cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Minimal Escherichia coli Cell for the Most Efficient Production of Ethanol from Hexoses and Pentoses

To obtain an efficient ethanologenic Escherichia coli strain, we reduced the functional space of the central metabolic network, with eight gene knockout mutations, from over 15,000 pathway possibilities to 6 pathway options that support cell function. The remaining pathways, identified by elementary mode analysis, consist of four pathways with non-growth-associated conversion of pentoses and hexoses into ethanol at theoretical yields and two pathways with tight coupling of anaerobic cell growth with ethanol formation at high yields. Elimination of three additional genes resulted in a strain that selectively grows only on pentoses, even in the presence of glucose, with a high ethanol yield. We showed that the ethanol yields of strains with minimized metabolic functionality closely matched the theoretical predictions. Remarkably, catabolite repression was completely absent during anaerobic growth, resulting in the simultaneous utilization of pentoses and hexoses for ethanol production.
Evidence for an extensive intracluster medium from radio observations of distant Abell clusters

Observations have been made of 18 distance class 5 and 6 Abell clusters of galaxies using the VLA in its 'C' configuration at a frequency of 1460 MHz. Half of the clusters in the sample are confirmed or probable sources of X-ray emission. All the detected radio sources with flux densities above 10 mJy are reported, and information is provided concerning the angular extent of the sources, as well as the most likely optical identification. The existence of an extensive intracluster medium is inferred by identifying extended/distorted radio sources with galaxies whose apparent magnitudes are consistent with their being cluster members and that are at projected distances of 3-4 Abell radii (6-8 Mpc) from the nearest cluster center. By requiring that the radio sources are confined by the ambient medium, the ambient density is calculated and the total cluster mass is estimated. As a sample calculation, a wide-angle-tail radio source some 5 Mpc from the center of Abell 348 is used to estimate these quantities.
Concept of Temperature and the Overhauser Nuclear Polarization Effect

The polarization of nuclei by the Overhauser method is examined for the case of metals. It is shown that the concept of temperature is valid for the conduction electrons if they are viewed form a coordinate system rotating at the electron Larmor frequency $\ensuremath{\omega}$. Relative to this system, the nuclei precess at nearly $\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\omega}$, a result equivalent to an enormous nuclear magnetic coupling. The Overhauser result then follows immediately.
High school world history teachers' experiences: Learning to use authentic intellectual work in schools of color

Abstract In our current times, educators as a whole—and social studies educators particularly—are facing increased pressures of conservatism and accountability as applied to their curriculum, resulting in excessive test preparation, narrowed curricula, and an inability to prepare students satisfactorily for their lives as adult citizens—factors which are exacerbated in schools of color. While some scholars have proposed the framework for authentic intellectual work (AIW) as a solution to satisfy both accountability pressures and students' needs beyond schooling while reducing achievement gaps, few have examined classroom teachers with this framework directly. To consider whether the AIW framework stands a chance at successful adoption long term, this study explores several high school world history teachers' experiences with learning to use authentic intellectual work in a school of color, describes the textures and structures of their experiences through the lens of hermeneutic phenomenology, and makes recommendations for additional research.
A unified framework for Volatile Organic Compound classification and regression

Motivated by the insect olfactory system, which resolves both the identity and the quantity of a nectar in parallel based on the same sensory cue, we address the problem of Volatile Organic Compound (VOC) classification and regression in a unified setting. We derive a maximum margin formulation for minimizing the empirical regression error and the classification error jointly, and then call the sequential minimal optimization procedure for solution. The solution yields a pool of support vectors that achieves both tasks almost equally accurately as individual performances of a support vector machine classifier and a support vector regressor designed independently. We investigate empirically the advantages and inconveniences of handling these two problems under a single formulation for odor identification and quantification. We demonstrate the method on an extensive dataset acquired by an array metal-oxide sensors for five VOC identities and a wide range of concentrations.
Spatial and temporal statistical analysis of bycatch data: patterns of sea turtle bycatch in the North Atlantic

Loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) sea turtle distributions and movements in offshore waters of the western North Atlantic are not well understood despite continued efforts to monitor, survey, and ob- serve them. Loggerhead and leatherback sea turtles are listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union, and thus anthropogenic mortality of these species, including fishing, is of elevated interest. This study quantifies spatial and tempo- ral patterns of sea turtle bycatch distributions to identify potential processes influencing their locations. A Ripley's K func- tion analysis was employed on the NOAA Fisheries Atlantic Pelagic Longline Observer Program data to determine spatial, temporal, and spatio-temporal patterns of sea turtle bycatch distributions within the pattern of the pelagic fishery distribu- tion. Results indicate that loggerhead and leatherback sea turtle catch distributions change seasonally, with patterns of spa- tial clustering appearing from July through October. The results from the space-time analysis indicate that sea turtle catch distributions are related on a relatively fine scale (30-200 km and 1-5 days). The use of spatial and temporal point pattern analysis, particularly K function analysis, is a novel way to examine bycatch data and can be used to inform fishing practi- ces such that fishing could still occur while minimizing sea turtle bycatch.
Atazanavir pharmacokinetics in genetically determined CYP3A5 expressors versus non-expressors

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to compare atazanavir pharmacokinetics in genetically determined CYP3A5 expressors versus non-expressors. METHODS HIV-negative adult volunteers were pre-screened for CYP3A5 *3, *6 and *7 polymorphisms and enrollment was balanced for CYP3A5 expressor status, gender and race (African-American versus non-African-American). Participants received atazanavir 400 mg daily for 7 days followed by atazanavir/ritonavir 300 mg/100 mg daily for 7 days with pharmacokinetic studies on days 7 and 14. Other measures collected were bilirubin, UGT1A1 *28, and ABCB1 1236C > T, 2677G > T/A and 3435C > T genotypes. Data analyses utilized least squares regression. RESULTS Fifteen CYP3A5 expressors and 16 non-expressors participated. The day 7 atazanavir oral clearance (CL/F) was 1.39-fold faster (0.25 versus 0.18 L/h/kg; P = 0.045) and the C(min) was half (87 versus 171 ng/mL; P = 0.044) in CYP3A5 expressors versus non-expressors. Non-African-American CYP3A5 expressor males had 2.1-fold faster CL/F (P = 0.003) and <20% the C(min) (P = 0.0001) compared with non-African-American non-expressor males. No overall CYP3A5 expressor effects were observed during the ritonavir phase. One or two copies of wild-type ABCB1 haplotype (1236C/2677G/3435C) was predictive of slower atazanavir and ritonavir CL/F compared with zero copies (P < 0.06). Indirect bilirubin increased 1.6- to 2.8-fold more in subjects with UGT1A1 *28/*28 versus *1/*28 or *1/*1. CONCLUSIONS CYP3A5 expressors had faster atazanavir CL/F and lower C(min) than non-expressors. The effect was most pronounced in non-African-American men. Ritonavir lessened CYP3A5 expressor effects. The wild-type ABCB1 CGC haplotype was associated with slower CL/F and the UGT1A1 *28 genotype was associated with increased bilirubin. Thus, CYP3A5, ABCB1 and UGT1A1 polymorphisms are associated with atazanavir pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics in vivo.
Maternal Differentiation, Onset and Type of Father's Absence and Psychological Differentiation in Children:

Summary.-The relationship berween mothers' and children's levels of psychological differentiation as measured by the rod-and-frame test and the effects of onset and nature of father's absence on this relationship were explored for 209 children between the ages of 8 and 16 yr. and their mothers. There were significantly higher correlations between the scores of children whose fathers were present at home and their mothers than for children whose fathers were absent from home and their mothers. Over-all no significant differences in the motherchild correlations were observed between families where the father's absence resulted from divorce, separation, or desertion and families in which the father had died, although when age of the child at the onset of the father's absence was considered there were significant differences between the group where the father's absence resulted from divorce, separation, or desenion and the group where the father had died.
Wideband imaging of the rotating sphere: a wavelet transform approach

This paper shows that a distributed object can be actively imaged using wideband processing and wavelet transform theory. The object considered is a uniform, rough, rotating sphere. The new wideband spreading function (WBSF) model of the sphere is developed by extending the theory of the existing narrowband scattering function model. Both models have singularities that have not been addressed in the literature. The processing method discussed uniquely accounts for these singularities using the wavelet transform. The support of the wideband spreading function model is discussed and related to the parameters of the sphere. Finally, an estimate of the wideband spreading function is found by computing the wavelet transform of the received signal with respect to the transmitted signal. >
Characterization of 2D-photonic crystal nanocavities by polarization-dependent photoluminescence

In this work, hexagonal defect nanocavities ("H1" and "H2") in two-dimensional photonic crystal slabs were fabricated in a half wavelength-thick semiconductor waveguide embedded with quantum dots. We characterized the cavity modes with polarization sensitive microphotoluminescence. The polarization property of the spontaneous emission was shown to be an effective approach for detecting the symmetry of the modes, from which the mode structure for an H2-cavity was experimentally verified for the first time.
Ultradian sleep rhythms and cortisol.

To the Editor: Born et al. (1986) described a cross-correlation analysis between cortisol and REM sleep stage to determine if cortisol secretion is related to the ultradian rhythm of REM-non-REM. Apparently, the crosscorrelation function did nor support the hypothesis of ultradian time relationship, although the authors did not present this cross-correlation function in detail. Some years ago, Weitzman and 1 (Kripke 1974) also computed cross-correlation functions between plasma cortisol and stage REM, deriving also the cross-spectral transforms. This analysis demonstrated a lack of association between the &radian REM-nonREM rhythm and pulsatile secretion of cortisol. It appears that the data of Born et al. also fail to support an &radian cross-correlation relationship of REM and cortisol. Therefore, no claim that there is an &radian relationship should be made.
Cytokinesis signals truncation of the PodJ polarity factor by a cell cycle-regulated protease

We demonstrate that successive cleavage events involving regulated intramembrane proteolysis (Rip) occur as a function of time during the Caulobacter cell cycle. The proteolytic substrate PodJ L is a polar factor that recruits proteins required for polar organelle biogenesis to the correct cell pole at a defined time in the cell cycle. We have identified a periplasmic protease (PerP) that initiates the proteolytic sequence by truncating PodJ L to a form with altered activity (PodJ S ). Expression of perP is regulated by a signal transduction system that activates cell type‐specific transcription programs and conversion of PodJ L to PodJ S in response to the completion of cytokinesis. PodJ S , sequestered to the progeny swarmer cell, is subsequently released from the polar membrane by the membrane metalloprotease MmpA for degradation during the swarmer‐to‐stalked cell transition. This sequence of proteolytic events contributes to the asymmetric localization of PodJ isoforms to the appropriate cell pole. Thus, temporal activation of the PerP protease and spatial restriction of the polar PodJ L substrate cooperatively control the cell cycle‐dependent onset of Rip.
DAWN: Drug Abuse Warning Network or Data About Worthless Numbers?

This.report presents further data about toxicologic resultstn i008 mentions to the DAWN (Drug Abuse Warning Network) System from Los Angeles County/ USC Medical Center in i977. Details from some of the blood concentrations found in that retrospective study ,~ei:pressnted here::fOr-.the ~ most commonly" reported drugs;both aiOneandi!n Combinatioh with alcohol. The , ~a~a~i~ggests CaUtiOn about!~lnforrlng drug abuse r ~
MECHANISMS OF EMOTIONAL AROUSAL AND LASTING DECLARATIVE MEMORY

Neuroscience is witnessing growing interest in understanding brain mechanisms of memory formation for emotionally arousing events, a development closely related to renewed interest in the concept of memory consolidation. Extensive research in animals implicates stress hormones and the amygdaloid complex as key, interacting modulators of memory consolidation for emotional events. Considerable evidence suggests that the amygdala is not a site of long-term explicit or declarative memory storage, but serves to influence memory-storage processes in other brain regions, such as the hippocampus, striatum and neocortex. Human-subject studies confirm the prediction of animal work that the amygdala is involved with the formation of enhanced declarative memory for emotionally arousing events.
A meta-analysis examining clinical test utilities for assessing meniscal injury

Objective: To systematically review the most recent literature with meta-analysis to summarize the accuracy of clinical tests for assessing meniscal lesions of the knee.Methods and measures: A computerized database search was performed to identify eligible articles. Identified articles were reviewed to determine eligibility and methodological quality. Sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios and diagnostic odd ratios were reproduced or recorded from each study. Meta-analysis was performed using the reported study sensitivity and specificity values.Results: Three tests — joint line tenderness, McMurray's and Apley's — were compared in the meta-analysis. The methodological quality of the studies was found to have a significant effect on both the test sensitivities and specificities. Summary receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity values, mean likelihood ratios and diagnostic odd ratios (DOR) uniformly show joint line tenderness (DOR = 10.98) to be the best `common' test, followed by M...
Sound Field Reproduction using the Lasso

Reproducing a sampled sound field using an array of loudspeakers is a problem with well-appreciated applications to acoustics and ultrasound treatment. Loudspeaker signal design has traditionally relied on (possibly regularized) least-squares (LS) criteria. In many cases however, the desired sound field can be reproduced using only a few loudspeakers, which are sparsely distributed in space. To exploit this feature, the fresh look advocated here permeates benefits from advances in variable selection and compressive sampling to sound field synthesis by formulating a sparse linear regression problem that is solved using the least-absolute shrinkage and selection operator (Lasso). An efficient implementation of the Lasso for the problem at hand is developed based on a coordinate descent iteration. Analysis and simulations demonstrate that Lasso-based sound field reproduction yields better performance than LS especially at high frequencies and for reproduction of under-sampled sound fields. In addition, Lasso-based synthesis enables judicious placement of loudspeaker arrays.
Non-modulation as an intermediate phenotype in essential hypertension

Non-modulation is a trait characterized by abnormal angiotensin-mediated control of aldosterone release and the renal blood supply. To determine whether non-modulation defines a specific subgroup of the hypertensive population and its utility as an intermediate phenotype, we have studied the distribution of this quantitative trait, whether its features are reproducible on repeated testing, and whether there is concordance of its multiple features. Essential hypertensive patients (224) and normotensive subjects (119) received an infusion of angiotensin II (Ang II) at 3 ng.kg-1.min-1 for 30-45 minutes. p-Aminohippurate (PAH) clearance was assessed as an index of renal plasma flow while the subjects were on a 200 meq sodium diet; plasma aldosterone levels were measured while the subjects were on a 10 meq sodium diet. In 54 subjects, diuretic-induced volume depletion superimposed on a low salt diet was substituted for the Ang II infusion. The results of each study were submitted to maximum likelihood analysis to assess bimodality. In response to both diuretic-induced volume depletion (p < 0.000023) and Ang II infusion (p < 0.0009), aldosterone responses were bimodally distributed in the essential hypertensive but not in the normotensive subjects, suggesting that this trait identifies a discrete subgroup. In the 59 subjects who had both an adrenal and renal study, 50 (85%) were concordant. Finally, in 27 subjects studied two to six times over a span of 1-60 months, the intraclass correlations of the adrenal, PAH, or both responses were highly significant (p values between 0.001 and 0.00007), indicating high reproducibility of results on repeated testing.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Effect of Interatomic Interactions on the Zero-Bandwidth Hubbard Hamiltonian

We consider the linear-chain zero-bandwidth Hubbard Hamiltonian with added nearest-neighbor interactions, with a magnetic field present. Exact expressions for thermo-dynamic quantities are obtained in simple closed form for the half-filled band. The qualitative behavior of the expressions for susceptibility and specific heat is discussed with a view toward recent studies of the organic salt NMP-TCNQ. On considere le Hubbard Hamiltonian pour la chaine lineaire de nul integrale transfert avec Coulombique interactions aux premier voisin et un champs magnetique. Simples et exactes formules pour quantites thermique sont obtenues au cas de la bande demi-plein. La tenue qualitatif des expressions pour la susceptibilite et la chaleur specif ique est discute au point de vu d'etudes recent du sel organique NMP-TCNQ.
Amino acid and manganese supplementation modulates the glycosylation state of erythropoietin in a CHO culture system

The manufacture of secreted proteins is complicated by the need for both high levels of expression and appropriate processing of the nascent polypeptide. For glycoproteins, such as erythropoietin (EPO), posttranslational processing involves the addition of oligosaccharide chains. We initially noted that a subset of the amino acids present in the cell culture media had become depleted by cellular metabolism during the last harvest cycle in our batch fed system and hypothesized that by supplementing these nutrients we would improve EPO yields. By increasing the concentration of these amino acids we increased recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) biosynthesis in the last harvest cycle as expected but, surprisingly, we also observed a large increase in the amount of rHuEPO with a relatively low sialic acid content. To understand the nature of this process we isolated and characterized the lower sialylated rHuEPO pool. Decreased sialylation correlated with an increase in N-linked carbohydrates missing terminal galactose moieties, suggesting that β-1,4-galactosyltransferase may be rate limiting in our system. To test this hypothesis we supplemented our cultures with varying concentrations of manganese (Mn2+), a cofactor for β-1,4-galactosyltransferase. Consistent with our hypothesis we found that Mn2+ addition improved galactosylation and greatly reduced the amount of rHuEPO in the lower sialylated fraction. Additionally, we found that Mn2+ addition increased carbohydrate site occupancy and narrowed carbohydrate branching to bi-antennary structures in these lower sialylated pools. Surprisingly Mn2+ only had this effect late in the culture process. These data indicate that the addition of Mn2+ has complex effects on stressed batch fed cultures. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2007;96: 538–549. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
State Definitions of Behavior Disorders

The purpose of this article was to survey state departments of education regarding their definitions of behavior disorders. Forty-nine state definitions were analyzed based on their alignment to 11 criteria components. The data indicated a wide discrepancy between the states as to what constitutes a behavior disorder. The results are discussed in terms of the shortcomings of many of the definitions and in terms of the changes which have occurred in state definitions over the years. Specific recommendations regarding the need to operationalize the definitions are presented.
Separation of Nonconvex Sets with General Augmenting Functions

In this paper, we consider two geometric optimization problems that are dual to each other and characterize conditions under which the optimal values of the two problems are equal. This characterization relies on establishing separation results for nonconvex sets using general concave surfaces defined in terms of convex augmenting functions. We prove separation results for augmenting functions that are bounded from below, unbounded augmenting functions, and asymptotic augmenting functions.
How telomeric protein POT1 avoids RNA to achieve specificity for single-stranded DNA

The POT1-TPP1 heterodimer, the major telomere-specific single-stranded DNA-binding protein in mammalian cells, protects chromosome ends and contributes to the regulation of telomerase. The recent discovery of telomeric RNA raises the question of how POT1 faithfully binds telomeric ssDNA and avoids illicit RNA binding that could result in its depletion from telomeres. Here we show through binding studies that a single deoxythymidine in a telomeric repeat dictates the DNA versus RNA discrimination by human POT1 and mouse POT1A. We solve the crystal structure of hPOT1 bound to DNA with a ribouridine in lieu of the critical deoxythymidine and show that this substitution results in burying the 2′-hydroxyl group in a hydrophobic region (Phe62) of POT1 in addition to eliminating favorable hydrogen-bonding interactions at the POT1–nucleic acid interface. At amino acid 62, Phe discriminates against RNA binding and Tyr allows RNA binding. We further show that TPP1 greatly augments POT1’s discrimination against RNA.
Transfer via inter-task mappings in policy search reinforcement learning

The ambitious goal of transfer learning is to accelerate learning on a target task after training on a different, but related, source task. While many past transfer methods have focused on transferring value-functions, this paper presents a method for transferring policies across tasks with different state and action spaces. In particular, this paper utilizes transfer via inter-task mappings for policy search methods (TVITM-PS) to construct a transfer functional that translates a population of neural network policies trained via policy search from a source task to a target task. Empirical results in robot soccer Keepaway and Server Job Scheduling show that TVITM-PS can markedly reduce learning time when full inter-task mappings are available. The results also demonstrate that TVITMPS still succeeds when given only incomplete inter-task mappings. Furthermore, we present a novel method for learning such mappings when they are not available, and give results showing they perform comparably to hand-coded mappings.
Endoneurial pathology of the needlestick-nerve-injury model of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, including rats with and without pain behaviors

Current rodent models of neuropathic pain produce pain hypersensitivity in almost all lesioned animals and not all identified experimental effects are pain specific. 18G needlestick-nerve-injury (NNI) to one tibial nerve of outbred Sprague‐Dawley rats models the phenotype of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), a post-traumatic neuropathic pain syndrome, leaving roughly half of NNI rats with hyperalgesia. We compared endoneurial data from these divergent endophenotypes searching for pathological changes specifically associated with pain-behaviors. Tibial, sural, and common sciatic nerves from 12 NNI rats plus 10 nerves from shamoperated controls were removed 14 days post-surgery for morphometric analysis. PGP9.5 + unmyelinated-fibers were quantitated in plantar hindpaw skin. Distal tibial nerves of NNI rats had endoneurial edema, 30% fewer axons, twice as many mast cells, and thicker blood-vessel walls than uninjured tibial nerves. However the only significant difference between nerves from hyperalgesic versus non-hyperalgesic NNI rats was greater endoneurial edema in hyperalgesic rats (p < 0.01). We also discovered significant axonal losses in uninjured ipsilateral sural nerves of NNI rats, demonstrating spread of neuropathy to nearby nerves formerly thought spared. Tibial and sural nerves contralateral to NNI had significant changes in endoneurial blood-vessels. Similar pathological changes have been identified in CRPS-I patients. The current findings suggest that severity of endoneurial vasculopathy and inflammation may correlate better with neuropathic pain behaviors than degree of axonal loss. Spread of pathological changes to nearby ipsilateral and contralateral nerves might potentially contribute to extraterritorial pain in CRPS.
Changes in drinking-related locus of control as a function of length of alcoholism treatment.

Locus of control is viewed as a measure of the degree of responsibility an individual perceives himself to have over meaningful life events. The drinking-related Internal-External locus of control ...
Payments to Senior Corporation Executives

Public hostility towards "excessive payments" ' to corporation executives, 170. — Reasons for this hostility, 171. — Sources of information, 171. — Definition of terms, 172. — Nature of the data available, 172. — Dollar payments by large companies, 173. — Distribution of aggregate payments, 175. — Relation to sales and earnings, 177. — Relation to functions, 177. — Payments by smaller companies, 179. — Relation to sales and earnings, 181. — Relation to functions, 181. — Summary of conclusions, 182.
Trends in Reported Happiness Within Demographically Defined Subgroups, 1957–78

Surveys conducted between 1957 and 1978 indicate a decline in reported levels of happiness from the 1950s to the early 1970s, followed by a gradual rebound. The pattern is different for certain subgroups of the population. Those in the bottom quartile in family income showed little decline in happiness during the initial period and a steeper rise during the 1970s. A similar pattern was observed for those age 65 and older. Further analysis of the differences among age groups suggests that cohort effects dominate true age effects, and that the period effect observed prior to the 1970s was greater among young people than among older people. These patterns are interpreted as evidence of a possible shift away from materialistic values during the 1960s. The magnitude of the trend, however, is very small. Interest in the subjective quality of life has emerged in recent years in reaction to exclusive dependence on objective and especially economic indicators of well-being (cf. Campbell and Converse). If we wish to compare the quality of life of different groups, or trends over time, it is not enough, so it is argued, to compare income in dollars or health in sick days or safety in terms of victimization rates. We must also find out how individuals perceive their environment and how they feel about it if the comparisons are to be truly meaningful, since people differ in what is important to them and what they feel constitutes a better or worse condition. A counter-argument is that individuals may be so adaptable to a wide range 'This research was supported by Grant #BNS76-82529 from the National Science Foundation. I gratefully acknowledge comments on a draft of this paper by Frank Andrews, Regula Herzog, Tom Smith, Norval Glenn, and an anonymous referee. Some of the data utilized in this article were made available by the Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research. Additional data were kindly made available by Angus Campbell and Philip Converse, and by Joseph Veroff, Elizabeth Douvan, and Richard Kulka. The data were originally collected by the Survey Research Center at the University of Michigan and by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. Neither the original sources nor collectors of the data nor the ICPSR bear any responsibility for the analyses or interpretations presented here. t 1982 The University of North Carolina Press. 0037-7732/82/030826-42$01.70
Novel Treatment of Meningitis Caused by Multidrug-Resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis with Intrathecal Levofloxacin and Amikacin: Case Report

We report the case of a 25-year-old HIV-negative man with disseminated multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDRTB), who-on a retreatment regimen-experienced total resolution of TB miliary disease, but progressive TB meningitis. Therefore, intrathecal treatment with amikacin and levofloxacin was instituted, with successful clinical and microbiological results.
How to tell when a product of two partially ordered spaces has a certain property: General results with application to fuzzy logic

In this paper, we describe how checking whether a given property F is true for a product A 1 × A 2 of partially ordered spaces can be reduced to checking several related properties of the original spaces A i . This result in useful in fuzzy logic, where, to compare our degree of confidence in several statements, we often need to combine relative confidence comparison results provided by different experts. For example, Cartesian product corresponds to the cautious approach, when our confidence in S′ is higher than confidence in S if and only if all the experts are more confident in S′ than in S. Alternatively, if we have an absolute confidence in the first expert and we use the opinion of the second expert only if the first expert cannot decide, we get a lexicographic product.
Evolution of Cells

In Search of Cell History: The Evolution of Life's Building Blocks . By Franklin M. Harold. 2014. University of Chicago Press. (ISBN 978-0-226-17428-0). 304 pp. Paperback. $36.00. This book provides a detailed account of what is known about how cells evolved and developed, and where the focus is directed within ongoing research. Throughout the book, Harold explores the various lines of evidence that make up aspects of cell history. However, he makes it clear that the origin of cells and the path of cellular evolution is not a straightforward story, and many aspects of this research lack a consensus among scientists. To that point, Harold says, “The realm of cell evolution is murky, and as yet thinly charted; if you go there, anticipate things never before seen, and pack a headlight that casts a wide beam” (p. 103). The book begins with an exploration of cells, genes, and evolution and sets up a continuing theme throughout the book that “the evolution of cells took place so long ago that all but the faintest traces of how it came about have been erased” (p. 16). Harold …
Emotionality Differences Between a Native and Foreign Language Implications for Everyday Life

A growing literature examines how affective processing may be weaker in a foreign language than in a native language. This article reviews mechanisms that could underlie this effect and then delves into practical implications. The most common category of explanations is that emotional resonances in the discourse context accrue to utterances because human memory is inherently associative. One application concerns forensic investigations. Compared to emotional phrases in a native language, emotional phrases heard or read in a foreign language elicit weaker skin-conductance responses (SCRs). In one study involving a mock crime, SCRs elicited by a foreign language were high and insensitive to emotionality, suggesting a stress response. A second application is decision making, given recent findings that judgments in a foreign language are influenced by emotional content. This raises the question of how to assess the real-world importance of this provocative laboratory finding. A third application is the emotio...
A Failure of Moral Conviction

John DiIulio deserves a badge of courage for taking on the often ignored issue of black inner city crime. His essay, America's Black Crime Gap --And How to Close It, describes in persuasive terms the alarming dimension of black on-black crime and suggests some specific remedies. American blacks are being victimized in inner cities at record rates but, because the victimizers are also black, the subject is taboo. Better to avoid an awkward discussion of inner city black violence, than to save black lives? If anyone ever had doubts, political correctness lives. But, despite its usefulness, DiIulio's essay misses the larger and more important point. He is wrong when he concludes that America does not have a crime problem; inner city America does. He ignores four decades of rising crime in white America. According to government reports, in 1955, there were 46 robberies annually per 100,000 population; for equal population today we have over 270 robberies annually, a six fold increase. Rape rates have more than tripled. Burglary rates have almost quadrupled. Murder per capita has more than doubled. The aggravated assault rate has increased more than six-fold. Overall the major crime rate is more than four times what it was four decades ago, including both urban and rural areas. Black and white crime rates have increased together. The black-white arrest ratio for the offenses noted above, for example, has remained relatively constant over the past forty years. (In fact, the proportion of white arrests has increased over black in many offense categories, including homicide, aggravated assault, and burglary.) The black crime gap could disappear tomorrow and America would still have a crime crisis beyond anything the people of the 50's could have imagined. This does not mean that DiIulio's proposals on inner city crime ought to be ignored. The black-white and 50's-90's crime gaps may have a common cause, with the long-term criminogenic forces in society at large exaggerated in their effect in today's inner cities. DiIulio's proposals could help the larger crime problem. (And ideas for closing the 50's-90's gap could help close the black-white gap.)
The Mountaintop: Martin Luther King, Jr and the Contemporary Black Church

While popular discourse about the Black Church during the Civil Rights Era often identifies the church as the primary vehicle for the political activism of the day, scholars note that a minority of churches actually participated. In fact, most of them abstained from civil rights action and many of them discouraged it among their members. An examination of his speeches and writings reveals recurring critiques of the Black church and a vision of the role Black churches should play in public and political life. Prescient in King’s discussions about the role of the black church in public life are issues that are relevant to today’s church. If King were here today he would likely be concerned with whether black churches concerned themselves with the most urgent needs that African Americans still face in this post civil rights era. It is easy to imagine that King would want Black churches to be “social justice churches,” working to address mass incarceration, poverty, unemployment, and health care disparities. This paper explains King’s critique of and hopes for the black church of his day. It also comments on how he might assess issues that were not on his radar, like, sexism in black churches and church-based social activism or phenomena that had not yet become manifest like the rise of black megachurches, the rise of the prosperity gospel and the reliance of a number of these churches on a “morality politics.”
Applications of AI for Magic Squares

In recreational mathematics, a normal magic square is an $n \times n$ square matrix whose entries are distinctly the integers $1 \ldots n^2$, such that each row, column, and major and minor traces sum to one constant $\mu$. It has been proven that there are 7,040 fourth order normal magic squares and 2,202,441,792 fifth order normal magic squares, with higher orders unconfirmed. Previous work related to fourth order normal squares has shown that symmetries such as the dihedral group exist and that (under certain conditions) normal magic squares can be categorized into four distinct subsets. With the implementation of an efficient backtracking algorithm along with supervised machine learning techniques for classification, it will be shown that the entire set of fourth order normal magic squares can be generated by expanding the symmetry groups of 95 asymmetric parents. Discussion will suggest that methods employed in this project could similarly apply to higher orders.
MINER - a mobile imager of neutrons for emergency responders

Our research group has been developing a fast neutron imaging platform to enhance the capabilities of emergency responders in the localization and characterization of special nuclear material. This mobile imager of neutrons for emergency responders (MINER) is a compact neutron scatter camera optimized to provide omni-directional (4-Pi) imaging with only a ~twofold decrease in sensitivity compared to our much larger neutron scatter cameras. The system performance is tuned for fission energy neutron imaging and spectroscopy, and it also can function as a Compton camera for gamma imaging. Results will be presented relating to detector response as well as several measurement campaigns at external facilities.
Science and Liberal Education

ONE of the chief characteristics of the present age is the ascendency of science. Never before in history has any agency of peace or war exerted so profound an influence during an equal interval of time as has science within the past five or ten decades of human existence. In all areas of the world, but especially in the Western World, science has contributed immeasurably to our material well being, our intellectual development, to our happiness and our health. Our knowledge of the physical world and of the cosmic organization of which it is a part has been greatly extended; control of the atom has brought a source of power whose dimensions stagger the imagination. In chemistry, progress can be assessed by the tremendous developments in organic chemistry-in textiles, synthetic drugs, fuels, and plastics, and also in our understanding of protein chemistry and enzyme action. In biology, we have a consistent and logical account of the origin and development of life on this planet. We know the genetic basis for variation and how variations with adaptive significance have led, through evolution, to the origin of species. Progress has also been striking in applied biology. Our food supply has been increased to a remarkable extent by the development of hybrid crops and through genetic selection of strains of domestic animals capable of greater meat, or milk, or egg production. Control of unwanted vegetation and selective nurturing of useful plant growth by hormones and chemical agents represent other areas in which progress has been made. Artificial photosynthesis of carbon dioxide and water into carbohydrate, a process on which green plants have thus far enjoyed exclusive patent rights, may be just around the corner. In medicine, likewise, progress has been truly phenomenal. Many epidemic diseases, which only a few years ago exacted heavy toll from children and young people, have been effectively controlled. At present, therefore, the average life expectancy in America is only a fraction of a year short of the Biblical three score years and ten.
Erasing Belady's limitations: in search of flash cache offline optimality

NAND-based solid-state (flash) drives are known for providing better performance than magnetic disk drives, but they have limits on endurance, the number of times data can be erased and overwritten. Furthermore, the unit of erasure can be many times larger than the basic unit of I/O; this leads to complexity with respect to consolidating live data and erasing obsolete data. When flash drives are used as a cache for a larger, disk-based storage system, the choice of a cache replacement algorithm can make a significant difference in both performance and endurance. While there are many cache replacement algorithms, their effectiveness is hard to judge due to the lack of a baseline against which to compare them: Belady's MIN, the usual offline best-case algorithm, considers read hit ratio but not endurance. We explore offline algorithms for flash caching in terms of both hit ratio and flash lifespan. We design and implement a multi-stage heuristic by synthesizing several techniques that manage data at the granularity of a flash erasure unit (which we call a container) to approximate the offline optimal algorithm. We find that simple techniques contribute most of the available erasure savings. Our evaluation shows that the container-optimized offline heuristic is able to provide the same optimal read hit ratio as MIN with 67% fewer flash erasures. More fundamentally, our investigation provides a useful approximate baseline for evaluating any online algorithm, highlighting the importance of comparing new policies for caching compound blocks in flash.
Further observations of the Dennie-Morgan fold

A crease, fold, or ridge caused by the folding, puckering, or contraction of a fabric, cloth or other pliant substance — Oxford English Dictionary.
Byzantium and the Early Islamic Conquests: Difficulties in devising defenses for Syria

DISTURBING PRECEDENTS “All the Romans, both officers and soldiers, were far from entertaining any thought of confronting the enemy or standing in the way of their passage, but manning their strongholds as each one could, they thought it sufficient to preserve them and save themselves.” So the historian Procopius of Caesarea described how Byzantine commanders and soldiers in Syria and upper Mesopotamia consciously avoided open resistance to the Persians during their invasion of 540 and instead sought the security of town walls. This Byzantine military conduct in the sixth century was similar to the actions, indeed prophetic of the actions, of Byzantine commanders and officers in the same region who faced Muslim invaders in the seventh century. The topography of Syria itself varied from empty steppe in the east to the irrigated and populous Orontes valley and the equally populous Mediterranean coastline. Its dimensions stretched from the edge of the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas to the south, to the desert to the east, and to the Euphrates River and foothills of the Taurus to the northeast and northwest (Map 2). Byzantine Syria had experienced Persian invasions of terrifying dimensions in both the fourth and the sixth centuries. Similar to local garrisons, a number of Syrian and upper Mesopotamian towns had negotiated with the Persians instead of resisting to the end.
Consistency in the Structure of Global Health Research Consortia.

Pratt and Hyder's (2016) desire to advance health equity is both admirable and important; however, we believe that there are at least two areas where the details of their proposal need greater clar...
Nuclear fear revisited

In 1988 the science historian Spencer Weart published a groundbreaking book called Nuclear Fear: A History of Images, which examined visions of radiation damage and nuclear disaster in newspapers, television, film, literature, advertisements and popular culture.
Hydrometeor profiling for dual-frequency precipitation radar on board GPM

Hydrometeor profile is a critical module in GPM DPR level 2 algorithm. The module has been extensively evaluated since GPM launch. Consistency has been achieved between dual-frequency classification algorithm and TRMM like single frequency classification algorithm. Melting region detection is cross-validated with ground radar and shows satisfactory results. Enhancement of dual-frequency classification module is focused on snow/rain detection.
Acto-myosin drug effects and aqueous outflow function.

PURPOSE Previous studies have identified the cytoskeletal proteins actin and tubulin as potential cellular targets in the trabecular meshwork for novel glaucoma therapy. The authors and others have hypothesized that acto-myosin interactions may be important for outflow function. The current study was conducted to evaluate 2,3-butanedione 2-monoxime (BDM), a compound that interferes with acto-myosin function through the myosin adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase) reaction; 1-(5-isoquinolinylsulfonyl)-2-methyl-piperazine (H-7), a proposed myosin light-chain kinase inhibitor; and the direct actin disrupter, latrunculin B, in an outflow pathway cell culture and perfused excised eye model system. METHODS Freshly enucleated porcine eyes were perfused using the constant-pressure method at 15 mm Hg and 25 degrees C. Human trabecular meshwork (HTM) cells and Schlemm's canal (SC) cells were grown in culture, treated with BDM, H-7, and latrunculin B, and then fixed, stained for beta-tubulin and filamentous actin, and observed by epifluorescence. RESULTS Twenty millimolar BDM, 100 microM H-7, and 1 microM latrunculin B increased outflow facility 36%, 63%, and 72%, respectively, compared to sham-treated controls, 13%, 15%, and 4% (n=7, 8, and 8; P=0.01, 0.0001, and 0.0002), respectively. In cultured HTM and SC cells, 100 microM H-7 caused a rapid loss of filamentous actin staining but did not produce a change in cell shape or cell- cell attachment. In contrast, 20 mM BDM induced a loss of cell- cell attachment and a change in cell shape that was associated with a 50% to 60% loss of filamentous actin staining, often in a distinct stick-and-ball pattern. Latrunculin B caused a severe loss of actin staining and cell shape changes. No drug altered beta-tubulin staining. CONCLUSIONS Interference with myosin function can cause a secondary loss of actin organizational structure. Our study indicates that myosin, perhaps through its various phosphorylation reactions, may have a potential regulatory role in outflow function.
EFFECT OF PROTEIN ADDITION ON PROPERTIES OF GUAYULE NATURAL RUBBER

ABSTRACT Parthenium argentatum, commonly known as guayule, is a desert shrub cultivated as a domestic source of natural rubber in the semi-arid southwestern United States. Guayule natural rubber (GR) may be used to replace petroleum-based rubber or in place of Hevea natural rubber (NR), but substitution must take into consideration differences in physical and chemical properties. Currently, Hevea NR is required in tire applications, especially aircraft and truck tires, because of its high oxidative resistance, rapid cure rate, and exceptional stress–strain response. These outstanding features are attributed to the presence of nonrubber constituents, mainly proteins and lipids, which cause the rubber to gel, and they contribute to strain-induced crystallization. In contrast, GR is low in proteins and is thus deprived of some attributes of Hevea. Addition of amino acids and proteins to guayule could potentially improve performance and thereby widen the range of applications for use. In a previous study, ami...