cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cantu syndrome: A longitudinal review of vascular findings in three individuals.

Cantu syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant disorder caused by missense variants in ABCC9 and KCNJ8. It is characterized by hypertrichosis, neonatal macrosomia, coarse facial features, and skeletal anomalies. Reported cardiovascular anomalies include cardiomegaly, structural defects, collateral vessels, and rare report of arteriovenous malformation (AVM). Arterial dilation is reported in a few individuals including one with surgical intervention for a thoracic aortic aneurysm. The natural history of this aortopathy including the rate of progression or risk for dissection is unknown and longitudinal patient data is unavailable. We present data from vascular imaging in three individuals with genetically confirmed Cantu syndrome over 3 to 14 years of follow-up. All patients had generally stable aortic dilation, which did not reach the surgical threshold, including one individual followed closely through pregnancy. In adulthood, one individual had a maximum ascending aortic measurement of 4.2 cm. Two pediatric patients had aortic root or ascending z-scores of approximately +3. A large asymptomatic pelvic AVM was identified in one individual on head-pelvis MRI. While the data reported in these individuals is reassuring regarding the risk for progressive disease, further data from additional individuals with Cantu syndrome is needed to best inform screening recommendations, improve understanding of dissection risk, and guide management.
Conditions for Ramp Rates Causing Uplift

The increasing penetration of renewable energy leads to more demand for ramping capabilities. As a result, the ramp rate constraints of generators are binding more often than before. Ramp rate constraints cause uplift in some market designs, which distorts the price signal. This paper studies the relationship between ramp rate constraints and uplift from two aspects: market design and the convexity of ramp rate constraints. The market designs compared are real-time market with single-period model and price clearing, multi-interval realtime market (MIRTM) with only the first interval financially binding, and MIRTM with all intervals financially binding. Using a simplified multi-interval economic dispatch model, it was proved that with the last market design, constant ramp rates neither cause lost opportunity cost nor make-whole payments. It was shown that dispatch-dependent ramp rates could cause uplift with a numerical example.
America Transformed: Globalization, Inequality, and Power, G. Hytrek, K.M. Zentgraf. Oxford University Press, New York (2008), 238 pages

This text will be a valuable asset to the classroom for instructors of undergraduate social stratification and inequality courses. Gary Hytrek and Kristine Zentgraf present a concise introduction t...
Current developments in biofilm treatments: Wound and implant infections

Abstract Biofilm formation in wounds and implants can have numerous negative effects on a patient's health, including delayed healing and implant removal. Current treatments for biofilms do not completely eradicate microbial colonies or prevent their formation, implying the need for further investigation. Recent research into treatments for wound and implant biofilm infections focus on nanotechnology-based mechanisms for drug delivery, combined therapies, and implant modifications. Ultrasound debridement and hydrogels, and new developments in implant modifications possess great potential for application in wound and implant treatments respectively. The aim of this review is to summarize recent developments in biofilm treatments and to understand the direction of current research.
Thermal performance and apparent temperature in school buildings: A case of cross-laminated timber (CLT) school development

Abstract This paper examines the performance and apparent temperature in cross-laminated timber (CLT) school buildings. The research presents empirical data on the performance and provides the first set of data on apparent temperature in CLT school buildings. The development is in the New England area of the Northeast of the US. The investigation was conducted in the summertime. The principal aim of the investigation is to evaluate the performance, occupants’ comfort, apparent temperature, and other thermal indices concurrently in CLT school buildings. The research intends to understand if occupants of CLT school buildings are susceptible to thermal stress in summer and assess whether apparent temperatures are consistent with sensation. The study also discusses other indices, practical implications, and applications of the outcomes. To achieve the research aim, the study considered the field measurements of variables. Occupants’ comfort is accessed using the PMV and adaptive methods of various comfort standards. During the survey, the development was occupied from 8am-6pm and partly operated from 7pm-7am. The mean temperatures during the occupied and non-occupied periods varied from 22.1°C-22.4°C. The overall RH was 59.2%. The PMV range and sensation showed the occupants were comfortable. Approximately 80% of the users were satisfied with the thermal environment. The temperatures were within the acceptable bands of ASHRAE-55, CIBSE TM52, and EN16798-1 thermal comfort models. The results showed that the apparent temperatures are consistent with the outcomes of the sensation at different periods. The mean indices ranged from 18.8°C-23.5°C. The study recommends that further research should be conducted on occupants’ comfort and heat indices in school buildings during the first few hours of occupation to understand changes that occupants can make to remove unwanted heat from the thermal environment. The study also recommends that various designers should consider heat stress analyses along with thermal comfort assessment at the design phase to determine possible interventions to improve the thermal environment of schools and other buildings.
Towards the formalization of non-functional requirements in conceptual design

This paper explores the formal roles of non-functional requirements’ (NFR) elicitation, definition, and verification in the early stages of an engineering design project. This is performed using a case study conducted at an automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) during the design and development of a rear bumper sub-system. The purpose of this exploration is to determine if NFRs should be formalized within requirements modeling scheme. This can capture conceptual design information to identify their impact on other requirements while conducting design changes. The modeling scheme in this paper consists of a sequence of following domains—requirements, functions, working principle, components, design parameters, test measures, and tests—that are mapped to each other using matrices. It is revealed through this case study that non-functional requirements drive much of the design decision-making process and constrain the manner in which the product functionality is realized. Hence, the inclusion of NFRs as a separate and distinct domain in the design process is critical to recognize their significance during design changes. Based on the observations made in the case study, the NFR domain is included in the requirements modeling scheme.
Mesh Complications in the Female Lower Urinary Tract

Vaginal mesh has been introduced over the last two decades or more for the therapy of pelvic organ prolapse and for synthetic suburethral sling placement. While much of the data shows improved objective and some subjective success rates over other non-mesh-related approaches, the introduction of vaginal mesh does pose unique complications related to its placement. The implanting surgeon should be well aware of these complications as the management can be challenging and may require advanced surgical skills at times to avoid further adding to the initial presenting problem.
CompCertO: compiling certified open C components

Since the introduction of CompCert, researchers have been refining its language semantics and correctness theorem, and used them as components in software verification efforts. Meanwhile, artifacts ranging from CPU designs to network protocols have been successfully verified, and there is interest in making them interoperable to tackle end-to-end verification at an even larger scale. Recent work shows that a synthesis of game semantics, refinement-based methods, and abstraction layers has the potential to serve as a common theory of certified components. Integrating certified compilers to such a theory is a critical goal. However, none of the existing variants of CompCert meets the requirements we have identified for this task. CompCertO extends the correctness theorem of CompCert to characterize compiled program components directly in terms of their interaction with each other. Through a careful and compositional treatment of calling conventions, this is achieved with minimal effort.
A dimeric chlorophyll electron acceptor differentiates type I from type II photosynthetic reaction centers

Summary This research addresses one of the most compelling issues in the field of photosynthesis, namely, the role of the accessory chlorophyll molecules in primary charge separation. Using a combination of empirical and computational methods, we demonstrate that the primary acceptor of photosystem (PS) I is a dimer of accessory and secondary chlorophyll molecules, Chl2A and Chl3A, with an asymmetric electron charge density distribution. The incorporation of highly coupled donors and acceptors in PS I allows for extensive delocalization that prolongs the lifetime of the charge-separated state, providing for high quantum efficiency. The discovery of this motif has widespread implications ranging from the evolution of naturally occurring reaction centers to the development of a new generation of highly efficient artificial photosynthetic systems. Video abstract Download : Download video (41MB)
Non-Hispanic Black Americans' Diminished Protective Effects of Educational Attainment and Employment against Cardiometabolic Diseases: NHANES 1999-2016.

Background While socioeconomic status (SES) indicators such as educational attainment and employment are among the major drivers of health and illness, the health returns of SES indicators may differ across racial groups. Built on Marginalization related Diminished Returns framework (MDRs) that refers to weaker health effects of SES indicators for marginalized and minoritized groups than non-Hispanic White people, we conducted this study with two aims: First to test the association between educational attainment and employment with cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs), and second, to test racial variation in these associations. Methods This cross-sectional study used the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES 1999-2016) data. Participants included 29,230 adults who were either non-Hispanic White or non-Hispanic Black. Race, demographic factors (age and sex, and marital status), SES (educational attainment and employment), behaviors (smoking, drinking, and exercise), health insurance, and CMDs (diabetes, stroke, hypertension, and congestive heart failure) were measured. Weighted Poisson regression models were used in Stata to adjust for the complex sample design of the NHANES. Models without and with interactions were performed in the pooled sample. We also ran race-stratified models. Results Overall, high educational attainment and employment showed inverse associations with some CMDs. As documented by statistical interactions between race and our SES indicators, we observed weaker inverse associations between educational attainment and employment with some CMDs. Race-stratified models also confirmed our main analysis. However, the results varied across CMD conditions. Conclusion We observe that SES indicators such as educational attainment and employment have differential associations for racial groups. Compared to non-Hispanic White people, non-Hispanic Black people remain at CMDs risk across the full SES spectrum. This finding is in line with the MDRs framework and may be due to the structural racism, social stratification, and Marginalization of non-Hispanic Black Americans.
Neuroendocrine Regulation of Lactation and Milk Production

Prolactin (PRL) released from lactotrophs of the anterior pituitary gland in response to the suckling by the offspring is the major hormonal signal responsible for stimulation of milk synthesis in the mammary glands. PRL secretion is under chronic inhibition exerted by dopamine (DA), which is released from neurons of the arcuate nucleus of the hypothalamus into the hypophyseal portal vasculature. Suckling by the young activates ascending systems that decrease the release of DA from this system, resulting in enhanced responsiveness to one or more PRL-releasing hormones, such as thyrotropin-releasing hormone. The neuropeptide oxytocin (OT), synthesized in magnocellular neurons of the hypothalamic supraoptic, paraventricular, and several accessory nuclei, is responsible for contracting the myoepithelial cells of the mammary gland to produce milk ejection. Electrophysiological recordings demonstrate that shortly before each milk ejection, the entire neurosecretory OT population fires a synchronized burst of action potentials (the milk ejection burst), resulting in release of OT from nerve terminals in the neurohypophysis. Both of these neuroendocrine systems undergo alterations in late gestation that prepare them for the secretory demands of lactation, and that reduce their responsiveness to stimuli other than suckling, especially physical stressors. The demands of milk synthesis and release produce a condition of negative energy balance in the suckled mother, and, in laboratory rodents, are accompanied by a dramatic hyperphagia. The reduction in secretion of the adipocyte hormone, leptin, a hallmark of negative energy balance, may be an important endocrine signal to hypothalamic systems that integrate lactation-associated food intake with neuroendocrine systems. © 2015 American Physiological Society. Compr Physiol 5:255-291, 2015.
The migration and evolution of floras in the southern hemisphere

As modern groups of angiosperms have appeared over a period of more than 80 million years, the relative position of the southern continents has changed. For the First 20 m.y. of this period, opportunities for migration were good between Africa and Europe, and this constituted the main pathway for migration between the northern and southern hemispheres. South America progressively moved away from Africa and towards North America over the past 90 m.y. Southern South America and Australasia shared a rich, warm temperate rainforest flora until about 40 m.y. ago. The development of modern climates during the past 10 m.y. has set up modern patterns of vegetation.
Is motion under the conservative self-force in black hole spacetimes an integrable Hamiltonian system?

A pointlike object moving in a background black hole spacetime experiences a gravitational self-force which can be expressed as a local function of the object's instantaneous position and velocity, to linear order in the mass ratio. We consider the worldline dynamics defined by the conservative part of the local self-force, turning off the dissipative part, and we ask: Is that dynamical system a Hamiltonian system, and if so, is it integrable? In the Schwarzschild spacetime, we show that the system is Hamiltonian and integrable, to linear order in the mass ratio, for generic (but not necessarily all) stable bound orbits. There exist an energy and an angular momentum, being perturbed versions of their counterparts for geodesic motion, which are conserved under the forced motion. We also discuss difficulties associated with establishing analogous results in the Kerr spacetime. This result may be useful for future computational schemes, based on a local Hamiltonian description, for calculating the conservative self-force and its observable effects. It is also relevant to the assumption of the existence of a Hamiltonian for the conservative dynamics for generic orbits in the effective-one-body formalism, to linear order in the mass ratio, but to all orders in the post-Newtonian expansion.
Aligning TextEvaluator® Scores With the Accelerated Text Complexity Guidelines Specified in the Common Core State Standards

The TextEvaluator® text analysis tool is a fully automated text complexity evaluation tool designed to help teachers, curriculum specialists, textbook publishers, and test developers select texts that are consistent with the text complexity guidelines specified in the Common Core State Standards. This paper documents the procedure used to align the TextEvaluator reporting scale with the Common Core text complexity scale and provides score ranges for use when placing texts into grade bands. Three evaluations of the proposed score ranges are reported: one implemented with respect to the set of 168 exemplar texts provided in Appendix B of the Common Core State Standards, one implemented with respect to a set of 10 career texts, and one implemented with respect to a set of 59 texts selected from textbooks assigned in first-year, credit-bearing college courses. Results suggest that the proposed ranges can help users determine an appropriate grade band placement for any text that has been evaluated by TextEvaluator, including informational, literary, and mixed texts.
Finite Element and Plate Theory Modeling of Acoustic Emission Waveforms

A comparison was made between two approaches to predict acoustic emission waveforms in thin plates. A normal mode solution method for Mindlin plate theory was used to predict the response of the flexural plate mode to a point source, step-function load, applied on the plate surface. The second approach used a dynamic finite element method to model the problem using equations of motion based on exact linear elasticity. Calculations were made using properties for both isotropic (aluminum) and anisotropic (unidirectional graphite/epoxy composite) materials. For simulations of anisotropic plates, propagation along multiple directions was evaluated. In general, agreement between the two theoretical approaches was good. Discrepancies in the waveforms at longer times were caused by differences in reflections from the lateral plate boundaries. These differences resulted from the fact that the two methods used different boundary conditions. At shorter times in the signals, before reflections, the slight discrepancies in the waveforms were attributed to limitations of Mindlin plate theory, which is an approximate plate theory. The advantages of the finite element method are that it used the exact linear elasticity solutions, and that it can be used to model real source conditions and complicated, finite specimen geometries as well as thick plates. These advantages come at a cost of increased computational difficulty, requiring lengthy calculations on workstations or supercomputers. The Mindlin plat theory solutions, meanwhile, can be quickly generated on personal computers. Specimens with finite geometry can also be modeled. However, only limited simple geometries such as circular or rectangular plates can easily be accommodated with the normal mode solution technique. Likewise, very limited source configurations can be modeled and plate theory is applicable only to thin plates.
Mechanics of Unconventional Myosins

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the mechanics of unconventional myosins. The quantitative in vitro assays to measure the essential function of myosin and its ATP-driven movement along actin are discussed in the chapter. These quantitative in vitro motility assays provide the evidence needed to rule out some models of contraction, such as those involving conformational changes in the tail region of the molecule. The cross-bridge itself (subfragment 1 of myosin or S1) is directly and unequivocally the motor domain of myosin. The tail of myosin II has the critical function of forming bipolar thick filaments that anchor the S1 motor domains to a macromolecular assembly used in muscle contraction and in contractile processes, such as cytokinesis in nonmuscle cells. The determination of the high-resolution crystal structures of S1 from the conventional myosin II show that it consists of a catalytic domain and a distinct light-chain binding domain. The catalytic domains contain a nucleotide-binding site of the P-loop variety that is closely associated with switch I and switch II helices. The nucleotide site is ∼ 4 nm away from the actin-binding site, and these two sites communicate with one another via the switch I and switch II helices, which move in response to the state of the nucleotide, especially the presence or absence of phosphate (Pi) in the active site.
Treatment of chronic shigella infection in children with oral polymyxins.

Many chemotherapeutic agents can alleviate the symptoms of acute bacillary dysentery and suppress the causative organisms. In chronic Shigella infection, however, most agents have only limited usefulness. In an institution for mentally defective children 93% of 116 fresh cases of shigellosis responded to conventional chemotherapeutic measures, but only 63% of 78 chronic cases. Polymyxin B and E are highly bactericidal for Shigella organisms in vitro. These drugs are stable and are not significantly absorbed from the intestinal tract when taken by mouth. Twenty-three children with chronic intestinal infections due to Shigella paradysenteriae (Flexner) were given daily oral doses of 15 to 20 mg./kg. polymyxin for 10 days. Twenty (87%) were unequivocally cured of their infection which had previously resisted therapy with sulfonamides and other antimicrobial agents. No toxic side-effects were observed. Polymyxin appears to be a useful drug for the oral treatment of chronic Shigella infection.
Theorizing Disagreement: Re-Conceiving the Relationship between Law and Politics

The article theorizes disagreement in law and politics. It argues that politics is a social practice whose point is to promote the social solidarity of a polity by preserving the health and vitality of ongoing disagreement. If there is too much disagreement, adversaries become what Chantal Mouffe calls 'antagonists' who wish to exterminate each other in war. Political actors are not antagonists but instead are what Mouffe calls 'agonists:' those who, within a polity, disagree about what is to be done and about how to do it, but who nevertheless agree that they will entrust the determination of their common fate to the peaceful processes of politics. Politics is a social practice constructed to preserve relationships of agonism. Law, by contrast, is a social practice built around the need for fostering cooperative and coordinated action. If politics presupposes disagreement, law presupposes agreement. A society employs the social practice of law when it has agreed upon what it wishes to do or when chooses to act as if it had reached an agreement. Once committed to the professional expertise of the legal system, questions cease being political in the sense of being agonistic. This contrast between law and politics explains many of the distinctive features of political and legal institutions. The article contrasts the social facts of agreement and disagreement with the representation of these facts within the practices of law and politics. Disagreement persists in law, just as agreement continues to underlie politics. Law and politics deal with these social facts in different ways. The internal presumption of agreement that generates law often leads legal actors to ignore the political foundations of the legitimacy of legal institutions. Although we may pass from politics to law whenever we wish to act as if we had reached agreement about the meaning and implementation of a social value, we can also pass back from law to politics whenever we discover that our conclusion is misplaced and that in fact we wish to create the space for ongoing political disagreement. Law and politics should thus be conceived as distinct phases of a larger and more inclusive process of social integration by which modern heterogeneous societies produce solidarity and control. The article contrasts this framework for understanding the law/politics distinction with the views of Herbert Wechsler and of the legal process school. Written as a tribute to Boalt Professor Philip Frickey, the article uses different approaches to the law/politics distinction as a way of illuminating a question that is central to Frickey’s work: Can judges properly consider the political consequences of their decisions insofar as these consequences adversely affect fundamental national values like the stability of the rule of law or of the American polity?
Datensicherung beim PC

Gesellschaftspolitische Aufgabe, den Menschen zu schutzen vor den Folgen von Zweckentfremdung, Misbrauch und totaler Erfassung seiner Individualdaten.
Bringing assisted living services into congregate housing: housing directors' perspectives.

Abstract The purpose of this research is to explore the impact of an Assisted Living Services (ALS) program on directors of state-funded congregate housing. Using focus groups, we interviewed congregate housing directors about how adding the ALS program to their facilities impacted their management experiences. Four themes emerged from the analysis of the focus group data: (1) importance of assisted living services for promoting aging in place; (2) “costs” of offering ALS; (3) differences in how the ALS program was implemented; and (4) organizational issues emerging from the merger of housing and health-care models. Based on the present findings, we propose a number of policy issues that need to be addressed when services are added to existing housing.
Transcription of the segment-polarity gene wingless in the imaginal discs of Drosophila, and the phenotype of a pupal-lethal wg mutation

Wingless (wg) is a segment-polarity gene in Drosophila which is related to the murine proto-oncogene int1. In Drosophila embryos, wg transcription defines part of each parasegment. In situ hybridization shows that wg is also expressed in the imaginal discs which give rise to the adult during metamorphosis. Transcripts are localized in the apical cytoplasm of disc cells, and accumulate in different patterns in dorsal and ventral discs. The wgCX3 mutation produces morphological defect in the adult structures derived from these imaginal discs. The results show that wg is involved in the development of the adult, as well as the embryo, but that the imaginal discs do not express this segment-polarity gene in an identical pattern to the embryonic segments.
Comparison of peritoneal fluid values after laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy using a vessel-sealing device (Ligasure™) versus a ligating loop and removal of the descended testis.

Objective To determine the effect of unilateral laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy and removal of the descended testis on peritoneal fluid values, and to compare effect between 2 methods for cryptorchid testis vessel hemostasis. Study Design Randomized clinical study. Animals Stallions (n = 10) with unilateral abdominal cryptorchid testis. Methods During standing laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy, blood vessels within the mesorchium of the cryptorchid testis were either sealed and transected with the LigaSure Atlas™ or 2 ligating loops were placed proximal to the testis and the tissue transected with laparoscopic scissors. The testis was removed through the body wall. After laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy, stallions were anesthetized and the descended testis was removed using a closed technique leaving the scrotal incision open. Abdominocenteses were performed before surgery, and 24, and 72 hours after surgery. Results Values for peritoneal total nucleated cell count (TNCC), total protein concentration (TP), and red blood cell count (RBCC) were all elevated at 24 and 72 hours when compared with baseline. Median TNCC for LigaSure™ (59,780 cells/μL) was nearly twice that of the ligating loop (32,880 cells/μL) at 24 hours postoperatively. There was no statistically significant difference in TNCC, TP, or RBCC between groups. Conclusions TNCC, TP, and RBCC increase appreciably from baseline 24 hours after laparoscopic cryptorchidectomy and closed castration but are markedly reduced by 72 hours.
A unique isoform of phospholipase Cβ4 highly expressed in the cerebellum and eye

Abstract We report a unique isoform of PLCβ4 in rat, PLCβ4c, that has an additional 37-nucleotide exon inserted between nucleotides 3459–3460 of the previously published PLCβ4a coding sequence. This insertion results in replacement of 22 amino acid residues at the carboxyl terminal tail of PLCβ4a with 41 unique residues. A human EST for PLCβ4 also contains this exon and this exon was mapped to within a 5.5 kb intron of the human PLCβ4 gene. PLCβ4c is the third PLCβ4 isoform to be identified which has a unique carboxyl-terminal tail. PLCβ4b differs from PLCβ4a by truncation 162 amino acid residues from the carboxyl terminus which are replaced with 10 distinct amino acid residues. Reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction experiments show that both PLCβ4a and PLCβ4c mRNA are expressed throughout the rat brain and that PLCβ4c mRNA is highly expressed in the eye and cerebellum. RNase protection assays demonstrate that both PLCβ4a and PLCβ4c transcripts are abundant in the cerebellum. The different carboxyl terminal tails of PLCβ4 isoforms may allow for differential targeting and subcellular localization, contributing to regulation of PLC β4-mediated signal transduction.
The isotope geochemistry of particulate nitrogen in the Peru upwelling area and the Gulf of Maine

The stable isotope geochemistry of particulate nitrogen was investigated at four sites in the Peru Upwelling Area during April 1981 and one site in the Gulf of Maine during August 1980. In the Peru Upwelling Area, particulate nitrogen tended to become 15N depleted with increasing depth beneath the oxycline where oxygen concentrations were near or below the limits of detection. The results from the Gulf of Maine confirmed a trend towards 15N enrichment with increasing depth in regions where subsurface oxygen depletions are less extreme. The dissimilarity between the Peru Upwelling Area and the Gulf of Maine is attributed to differences in the type and degree of microbial activity characteristic of the two regions. The nitrogen isotope content of the sediments appears to be determined during remineralization at the sediment-water interface.
Modes and frequencies of transversely isotropic slightly curved Timoshenko beams.

An analysis of the vibration of transversely isotropic Timoshenko beams, which have small constant initial curvature, is presented, and a closed-form general solution to the governing equations is derived. Natural modes and frequencies are determined for both clamped and simply supported end conditions, and comparisons are made. The combined effects of initial curvature, transverse shear deformation, and boundary conditions are evaluated and discussed. Specifically, it is shown in what manner the clamped beam tends to be more sensitive to shear deformation than the simply supported beam, and how initial curvature reduces the difference. Calculations also show how, in cases where shear deformation becomes more important, the initial curvature has a correspondingly smaller influence on the results.
Dynamic Simulation of Autonomous Boats for Cooperative Skimming and Cleanup

We consider the use of autonomous boats for oil skimming and clean up of surface debris by operating two boats with a boom cooperatively. A boom, or a cable as considered in this paper, attached to two robots at each end can be used to efficiently manipulate multiple objects on the surface of the water. In our previous work, Bhattacharya, et al. (ICRA 2011), we showed the feasibility of this concept with an experimental testbed using two autonomous boats and a towed cable. This work showed that an accurate dynamic simulation of the system is indispensable in analysis and development of efficient control schemes. For the purpose of manipulating objects in such a way, not only do we need to model the drag forces, but we also need to model the interaction between the cable and the objects. In this paper we model the boom or the cable as a chain with a discrete number of rigid links connected by passive revolute joints and model the interaction of the cable with the water (drag) as well as the contacts with objects on the surfaces. We derive the equations governing the cable and object dynamics and model the contact interactions as linear complementarity constraints. The boats are driven by simple controllers that only require knowledge of positions and velocities at the both ends of the cable. Several examples are used to illustrate the performance of the numerical simulation.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
The Brief Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult (BSCQ-A): development of a short form of the SCQ-A

A brief form of the Smoking Consequences Questionnaire-Adult (SCQ-A) was developed as an economical alternative to the 55-item SCQ-A in assessing smoking outcome expectancies in adult, heavy smokers. A total of 25 items (two to three items per each of the 10 SCQ-A scales) were administered to current smokers and ex-smokers. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to determine whether the brief form was better accounted for by a 4- or 10-factor model. Several variants of 9- and 8-factor models also were compared. The 10-factor model, representing the 10 subscales of the full-length SCQ-A, fit the data more adequately than the other models. The Brief SCQ-A (BSCQ-A) scales demonstrated good internal consistency (mean coefficient alpha = .79) and convergent validity. The BSCQ-A also showed promising validity in distinguishing among current smokers and ex-smokers. In a separate sample of smokers, strong and positive associations were present between corresponding pairs of the SCQ-A and BSCQ-A subscales.
Adenosine triphosphate causes vasospasm of the rat femoral artery.

OBJECTIVE Adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) causes vasoconstriction by activation of P2-purinoceptors on vascular smooth muscle cells. Erythrocytes contain ATP at a concentration (1.6 mmol/L) that contracts smooth muscle. Previous studies of hemoglobin solutions did not assess whether the vasoactivity was caused by ATP rather than or in addition to hemoglobin. It was hypothesized that the hemolysis of erythrocytes that occurs after subarachnoid hemorrhage releases ATP in concentrations that cause vasospasm. METHODS Thirty-eight rats were randomly assigned to undergo placement of one of the following compounds in a silastic elastomer cuff around each femoral artery: 1) agarose gel (n = 8); 2) dog erythrocyte hemolysate (n = 8); 3) purified human hemoglobin (Hemolink; Hemosol, Inc., Toronto, Canada; n = 8); 4) ATP (n = 8); or 5) clotted autologous blood (n = 6). The amounts of hemoglobins and adenine nucleotides in the compounds were measured by spectrophotometry and high pressure liquid chromatography. Hemolysate, purified hemoglobin, and ATP were mixed with agarose gel to create an artificial clot. Rats were killed and fixed by perfusion at physiological blood pressure 7 days after perivascular cuff and spasmogen placement. Vasospasm was assessed by image analysis of cross sections of fixed femoral arteries. Arteries were assessed for histopathological changes on 3-point scales. RESULTS There was significant variance in arterial diameters among groups (mean diameter +/- standard deviation: agarose gel, 0.29 +/- 0.06; purified hemoglobin, 0.28 +/- 0.04; hemolysate, 0.24 +/- 0.05; ATP, 0.25 +/- 0.05; clotted blood, 0.24 +/- 0.01; P < 0.05, analysis of variance, n = 11-20). Animals exposed to clotted blood, hemolysate that contained ATP, or ATP, developed vasospasm, whereas purified hemoglobin and agarose did not cause vasospasm. Endothelial proliferation and perivascular inflammation were more severe (P < 0.05) in arteries exposed to clotted blood, purified hemoglobin, and hemolysate. CONCLUSION These results suggest that ATP may be a vasospastic substance released by erythrocyte hemolysis. The concentration of ATP in impure solutions of hemoglobin is too low to account for the vasoactivity of these solutions. The discrepancy between arterial narrowing and histopathological changes suggests that either histopathological changes may not be an important correlate of arterial vasospasm or that other substances are important in vasospasm.
Direct Assessment of the Effect of the Gly380Arg Achondroplasia Mutation on FGFR3 Dimerization Using Quantitative Imaging FRET

The Gly380Arg mutation in FGFR3 is the genetic cause for achondroplasia (ACH), the most common form of human dwarfism. The mutation has been proposed to increase FGFR3 dimerization, but the dimerization propensities of wild-type and mutant FGFR3 have not been compared. Here we use quantitative imaging FRET to characterize the dimerization of wild-type FGFR3 and the ACH mutant in plasma membrane-derived vesicles from HEK293T cells. We demonstrate a small, but statistically significant increase in FGFR3 dimerization due to the ACH mutation. The data are consistent with the idea that the ACH mutation causes a structural change which affects both the stability and the activity of FGFR3 dimers in the absence of ligand.
Performance of focus measures in the presence of nondefocus aberrations

The purposes of the study were to compare the performance of ten representative focus measures in the presence of nondefocus aberrations and to evaluate their applicability to the eye. For fixed amounts of nondefocus aberrations, the amount of defocus was changed to generate a series of blurred images from which focus measure curves were derived. In the presence of small amounts of nondefocus aberrations, all focus measures showed unimodal and monotonic behavior, although there were large differences in their sensitivity to defocus and effective ranges. There were breakdowns in monotonicity and unimodality for some focus measures when applied to data from human eyes, while other focus measures could detect the shift in the best-focus plane in the blurred image series resulting from spherical aberration.
Prospective Study of Alcohol Consumption and the Risk of Primary Open-Angle Glaucoma

Purpose: Alcohol intake reduces intraocular pressure, a risk factor for primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG). We investigated whether alcohol consumption is associated with a reduced risk of POAG. Methods: We followed female nurses from 1980 and male health professionals from 1986 to 2002. Eligible participants were 40+ years old, did not have POAG, and reported receiving eye examinations during follow-up. Information on alcohol consumption, potential confounders and POAG diagnoses were updated by using biennial questionnaires. We identified 856 self-reported POAG cases that were confirmed with medical record review. Cohort-specific and pooled analyses across cohorts were conducted to calculate multivariable rate ratios (RR) of POAG. Results: Alcohol consumption < 30 g/day did not influence POAG risk: compared with non-drinkers, the pooled RRs were 0.99 (95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 0.83–1.19) for drinking < 10 g/day, 0.96 (95% CI: 0.76–1.22) for 10–19 g/day, and 0.95 (95% CI: 0.68–1.33) for 20–29 g/day. A...
Construction of a microphage variant of filamentous bacteriophage.

Abstract The intergenic region in the genome of the Ff class of filamentous phage (comprising strains f1, fd and M13) genome constitutes 8% of the viral genome, and has essential functions in DNA replication and phage morphogenesis. The functional domains of this region may be inserted into separate sites of a plasmid to function independently. Here, we demonstrate the construction of a plasmid containing, sequentially, the origin of (+)-strand synthesis, the packaging signal and a terminator of (+)-strand synthesis. When host cells harboring this plasmid (pLS7) are infected with helper phage they produce a microphage particle containing all the structural elements of the mature, native phage. The microphage is 65 A in diameter and about 500 A long. It contains a 221-base single-stranded circle of DNA coated by about 95 copies of the major coat protein (gene 8 protein).
The Safety and Efficacy of Perfluorochemical Emulsions as Blood Substitutes

More than 20 years ago, perfluorochemicals (PFC) were first used as biological oxygen transport substances in different ways:a. by Clark and Gollan (1) in liquid breathing experiments using liquid PFC.b. by Sloviter and Kamimoto (2) to perfuse an Isolated rat brain with an emulsion of PFC.c. by Geyer, Monroe and Taylor (3) to replace nearly all the blood of rats with an emulsion of PFC.These experiments showed unequivocally that PFC preparations effectively transport and deliver oxygen to living organs and animals. Since that time, many investigators have done very many experiments with PFC emulsions as blood substitutes, but PFC preparations have not been used clinically, except for very limited use In special circumstances (4). No PFC preparation has been approved for clinical use as a blood substitute, presumably because no available preparation has been shown to be adequate in safety and efficacy.
Adolescent Depression and the Susceptibility to Helplessness.

Subjects scoring above and below a sample median on the Beck Depression Inventory were randomly assigned to one of four experimental conditions in which they were exposed to either (1) an unsolvable task accompanied by unavoidable aversive noise, (2) an identical but solvable task whose solution prevented the noise, or conditions designed to control for the effects of (3) the aversiveness of the noise, or (4) possible baseline performance differences between subject groups. The adolescents in the depressed group who were exposed to the unsolvable task showed a significant performance deficit on a subsequent solvable task when compared to their counterparts in the other three conditions. Subjects in the nondepressed group showed no such deficit, suggesting that as level of depressive symptomatology increases, adolescents become more vulnerable to suffering a disruption of active coping (effort, persistence, problem solving) when confronted with uncontrollable events. Theoretical and treatment issues related to adolescent depression are discussed.
Simulation of multipoint to multipoint hierarchy for fast rerouting in Multi Protocol Label Switching networks

Multi-Point to Multi-Point Traffic Engineering (MP2MP-TE) leads to an important scalability in Multi Protocol Label Switching-Traffic Engineering (MPLS-TE) networks. This paper emphasizes on the support of Fast-reroute (FRR) in MPLS-TE networks by using MP2MP bypass TE-tunnels. Hence, one MP2MP bypass TE-tunnel can be used to protect several primary TE-tunnels. During failure, the primary TE-tunnel is encapsulated into the MP2MP bypass TE-tunnel which calls for defining a new type of MPLS hierarchy, i.e. the multipoint to multipoint hierarchy. In this paper we present a simulation study that evaluates several fast rerouting scenarios depending on the number of leaves of a MP2MP bypass TE-tunnel and on the number of primary TE-tunnels that can be encapsulated into one MP2MP bypass TE-tunnel. In particular, the scalability/bandwidth efficiency tradeoff between these schemes is analyzed and valuable comparisons with the existing approaches are presented.
Spawning cycles of the Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, in closed circulation systems

Gulf killifish, Fundulus grandis, spawned daily in aquaria held on 12-h daylengths and 23°C. However, the number of eggs spawned varied from one day to another. Statistical analyses of the data revealed the presence of 13-day (semilunar) cycles of spawning in five of seven aquaria that persisted for as long as 4 months. In addition to semilunar cycles, short (about 3 days) cycles were also common. Because each aquarium usually held 21 females, the existence of both 3-day and 13-day cycles suggests that there was synchronization within each group. There was also synchronization of 13-day cycles between aquarium groups with a common recirculating water supply. Although the 13-day cycle may be essentially an endogenous free-running semilunar rhythm, exogenous timing of this cycle is supported by the strong coherence between it and the concurrent high-tide cycles on the Louisiana Gulf coast.
Full Protein Flexibility Is Essential for Proper Hot-Spot Mapping

A traditional technique for structure-based drug design (SBDD) is mapping of protein surfaces with probe molecules to identify "hot spots" where key functional groups can best complement the receptor. Common methods, such as minimization of probes or calculation of grids, use a fixed protein structure in the gas phase, ignoring both protein flexibility and proper competition between the probes and water. As a result, the potential surface is quite rugged, and many spurious local minima are identified. In this work, we compared rigid and fully flexible proteins in mixed-solvent molecular dynamics, which allows for flexibility and full solvent effects. We were surprised to find that the large number of local minima are still found when a protein's conformational sampling is restricted; the dynamic averaging of probes and competition with water do not smooth the potential surface as one might expect. Only when a protein is allowed to be fully flexible in the simulation are the proper minima located and the spurious ones eliminated. Our results indicate that inclusion of full protein flexibility is critical to accurate hot-spot mapping for SBDD.
Thermal expansion of tungsten carbide at low temperature

The thermal expansion of WC from 20 to 900 K was measured in the a and c axial directions using high-resolution neutron powder diffraction. Third-order polynomials have been calculated from the expansion curves. The results complement and are compared with prior data in the 293 to 900 K region.
Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase opens chloride channels in normal but not cystic fibrosis airway epithelium

Chloride (Cl-) secretion by the airway epithelium regulates, in part, the quantity and composition of the respiratory tract fluid, thereby facilitating mucociliary clearance. The rate of Cl- secretion is controlled by apical membrane Cl- channels. Apical Cl- channels are opened and Cl- secretion is stimulated by a variety of hormones and neurotransmitters that increase intracellular levels of cyclic AMP (cAMP). In cystic fibrosis (CF), a common lethal genetic disease of Caucasians, airway, sweat-gland duct, secretory-coil and possibly other epithelia are anion impermeable. This abnormality may explain several of the clinical manifestations of the disease. The Cl- impermeability in CF-airway epithelia has been localized to the apical cell membrane, where regulation of Cl- channels is abnormal: hormonal secretagogues stimulate cAMP accumulation appropriately but Cl- channels fail to open. Here we report that the purified catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase plus ATP opens Cl- channels in excised, cell-free patches of membrane from normal cells, but fails to open Cl- channels in CF cells. These results indicate that in normal cells, the cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylates the Cl- channel or an associated regulatory protein, causing the channel to open. The failure of CF Cl- channels to open suggests a defect either in the channel or in such an associated regulatory protein.