cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hypertrophic Stimulation Increases β-actin Dynamics in Adult Feline Cardiomyocytes

The myocardium responds to hemodynamic stress through cellular growth and organ hypertrophy. The impact of cytoskeletal elements on this process, however, is not fully understood. While α-actin in cardiomyocytes governs muscle contraction in combination with the myosin motor, the exact role of β-actin has not been established. We hypothesized that in adult cardiomyocytes, as in non-myocytes, β-actin can facilitate cytoskeletal rearrangement within cytoskeletal structures such as Z-discs. Using a feline right ventricular pressure overload (RVPO) model, we measured the level and distribution of β-actin in normal and pressure overloaded myocardium. Resulting data demonstrated enriched levels of β-actin and enhanced translocation to the Triton-insoluble cytoskeletal and membrane skeletal complexes. In addition, RVPO in vivo and in vitro hypertrophic stimulation with endothelin (ET) or insulin in isolated adult cardiomyocytes enhanced the content of polymerized fraction (F-actin) of β-actin. To determine the localization and dynamics of β-actin, we adenovirally expressed GFP-tagged β-actin in isolated adult cardiomyocytes. The ectopically expressed β-actin-GFP localized to the Z-discs, costameres, and cell termini. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements of β-actin dynamics revealed that β-actin at the Z-discs is constantly being exchanged with β-actin from cytoplasmic pools and that this exchange is faster upon hypertrophic stimulation with ET or insulin. In addition, in electrically stimulated isolated adult cardiomyocytes, while β-actin overexpression improved cardiomyocyte contractility, immunoneutralization of β-actin resulted in a reduced contractility suggesting that β-actin could be important for the contractile function of adult cardiomyocytes. These studies demonstrate the presence and dynamics of β-actin in the adult cardiomyocyte and reinforce its usefulness in measuring cardiac cytoskeletal rearrangement during hypertrophic stimulation.
Improved Accuracy of Computerized Tomography Based Clinical Staging in Low Stage Nonseminomatous Germ Cell Cancer Using Size Criteria of Retroperitoneal Lymph Nodes

AbstractPurpose: We evaluated the significance of retroperitoneal lymph nodes detected by computerized tomography (CT) of low stage nonseminomatous germ cell tumor patients.Materials and Methods: A blind retrospective review of 143 CTs of low stage nonseminomatous germ cell tumor revealed pathological stage A disease on 89 (62.2 percent) and pathological stage B disease on 54 (37.8 percent). A multivariate logistic regression model was used to evaluate the relationships between diameter of the retroperitoneal nodes detected in these CTs and pathological stage.Results: Based on this model, as the diameter of the nodes increased within a 0 to 25 mm. range, the likelihood of pathological stage B disease increased in a continuous fashion. Using a 3 mm. threshold to define nonmetastatic nodes the sensitivity and negative predictive value of CT based staging was 90 percent.Conclusions: This measurement scheme improves the accuracy of staging compared to conventional methods.
Derivative stress‐strain curves of polyacrylonitrile fibers

Derivative stress-strain curves at constant strain rate for polyacrylonitrile copolymer fibers have been obtained by simple modification of conventional tensile testing apparatus. These derivative curves, considerably more complex and eventful than stress-strain curves, have been interpreted as direct records of changes undergone by the apparent Young's modulus during experiments which extend from infinitesimal strain to failure. Analysis of the data shows that these changes in the apparent Young's modulus cannot be accounted for to any significant extent by viscoelastic time effects and must therefore be consequences of the deformation process itself. In the light of this analysis, it is concluded that polyacrylonitrile fibers “soften” considerably in the strain range 0.5–3% and that they exhibit moderate “hardening” in the strain range which extends from ca 3% to the breaking strain (10%).
Female College Students’ Media Use and Academic Outcomes Results From a Longitudinal Cohort Study

This longitudinal study describes women's media use during their first year of college and examines associations between media use and academic outcomes. Female students (N = 483, Mage = 18.1 years) reported on their use of 11 media forms and their grade point average, academic behaviors, academic confidence, and problems affecting schoolwork. Allowing for multi-tasking, women reported nearly 12 hours of media use per day; use of texting, music, the Internet, and social networking was heaviest. In general, media use was negatively associated with academic outcomes after controlling for prior academics and demographics. Exceptions were newspaper reading and music listening, which were positively associated with academic outcomes. There were significant indirect effects of magazine reading and social networking on GPA via academic behaviors, confidence, and problems. Results show that female college students are heavy users of new media, and that some forms of media use may adversely impact academic performance.
Evaluation of intrinsic film stress distributions from induced substrate deformation

Measuring and controlling intrinsic stress in films deposited on substrates is a basic and essential challenge in micro- and nano-engineering. Indirect measuring methods for determining film stress are commonly used. Generally, commercial tools measure the induced mask shape, and relate it to film stress via the two-dimensional form of Stoney's equation, applied in a point-wise manner. This equation gives incorrect results if the stress distribution is not uniform. As an alternative, a numerical method based upon finite element (FE) analysis has been developed. It contrasts traditional structural FE methods since the out-of-plane displacements, curvatures or cross-section rotations measured on the substrate surface are used as input data. Numerical tests and applications to lithographic masks demonstrated that the FE technique provided accurate film stress even if magnitudes varied from point to point and principal directions changed over the surface.
Oligocene calibration of the magnetic polarity time scale

Magnetostratigraphic studies of the Oligocene White River Group in Wyoming, Colorado, Nebraska, and the Dakotas yield a radiometrically dated polarity stratigraphy that provides mid-Tertiary calibration points for the magnetic polarity time scale. Anomaly 12–13 reversal is bracketed by dates of 32.4 and 34.6 m.y., in best agreement with the time scale of LaBrecque and colleagues. The magnetostratigraphy also helps calibrate the Oligocene North American land mammal “ages” and allows correlation with the European marine microfossil zonation. This correlation suggests that the age of the Eocene-Oligocene boundary is 37.0 m.y., contrary to younger dates obtained from glauconites and microtektites.
3H-spiroperidol labels dopamine receptors in pituitary and brain

Abstract 3H-Spiroperidol of high specific radioactivity labels dopamine receptors in membranes of bovine caudate nucleuse an anteroir pituitary. The saturation and kinetic properties of 3H-spiroperidol binding are similar in the two tissues. In both caudate and pituitary 3H-spiroperidol displays very high affinity with a dissociation constant of 0.2–0.3 nM. The relative potencies of numerous dopamine agonist and antagonists in competing for 3H-spiroperidol binding are closely similar in anterior pituitary and caudate.
Metric to evaluate the texture visibility of halftone patterns

Halftones are intended to produce the illusion of continuous images form binary output states, so the visibility of undesired halftone textures is an essential quality factor of halftone patterns. We propose a metric to predict the visibility of color halftone textures. The metric utilizes the human visual threshold function and contrast sensitivity functions of luminance and chrominance. The threshold is related to the average background luminance level by de Vries-Rose law. An iterative approach was used to determine the distance in which the visual error just exceeds the visual threshold. This distance is the metric that predicts the critical distance that a human observer can just discriminate the textures. To verify the metric, the texture visibility was determined experimentally by a psychological experiment. The halftone stimuli were presented on an SGI monitor. Starting from an initial distance, where the halftone images appeared as continuous color patches, the subject walked toward the monitor and found the distance where he or she could just discriminate the spatial changes caused by the textures. Then the distances determined by the experiment and those predicted by the metric were compared. A good correlation was achieved. The results show that the metric is able to predict the visibility over a wide range of texture characteristics.
The Relationship of Gender and Voice to Depression and Eating Disorders

Research often fails to document a gender difference in measures of voice. This is inconsistent with Gilligan's conceptualization of voice as a gendered construct. The purpose of the present study ...
Discharge of Infants from NICU to Latino Families with Limited English Proficiency

Assess the needs of Latino families with limited English proficiency (LEP) whose infant is discharged from the NICU. Parent interviews at discharge and 1 month later. Thirty-six mothers were interviewed. Thirty nine percentage had <8th grade education; half earned <$10,000 annually. Twenty-eight percentage had no primary support person inside the US. Only half felt very prepared for their infants' discharge. Many expressed general worry about their infant's medical condition (53%) and development (81%), but few (15%) could identify specific risk factors. One-third of families sought emergency medical care for their infant within 1 month of discharge. Less than half were aware of early intervention programs. Safe infant discharge from the NICU must address families' needs. Latino parents with LEP have deficits in knowledge about their infant's medical condition and available resources that place these vulnerable infants at further risk.
Poster: parallel algorithms for clustering and nearest neighbor search problems in high dimensions

Clustering and nearest neighbor searches in high dimensions are fundamental components of computational geometry, computational statistics, and pattern recognition. Despite the widespread need to analyze massive datasets, no MPI-based implementations are available to allow this analysis to be scaled to modern highly parallel platforms. We seek to develop a set of algorithms that will provide unprecedented scalability and performance for these fundamental problems.
Taxonomy of mediated crisis responses

This paper examines how organizations integrate the Internet into crisis communication. The findings of a 7-year longitudinal study provide a taxonomy explaining how mediated communication creates new possibilities for crisis response. We translate the study findings into suggestions for how public relations managers can integrate new communication media into their mix of communication tactics in crisis and risk management.
Near-infrared detector arrays: current state of the art

The current state-of-the-art in large format near-IR detector array fabrication is discussed. Near-IR detector arrays of 1024 by 1024 pixels format, both in HgCdTe and InSb, are now in use in many astronomical instruments and are performing very well. The next step in detector array size has just been taken and Rockwell has produced the first science-grade 2048 by 2048 HgCdTe array. Further advances in performance are required for medium and high resolution spectroscopy and for future space missions, in particular the next generation space telescope. Technologies are being developed that will allow us to overcome most of the performance limitations of today's near-IR detector arrays.
Protein Insolubilization and Starch Gelatinization of Mechanically Deboned Chicken Meat and Cornstarch During Twin-Screw Extrusion

Abstract Using high-temperature, short-time, twin-screw extrusion, .9% NaCl-soluble protein extractability and starch gelatinization of mechanically deboned chicken meat and 15% cornstarch (MDC-CS) extrudates were determined as a function of position in the extruder barrel. There were slight changes in total solids, protein, and fat in MDC-CS extrudates sampled in different sections of the barrel. Protein extractability decreased and starch gelatinization increased as the product moved through the barrel. A maximum of 75.4% gelatinized starch was measured in sampling Location 3 at 112 C. Protein extractability decreased from 100% at the feed port to 58.1% in sampling Location 2 at 103 C. Minimum protein extractability of 5.6% occurred at the die. The number of extractable protein bands decreased as the product moved through the barrel. Results indicated it is possible to identify changes in protein extractability and CS gelatinization as the product passes through the extruder barrel. The observations made in the current study may be helpful in establishing extrusion conditions to promote optimum protein denaturation and starch gelatinization in a particular barrel location for desired product texture and quality.
The Society of Pediatric Nurses: position statement on child welfare.

The Society of Pediatric Nurses (SPN) is dedicated to supporting its members in their practice. Since its inception in the mid 1980s, SPN has been instrumental in advocating for high quality, culturally sensitive, and comprehensive care for children and families. Advocacy for children and families takes on many forms. The development of position statements by the organization serves as one mechanism to begin to address some of the issues encountered by pediatric nurses in their practice settings. In 2008, the SPN Public Policy Committee developed its first position statement on child welfare. At that time, statistics showed that 906,000 children were victims of child abuse and neglect, and 3 children died every day from maltreatment (National Court Appointed Special Advocate Association, 2006). Foster care statistics also were alarming with more than 500,000 children living in foster care, and adolescents representing approximately one-third of this total (Love, McIntosh, Rosst & Tertzakian, 2005). Approximately half of all children in the United States (US) child welfare system had significant emotional or behavioral issues (Burns et al., 2004). Given these statistics and other child welfare issues, including the many children in kinship care and grandparent homes, and child homelessness, the position of SPN was to encourage careful assessment and identification of health and welfare needs, interdisciplinary collaboration including social services, referral to appropriate resources with careful follow-up, and political awareness advocacy. The impact of a declining global economy continues to affect millions of children and their families. Child welfare statistics remain relatively unchanged with the exception of
An overview of the abundance and role of protozooplankton in Antarctic waters

Abstract The classic view of the Antarctic pelagic system has suggested that food web dynamics are dominated by the diatom-krill food web link. Recent observations, however, have indicated that this is an oversimplification and that the antarctic food web has a complexity similar to that found in lower latitude systems. More specifically, small particulate feeding protozoans appear to have a much greater importance than was previously assumed. Only a few studies have been sufficiently extensive to characterize the Antarctic pelagic protozoan assemblage. These indicate that heterotrophic flagellates (dinoflagellates and other heterotrophic nanoplankton) and ciliates (mostly non-loricate oligotrichs) dominate the protozooplankton assemblages in surface waters. The combined biomass of protozooplankton has been reported to comprise from 75% of the total nano- and microplankton biomass depending on season and location. Protozoans are also found in sea ice communities where their abundances exceed those typically found in the plankton. Several protozoan species occupy both ice and water habitats, suggesting that seasonally melting sea ice may be the source of ice-edge protozooplankton assemblages. The feeding rates of protozooplankton in Antarctic waters are poorly documented. Consumption estimates based on clearance rates and some preliminary grazing experiments, however, indicate that the protozooplankton should be capable of utilizing a significant proportion of the daily primary and bacterioplankton production. Protozoans may contribute to vertical flux, but present evidence suggests that their contribution will be lower than from other sources.
Colloidal zirconyl phosphate-P-32; preparation and tissue distribution following I.V. administration.

Summary1. Several technics of preparing stabilized sols of zirconyl phosphate-P-32 have been described using dextran, soluble starch, and glucose as suspending agents. All preparations exhibited good stability, small and uniform particle size, low solubility, and metabolic “inertness.” High concentrations of glucose have proved superior to all other suspending agents for the preparation of injectable zirconyl phosphate sols. 2. In experimental animals, zirconyl phosphate-P-32 was concentrated rapidly in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow, when given intravenously. In the rat, a marked depression of the leukocyte count was effected. The LD50 for the rat was greater than 2 mc/kg but less than 1 mc kg in the rabbit. Combined urinary and fecal excretion of P-32 by the rat was 1.11 ± .16%/day. 3. In human leukemia patients the radiocolloid was localized principally in liver, spleen, and bone marrow. Other tissues as muscle, brain, skeleton, and reproductive organs exhibited little affinity for the colloid. 4. ...
The evaluation of comprehensive cancer control efforts: useful techniques and unique requirements.

This article discusses evaluation of comprehensive cancer control efforts as developed in the United States by involved partners at all levels – community, regional, state, tribal, territorial, and national. Evaluation of comprehensive cancer control can concern the evaluation of a program, a plan or activities from a plan. In its development, it is grounded in both theory and practice, and the results are used in program development and implementation to document activities, inform decision making, and demonstrate accountability. Various types of evaluation have been shown to be important. Challenges to evaluating comprehensive cancer control include incorporating and working with a broad group of stakeholders; developing an agreed upon plan and evaluation, ensuring the necessary infrastructure for overseeing, facilitating, and disseminating results of evaluations; conceptualizing and communicating desired changes; and potentially implementing (and evaluating) programs at the community, regional, tribal, territorial, state, or national level. Using the CDC Framework for Evaluation, selected examples of state program evaluations are presented. These examples show the use of both process and outcome evaluations to illustrate programmatic improvement and the accomplishment of proposed objectives. As evaluation of comprehensive cancer control continues to be developed and results communicated, our ability to evaluate comprehensive cancer control programs increases and the growth of comprehensive cancer control efforts are encouraged.
Sensitivity of coherent dual-comb spectroscopy.

Coherent dual comb spectroscopy can provide high-resolution, high-accuracy measurements of a sample response in both magnitude and phase. We discuss the achievable signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) due to both additive white noise and multiplicative noise, and the corresponding sensitivity limit for trace gas detection. We show that sequential acquisition of the overall spectrum through a tunable filter, or parallel acquisition of the overall spectrum through a detector array, can significantly improve the SNR under some circumstances. We identify a useful figure of merit as the quality factor, equal to the product of the SNR, normalized by the square root of the acquisition time, and the number of resolved frequency elements. For a single detector and fiber-laser based system, this quality factor is 106 – 107 Hz1/2.
Helicon waves in semiconductor superlattices

Abstract The dispersion relation for the helicon frequency of a system consisting of a periodic array of two-dimensional gas layers is studied as a function of both q and qz, the components of the wavevector parallel and perpendicular to the layers. The result is compared with that for a homogeneous three-dimensional electron gas.
The electrical characterization of surfaces, interfaces and contacts to a-Si:H

Abstract The present work shows how transient photoconductivity can be used to characterize surfaces, interfaces, and contacts to hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H). At a silicon nitride/a-Si:H interface an electron accumulation layer is found, whereas the native oxide induces a depletion layer. The accumulation is much greater when the nitride is deposited on top of the a-Si:H, rather than vice versa. The injection properties of n+ contacts are also investigated, and a study is made of the conditions under which these are partially or completely depleted, thereby affecting the carrier injection.
Steam-assisted biomass fractionation. I. Process considerations and economic evaluation

A series of process design and economics models have been created which calculate the process cost for several scenarios in steam-explosion/fractionation of wood. Steam-explosion/fractionation technology offers the opportunity to produce chemicals and materials from such biomass resources as wood processing residues, agricultural crop residues and waste paper. The models comprise a series of modular computer simulations, where each module summarizes a particular group of unit operations with respect to mass balance, energy requirements, and process cost including utilities, capital, labor, and other related costs. These modules are compiled into three groups of scenarios: (1) unprocessed steam-exploded biomass, (2) water extracted steam-exploded biomass, and (3) water and aqueous solvent (alkali or ethanol) extracted steam-exploded biomass. For the base case evaluated, the cost of producing a 50% moisture content (based on total weight) steam-exploded fiber amounts to the raw material cost plus $0.077 kg−1, dry basis. A water washed steam-exploded biomass fiber along with water-soluble solids (WSS) can be produced for $0.165 kg−1, plus raw material, if the WSS are recovered by evaporative concentration. A more delignified, steam-exploded fiber with recovery of WSS and an aqueous alkali soluble lignin can be produced for between $0.222 and $0.246 kg−1 of raw material processed, dry basis, depending on the lignin recovery option employed (i.e. evaporative concentration; precipitation from alkaline solution; or spray drying).
Generation of 287 W, 5.5 ps pulses at 78 MHz repetition rate from a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier seeded by a fiber chirped-pulse amplification system

We generate linearly polarized, 287 W average-power, 5.5 ps pulses using a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier at a repetition rate of 78 MHz. An optical-to-optical efficiency of 41% is obtained at 700 W pump power. A 6 W, 0.4 nm bandwidth picosecond seed source at 1029 nm wavelength is constructed using a chirped-pulse fiber amplification chain based on chirped volume Bragg gratings. The combination of a fiber amplifier system and a cryogenically cooled Yb:YAG amplifier results in good spatial beam quality at large average power. Low nonlinear phase accumulation as small as 5.1×10−3 rad in the bulk Yb:YAG amplifier supports power scalability to a >10 kW level without being affected by self-phase modulation. This amplification system is well suited for pumping high-power high-repetition-rate optical parametric chirped-pulse amplifiers.
Polyethylene magnetic nanoparticle: a new magnetic material for biomedical applications

Polyethylene magnetic nanoparticles were synthesized by nonsolvent and temperature induced crystallization along with ultrasonication. Low molecular weight polyethylene wax and maghemite were used for forming the composite particles. These particles were further coated with avidin. The nanoparticles are characterized using STEM, AFM and SQUID. Nanomagnetic particles were found to have two distinct morphologies and have superparamagnetic properties.
Thiodiglycolic acid: A major metabolite of bis(2-chloroethyl)ether

Abstract Male rats were given a single oral dose (40 mg/kg) of bis(2-chloroethyl)ether (BCEE). Less than 2% of the dose was recovered from the expired air as the unaltered parent compound during an 8-hr collection period. Urine samples representing 48 hr of collection were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Methyl ester/trimethylsilyl ether derivatives of the isolated urinary acid fraction were prepared for gas-phase analysis. Two metabolites were identified in this fraction: thiodiglycolic acid (TDGA) and 2-chloroethyl β- d -glucosiduronic acid. Quantitative analysis for TDGA gave an average (seven rats) yield for 48 hr of 33 ± 11.8 mg (± SD) of TDGA/kg from a single dose of 40 mg/kg BCEE. The glucuronide of 2-chloroethanol was synthesized using rabbit liver microsomes in an incubation mixture. The matching mass spectrum of the glucuronide prepared in vitro to that identified in the urine of the rats verified 2-chloroethyl β- d -glucosiduronic acid as a metabolite of BCEE.
Hole superconductivity in oxides: A two-band model

The role of the Cu ${\mathit{d}}_{\mathit{x}}^{2}$-${\mathit{y}}^{2}$ orbitals in the theory of hole superconductivity in oxides is considered. We use a two-band model of the type introduced by Suhl et al., describing a purely oxygen band coupled to a copper-oxygen band. The pure O band is nearly full, and the Cu-O band is nearly half-filled in the parameter range of interest. It is found that many of the features of the single-band hole-pairing description of the oxides survive the generalization to the two-band model. The new feature of the present model is the existence of a second, smaller, superconducting gap associated with the Cu-O band. This can give rise to features in the tunneling characteristics that reproduce certain experimental observations. The effect of the second gap in the specific-heat behavior below ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ is also examined, and deviations from exponential behavior at intermediate temperatures are found. It is also proposed that this model provides an explanation for the anomalous behavior found in the Hall coefficient just below ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$.
Molecular Characterization and Evolution of Self-Incompatibility Genes in Arabidopsis thaliana: The Case of the Sc Haplotype

The switch from an outcrossing mode of mating enforced by self-incompatibility to self-fertility in the Arabidopsis thaliana lineage was associated with mutations that inactivated one or both of the two genes that comprise the self-incompatibility (SI) specificity-determining S-locus haplotype, the S-locus receptor kinase (SRK) and the S-locus cysteine-rich (SCR) genes, as well as unlinked modifier loci required for SI. All analyzed A. thaliana S-locus haplotypes belong to the SA, SB, or SC haplotypic groups. Of these three, the SC haplotype is the least well characterized. Its SRKC gene can encode a complete open-reading frame, although no functional data are available, while its SCRC sequences have not been isolated. As a result, it is not known what mutations were associated with inactivation of this haplotype. Here, we report on our analysis of the Lz-0 accession and the characterization of its highly rearranged SC haplotype. We describe the isolation of its SCRC gene as well as the subsequent isolation of SCRC sequences from other SC-containing accessions and from the A. lyrata S36 haplotype, which is the functional equivalent of the A. thaliana SC haplotype. By performing transformation experiments using chimeric SRK and SCR genes constructed with SC- and S36-derived sequences, we show that the SRKC and SCRC genes of Lz-0 and at least a few other SC-containing accessions are nonfunctional, despite SCRC encoding a functional full-length protein. We identify the probable mutations that caused the inactivation of these genes and discuss our results in the context of mechanisms of S-locus inactivation in A. thaliana.
An AHP study on the critical factors for diversity implementation in Indian organisations

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors and subfactors that facilitate diversity implementation in Indian organisations. Ten multinational organisations were interviewed and the factors were identified for the purpose of the study. Diversity managers and directors were asked to provide information on the factors assisting the success of diversity initiatives. This paper investigates the critical factors and subfactors that determine the adoption of the diversity initiatives in the Indian manufacturing and service sectors. The analytical hierarchy process has been employed to prioritise the relative importance of the 4 critical success factors and 15 subfactors among the Indian organisations. The results suggest a generic hierarchy model for Indian organisations to prioritise the critical factors and formulate strategies for implementing diversity in their organisations.
The singular nature of the stress field near an arbitrarily moving dislocation loop

Abstract It is proved that, for the most singular 1/ϵ terms in the stress field at a point near the current position of a moving loop, the loop may be approximated by its tangent translating with the same instantaneous velocity v and acceleration a as the loop has at that point, while, as far as the coefficients of the In ϵ terms are concerned, the loop is approximated by its tangent at that point translating and rotating as the loop, and by its osculating circle expanding with the same instantaneous velocity as the loop.
Product specificity and mechanism of protein lysine methyltransferases: insights from the histone lysine methyltransferase SET8.

Molecular dynamics simulations employing a molecular mechanics (MM) force field and hybrid quantum mechanics (QM) and MM (QM/MM) have been carried out to investigate the product specificity and mechanism of the histone H4 lysine 20 (H4-K20) methylation by human histone lysine methyltransferase SET8. At neutral pH, the target lysine is available to only the enzyme in the protonated state. The first step in the methylation reaction must be deprotonation of the lysine target which is followed by the +AdoMet methylation of the neutral lysine [Enz·Lys-CH2-NH3+·+AdoMet → H+ + Enz·Lys-CH2-NH2·+AdoMet →→ Enz·Lys-CH2-N(Me)H2+·AdoHcy]. The electrostatic interactions between two positive charges on +AdoMet and Lys20-NH3+ decrease the pKa of Lys20-NH3+. Upon formation of Enz·Lys-NH3+·+AdoMet, a water channel by which the proton escapes to the outer solvent phase is formed. The formation of a water channel for the escape of a proton from Lys20-N(Me)H2+ in Enz·Lys20-N(Me)H2+·+AdoMet is not formed because the methyl sub...
A methodology of separating images from text using an OCR approach

This paper presents a document processing methodology based on an OCR approach. The document methodology separates text from images by keeping their relationships for a possible reconstruction of the original page. The text separation and extraction is based on a hierarchical framing process. The process starts with the framing a single character, after its recognition, continues with the framing of a word, and ends with the framing of all text lines.
Optimum fuel cell utilization with multilevel inverters

Static characteristics of fuel cells show more than a 30% difference in the output voltage between no-load to full-load conditions. This inevitable decrease, which is caused by internal losses, reduces the utilization factor of the fuel cells at low loads. Additionally, the converters fed by these fuel cells have to be derated to accommodate higher input voltages at low currents. To increase the utilization of fuel cells and to avoid derating of semiconductors, this paper proposes a level reduction control using a multilevel inverter. Level reduction is done by inhibiting a certain number of fuel cells when the load current decreases. The inhibited fuel cells can be used in other applications such as charging batteries to further increase their utilization and the efficiency of the system.
"Universal" transform image coding based on joint adaptation of filter banks, tree structures and quantizers

Summary form only given. Transform coding has become the de facto standard for image and video compression. The design of adaptive signal transforms for image coding usually follows one of the two approaches: adaptive tree/quantizer design with fixed subband filter banks and adaptive subband filter bank design with fixed quantizers and tree topology. The main objective of our work is to integrate these two paradigms in an image coder in which subband filter banks, tree structures and quantizers are all adapted. We design a codebook for the filters, tree and quantizers. The codebook design algorithm uses a training set made of images that are assumed to be representative of the broad class of images of interest. We first design the filters and then the quantizers. In the filter design phase, we visit nodes in a top-down fashion and design a filter codebook for each tree node. The optimal filter codebook for each node is designed so as to minimize the theoretical coding gain-based rate. The design of the quantizers and the weights for the splitting decisions is done jointly using a greedy iterative algorithm based on the single tree algorithm of Ramchandran et al. (1993). The actual coding algorithm finds, based on the codebook design, the optimized filter banks, tree structure, and quantizer choices for each node of the tree. In our experimental setup we used a training set of 20 images representative of four image classes.
PELVIC LYMPH NODE DISSECTION CAN BE CURATIVE IN PATIENTS WITH NODE POSITIVE BLADDER CANCER

AbstractPurpose: We analyze outcome in a large cohort of patients with bladder cancer metastatic to the regional lymph nodes using disease specific survival as the end point.Materials and Methods: To identify predictors for outcome a large series of 193 consecutive patients with regional lymph node metastases operated on from 1980 to 1990 at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center was retrospectively analyzed.Results: Among various clinical and pathological parameters, univariate and multivariate analyses identified only P (p = 0.0001) and N categories (p = 0.0006) as parameters predicting disease specific survival. In patients who received chemotherapy or irradiation either as part of a nonrandomized clinical protocol or on an ad hoc basis no beneficial impact on disease specific survival could be demonstrated. Survival was also not affected by pathological grade and other histological parameters, since pathological features in patients with node positive bladder cancer are uniformly shifted towards high ...
Tainted Altruism When Doing Some Good Is Evaluated as Worse Than Doing No Good at All

In four experiments, we found that the presence of self-interest in the charitable domain was seen as tainting: People evaluated efforts that realized both charitable and personal benefits as worse than analogous behaviors that produced no charitable benefit. This tainted-altruism effect was observed in a variety of contexts and extended to both moral evaluations of other agents and participants' own behavioral intentions (e.g., reported willingness to hire someone or purchase a company's products). This effect did not seem to be driven by expectations that profits would be realized at the direct cost of charitable benefits, or the explicit use of charity as a means to an end. Rather, we found that it was related to the accessibility of different counterfactuals: When someone was charitable for self-interested reasons, people considered his or her behavior in the absence of self-interest, ultimately concluding that the person did not behave as altruistically as he or she could have. However, when someone was only selfish, people did not spontaneously consider whether the person could have been more altruistic.
Sex Steroid Treatment of Constitutionally Tall Stature

I. Introduction II. Normal vs. Extremes of Growth A. Defining CTS B. Endocrinology of CTS III. Endocrinology of Bone Growth and Maturation IV. Sex Steroid Action on Bone Growth and Maturation V. Height Prediction A. Skeletal maturity or BA B. Computed assisted skeletal age-scoring systems C. Accuracy of height prediction D. New prediction equations in constitutionally tall children VI. Treatment of CTS: General Concepts VII. Treatment of Constitutionally Tall Boys A. T treatment modalities B. Height reduction C. Effects on gonadal function D. Other clinical effects VIII. Estrogen Treatment in Tall Girls A. Estrogen treatment modalities B. Height reduction C. Effects on gonadal function D. Other adverse effects IX. Alternative Treatment Modalities and Future Research X. Conclusions and Recommendations
Septic arthritis caused by treatment resistant Pseudomonas cepacia

A case of septic arthritis of the knee caused by Pseudomonas cepacia following an intraarticular corticosteroid injection in a patient with a history of osteoarthritis is presented. This is the second report of this agent causing infection in a diarthrodial joint, which proved difficult to eradicate despite in vitro antibiotic sensitivity.
Monitoring and diagnosis of rolling element bearings using artificial neural networks

Vibration monitoring of components in manufacturing plants involves the collection of vibration data from plant components and detailed analysis to detect features that reflect the operational state of the machinery. The analysis leads to the identification of potential failures and their causes and makes it possible to perform efficient preventive maintenance. Work on the design of a vibration monitoring methodology for rolling element bearings (REB) based on neural network technology is presented. This technology provides an attractive complement to traditional vibration analysis because of the potential of neural networks to operate in real-time mode and to handle data that may be distorted or noisy. The significance of this work relies on the fact that REB failures are responsible for a large fraction of the malfunctions in manufacturing equipment. The technique enhances traditional vibration analysis and provides a means of automating the monitoring and diagnosis of vibrating equipment. >
Variation of crystallite orientation with degree of crystallinity: Isotactic polystyrene

The orientation of the crystallographic c axis (chain axis) was followed by x-ray diffraction during the crystallization of four samples of isotactic polystyrene differing in elongation ratio. The crystallite orientation can be expressed by 〈cos2 χc〉, where χc is the angle between the c axis and the stretching direction. The degrees of crystallinity w were estimated from the diffraction data by using density for calibration. It was found that 〈cos2 χc〉 decreases in a linear manner with crystallinity, the rate of decrease being very small when the elongation ratio α is 5, but becoming progressively larger as α is decreased toward unity. A qualitative measure suggests that amorphous orientation decreases during crystallization at a rate which is nearly independent of α. The variation of 〈cos2 χc〉 with w is therefore governed by the orientation of the statistical chain segments prior to crystallization. If the elongation ratio is small, the supply of well oriented statistical segments is limited, and 〈cos2 χc〉 will decrease at a rapid rate during crystallization. A treatment due to Krigbaum and Roe permits evaluation of the ratio, ν/N, where ν and N are the average numbers of statistical segments in the crystallization nucleus of critical size, and in a network chain, respectively. Our polystyrene samples were not crosslinked, so chain entanglements must serve as junction points. Values of ν could not be obtained, since N was unknown. However, the (ν/N) ratio for isotactic polystyrene decreases slowly with α, and the values agree reasonably well with those obtained in a previous study of oriented polychloroprene networks. After nearly complete crystallization (ω ca. 0.30), the long period spacing measured by low angle diffraction was approximately 135 A, and varied only slightly with elongation ratio in the range α = 1 to 5. It therefore appears that chain folded lamellae are present in both drawn and undrawn samples of isotactic polystyrene.
Isolation and phylogenetic identification of a dark‐septate fungus associated with the alpine plant Ranunculus adoneus

Summary • Dark-septate endophytic (DSE) fungi are ubiquitous in the roots of Arctic and alpine plants, yet very little is known about their phylogenetic identities or effects on their host plants. • Several such fungi were isolated from the alpine snowbed plant Ranunculus adoneus in the Front Range of Colorado, USA; one isolate was chosen for detailed study. The ability of this isolate to re-colonize plant roots in pot cultures was assessed, and phylogenetic analyses were performed using small-subunit (SSU), 5.8S and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) 2 ribosomal DNA sequences. • This isolate had the ability to produce root endophytic structures in pot cultures similar to those reported from other sources and observed in R. adoneus roots. SSU phylogenetic analyses showed this isolate to be related to a clade within the Euascomycetes containing the Leotiales and Erysiphales. In addition, SSU and 5.8S–ITS2 sequences showed high phylogenetic similarity to a variety of isolates reported from other plants of diverse geographical origins. Although most of these isolates remain unidentified, one closely related isolate was the anamorphic taxon Phialophora gregata. • The results suggest that this DSE isolate might belong to the fairly closely related group of plant endophytes that have varied effects on the plants that they inhabit.
Dynamical groups of parametrized systems: Atomic supermultiplets

Lie groups that allow transformation of parameters in a Hamiltonian are investigated. Stability considerations suggest treating the parameters as dynamical variables. This yields generalized Hamiltonian systems in an enlarged classical phase space, and “third quantized” Hamiltonians in quantum mechanics. These proved a conceptually and mathematically convenient tool for uncovering relationships between the properties of related physical systems.
A multiscale interaction technique for large, high-resolution displays

This paper explores the link between users' physical navigation, specifically their distance from their current object(s) of focus, and their interaction scale. We define a new 3D interaction technique, called multiscale interaction, which links users' scale of perception and their scale of interaction. The technique exploits users' physical navigation in the 3D space in front of a large high-resolution display, using it to explicitly control scale of interaction, in addition to scale of perception. Other interaction techniques for large displays have not previously considered physical navigation to this degree. We identify the design space of the technique, which other researchers can continue to explore and build on, and evaluate one implementation of multiscale interaction to begin to quantify the benefits of the technique. We show evidence of a natural psychological link between scale of perception and scale of interaction and that exploiting it as an explicit control in the user interface can be beneficial to users in problem solving tasks. In addition, we show that designing against this philosophy can be detrimental.
The motivated use of moral principles

Five studies demonstrated that people selectively use general moral principles to rationalize preferred moral conclusions. In Studies 1a and 1b, college students and community respondents were presented with variations on a traditional moral scenario that asked whether it was permissible to sacrifice one innocent man in order to save a greater number of people. Political liberals, but not relatively more conservative participants, were more likely to endorse consequentialism when the victim had a stereotypically White American name than when the victim had a stereotypically Black American name. Study 2 found evidence suggesting participants believe that the moral principles they are endorsing are general in nature: when presented sequentially with both versions of the scenario, liberals again showed a bias in their judgments to the initial scenario, but demonstrated consistency thereafter. Study 3 found conservatives were more likely to endorse the unintended killing of innocent civilians when Iraqis civilians were killed than when Americans civilians were killed, while liberals showed no significant effect. In Study 4, participants primed with patriotism were more likely to endorse consequentialism when Iraqi civilians were killed by American forces than were participants primed with multiculturalism. However, this was not the case when American civilians were killed by Iraqi forces. Implications for the role of reason in moral judgment are discussed.
Locus Control Region Transcription Plays an Active Role in Long-Range Gene Activation

Activation of eukaryotic genes often relies on remote chromatin determinants. How these determinants function remains poorly understood. The hGH gene is activated by a 5'-remote locus control region (LCR). Pituitary-specific DNase I hypersensitive site I (HSI), the dominant hGH LCR element, is separated from the hGH-N promoter by a 14.5 kb span that encompasses the B-lymphocyte-specific CD79b gene. Here, we describe a domain of noncoding Pol II transcription in pituitary somatotropes that includes the hGH LCR and adjacent CD79b locus. This entire "LCR domain of transcription" is HSI [corrected] dependent and terminates 3' to CD79b, leaving a gap in transcription between this domain and the target hGH-N promoter. Insertion of a Pol II terminator within the LCR blocks CD79b transcription and represses hGH-N expression. These data document an essential role for LCR transcription in long-range control, link "bystander"CD79b transcription to this process, and support a unique model for locus activation.
Closed-form object restoration from limited spatial and spectral information.

Given only a portion of an arbitrary finite-energy [L2(−∞, ∞)] image and a portion of that image's spectrum, we present a closed-form method by which the entire image can be reconstructed. The algorithm is a basic augmentation of a recently proposed iterative restoration algorithm presented by Stark et al. [J. Opt. Soc. Am. 71, 635 (1981); Opt. Lett. 6, 259 (1981)]. Experimental results are presented.
Observation of H/sup +/ motion during interface trap formation

The time dependence of changes in the oxide trapped charge during interface trap formation is investigated. Changes in MOSFET threshold voltage V/sub th/ and number of interface traps N/sub it/ are measured in the same sample as a function of time following pulsed irradiation. When the gate bias during irradiation V/sub gl/ is positive, the initial mod Delta V/sub th/ mod is large due to trapping of radiation-induced holes at the Si-SiO/sub 2/ interface and the postirradiation time dependence of Delta V/sub th/ is dominated by hole detrapping, as expected. When V/sub gl/ is negative, interfacial hole trapping is minimized. In this case, an unusual peak in the Delta V/sub th/ vs. time curve provides evidence of the involvement of H/sup +/ ions in the N/sub it/ formation process. >