cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An International Criminal Tribunal for Iraq After the First Gulf War: What Should Have Been

After the First Gulf War in 1991, President George H. W. Bush called for creating an ad hoc criminal tribunal similar to the Nuremberg Trial that prosecuted the Nazi Major War Criminals at the conclusion of World War II, to prosecute Saddam Hussein and other Ba’ath Party leaders for crimes against humanity, genocide, and the crime of aggression. Excluding the United Kingdom, the idea of an international criminal tribunal to prosecute Saddam did not gain strong support in the international community and eventually the United States’ initiative diminished. After years of human rights atrocities and the belief of possession of weapons of mass destruction, the United States, along with the United Kingdom and other supporting states, invaded Iraq in March 2003. As a result, the moral authority of the invading states, particularly the United States, has become jeopardized throughout the international community. This article reviews the historical events of the First Gulf War, the consideration of an internation...
Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology—2002

The Wind River Conference, which was begun as the Transformation Meeting in 1957, was renamed the Wind River Conference on Genetic Exchange and ultimately became the Wind River Conference on Prokaryotic Biology to expand the range of areas of discussion and presentation ([3][1]). Initially, the
A study of the effectiveness of CPU consolidation in a virtualized multi-core server system

The focus of this paper is on dynamic power management in virtualized multi-core server systems. The paper starts by analyzing the effect of virtualization and CPU consolidation on power dissipation and performance (latency) of such systems, and concludes by presenting two new CPU consolidation algorithms for multi-core servers. The paper also reports an extensive set of experimental results founded on a realistic multi-core server system setup and well-developed benchmarks, i.e., SPEC2K and SPECWeb2009 and obtained through hardware measurements.
Boundary effect on superconductivity in long single-crystal superconducting nanowires

Abstract We fabricate single-crystal Pb, Sn, and Zn nanowires, of length 6 or 60 μm and diameter 30–250 nm, using an in situ template-based electrochemical method. In this approach, a single nanowire is formed in contact with a pair of bulk film electrodes of Au, Sn, or Pb. We observe that, with superconducting electrodes having a higher critical temperature T c , superconductivity is induced in Sn and Zn nanowires at the T c of the electrodes for nanowires as long as 60 μm. With Au electrodes, superconductivity is suppressed completely in 6 μm-long nanowires and partially in 60 μm-long nanowires. Based on transmission electron microscopy studies, the nanowires are single crystalline. Analysis of the temperature dependence of the normalized resistance suggests that the residual-resistance-ratio plays an important role in the observed anomalous long-range proximity effect.
ROBOCATH: A Patient-Mounted Parallel Robot to Position and Orient Surgical Catheters

Hosting the cardiac catheters and the necessity for their precise and collision-free navigation in transapical beating-heart interventions require the development of dexterous and reliable robotic platforms. These mechanisms should not only be capable of tracking the desired trajectories with high level of accuracy but also have to have the potential to cope with strict medical constraints such as environment compatibility, patient safety and compactness. In this paper, we propose a robotic platform that takes into account the above mentioned requirements. Benefiting from a state-of-the-art parallel structure, this four degree-of-freedom MRI-compatible patient-mounted and cable-driven manipulator (that we name ROBOCATH) seeks to steer cardiac catheters under beating heart condition, while suitably addressing the deficiencies that currently used manipulators vastly suffer from. In addition to the detailed description of the robot design and its specifications, kinematic model along with some experimental results on the prototype are provided.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Isolation of a cDNA clone coding for a possible neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α -subunit

We have isolated a complementary DNA clone containing sequences homologous to those encoding the α-subunit of a mouse muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptor. Based on the structural similarities between the encoded protein and the muscle acetylcholine receptor α-subunit, and the presence of hybridizing RNA species in the brain, we propose that this clone codes for a neural nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α-subunit.
Alleviation of 1,N6-ethanoadenine genotoxicity by the Escherichia coli adaptive response protein AlkB.

1,N6-ethanoadenine (EA) forms through the reaction of adenine in DNA with the antitumor agent 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea, a chemotherapeutic used to combat various brain, head, and neck tumors. Previous studies of the toxic and mutagenic properties of the DNA adduct EA have been limited to in vitro experiments using mammalian polymerases and have revealed the lesion to be both miscoding and genotoxic. This work explores lesion bypass and mutagenicity of EA replicated in vivo and demonstrates that EA is neither toxic nor mutagenic in wild-type Escherichia coli. Although the base excision repair glycosylase enzymes of both humans and E. coli possess a weak ability to act on the lesion in vitro, an in vivo repair pathway has not yet been demonstrated. Here we show that an enzyme mechanistically unrelated to DNA glycosylases, the adaptive response protein AlkB, is capable of acting on EA via its canonical mechanism of oxidative dealkylation. The reaction alleviates the unrepaired adduct's potent toxicity through metabolism at the C8 position (attached to N1 of adenine), producing a nontoxic and weakly mutagenic N6 adduct. AlkB is shown here to be a geno-protective agent that reduces the toxicity of DNA damage by converting the primary adduct to a less toxic secondary product.
Google vs. the Library (Part II): Student Search Patterns and Behaviors When Using Google and a Federated Search Tool.

This study examines the information-seeking behavior of undergraduate students within a research context. Student searches were recorded while the participants used Google and a library (federated) search tool to find sources (one book, two articles, and one other source of their choosing) for a selected topic. The undergraduates in this study believed themselves to be skilled researchers, but their search queries and behaviors did not support this belief. Students did not examine their topics to identify keywords and related terms. They relied heavily on the language presented to them via the list of research topics and performed natural language or simple keyword or phrase queries. They did not reformulate or refine their research questions or search queries, did not move beyond the first page of results, and did not examine metadata to improve searches. When using Google, students frequently visited commercial sites such as Amazon; content farms such as About.com; and subscription databases such as JSTOR. This study concludes by offering suggestions for search interface improvement and pedagogical opportunities on which librarians may wish to focus or refocus. This article is the second in a series that examines student use of Google and a library (federated) search tool.
Kinetics of Extraction of Proteoglycans from Human Cartilage

Fifty-one uniformly sliced human patellar cartilage specimens were extracted with physiologic buffer containing inhibitors. Galactosamine-rich proteoglycans were more easily extracted than glucosamine-rich proteoglycans. Extraction occurred in 2 phases. There was a large proteoglycan extraction during the first 30 minutes, followed by a steady loss proportional to the square root of time. The amount of proteoglycans extracted during phase 1 was approximately half that of phase 2. Extraction of proteoglycans varied with age, structural integrity, and cartilage thickness. Intact osteoarthritic cartilage had normal proteoglycan extraction.
Cryptococcosis, with Emphasis on the Significance of Isolation of Cryptococcus neoformans from the Respiratory Tract

Cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from 65 patients: 11 had meningitis, 11 had disseminated cryptococcosis without meningitis, and 43 had C neoformans isolated from the respiratory tract. Predisposing conditions and the diagnostic value of cultures from various sites and of the latex agglutination test on cerebrospinal fluid and serum are analyzed for patients with extrapulmonary disease. Nine patients had pleural effusions; the effusion was cultured in six and yielded C neoformans in four. None of 11 deaths among 43 patients with respiratory tract isolates could be attributed to cryptococosis. The 32 survivors were nor treated with antifungal agents. Twenty-six of 43 patients with respiratory isolates had various bronchopulmonary disorders, with chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases and asthma the most common (28 percent). Seven of 28 patients (25 percent) with roentgenographically detected lung lesions had carcinoma of the lung. Roentgenographic evidence of a lung lesion and C neoformans grown from the respiratory tract warrant a further search for carcinoma of the lung.
The projections of the A8, A9 and A10 dopaminergic cell bodies: evidence for a nigral-hypothalamic-median eminence dopaminergic pathway.

Abstract Using the microdissection method of Palkovits and a sensitive microassay for dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE), the CNS projections of the nigral A8, A9 and A10 dopaminergic cell bodies have been determined in rat brain. Following bilateral electrolytic lesions of the A8-A9-A10 region, DA levels fell significantly in the following areas: dorsal septal nucleus (85%),olfactory tubercle (75%), lateral amygdaloid nucleus (75%), hebenula (75%), parietal cortex (75%), cingulate cortex (70%), cerebellum (50%), thalamic paraventricular nucleus (50%), and preoptic suprachiasmatic nucleus (45%). Of particular interest was the finding of a 40% fall in the dopamine levels of the median eminence after such lesions. Concentrations of NE in these same areas following lesions of the A8-A9-A10 region were unchanged. These findings suggest that the nigral A8, A9 and A10 dopaminergic cell bodies, project diffusely to many different areas of cortex, hypothalamus, and brain stem, and, more importantly, provide evidence for a previously unsuspected dopaminergic pathway from substantia nigra to median eminence, an area intimately concerned withneuroendocrine regulation.
Seed and Grow: An attack against anonymized social networks

Digital traces left by a user of an online social networking service can be abused by a malicious party to compromise the person's privacy. This is exacerbated by the increasing overlap in user-bases among various services. In this paper, we propose an algorithm, Seed and Grow, to identify users from an anonymized social graph based solely on graph structure. The algorithm first identifies a seed sub-graph, either planted by an attacker or divulged by collusion of a small group of users, and then grows the seed larger based on the attacker's existing knowledge of the users' social relations. Our work identifies and relaxes implicit assumptions taken by previous works, eliminates arbitrary parameters, and improves identification effectiveness and accuracy. Experiments on real-world collected datasets further corroborate our expectation and claim.
Variable-structure control of spacecraft attitude maneuvers

A variable-structure control approach is presented for multiaxial spacecraft attitude maneuvers. Nonlinear sliding surfaces are proposed that result in asymptotically stable, ideal linear decoupled sliding motions of Cayley-Rodrigues attitude parameters, as well as of angular velocities. The resulting control laws are interpreted as more easily implemented and more robust versions of those previously obtained by feedback linearization.
The Lethal Dose of Largemouth Bass Virus in Juvenile Largemouth Bass and the Comparative Susceptibility of Striped Bass

Abstract Largemouth bass virus (LMBV) is an iridovirus that was isolated from wild adult largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides in the southeastern United States in 1994. Although originally isolated from moribund wild fish, its virulence to juvenile largemouth bass is uncertain. To help clarify this point, two LMBV titrations were made in juvenile largemouth bass. Titers of LMBV in fathead minnow cells were 104.8 and 105.8 tissue culture infectious doses—50% cytopathic endpoint (TCID50) per milliliter, respectively. Tenfold serial dilutions of LMBV employed in each cell culture titration, injected intraperitoneally (0.1 mL/fish) into largemouth bass produced calculated lethal dose—50% mortality endpoints (LD50s) of 282 (102.45) and 288 (102.46) infectious doses in two consecutive infectivity trials. Virus yield of assayed infected fish averaged 108.5 TCID50/g and 107.7 TCID50/g in viscera of moribund and dead fish in the two trials and 106.5 TCID50/g in surviving exposed fish 14 d after infection. In a se...
The Effects of Wives' Employment on Husbands' Job and Life Satisfaction

Previous research has established that wives' employment has a negative effect on the mental health of husbands. This result is not yet well understood. Analyzing survey data from a national sample of workers, this study focuses on the work domain to investigate this result further. Findings reveal that wives' employment has negative effects on husbands' job and life satisfaction. These results suggest that the overall negative mental health effect may derive, in part, from the occupational domain.
Fast image segmentation and smoothing using commodity graphics hardware

We present a novel use of commodity graphics hardware to perform real-time image segmentation and image morphology operations. Our preliminary results show a performance increase of over 30% using an nVidia GeForce4 when compared to an implementation using Intel MMX optimized code on a 2.2 Ghz Intel P4 CPU.
Ion pairing high‐performance liquid chromatography of catecholamines

Catecholamine standards have been separated by ion pairing reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A trace substance was separable from four standards when low concentrations of methanol were used in the elution buffer. This method has allowed separation of an unknown uterine catecholamine, partially purified on a boronate affinity gel column, from the standards: norepinephrine, epinephrine, normetanephrine and metanephrine.
Muscle- and task-dependent responses to concurrent physical and mental workload during intermittent static work

Many workers experience combined physical and mental demands in their jobs, yet the contribution of these demands to the development of musculoskeletal disorders is unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate muscle- and task-dependent responses to concurrent demands during intermittent static work. Twenty-four participants performed shoulder, wrist, and torso exertions at three levels of physical workload (PWL) in the absence (control) and presence (concurrent) of a mental arithmetic task. Compared to the control, concurrent demand conditions resulted in decreased muscle activity (4–9% decrease), increased cardiovascular load (2–4% increase), and impaired motor co-ordination (9–24% increase in force fluctuation). Furthermore, these outcomes were more prominent at higher PWL levels and within postural (shoulder and torso) muscles. Mental task performance exhibited greater interference with the physical task at low and high PWL levels. Thus, it may be important to consider these muscle- and task-...
IL-1α and TNFα Down-Regulate CRH Receptor-2 mRNA Expression in the Mouse Heart

Two receptors (CRH receptor type 1 and CRH receptor type 2) have been identified for the stress-induced neuropeptide, CRH and related peptides, urocortin, and urocortin II. We previously found marked down-regulation of cardiac CRH receptor type 2 expression following administration of bacterial endotoxin, lipopolysaccharide, a model of systemic immune activation, and inflammation. We postulated that inflammatory cytokines may regulate CRH receptor type 2. We show that systemic IL-1alpha administration significantly down-regulates CRH receptor type 2 mRNA in mouse heart. In addition, TNFalpha treatment also reduces CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression, although the effect was not as marked as with IL-1alpha. However, CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression is not altered in adult mouse ventricular cardiomyocytes stimulated in vitro with TNFalpha or IL-1alpha. Thus, cytokine regulation may be indirect. Exogenous administration of corticosterone in vivo or acute restraint stress also reduces cardiac CRH receptor type 2 mRNA expression, but like cytokines, in vitro corticosterone treatment does not modulate expression in cardiomyocytes. Interestingly, treatment with urocortin significantly decreases CRH receptor type 2 mRNA in cultured cardiomyocytes. We speculate that in vivo, inflammatory mediators such as lipopolysaccharide and/or cytokines may increase urocortin, which in turn down-regulates CRH receptor type 2 expression in the heart. Because CRH and urocortin increase cardiac contractility and coronary blood flow, impaired CRH receptor type 2 function during systemic inflammation may ultimately diminish the adaptive cardiac response to adverse conditions.
Continuous creation and secondary causation: the threat of occasionalism

One standard criticism of the doctrine of continuous creation is that it entails the occasionalist position that God alone is a true cause and that the events we commonly identify as causes are merely the occasions upon which God brings about effects. I begin by clearly stating Malebranche's argument from continuous creation to occasionalism. Next, I examine two strategies for resisting Malebranche's argument - strong and weak concurrentism - and argue that weak concurrentism is the more promising strategy. Finally, I argue that weak concurrentism requires a necessitarian approach to secondary causation.
An organic matter and nitrogen dynamics model for the ecological analysis of integrated aquaculture/agriculture systems: I. model development and calibration

A dynamic and mechanistic mass balance model (Integrated Aquaculture/Agriculture System model, or IAAS) for predicting nitrogen and organic matter outputs from aquaculture ponds and their subsequent recycling in conventional agriculture practices has been developed and calibrated using data from Honduras, Thailand and Malawi. The model, developed using Stella modeling software (High Performance Systems, Inc. Hanover, New Hampshire), simulates individual fish growth, organic matter, nitrogen (organic, total ammonia and nitrate), dissolved oxygen and phytoplankton, crop growth, soil nitrogen concentrations and soil water balance. Processes included in the model are fish growth, crop biomass growth, allochthonous and autochthonous organic matter production, organic matter decomposition, nitrogen input, nitrogen mineralization, nitrification, denitrification, diffusion, uptake and leaching. The model has been calibrated using literature and observed parameter values from experiments. The calibration procedure involves running the model using inputs from observed data, comparing the model output to observed data, and making appropriate adjustments to parameter values until a general fit between the model and observed values is observed. The structure of the model allows users to modify parameter values to suit different simulation scenarios via a user interface display that also includes graphs and tables for model output.  2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
In the Possibilities Are the Solutions: Assessment and Implications of the Public-Involvement Process During the Environmental Impact Study of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge

The Woodrow Wilson Bridge is an essential part of the Washington, D.C., and Interstate transportation systems. The bridge provides the only Potomac River crossing for the southern half of the greater Washington region. Because of substantial local and regional growth, travel demand across the drawbridge has grown to more than twice the design capacity of the structure. To address these mobility challenges, FHWA initiated the Woodrow Wilson Bridge Improvement Study in 1988 as a cooperative effort among affected jurisdictions, agencies, and the public. Given the complexities of the project and time-critical nature to reach a decision on a preferred alternative, public involvement was a key feature of the environmental study process. The essential elements of the publicparticipation and outreach process are highlighted. An assessment of the outreach process was conducted once the environmental study was completed. A randomized, statistically based telephone survey was conducted to measure the effectiveness o...
A randomised trial of an online lecture with and without audio.

Objective To determine the impact of adding audio-feed to an online lecture on screening given to medical students who were participating in an outpatient clerkship. Design Prospective, randomised, controlled study. Setting Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville and Wake Forest Medical School, Winston-Salem. Participants A total of 59 Years 3 and 4 medical students. Main outcome measures Students' use of time, satisfaction with the lecture experience, and knowledge. Educational intervention The online lecture was developed at Vanderbilt University. At Vanderbilt, 16 Year 4 medical students were randomised to the lecture on screening with audio and 17 Year 4 medical students were randomised to the same lecture without audio. At Wake Forest, 13 Year 3 medical students were randomised to the lecture on screening with audio and 13 Year 3 students were randomised to the same lecture without audio. Results The audio lecture required 20 more minutes to complete than the non-audio lecture. Students in the audio group were more satisfied with their experience than students in the non-audio group. Students in the audio-feed group achieved a trend for higher post-intervention knowledge scores, with the difference attributed to the students at Vanderbilt. Conclusion Audio narration is an important aspect of an online lecture. The distribution of online lectures to students at different sites and different training levels requires further study.
The quiescent X-ray spectrum of accreting black holes

The quiescent state is the dominant accretion mode for black holes on all mass scales. Our knowledge of the X-ray spectrum is limited due to the characteristic low luminosity in this state. Herein, we present an analysis of the sample of dynamically-confirmed stellar-mass black holes observed in quiescence in the Chandra/XMM-Newton/Suzaku era resulting in a sample of 8 black holes with � 570 ks of observations. In contrast to the majority of AGN where observations are limited by contamination from diffuse gas, the stellar-mass systems allow for a clean study of the X-ray spectrum resulting from the accretion flow alone. The data are characterized using simple models. We find a model consisting of a power-law or thermal bremsstrahlung to both provide excellent descriptions of the data, where we measure = 2 .06 ± 0.03 and kT = 5.03 +0.33 0.31 keV respectively in the 0.3 – 10 keV bandpass, at a median luminosity of Lx � 5.5×10 7 LEdd. This result in discussed in the context of our understanding of the accretion flow onto stellar and supermassive black holes at low luminosities.
The impact of the BP Baker report

INTRODUCTION: This study examined the impact of the British Petroleum (BP) Baker Panel Report, reviewing the March 2005 BP-Texas City explosion, on the field of process safety. METHOD: Three hundred eighty-four subscribers of a process safety listserv responded to a survey two years after the BP Baker Report was published. RESULTS: Results revealed respondents in the field of process safety are familiar with the BP Baker Report, feel it is important to the future safety of chemical processing, and believe that the findings are generalizable to other plants beyond BP-Texas City. Respondents indicated that few organizations have administered the publicly available BP Process Safety Culture Survey. Our results also showed that perceptions of contractors varied depending on whether respondents were part of processing organizations (internal perspective) or government or consulting agencies (external perspective). CONCLUSIONS: This research provides some insight into the beliefs of chemical processing personnel regarding the transportability and generalizability of lessons learned from one organization to another. IMPACT ON INDUSTRY: This study has implications for both organizational scientists and engineers in that it reveals perceptions about the primary mechanism used to share lessons learned within one industry about one major catastrophe (i.e., investigation reports). This study provides preliminary information about the perceived impact of a report such as this one. Language: en
The anaphase-promoting complex is required in both dividing and quiescent cells during zebrafish development

The anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) regulates multiple stages of the cell cycle, most prominently mitosis. We describe zebrafish with mutations in two APC/C subunits, Cdc16 and Cdc26, whose phenotypes reveal a multifaceted set of defects resulting from the gradual depletion of the APC/C. First, loss of the APC/C in dividing cells results in mitotic arrest, followed by apoptosis. This defect becomes detectable in different organs at different larval ages, because the subunits of the APC/C are maternally deposited, are unusually stable, and are depleted at uneven rates in different tissues. Second, loss of the APC/C in quiescent or differentiated cells results in improper re-entry into the cell cycle, again in an apparently tissue-specific manner. This study is the first demonstration of both functions of the APC/C in a vertebrate organism and also provides an illustration of the surprisingly complex effects that essential, maternally supplied factors can have on the growing animal over a period of 10 days or longer.
Effect of Antimony Concentration on the Crystalline Structure, Dielectric, and Piezoelectric Properties of (Na0.5K0.5)0.945Li0.055Nb1−xSbxO3 Solid Solutions

The effect of antimony concentration on the piezoelectric properties of (Na0.5K0.5)0.945Li0.055Nb1−xSbxO3 was examined for 0≤x≤0.1. The piezoelectric coefficients exhibited a maximum, d33=240 pC/N and d31=−82 pC/N at x=0.04, coinciding with the maximum of the grain size and the apparent density at x=0.04. The grain size, the apparent density, and the piezoelectric coefficients decreased with an increasing x at higher x likely due to the onset of a Sb-rich second phase. The weight fraction of the tetragonal phase increased with an increasing x to almost unity at x=0.1, likely also contributing to the decrease in the piezoelectric coefficients at higher x.
Genetic properties of feed efficiency parameters in meat-type chickens

Background Feed cost constitutes about 70% of the cost of raising broilers, but the efficiency of feed utilization has not kept up the growth potential of today's broilers. Improvement in feed efficiency would reduce the amount of feed required for growth, the production cost and the amount of nitrogenous waste. We studied residual feed intake (RFI) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) over two age periods to delineate their genetic inter-relationships.
Rapid and Reversible High-Affinity Binding of the Dinitroaniline Herbicide Oryzalin to Tubulin from Zea mays L.

Oryzalin, a dinitroaniline herbicide, was previously reported to bind to plant tubulin with a moderate strengthe interaction (dissociation constant [Kd] = 8.4 [mu]M) that appeared inconsistent with the nanomolar concentrations of drug that cause the loss of microtubules, inhibit mitosis, and produce herbicidal effects in plants (L.C. Morejohn, T.E. Bureau, J. Mole-Bajer, A.S. Bajer, D.E. Fosket [1987] Planta 172: 252–)264). To characterize further the mechanism of action of oryzalin, both kinetic and quasi-equilibrium ligand-binding methods were used to examine the interaction of [14C]-oryzalin with tubulin from cultured cells of maize (Zea mays L. cv Black Mexican Sweet). Oryzalin binds to maize tubulin dimer via a rapid and pH-dependent interaction to form a tubulin-oryzalin complex. Both the tubulin-oryzalin binding strength and stoichiometry are underestimated substantially when measured by kinetic binding methods, because the tubulin-oryzalin complex dissociates rapidly into unliganded tubulin and free oryzalin. Also, an uncharacterized factor(s) that is co-isolated with maize tubulin was found to noncompetitively inhibit oryzalin binding to the dimer. Quasi-equilibrium binding measurements of the tubulin-oryzalin complex using purified maize dimer afforded a Kd of 95 nM (pH 6.9; 23[deg]C) and an estimated maximum molar binding stoichiometry of 0.5. No binding of oryzalin to pure bovine brain tubulin was detected by equilibrium dialysis, and oryzalin has no discernible effect on microtubules in mouse 3T3 fibroblasts, indicating an absence of the oryzalin-binding site on mammalian tubulin. Oryzalin binds to pure taxol-stabilized maize microtubules in a polymer mass- and number-dependent manner, although polymerized tubulin has a much lower oryzalin-binding capacity than unpolymerized tubulin. Much more oryzalin is incorporated into polyment during taxol-induced assembly of pure maize tubulin, and half-maximal inhibition of the rapid phase of taxol-induced polymerization of 5 [mu]M tubulin is obtained with 700 [mu]M oryzalin. The data are consistent with a molecular mechanism whereby oryzalin binds rapidly, reversibly, and with high affinity to the plant tubulin dimer to form a tubulin-oryzalin complex that, at concentrations substoichiometric to tubulin, copolymerizes with unliganded tubulin and slows further assembly. Because half-maximal inhibition of maize callus growth is produced by 37 nM oryzalin, the herbicidal effects of oryzalin appear to result from a substoichiometric poisoning of microtubules.
Bacillus licheniformis sigB operon encoding the general stress transcription factor σB

The general stress response of the Gram-positive soil bacterium Bacillus subtilis is controlled by the sigma B transcription factor. sigma B activity is regulated by the newly discovered partner switching mechanism of signal transduction, which integrates the two different classes of challenges which posttranslationally activate sigma B: environmental stress and energy stress. Our investigation of a possible sigma B homologue in the related soil bacterium B. licheniformis had two goals. First, this study would contribute to understanding the distribution of the sigma B general stress system among Gram-positive bacteria. Second, a phylogenetic comparison of regulatory systems can supplement genetic and biochemical analysis by revealing conserved features that are critical for function. We report here that (1) B. licheniformis cells contain a protein that closely resembles B. subtilis sigma B in size and antigenic properties; (2) the level of this potential sigma B homologue rapidly increases following environmental or energy stress; and (3) the B. licheniformis genome encodes a homologue of the sigB general stress operon, including the sigma B structural gene and seven rsb regulatory genes. Based on these results, B. licheniformis possesses a general stress system likely regulated by two coupled partner switching modules that sense and integrate the two broad classes of activating stress signals.
Controlled motion and nonlinear optimization of directly driven robotic manipulators

This paper offers a new design concept to solve the tracking control problem for nonlinear robotic manipulators. In an attempt to analyze and design fully integrated robotic systems, Lagrangian concepts, electric machine theory, and nonlinear system analysis and control, provide the basic foundations. A fully featured nonlinear model of robotic manipulators with actuators is developed by using the Lagrange equation. This nonlinear model has been used in design. Nonlinear optimization is tackled applying the Hamilton-Jacobi theory minimizing the generalized nonquadratic performance cost. It is shown that a motion control problem (stabilization, tracking, and disturbance rejection) can be solved using the admissibility concept. The explored results are verified for a directly actuated manipulator; in particular, nonlinear control algorithms are designed, transient dynamics are analyzed, and experiments are performed.
Cleaved Facets in Gan by Wafer Fusion of Gan to Inp

Basal plane sapphire is a common substrate for the heteroepitaxy of GaN. This presents a challenge for fabrication of cleaved facet GaN lasers because the natural cleavage planes in (0001) α-A12O3 are not perpendicular to the wafer surface. This paper describes a method for achieving perpendicular cleaved facets through wafer fusion that can potentially be used to fabricate GaN based in-plane lasers. We demonstrate successful fusion of GaN to InP without voids or oxide at the interface and fabricate optically flat cleaved GaN facets that are parallel to the crystallographic planes of the host InP. I-V measurements have been performed across the n-N fused interface. These results show that the fused interface exhibits a barrier for electrons passing from the InP to the GaN and ohmic conduction of electrons moving in the opposite direction.
A new methodology for nondestructive evaluation and rating of bridges

The growing number of highway bridges in poor condition requires the development of effective tools for inspecting and evaluating bridges. To address the limitations of current assessment practices, a new nondestructive evaluation methodology, incorporating global and local evaluation techniques to obtain a quantitative assessment of the structural condition, is proposed. In this study, a simple global damage identification and assessment method, called the differential damage factor (DDF) method, is presented. The results from preliminary analyses of the proposed DDF method performed on numerical and experimental models are discussed.
Long-Term Trends in Audit Market Shares: Effects of BIG-4 Pricing Strategies or Non BIG-4 Market Power?

We analyze changes in audit fees and market shares of the BIG-4 audit firms (KPMG, PWC, D&T, E&Y) as compared with those of NB-4 (Non-Big 4) auditors in the period 2000-2011. Both relative fees and relative market shares (compared across BIG-4 and NB-4) auditors changed radically over this period due to the enactment of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX). In addition, one of the major audit firms, Arthur-Andersen (AA) was driven out of business. We exploit variations in the effects of these two events across industries and across size quintiles to examine changes in pricing strategies and market shares of BIG-4 and NB-4 auditors. In particular we examine whether the market share changes have been driven primarily by the BIG-4 deterring clients through pricing strategies (which we characterize as ‘cherry picking’) or through more effective competition by NB-4 auditors (which we characterize as NB-4 market power). Our empirical results suggest that both these factors have played a significant role in the realignment of the market share for audit services across BIG-4 and NB-4 auditors following the enactment of SOX and the collapse of AA.
Environmental challenges associated with needed increases in global nitrogen fixation

Human-induced input of fixed nitrogen (N) into the earth biosphere, primarily through combustion of fossil fuels, crop biological N-fixation and N-fertilizer use, has provided many human benefits. These benefits have not come, however, without significant cost. According to data compiled by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, synthetic N fertilizer input into global agricultural systems increased from by approximately 430% (∼19 to ∼82 Tg N) from 1965 to 1998. During this period, global grain production, human population and global fossil fuel consumption increased about 250%, 190% and 240%, respectively. Although fuel consumption increased faster than population growth globally, land used to produce grain decreased from 0.2 to 0.12 ha/person over this 30-yr period. Grain production, however, increased 16%/person. Agricultural production increase has come through the use of new crop varieties which respond to increased N-fertilization, pesticide use, irrigation and mechanization. Even though agricultural production has increased dramatically, fertilizer N use efficiency remains relatively low. Globally fertilizer N use efficiency was approximately 50% in 1996. Since fertilizer N is not used efficiently in most parts of the world, N use in excess of crop potential utilization leads to losses to the environment through volatilization and leaching. These N losses result in N fertilization of pristine terrestrial and aquatic systems through NHx and NOydeposition and contribute to global greenhouse gases through N2O production and local elevated ozone concentrations due to NOx emission. Inefficient use of N and energy is exacerbated by the global inequity of use distribution. Some areas don't have enough while others use too much. Additionally, dietary patterns of food consumption which tend to be more inefficient, i.e. cereal-based diets compared to animal-based diets, are changing in global terms. The resulting increasing inefficiencies in N utilization in food production and in energy use lead to large-scale input of N into down wind and down stream terrestrial and aquatic systems. Increasing N-use-efficiency remains a clear goal by which to maintain food production while decreasing excessive N use and unwanted distribution in the environment.
Local Injection of Aminoglycosides for Prophylaxis Against Infection in Open Fractures

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of local wound cavity injections of aqueous aminoglycosides (gentamicin and tobramycin), in conjunction with systemic antibiotics, to lower the prevalence of infection in patients with open fractures. Methods: Three hundred and fifty-one open fractures were identified by Current Procedural Terminology codes 11011 and 11012. Data on patient demographic characteristics, injury characteristics, infection, and fracture union were obtained from the electronic medical records. Patients in the control group (183 fractures) received systemic antibiotics only. Patients in the intervention group (168 fractures) received, in addition to systemic antibiotics, a locally administered aminoglycoside (2 mg/mL) at the time of the index surgical procedure. At the discretion of the attending surgeon, some wounds also received postoperative irrigations of aqueous aminoglycoside (n = 34). For wounds that could not be closed and wounds that received postoperative irrigations, negative pressure dressings were used. Results: The deep and superficial infection rate in the control group was 19.7% (thirty-six of 183 fractures), but it was significantly lower (p = 0.010) in the intervention group at 9.5% (sixteen of 168 fractures). When comparing only the deep infections, the infection rate in the control group was 14.2% (twenty-six of 183 fractures) compared with 6.0% (ten of 168 fractures) in the intervention group (p = 0.011). After multivariate analysis to adjust for possible confounding factors, the administration of local antibiotics was found to be an independent predictor of lower infection rates in both deep and superficial infections (odds ratio, 2.6 [95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 5.6]; p = 0.015) and deep infections only (odds ratio, 3.0 [95% confidence interval, 1.1 to 8.5]; p = 0.034). The use of local antibiotics did not have an impact on nonunion rate (p = 0.881), with a type-I error rate of α = 0.05 and 0.8 power. Conclusions: This study suggests that local aqueous aminoglycoside administration as an adjunct to systemic antibiotics may be effective in lowering infection rates in open fractures; further research with higher-level research designs are needed. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic Level III. See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Why do Venture Capital Funds Burn Research and Development Deductions

Venture capital (VC) funds form a separate C corporation for each venture that they support within their portfolio of diverse ventures. The separate incorporation of each portfolio venture loses tax value that could be achieved from deducting research and development (R&D) costs. The tax deductions of the ventures are trapped within a corporation that cannot use them. The resulting taxes are draconian, sometimes confiscatory. If R&D deductions were used optimally, taxable investors could achieve a tax regime that would not reduce their pre-tax return.The justifications offered for separate incorporation of each portfolio venture do not survive scrutiny. Separate incorporation is said to be required to protect tax-exempt investors, but if R&D deductions were passed out to taxable investors, taxable investors would drive taxexempt investors out of the funds. If capital must come from tax-exempt investors, the funds should still be trying to use the R&D deductions against taxable income of the successful ventures. Tax-exempt investors, in any event, do not justify the draconian taxes the VC funds bring upon themselves through their structure.
Black-white disparities in the association between posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic illness.

Abstract Objective Non-Latino blacks experience a higher proportion of chronic illness and associated disabilities than non-Latino whites. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with a greater risk of chronic illness, although few studies have investigated whether the interaction of PTSD with racial disparities may lead to a greater risk of chronic illness among blacks with PTSD than among whites with PTSD. Methods We evaluated data from the population-based National Survey of American Life and the National Comorbidity Survey Replication to investigate the association between race, lifetime PTSD and self-reported chronic illness. Weighted linear and Poisson regression models assessed differences in the magnitude of association between PTSD and chronic illness by race on both the additive and multiplicative scales. Results The magnitude of the association between lifetime PTSD and diabetes was greater among blacks (RD 0.07, 95% CI 0.02, 0.11; RR 1.9, 95% CI 1.4, 2.5) than whites (RD 0.004, 95% CI − 0.02, 0.03; RR 1.2, 95% CI 0.7, 1.9) on the additive (p = 0.017) scale. The magnitude of the association between lifetime PTSD and heart disease was greater among blacks (RD 0.09, 95% CI 0.05, 0.13) than whites (RD 0.04, 95% CI 0.01, 0.07) on the additive scale at a level approaching significance (p = 0.051). Conclusion A lifetime history of PTSD was associated with a significantly greater risk of diabetes among blacks as compared to whites. These findings suggest that continuous exposure to racial inequalities may be associated with a greater risk of PTSD-related health sequela.
Abstract P5-10-19: The Influence of Time to Completion of Chemotherapy on Survival in Patients with Triple Negative Stage III Breast Cancer

Background: Neoadjuvant chemotherapy is increasingly delivered to facilitate breast conserving surgery through tumor downstaging. Prospective trials of neoadjuvant chemotherapy from the NSABP suggest no difference in survival outcomes in patients receiving neoadjuvant versus adjuvant therapy; however, subset analysis in 2 combined trials (B-18 and B-27) demonstrated a trend in DFS improvement in young patients ( 5 months from diagnosis. Results: 409 patients with Stage II-III disease with were identified: 124 received neoadjuvant and 285 received adjuvant chemotherapy. Out of this group, 81 patients had TN breast cancer (60 Stage II and 21 Stage III). Median age was 49 years. Median follow-up was 72 months. Chemotherapy consisted of adriamycin, taxol and cytoxan for a median of 9 cycles. Stage III patients who completed chemotherapy within 5 months had a statistically significant improvement in OS and DFS (p=0.03), and had a trend towards improvement in DMFS (p=0.10) when compared with those who took longer than 5 months to complete chemotherapy. Conclusion: Completion of chemotherapy in a shorter time interval in patients with Stage III, TN breast cancers was associated with an improvement in DFS and OS. Consideration of timing of chemotherapy warrants further study. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2010;70(24 Suppl):Abstract nr P5-10-19.
Calibration and Evaluation of an Enzymatic Procedure for Determination of Total Serum Cholesterol

A performance evaluation of the SPIN CHEM reagent for the enzymatic determination of cholesterol has been conducted with the Rotochem centrifugal analyzer. Special emphasis was directed toward the problem of calibration, the need for serum blank correction, and interferences associated with elevated lipids, bilirubin and hemoglobin. Accurate calibration requires a secondary serum standard with a cholesterol value established by a reference procedure. Serum blank correction is beneficial for clear specimens but results in overcorrection for lipemic specimens. Interferences resulting from bilirubin and hemoglobin are complex in nature but are minimized by omission of serum blank correction that would overcorrect for their respective spectral interferences. These principles should also be applicable to other similar enzymatic cholesterol procedures. Comparison of the enzymatic method, calibrated as described, with the method of Abell, et al. (J. Biol. Chem. 195:357, 1952) for analyses of clear and lipemic specimens yielded a linear regression equation of y = 0.99x + 13 mg/L, with a correlation coefficient (r) of 0.9982. Within-run precision (CV) was ≤1.2% and between-run precision was ≤1.6% at cholesterol levels of 1450 mg/L and 2770 mg/L.
Abstract 2795: An onco-protein axis linking polycomb repressive complex 2 and polycomb repressive complex 1 through miRNAs in cancer

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Enhancer of Zeste Homolog 2 (EZH2) is the catalytic histone methyltransferase subunit of the Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2), that trimethylates histone H3 at lysine 27 (H3K27me3) resulting in the silencing of target genes. PRC2 plays a critical role in many basic cellular processes including cell proliferation, differentiation, early embryogenesis, and X chromosome inactivation. In cancer, EZH2 upregulation is implicated in metastasis and tumor aggressiveness of prostate and breast cancer and several other solid tumors. Recently our lab reported the genomic loss of miR-101 microRNA accompanying EZH2 overexpression in tumor cells. Here we identified several microRNAs that were downregulated by EZH2 and their levels were restored upon EZH2 depletion in cancer cell lines, and expression levels of these microRNAs were negatively correlated with EZH2 in human prostate tumors. Additionally, H3K27me3 modification was observed in the upstream regions of the miRNAs, suggesting a direct role for EZH2 in their regulation. Ectopic overexpression of the miRNAs suppressed cell proliferation, invasion, anchorage-independent growth, sphere formation and xenograft tumor growth of aggressive prostate and breast cancer cell lines. Finally, our investigations showed that the miRNAs also repress the expression of Polycomb Repressive Complex 1 (PRC1) members BMI1 and RING2, leading to a global decrease in the epigenetic marker, ubiquityl-H2A-K119 (uH2A) in cells, a key step in PRC1-mediated silencing. Our findings provide compelling argument for a regulatory axis joining PRC2 and PRC1 through miRNAs. This novel link between PRC2 and PRC1 indicates a coordinated mechanism by polycomb group proteins to promote an aggressive cancer phenotype. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2795. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-2795