiGe alloys. Etch-stop behavior quite similar to heavily boron-doped silicon has been demonstrated in undoped silicon-germanium. Neither strain nor defects are responsible for the etch-stop behavior. A model is proposed based on energy band structure and a SiO x passivation mechanism.
Fatty acid desaturase specificity in tetrahymena

The ciliate,Tetrahymena, was provided a supplement of the fatty acid [1-14C] 18∶2Δ6,9. After a period of growth the cells were claimed, the lipids extracted, the polar lipids recovered and the mild alkali-labile fatty acid methyl esters generated. The fatty acids were resolved by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), the 18∶3Δ6,9,12 (γ-linolenic acid) was recovered and its identity verified by high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC), gas liquid chromatography (GLC), hydrogenation and oxidation. Fifty-three percent of the cell-associated label was found in γ-linolenic acid; thus, a Δ12 fatty acid desaturase converts the 6,9 octadecadienoic acid to the 6,9,12 derivative. No carboxyl or methyl terminus restriction appears on Δ9 monoenoic or dienoic fatty acid desaturation in this cell as is found in higher plants and animals.
Constructing Regressions with Controlled Features: A Method of Probing Regression Performance

Abstract Studies of robust regression algorithms have generally relied on Monte Carlo trials and have concentrated on evaluating the algorithm's performance for long-tailed error distributions. This article identifies other aspects of data structure that can influence the performance of robust regression procedures and presents an algorithm for constructing regression problems in which each of these factors can be controlled separately. The method generalizes to multiple regression the sensitivity function introduced by Tukey. We illustrate the method on M-estimate regressions computed by the publicly available package, ROSEPACK. This experiment confirms the importance of controlling the structure of the predictors and helps to account for anomalous results reported in several published studies.
Determination of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in air particulate samples

Abstract The use of dichloromethane extraction and sonication to extract polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) from air particulate samples was investigated. High-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet and fluorescence detection was used to quantify 12 PAH. The use of dichloromethane was found to quantitatively extract PAH from air particulate filters. Reproducible and quantifiable HPLC chromatograms were obtained if the dichloromethane extraction solvent was replaced by acetonitrile and all traces of dichloromethane were removed before analysis.