cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A fuzzy scheme with application to expert classification systems for computing the degree of match between a rule and an assertion

We propose a fuzzy scheme for the computation of the degree of match between the antecedent part of a production rule in a rule base and an assertion stored in working memory when imprecise and precise propositions are mixed freely. In order to estimate to what extent the antecedent part X is A is matched against an assertion X is A*. a value between -1 and + 1 is computed from the truth relationship between A and A*. The proposed scheme is computationally efficient and can be applied consistently for all combinations of precise and imprecise propositions. Furthermore, the scheme allows estimates of imprecision to be combined with certainty factors. The scheme consequently seems especially useful for application in expert classification systems.
Development of a Intercity Mode Choice Models for New Aviation Technologies

A family of nested logit random utility models was developed to study intercity mode choice behavior in the United States. The models were calibrated using a nationwide revealed preference survey (1995 American Travel Survey) and two stated preference surveys conducted by Virginia Tech at selected airports in the U.S. The focus of this paper is on the ability of the models to estimate market share for the new category of Very Light Jet aircraft used in on-demand air taxi services. Analysis was performed to compare the stated preference surveys and the American Travel Survey within the same random utility framework. The main explanatory variables in the utility functions are travel time and travel cost stratified by household income. The model has been integrated into a large-scale computer software travel demand framework called the Transportation Systems Analysis Model to estimate nationwide intercity travel demand flow between 3,091 counties in the U.S., 443 commercial service airports and more than 3,000 general aviation airports in the U.S. A pared down version of the model will be integrated into the National Strategy Simulator that the FAA uses for strategic level planning the aviation system.
Baroreflex function during 45-degree passive head-up tilt before and after long-term thiazide therapy in the elderly with systolic systemic hypertension.

The ratio of the 30th to the 15th cardiac cycle duration on an electrocardiogram (30:15 ratio) immediately after active standing from the supine position has been used as one of the markers of baroreflex function. A ratio of 160 mm Hg, diastolic BP of < 90 mm Hg) to assess their baroreflex function. Upon tilting, their systolic BP decreased from 190 +/- 5.5 to 179 +/- 5.8 mm Hg (p < 0.05) and their 30:15 ratio was 0.985 +/- 0.011.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Numerical solution of eigentuple-eigenvector problems in Hilbert spaces by a gradient method

A gradient technique previously developed for computing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the general eigenproblemAx=?Bx is generalized to the eigentuple-eigenvector problem $$Ax = \sum\limits_{i = 1}^p {\lambda _i B_i x} $$ . Among the applications of the latter are (1) the determination of complex (?,x) forAx=?Bx using only real arithmetic, (2) a 2-parameter Sturm-Liouville equation and (3) ?-matrices. The use of complex arithmetic in the gradient method is also discussed. Computational results are presented.
An Afrocentric Approach to Building Cultural Relevance in Social Work Research

Social work researchers who identify and define social problems run the risk of leaving their social fingerprints on such problems, as well as their favored solutions to them. As a result, the direction of the research agenda is driven by the focus of the research problem formulation, instead of the cultural relevance. The purpose of this article is to offer guiding principles for integrating cultural relevance into the social work research process. The authors offer definitions of cultural relevance, a rationale for using cultural relevance in social work research, a framework for constructing cultural relevance in the process of research problem formulation, and an example of how this framework applies within the context of HIV prevention education in the African American community.
New Significance for an Old Method: CAS Theory and Ethnography

This paper presents a new significance for an old method by describing the theory-method fit between complex adaptive systems (CAS) theory and ethnography. Using an example from an ethnographic study of intergroup conflict in joint product development, this paper supports the argument that doing ethnography is necessary to find and analyze empirical evidence for what CAS theory illuminates about the social world. I extend this argument by discussing its importance for communication research. A key question for communication researchers is how system-level events in complex social systems are grounded in and produced by local interactions among individuals. This paper describes and illustrates some important insights that researchers can gain into this question by paying attention to the parallels between CAS theory and ethnography in the investigations of complex communicative phenomena.
Minimally Invasive Axillary– Coronary Artery Bypass

Axillary artery-to-coronary artery bypass using reversed saphenous vein provides a simple method of applying the minimally invasive coronary bypass grafting procedure when the internal thoracic artery is not an adequate conduit. Although this may allow extended use of the minimally invasive coronary bypass procedure, the long-term patency of this technique is unknown.
The location and periodicity of a troponin-T-like protein in the myofibril of the horseshoe crab Limulus polyphemus☆

Abstract Localization studies show that a 59,000 Mr, protein from Limulus muscle, thought to be a troponin-T-like protein, is associated with thin filaments. Immunoelectron microscopy indicates that its periodicity on thin filaments is 380 to 390 A, a distribution characteristic of proteins comprising the troponin complex.
Simultaneous recording of the spectral, temporal, and polarization properties of emission spectra

We describe a system that records simultaneously the temporal profile of both linear polarization components of all wavelengths in an emission spectrum. Our excitation source is the vacuum ultraviolet storage ring of the National Synchrotron Light Source at Brookhaven National Laboratory, which provides a continuous spectrum of ultraviolet, visible and near-infrared light consisting of approximately equals 1 ns FWHM pulses at a repetition rage of approximately equals 50 MHz, and with identical temporal profiles at all wavelengths, although any source with similar temporal properties could be used. A single excitation band is selected by a monochromator and linearly polarized before reaching the sample. Fluorescence can be monitored either along an axis perpendicular to the excitation beam, or at near normal incidence. A polarizer divides the fluorescence into components with polarizations parallel and perpendicular to the polarization of the incident beam. The emission spectrum is dispersed by an imaging spectrograph, and detected with a resistive-anode imaging photomultiplier operated in a single photon counting mode. The time of arrival of a photon is derived from signals originating in the micro-channel plates that function as the `dynodes' of the photomultiplier, while the location of the centroid of the electron cascade on the anode of the detector indicates both the wavelength and polarization of the detected photon. Simultaneous acquisition of the time-resolved emission spectra for both polarization components is more efficient than conventional approaches and reduces the complications in data analysis that can arise when the properties of a sample change during the time when sequential data-sets are collected.
Ethanol directly increases dihydrotestosterone conversion primarily to 5α-androstan-3β, 17β-diol in rat Leydig cells

Our studies demonstrate that direct stimulation of dihydrotestosterone metabolism by ethanol (2.2 - 65 mM) in rat Leydig cells primarily involves an increase in 5 alpha-androstan-3 beta, 17 beta-diol. Although the enzyme catalyzing this conversion, 5 alpha-androstane-3 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase, is localized in the microsomal fraction of Leydig cells, ethanol does not increase 5 alpha-androstan-3 beta, 17 beta-diol formation in isolated microsomes, presumably because of the removal of soluble alcohol dehydrogenase activity, which we propose mediates this action. Because 5 alpha-androstan-3 beta, 17 beta-diol is generally considered a weak or inactive androgen, this effect may function to decrease dihydrotestosterone secretion by Leydig cells and/or to reduce the availability of this androgen in responsive tissues.
Contrasting Effects of Plant Richness and Composition on Insect Communities: A Field Experiment

Abstract: We experimentally separated the effects of two components of plant diversity—plant species richness and plant functional group richness—on insect communities. Plant species richness and plant functional group richness had contrasting effects on insect abundances, a result we attributed to three factors. First, lower insect abundances at higher plant functional group richness were explained by a sampling effect, which was caused by the increasing likelihood that one low‐quality group, C4 grasses, would be present and reduce average insect abundances by 25%. Second, plant biomass, which was positively related to plant functional group richness, had a strong, positive effect on insect abundances. Third, a positive effect of plant species richness on insect abundances may have been caused by greater availability of alternate plant resources or greater vegetational structure. In addition, a greater diversity of insect species, whose individual abundances were often unaffected by changes in plant spec...
Spanning the Length Scales of Biomolecular Simulation

Abstract The first model of the cooperative DNA binding of two important regulatory proteins, CAP and lac repressor, seamlessly unites atomistic and continuum descriptions of biomolecules and suggests variable DNA loop winding in response to protein binding.
The Southern Square in the Baltic Pearl: Chinese ambition and “European” architecture in St. Petersburg, Russia

The Baltic Pearl is a 205-hectare development project underway southwest of St. Petersburg, Russia, originally financed and designed by a consortium of firms from Shanghai, China. This paper analyzes the discourse surrounding the development of one section of the Baltic Pearl, the commercial multiplex Southern Square, particularly the use of the term “European” as used to signal the project's intended cultural orientation and to exert control over the interaction between Russian planners and Chinese developers. In the negotiation over the form of the multiplex, control over architectural style emerges as leverage for preservation of cultural norms and local autonomy. In further analysis, the situation emerges as an example of Sassen's [(2008) Territory, Authority, Rights. From Medieval to Global Assemblages. Princeton: Princeton University Press] shifting assemblages, that is, a reassembling of global influences in a space invoked as national as well as local.
Rhythmical bimanual force production: homologous and non-homologous muscles

The experiment was designed to determine participants’ ability to coordinate a bimanual multifrequency pattern of isometric forces using homologous or non-homologous muscles. Lissajous feedback was provided to reduce perceptual and attentional constraints. The primary purpose was to determine whether the activation of homologous and non-homologous muscles resulted in different patterns of distortions in the left limb forces that are related to the forces produced by the right limb. The task was to rhythmically produce a 1:2 pattern of isometric forces by exerting isometric forces on the left side force transducer with the left arm that was coordinated with the pattern of isometric forces produced on the right side force transducer with the right arm. The results indicated that participants were able to ‘tune-in’ a 1:2 coordination patterns using homologous (triceps muscles of the left and right limbs) and using non-homologous muscles (biceps left limb and triceps right limb) when provided Lissajous feedback. However, distinct but consistent and identifiable distortions in the left limb force traces were observed for both the homologous and non-homologous tasks. For the homologous task, the interference occurred in the left limb when the right limb was initiating and releasing force. For the non-homologous task, the interference in the left limb force occurred only when the right limb was releasing force. In both conditions, the interference appeared to continue from the point of force initiation and/or release to peak force velocity. The overall results are consistent with the notion that neural crosstalk manifests differently during the coordination of the limbs depending upon whether homologous or non-homologous muscles are activated.
Environmental Supply‐Chain Management in the Computer Industry:A Transaction Cost Economics Perspective

Summary Our article uses the theory of transaction cost economics as a conceptual basis for examining the contracting mechanisms by which firms in the computer industry structure programs to encourage their suppliers to improve their environmental management systems and/or the environmental quality of their products. We explore the economic transactions hazards associated with asking suppliers to invest in the specialized technologies required to improve environmental performance of products and management practices and the relational contracting mechanisms computer industry firms are using to protect themselves against these hazards. We also describe the importance the managers we interviewed attributed to various transactions hazards and their perceptions of how well their firms were coping with them. We conclude by discussing questions for future research. By using TCE to frame our analysis of how computer manufacturers are structuring their relationships with their suppliers in the environmental area, we hope to show how social science theory can be used to enrich and increase the practicality of the work done by engineers and others in the mainstream areas of the industrial ecology field.
Mechanisms of brain injury: L1 cell adhesion molecule as a target for ethanol-induced prenatal brain injury

The magnitude of the problem of neurodevelopmental disorders is enormous. Frequently, the mechanism of injury is unknown. In this article, the function of one cell adhesion molecule, L1, will be reviewed. L1 is critical for proper central nervous system development. Similarities between patients with fetal alcohol syndrome and with l1 mutations suggest that the mechanism of developmental neurotoxicity of ethanol is partly due to effects on L1 cell adhesion molecule.
Impact of mother interactive style on infant affect among babies exposed to alcohol in utero

This study examined the ability of infants prenatally exposed to alcohol to regulate their affect during and after a stressor. Specifically, the Still-Face Paradigm (Tronick, Als, Adamson, Wise, ' Brazelton, 1978) was used as a stress induction paradigm to assess both mother-infant interaction and infant self-regulation. In addition to the mothers' interactive style, the effect of mothers' drinking during and after pregnancy on the infant was explored. Participants were 76 six-month-old infants and their mothers. Infant affect and maternal interaction style was coded second-by-second for the 6 min of the Still-Face Paradigm. Results indicated that infants whose mothers made fewer attempts at engaging them during the play portion of the still-face (e.g., either watched their infant or paid minimal attention to their infant) showed greater negative affect in contrast to infants whose mothers played in an interactive manner. A gender effect was found among female infants. That is, female infants whose mothers drank more during pregnancy showed greater negative affect. The study demonstrates the possibility of early identification of negativity in infants with prenatal alcohol exposure. The impact of mother-child relationship on emotional regulation of infants prenatally alcohol exposed may be a target of future intervention and further study.
A new in vitro system for activating the cell cycle checkpoint

In response to DNA damage, cells launch elegant networks of genome surveillance mechanisms, called cell cycle checkpoints, to detect and repair damaged DNA to maintain the genome stability. Key components of cell cycle checkpoints are two PI3K-related protein kinases (PIKK), ATR and ATM, which participate in both sensing the DNA damage and transducing the damage signal through phosphorylating two target protein kinases, Chk1 and Chk2, respectively. However, how exactly cell cycle checkpoints are activated, maintained, and terminated are not completely understood. Given the complexity of the cell cycle checkpoint signaling and the cellular environment, systems that can faithfully mimic the cell cycle checkpoint activation in vitro, such as the Xenopus egg extracts, are of extreme value in dissecting the precise molecular mechanisms underlying DNA damage response. Here we describe that the well-established in vitro transcription and translation (IVTNT) system has the capability to induce protein phosphorylation of substrates for ATR or ATM, including Chk1, Rad17, and ATM itself. These phosphorylation events highly mimic those occurring in cells when treated with DNA damaging agents. Our results demonstrate that the IVTNT system could be developed into a novel in vitro system to facilitating the dissecting of mechanisms leading to cell cycle checkpoint activation in vivo.
Simplex guided extremum seeking control for real-time optimization

This paper presents a novel approach to improve the global performance of extremum seeking control to optimize static target functions. This algorithm adopts the traditional extremum seeking control to find local extrema, and a direct search algorithm to search for the global extremum. The two methods are employed in an iterative switching manner. Theoretical analysis shows that under the proposed method, the state of the system converges to a known neighborhood of the optimal value measured during the run-time of the algorithm. Simulations and experiments demonstrate that this algorithm outperforms extremum seeking control or direct search algorithms for target functions with multiple extrema.
Induction of multiciliated cells from induced pluripotent stem cells

The differentiation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to mature cell types—and ultimately to functional tissues and organs—holds great promise for personalized disease modeling, drug screening, and the development of cell-based therapies (1). Since Shinya Yamanaka described this Nobel Prize winning technology in 2006, there have been a number of advances in the field, especially in the differentiation of neural, cardiac and hepatic cell types (1). However, the differentiation of iPSCs and embryonic stem cells (ESCs) to lung cell types has lagged somewhat, and this is largely because the lungs are complex structures with many different cell types (2). Another challenge for the field is the differentiation of iPSCs to cells that are functionally competent. Anatomically and functionally, the lungs consist of distinct regions: the proximal airways that function in mucociliary clearance for host defense, the conducting airways, and the distal alveoli for gas exchange. There have been a series of papers published over the last 3 y (detailed below) that have developed protocols for iPSC and ESC differentiation to several lung cell types. In PNAS, Firth et al. (3) present another advance in the generation of proximal airway epithelium from iPSCs. Using the air-liquid interface (ALI) culture system, the authors demonstrate that putative lung progenitors obtained from iPSC-directed differentiation respond to inhibition of Notch signaling by promoting ciliogenesis and express the functional cystic fibrosis transmembrane regulator (CFTR) chloride channel. Studies in differentiation of iPSCs to functional airway epithelium are critical because the field holds great promise for developing personalized therapies for patients with respiratory diseases.
Benefits of Compliance with Securities Listing StandardsEvidence from the Depository Receipt Market

The paper finds that costs of implementing stringent securities listing standards may exceed benefits. Depository receipts, a growing source of international equity financing, differ in types by the reporting and disclosure standards issuing firms are required to meet. For lower levels of compliance, results show that factors associated with the stage of economic development of the issuing firm`s country account for the lower levels of capital raised. Incurring reporting costs to comply with higher standards may thus be inefficient. In contrast, firms choosing to meet higher reporting and disclosure standards do so because the information revealed would have a positive effect on capital raised.
G protein-coupled receptors as oncogenic signals in glioma: emerging therapeutic avenues

Gliomas are the most common malignant intracranial tumors. Newly developed targeted therapies for these cancers aim to inhibit oncogenic signals, many of which emanate from receptor tyrosine kinases, including the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR). Unfortunately, the first-generation treatments targeting these oncogenic signals provide little survival benefit in both mouse xenograft models and human patients. The search for new treatment options has uncovered several G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) candidates and generated a growing interest in this class of proteins as alternative therapeutic targets for the treatment of various cancers, including glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GPCRs constitute a large family of membrane receptors that influence oncogenic pathways through canonical and non-canonical signaling. Accordingly, evidence indicates that GPCRs display a unique ability to crosstalk with receptor tyrosine kinases, making them important molecular components controlling tumorigenesis. This review summarizes the current research on GPCR functionality in gliomas and explores the potential of modulating these receptors to treat this devastating disease.
Misunderstanding the Question: ‘What is Enlightenment?’: Venturi, Habermas, and Foucault

In his 1969 Trevelyan Lectures, Franco Venturi argued that Kant's response to the question “What is Enlightenment?” has tended to promote a “philosophical interpretation” of the Enlightenment that leads scholars away from the political questions that were central to its concerns. But while Kant's response is well known, it has been often misunderstood by scholars who see it as offering a definition of an historical period, rather than an attempt at characterizing a process that had a significant implications. This article seeks (1) to clarify, briefly, the particular question that Kant was answering, (2) to examine – using Jurgen Habermas’ work as a case in point – the tension between readings that use Kant's answer as a way of discussing the Enlightenment as a discrete historical period and those readings that see it as offering a broad outline of an “Enlightenment Project” that continues into the present, and (3) to explore how Michel Foucault, in a series of discussions of Kant's response, sketched an ...
The growth of configurations

The transition ruleF of a cellular automaton may sometimes be regarded as a “rule of growth” of a crystal from a “seed”ω. A study is made of the iteratesω,Fω,F2ω⋯.For certain one-dimensional growth rules, the limiting “shapes” of the crystals are computed, and an asymptotic formula for the size of the crystal as a function of time is obtained.
Molecular cloning and expression of an immunodominant 53-kDa excretory-secretory antigen from Trichinella spiralis muscle larvae

Abstract A Trichinella spiralis cDNA expression library was constructed in λgt11 from muscle larvae mRNA and immunologically screened to identify genes encoding previously described immunodiagnostic excretory-secretory (ES) antigens. Screening the library with T. spiralis infection serum from swine or rabbit antiserum to T. spiralis ES antigen identified one clone, designated TsA-12, that contains a cDNA transcript 539 bp in length and codes for an apparent 123-kDa β-galactosidase fusion protein that does not cross-react with Trichuris suis or Ascaris suum infection serum. Western blots of T. spiralis extracts and immunoperoxidase staining of tissue sections from muscle larvae using antibodies to purified TsA-12 demonstrate homology between TsA-12 and the 53 kDa diagnostic antigen from ES products (designated Ts.53) and localize the homologous native antigen to the stichocyte cells of the parasite. ELISA tests using TsA-12 as antigen, detected antibodies to T. spiralis in experimentally-infected mice as early as 14 days post-inoculation with maximum antibody titers being reached at 28 days post-inoculation. The TsA-12 dscDNA hybridizes to mRNA sequences expressed in both the muscle larvae and adult stages; however, concomitant expression of the native antigen is not observed within adult ES products. Southern blots of homologous and heterologous genomic DNAs probed with 32 P-labeled TsA-12 dscDNA fragments verify TsA-12 as a T. spiralis specific sequence that is present in multiple copies within the parasite genome.
Slower and more variable reaction times in schizophrenia: what do they signify?

Extensive research has demonstrated that schizophrenic subjects are slower than normal comparison subjects on a range of reaction-time tasks. Some investigators have also observed that schizophrenic patients exhibit larger intra-individual variability in reaction times when performing these tasks than do normal comparison subjects. This study, using a lexical decision choice reaction time (CRT) task, explored the relation of mean CRT and its intra-individual variability (CRT-SD) to psychiatric symptoms and to performance on executive-motor tasks in 26 medication-free schizophrenic out-patients and 17 normal comparison subjects. Schizophrenic subjects had both significantly slower and more variable CRTs which were unrelated to general intellectual abilities (IQ). Among schizophrenic subjects, both CRT and CRT-SD were significantly related to severity of psychotic symptoms, failure to maintain cognitive set, and poorer motor coordination and global functioning. After controlling for mean CRT, CRT-SD showed unique covariation with clinical symptoms (positive, disorganized and tension/hostility). Conversely, mean CRT showed unique covariation with the failure to maintain cognitive set and with stereotypic mannerisms, independent of CRT-SD. These results suggest that slower CRT and increased intra-individual variability in CRT, while not fully independent of one another, may reflect separate aspects of symptomatic and cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia.
Reductions of body fat stores and total plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in several species by bromocriptine treatment.

Abstract Administrations (injections and in feed) of bromocriptine, a dopamine agonist that inhibits prolactin secretion, reduced body fat stores and plasma total cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations in several rodent species (Syrian hamsters, Djungarian hamsters, Swiss Webster mice and obese Zucker rats). Body fat indices were reduced by at least 50% in the hamsters and mice within 10–15 days of treatment and by 29% in 8 weeks in the rats. Bromocriptine reduced total plasma cholesterol concentration by 17% in Syrian hamsters, 41% in mice and 30% in rats fasted before blood sampling. In nonfasted obese rats, bromocriptine dramatically reduced both cholesterol (from 440 to 130 mg/dl) and triglyceride (from 1570 to 540 mg/dl) levels compared with controls. These findings offer further evidence for a primary role of prolactin in lipid metabolism and indicate that bromocriptine may be useful for treating obesity and lipid-based cardiovascular disorders.
Characterization of LeMir, a root-knot nematode-induced gene in tomato with an encoded product secreted from the root

A tomato gene that is induced early after infection of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) with root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne javanica) encodes a protein with 54% amino acid identity to miraculin, a flavorless protein that causes sour substances to be perceived as sweet. This gene was therefore named LeMir (L. esculentum miraculin). Sequence similarity places the encoded protein in the soybean trypsin-inhibitor family (Kunitz). LeMir mRNA is found in root, hypocotyl, and flower tissues, with the highest expression in the root. Rapid induction of expression upon nematode infection is localized to root tips. In situ hybridization shows that LeMir is expressed constitutively in the root-cap and root-tip epidermis. The LeMir protein product (LeMir) was produced in the yeast Pichia pastoris for generation of antibodies. Western-blot analysis showed that LeMir expression is up-regulated by nematode infection and by wounding. LeMir is also expressed in tomato callus tissue. Immunoprint analysis revealed that LeMir is expressed throughout the seedling root, but that levels are highest at the root/shoot junction. Analysis of seedling root exudates revealed that LeMir is secreted from the root into the surrounding environment, suggesting that it may interact with soil-borne microorganisms.
Above threshold coulomb explosion of molecules in intense laser pulses

We have measured and explained a new mechanism of molecular ionization near the appearance intensity that produces a sequence of peaks in the nuclear kinetic energy spectrum separated by the photon energy. Our interpretation is based on an internally consistent model for the nuclear motion during an intense laser pulse. Within this model, the same concepts and language can be used for both dissociation and ionization, leading to a more unified understanding of the dynamics.
Rock on cable: On MTV: Music television, the first video music channel∗

(1983). Rock on cable: On MTV: Music television, the first video music channel. Popular Music and Society: Vol. 9, No. 1, pp. 41-50.
Sequence organization of the human genome.

Abstract The organization of three sequence classes—single copy, repetitive, and inverted repeated sequences—within the human genome has been studied by renaturation techniques, hydroxylapatite binding methods, and DNA hyperchromism. Repetitive sequence classes are distributed throughout 80% or more of the genome. Slightly more than half of the genome consists of short single copy sequences, with a length of about 2 kb interspersed with repetitive sequences. The average length of the repetitive sequences is also small and approximates the length of these sequences found in other organisms. The sequence organization of the human genome therefore resembles the sequence organization found in Xenopus and sea urchin. The inverted repeats are essentially randomly positioned with respect to both sequence class and sequence arrangement, so that all three sequence classes are found to be mutually interspersed in a portion of the genome.
A Consensus Adenine at Position –11 of the Nontemplate Strand of Bacterial Promoter Is Important for Nucleation of Promoter Melting

Numerous studies have suggested an important role of adenine at position -11 of the nontemplate strand of bacterial promoters for sequence-specific recognition of the -10 promoter element in single-stranded form. In this work, we attempted to identify a specific step in transcription initiation reaction that is most critically dependent on specific recognition of -11A. Mutating -11A in the context of a model promoter resulted in a profound decrease of the rate of heparin-resistant promoter complex formation and in a modest increase of the rate of heparin-resistant complex dissociation. The identity of nontemplate base at position -11 became relatively unimportant when the duplex in the vicinity of this position was destabilized by base pair mismatches. For promoters with a nonnative thymine at nontemplate position -11, we observed a remarkable correlation between the rate of heparin-resistant complex formation (or transcription activity) and the free energy of duplex stability in the vicinity of this residue, indicating that the replacement of -11A with a T affected a step in the reaction that involves local melting of DNA duplex. These data show that a promoter melting defect caused by a loss of RNA polymerase contact with -11A can be rescued by artificially induced local destabilization of the DNA duplex. These results are consistent with and support the idea that specific recognition of adenine at the nontemplate -11-position is important only for the initial nucleation of melting, which probably involves the flipping of this adenine out from the DNA duplex.
Sweep Net and Ground Cloth Sampling for Insects in Soybeans

A comparison of sweep net and ground doth sampling techniques showed that field population estimates by the 2 methods are strongly correlated for soybean pests including southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (L.), soybean looper, Pseudoplusia includens (Walker), velvet-bean caterpillar, Anticarsia gemmatalis Hubner, green cloverworm, Plathypena scabra (F.), corn earworm, Heliothis zea (Boddie), bean leaf beetle, Cerotoma trifurcala (Forster), and the grape colaspis, Colaspis brunnea (F.). The correlation is not as strong for more mobile species, including predators. The sweep net method is economically more efficient than the ground cloth method for sampling pest species.
Role of rg-sg in forgetting

The role of the rg-sg mechanism in forgetting is explored in an experimental arrangement whereby rg eliciting cues can be experimentally manipulated during the retention interval. If such cues are absent, thereby maintaining the strength of rg, retention is perfect. If such cues are present, thereby eliciting and thus extinguishing rg, retention shows a decrement.
SU‐E‐T‐362: A Novel Technique to Evaluate 3D Dose Delivery to a Moving Tumor

Purpose: Delivering highly modulated radiation beams accurately to a moving tumor is a difficult task; it is crucial to have tools to evaluate the efficacy of treatment delivery in such cases. We are reporting a novel technique to evaluate 3D dose delivery to moving tumors. We are also presenting an evaluation of RapidArc treatment delivery using this method. 3D position dependant dose is crucial because the peripheral regions of the tumor may not get adequate dose due to moving out of the MLC aperture. In our procedure we accomplish the position dependant dose evaluation by creating the effects of tumor motion as follows: instead of moving the tumor, we simulate to move the active MLC's in the direction opposite to the tumor motion by the corresponding motion amplitude calculated at the time of delivery. Methods: Ten RapidArc plans were created, delivered at a Varian Trilogy unit and corresponding log files were recorded. A simulation, written in MATLAB, reads in the dynalog files, and calculates average time per each control point delivery with respect to beam initiation. A sinusoidal respiratory motion signal with a given maximum amplitude and period was implemented to obtain the motion amplitude at the time of delivery of each control point. A modified DICOM file was created where the active MLC's were moved to simulate the effects of tumor motion. This DICOM plan was reimported to Eclipse treatment planning system, and 3D dose was recalculated. To verify the accuracy of our simulation, a sample plan with 2.5cm motion amplitude was compared with delivery. Results: Simulation agrees well with the dose measurement (3%3mm gamma acceptance of 98%). GTV under‐dosing is observed for large motion amplitudes, and small tumor volumes. Conclusions: A novel technique is developed to obtain delivered 3D dose distributions for moving tumors using machine log files.
Legal liabilities in continuing education: Protecting your institution and yourself

Continuing medical education (CME) activities conducted by medical schools, institutions, or organizations contain inherent liability potentials that should be recognized. Three major areas for potential liability should be carefully regarded by individuals who supervise, organize, or plan educational programs. These are: 1) contract liability--specifically in contracts with hotels, i.e., cancellation clauses, warranties, and indemnifications; 2) liability for ensuring the health and safety of individuals, i.e., fire, security, hazards, emergency procedures, and alcohol at functions; and 3) appropriate and adequate insurance coverage.
Timing and Synchronization Using MPEG-2 Transport Streams

MPEG-2 transport streams are being applied throughout the world to deliver compressed audio and video, in addition to data and control signals. An understanding of the timing and synchronization of compressed television is important to system design and operations, just as it is with today's full-bandwidth signals. This paper describes the formation of the transport stream with its timing elements and their use at the receiver. It also briefly describes test equipment that has been developed to stress the receiver reference clock phase-locked-loop and to analyze transport stream data to determine the values and correctness of the various time stamps.
Application of combustion space energy calculations to commercial glass furnaces

Abstract An analytical description of glass melting system energy performance has been written as a computer program and the results have been verified with extensive furnace measurements. A combustion space heat transfer model is an important component of the overall simulation. Hottel's radiation zone method has been used to develop two alternative models describing the combustion space heat transfer. The first model uses noninteractive zones and is applicable to sideport melting systems. The second model uses interactive zones and is applicable to both endport and sideport systems. The most important simplification concerning the first model is related to the use of smooth distributions for both mass flows and energy sources. The second model removes these restrictions by using empirical data related to turbulent mixing in nonreacting isothermal flows along with a probability theory method to estimate the degree of combustion. A major reason for the successful application of both models was the fact that they were part of a simulation of the entire melting system. Thus, the necessary boundary conditions, which are not normally available, were calculated by other portions of the overall simulation.
Mitochondrial impairment in the five-sixth nephrectomy model of chronic renal failure: proteomic approach.

Kidney injuries provoke considerable adjustment of renal physiology, metabolism, and architecture to nephron loss. Despite remarkable regenerative capacity of the renal tissue, these adaptations often lead to tubular atrophy, interstial and glomerular scaring, and development of chronic kidney disease. The therapeutic strategies for prevention of the transition from acute kidney damage to a chronic condition are limited. The purpose of this study was to elucidate large-scale alterations of the renal cortex proteome in partially nephrecromized rats at an early stage of chronic kidney disease. Sprague–Dawley 5/6 nephrectomized rats and sham-operated controls were sacrificed at day 28 post-surgery. To identify proteins with notable alteration of expression we applied a 2D-proteomics approach followed by mass-spectrometry. Altered expression of identified and related proteins was validated by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry. Proteins with increased levels of expression after partial nephrectomy were albumin and vimentin. Proteins with decreased expression were metabolic or mitochondrial. Western blotting analysis showed that the renal cortex of nephrectomized rats expressed decreased amount (by ~50%) of proteins from the inner mitochondrial compartment - the beta-oxidation enzyme MCAD, the structural protein GRP-75, and the oxidative phosphorylation protein COXIV. Mitochondrial DNA copy number was decreased by 30% in the cortex of PNx rats. In contrast, the levels of an outer mitochondrial membrane protein, VDAC1, remained unchanged in remnant kidneys. Mitochondrial biogenesis was not altered after renal mass ablation as was indicated by unchanged levels of PPARγ and PGC1α proteins. Autophagy related protein Beclin 1 was up-regulated in remnant kidneys, however the level of LC3-II protein was unchanged. BNIP3 protein, which can initiate both mitochondrial autophagy and cell death, was up-regulated considerably in kidneys of nephrecomized rats. The results of the study demonstrated that notable alterations in the renal cortex of 5/6 nephrectomized rats were associated with mitochondrial damage, however mitochondrial biogenesis and autophagy for replacement of damaged mitochondria were not stimulated. Accumulation of dysfunctional mitochondria after 5/6 nephrectomy may cause multiple adjustments in biosynthetic pathways, energy production, ROS signaling, and activation of pro-cell death regulatory pathways thus contributing to the development of chronic kidney disease.
On the basic logic of STIT with a single agent

We present in this paper an axiomatization of Belnap and Perloff's stit theory (a logic of “seeing to it that”) with a single agent. The idea of the proof is to apply the notion of companion sets—the same notion as used in another paper by the author that showed the decidability of stit theory with a single agent and Refref equivalence.
Biomarker responses in Macoma nasuta (Bivalvia) exposed to sediments from northern San Francisco Bay

Abstract Our study investigates biomarker responses and survival of Macoma nasuta exposed to sediments collected from six locations in northern San Francisco Bay. Biomarkers analyzed were stress proteins (hsp70) in gill, mantle and digestive gland, lysosomal membrane damage and histopathologic lesions. Sediments and clam tissues were analyzed for a comprehensive suite of heavy metals and trace organic pollutants. Sediment grain size and organic carbon content were determined. Clams accumulated metals, polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and organochlorine pesticides (aldrin and p , p ′ -DDT and its metabolites p , p ′ -DDD and p , p ′ -DDE). Pearson and Spearman correlation analysis revealed that mortality, hsp70 in gill and histopathologic lesion scores in gonads, and lysosomal membrane damage were significantly correlated with tissue concentrations of DDT and/or its metabolites. Tissue concentrations of metals, in particular nickel, chromium, and copper, were associated with macrophage aggregates in digestive gland and germ cell necrosis. Cadmium was linked to mortality and lysosomal membrane damage.
Organization, Evolution, and Expression Analysis of the Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for Scytonemin, a Cyanobacterial UV-Absorbing Pigment

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes capable of protecting themselves from UV radiation through the biosynthesis of UV-absorbing secondary metabolites, such as the mycosporines and scytonemin. Scytonemin, a novel indolic-phenolic pigment, is found sequestered in the sheath, where it provides protection to the subtending cells during exposure to UV radiation. The biosynthesis of scytonemin is encoded by a previously identified gene cluster that is present in six cyanobacterial species whose genomes are available. A comparison of these clusters reveals that two major cluster architectures exist which appear to have evolved through rearrangements of large sections, such as those genes responsible for aromatic amino acid biosynthesis and through the insertion of genes that potentially confer additional biosynthetic capabilities. Differential transcriptional expression analysis demonstrated that the entire gene cluster is transcribed in higher abundance after exposure to UV radiation. This analysis helps delineate the cluster boundaries and indicates that regulation of this cluster is controlled by the presence or absence of UV radiation. The findings from an evolutionary phylogenetic analysis combined with the fact that the scytonemin gene cluster is distributed across several cyanobacterial lineages led to our proposal that the distribution of this gene cluster is best explained through an ancient evolutionary origin.
Evaluation of Carotenoid Concentration in Chicken Tissues

Abstract YELLOW pigmentation in the chicken skin and shank is influenced by environmental and genetic factors. Bird (1952) reported that coccidiosis and respiratory diseases were deterrents to pigmentation. Collins et al. (1955) noted differences in pigmentation associated with hatch date. Bateson (1902), Hurst (1905) and Dunn (1925) investigated the genetics of skin color and established that white skin (W) was autosomal and dominant to yellow (ww) skin. According to Wagner and Mitchell (1964) the mode of inheritance of carotenoid deposition is poorly understood. Hutt (1949) concluded that in chickens the dominant gene for white skin restricted entry of xanthophyll pigment into the skin, but not into other tissues. Goodwin (1954) and Fritz and Wharton (1957) showed that xanthophyll and xanthophyll lutein, respectively, were the principal natural yellow pigments of the chicken skin and shank. Genetic studies involving yellow-skinned (ww) chickens only, have indicated that genotype and sex influence the subjective score…
Racial and Ethnic Differences in Access to and Use of Health Care Services, 1977 to 1996

This article focuses on racial and ethnic disparities in health care, describing both absolute differences and relative changes in access to care and the use of health services among whites, blacks, and Hispanics over the past two decades. Using data from a series of three nationally representative medical expenditure surveys, the authors present descriptive statistics on disparities in access and use between minorities and whites over time. They also use multivariate analyses to isolate the extent to which health insurance and income explain those disparities. The authors find that disparities increased between 1977 and 1996, particularly for Hispanic Americans. Results also show that approximately one half to three quarters of the disparities observed in 1996 would remain even if racial and ethnic disparities in income and health insurance coverage were eliminated.
Toward a deeper understanding of motion alternatives via an equivalence relation on local paths

Many problems in robot motion planning involve collision testing a set of local paths. In this paper we propose a novel solution to this problem by exploiting the structure of paths and the outcome of previous collision tests. Our approach circumvents expensive collision tests on a given path by detecting that the entire geometry of the path has effectively already been tested on a combination of other paths. We define a homotopy-like equivalence relation among local paths to detect this condition, and we provide algorithms that (1) classify paths based on equivalence, and (2) circumvent collision testing on up to 90% of them. We then prove both correctness and completeness of these algorithms and provide experimental results demonstrating a performance increase up to 300% in the rate of path tests. Additionally, we apply our equivalence relation to the navigation problem in a planning algorithm that takes advantage of information gained from equivalence relationships among collision-free paths. Finally, we explore applications of path equivalence to several other mechanisms, including kinematic chains and medical steerable needles.