cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the stability of distributed on-chip low dropout regulators

Distributed on-chip low dropout (LDO) voltage regulators have become common due to the increasing number of on-chip voltage domains, dynamic voltage scaling, and the need for high quality power. Due to the current limitations of on-chip LDOs, hundreds of these regulators are required to deliver high quality power within modern high performance microprocessors. As the number of parallel connected LDOs increases, however, the stability of the power grid degrades due to the off-chip and in-package parasitic inductance. In this paper, the stability of the on-chip power grid composed of multiple distributed LDO regulators is evaluated from the perspective of the parasitic impedance. The relation between the grid stability and the number of LDOs that share the grid is described, and a guideline for evaluating grid stability is proposed. Moreover, several design solutions are offered to compensate for the off-chip inductance to enhance the stability of on-chip power grids, supporting the deployment of a large number of LDO regulators.
Cultural Beliefs, Perceptions, and Practices of Young Adult Offspring of African Immigrants Regarding Healthy Eating and Activity.

Introduction: African immigrants and their offspring are increasing in the United States. Yet little is known about the beliefs, perceptions, and practices of second-generation African immigrants r...
Rehabilitation variability following medial patellofemoral ligament reconstruction

Background: Medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) reconstruction is an increasingly utilized surgical option for recurrent patellar instability. Recent studies have highlighted the potential benefi...
Dual-process theory of racial isolation, legal cynicism, and reported crime.

Why is neighborhood racial composition linked so strongly to police-reported crime? Common explanations include over-policing and negative interactions with police, but police reports of crime are heavily dependent on resident 911 calls. Using Sampson’s concept of legal cynicism and Vaisey’s dual-process theory, we theorize that racial concentration and isolation consciously and nonconsciously influence neighborhood variation in 911 calls for protection and prevention. The data we analyze are consistent with this thesis. Independent of police reports of crime, we find that neighborhood racial segregation in 1990 and the legal cynicism about crime prevention and protection it engenders have lasting effects on 911 calls more than a decade later, in 2006–2008. Our theory explains this persistent predictive influence through continuity and change in intervening factors. A source of cumulative continuity, the intensification of neighborhood racial concentration and isolation between 1990 and 2000, predicts 911 calls. Likewise, sources of change—heightened neighborhood incarceration and home foreclosures during the financial crisis in 2006–2008—also predict these calls. Our findings are consistent with legal cynicism theory’s focus on neighborhood disadvantage, racial isolation, and concerns about police protection and crime prevention; they correspond less with the emphasis of procedural justice theory on police legitimacy.
The domino hexadehydro-Diels–Alder reaction transforms polyynes to benzynes to naphthynes to anthracynes to tetracynes (and beyond?)

Polyacenes are organic compounds that have multiple, fused, aromatic rings. These highly conjugated molecules often have interesting photonic and/or electronic properties that afford them the potential for application in a host of organoelectronic devices such as sensors, light-emitting diodes, photovoltaic devices and field-effect transistors. Here, we show the development and use of the domino hexadehydro-Diels-Alder reaction to synthesize structurally diverse polyacenes from acyclic polyyne precursors. The key event in these transformations is the successive reaction of multiple 1,3-butadiyne units with a series of in-situ-generated, diynophilic arynes. The polyyne substrates were designed to allow for rapid engagement of each progressively larger aryne following the initiating (and ratelimiting) production of the first reactive intermediate-the benzyne. We show that aryne-trapping reactions are broad in scope and that these cascade or domino processes can be quite efficient.
MR neurography biomarkers to characterize peripheral neuropathy in AL amyloidosis.

Objective To detect, localize, and quantify peripheral nerve lesions in amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis by magnetic resonance neurography (MRN) in correlation with clinical and electrophysiologic findings. Methods We prospectively examined 20 patients with AL-polyneuropathy (PNP) and 25 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers. After detailed neurologic and electrophysiologic testing, the patient group was subdivided into mild and moderate PNP. MRN in a 3.0 tesla scanner with anatomical coverage from the lumbosacral plexus and proximal thigh down to the tibiotalar joint was performed by using T2-weighted and dual-echo 2-dimensional sequences with spectral fat saturation and a 3-dimensional, T2-weighted inversion recovery sequence. Besides evaluation of nerve T2-weighted signal, detailed quantification of nerve injury by morphometric (nerve caliber) and microstructural MRN markers (proton spin density, T2 relaxation time) was conducted. Results Nerve T2-weighted signal increase correlated with disease severity: moderate (420.2 ± 60.1) vs mild AL-PNP (307.2 ± 17.9; p = 0.0003) vs controls (207.0 ± 6.4; p p p = 0.0106; peroneal: p = 0.0070; sural: p = 0.0190). Tibial nerve caliber was higher in moderate (58.0 ± 8.8 mm 3 ) vs mild AL-PNP (46.5 ± 2.5 mm 3 ; p = 0.008) vs controls (39.1 ± 1.2 mm 3 ; p Conclusions MRN detects and quantifies peripheral nerve injury in AL-PNP in vivo with high sensitivity and in close correlation with the clinical stage. Quantitative parameters are feasible new imaging biomarkers for the detection of early AL-PNP and might help to monitor microstructural nerve tissue changes under treatment.
System Identification of a Discrete Repetitive Process Model for Electrohydrodynamic Jet Printing

Microscale additive manufacturing processes have a great potential to manufacture microscale sensors and devices in a layer-to-layer fashion with freeform control of device architecture. However, the layer-to-layer dynamics in microscale additive manufacturing are not well understood. This manuscript investigates layer-to-layer dynamics from a system identification perspective. This work defines a class of input signals, system identification algorithm for microscale additive manufacturing modeled as a discrete repetitive system, and the experimental protocol to empirically the plant model and validate the model for a different input signal. A case study applied to the microscale additive manufacturing process electrohydrodynamic jet printing demonstrates that the identified model from a training set is extensible to a validation data set, with less than 4% error between the system identification of the training and validation data sets.
Association Between Living in Urban Areas and Obesity in Haitian Breast Cancer Patients

Background: Obesity and metabolic syndrome (MS) have been linked to increased risk of breast cancer recurrence and mortality in prospective cohorts. These studies have mostly occurred in high-incom...
Nonoperative Management of Uncomplicated Appendicitis Among Privately Insured Patients.

Importance Health care professionals have shown significant interest in nonoperative management for uncomplicated appendicitis, but long-term population-level data are lacking. Objective To compare the outcomes of nonoperatively managed appendicitis against appendectomy. Design, Setting, and Participants This national retrospective cohort study used claims data from a private insurance database to compare patients admitted with uncomplicated appendicitis from January 1, 2008, through December 31, 2014, undergoing appendectomy vs nonoperative management. Coarsened exact matching was applied before multivariate analysis to reduce imbalance between groups. Data were analyzed from February 12 through May 1, 2018. Exposures Appendectomy (control arm) or nonoperative management (treatment arm). Main Outcomes and Measures Short-term primary clinical outcomes included emergency department visits, hospital readmission, abdominal abscess, and Clostridium difficile infections. Long-term primary clinical outcomes were small-bowel obstructions, incisional hernias, and appendiceal cancers. Nonoperative management failure was defined by hospital readmission with appendicitis diagnosis and an appendicitis-associated operation or procedure. Secondary outcomes included number of follow-up visits, length and cost of index hospitalization, and total cost of appendicitis-associated care. Covariates included age, sex, region, insurance plan type, admission year, and Charlson comorbidity index. Results Of 58 329 patients with uncomplicated appendicitis (52.7% men; mean [SD] age, 31.9 [16.5] years), 55 709 (95.5%) underwent appendectomy and 2620 (4.5%) underwent nonoperative management. Patients in the nonoperative management group were more likely to have appendicitis-associated readmissions (adjusted odds ratio, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.63-2.77; P < .001) and to develop an abscess (adjusted odds ratio, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.05-1.92; P = .02). Patients in the nonoperative management group required more follow-up visits in the year after index admission (unadjusted mean [SD], 1.6 [6.3] vs 0.3 [1.4] visits; adjusted +1.11 visits; P < .001) and had lower index hospitalization cost (unadjusted mean [SD], $11 502 [$9287] vs $13 551 [$10 160]; adjusted -$2117, P < .001), but total cost of appendicitis care was higher when follow-up care was considered (unadjusted, $14 934 [$31 122] vs $14 186 [$10 889]; adjusted +$785; P = .003). During a mean (SD) of 3.2 (1.7) years of follow-up, failure of nonoperative management occurred in 101 patients (3.9%); median time to recurrence was 42 days (interquartile range, 8-125 days). Among the patients who experienced treatment failure, 44 did so within 30 days. Conclusions and Relevance According to results of this study, nonoperative management failure rates were lower than previously reported. Nonoperative management was associated with higher rates of abscess, readmission, and higher overall cost of care. These data suggest that nonoperative management may not be the preferred first-line therapy for all patients with uncomplicated appendicitis.
Team Formations in Technology Ventures

While considerable new ventures are founded by teams, we have limited understanding on these teams and more insights on individual entrepreneurs. This paper examines mechanisms that give rise to en...
Daratumumab-induced transient myopic shift.

Abstract Purpose To describe an unprecedented case of transient myopic shift induced by a chemotherapeutic agent, daratumumab. Observations A 43-year-old emmetropic female with multiple myeloma experienced sudden onset of myopic shift during her first intravenous dose of daratumumab, an increasingly common FDA-approved chemotherapeutic agent. Her myopia was corrected with -4D lenses in both eyes, and the patient reports cessation of symptoms and disuse of lenses after two days. Conclusions and importance A number of medications have been documented to induce transitory myopic shift, and this report now includes daratumumab among such agents. Further clinical findings regarding the mechanism and frequency of daratumumab-induced myopic shift are needed to further develop our understanding of its tangential effect on the eye.
Impact of Grain Sorghum Polyphenols on Microbiota of Normal Weight and Overweight/Obese Subjects during In Vitro Fecal Fermentation

The human gut microbiota is considered as a crucial mediator between diet and gut homeostasis and body weight. The unique polyphenolic profile of sorghum bran may promote gastrointestinal health by modulating the microbiota. This study evaluated gut microbiota and modulation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by sorghum bran polyphenols in in vitro batch fermentation derived from normal weight (NW, n = 11) and overweight/obese (OO, n = 11) subjects’ fecal samples. Six separate treatments were applied on each batch fermentation: negative control (NC), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), black sorghum bran extract (BSE), sumac sorghum bran extract (SSE), FOS + BSE, or FOS + SSE; and samples were collected before and after 24 h. No significant differences in total and individual SCFA production were observed between NW and OO subjects. Differential responses to treatment according to weight class were observed in both phyla and genera. Sorghum bran polyphenols worked with FOS to enhance Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, and independently stimulated Roseburia and Prevotella (p < 0.05). Our results indicate that sorghum bran polyphenols have differential effects on gut health and may positively impact gut ecology, with responses varying depending on weight class.
Hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy for colorectal liver metastases revisited.

Abstract Background Recent reports indicate improved survival in patients undergoing surgical treatment for colorectal liver metastases (CRLM) with hepatic arterial infusion (HAI) pump chemotherapy compared to surgery alone. Methods Patients who underwent resection and/or ablation of CRLM between 1996 and 2016 were included from a single-institution prospectively maintained database. Proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to determine predictors of overall survival (OS) and 3:1 propensity score analysis (PSA). Results Of 349 patients included, 36 had HAI pumps placed (HAI group) and 313 did not (no-HAI group). There was no difference in primary tumor grade (p = 0.24), ECOG status (p = 0.44), tumor number (p = 0.1), tumor size (p = 0.56), margin status (p = 0.76) between the two groups. Median overall survival was 44.7months vs 37.1months for the HAI versus no-HAI group (p = 0.01). Cox proportional hazards regression analysis demonstrated positive margin status (HR:2.47,p Conclusion Surgical treatment of CRLM combined with HAI chemotherapy is associated with improved OS compared to surgery alone. Further study of this treatment approach is indicated.
Structural and functional characterization of engineered bifunctional fusion proteins of CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotidases

Extracellular diphosphate and triphosphate nucleotides are released from activated or injured cells to trigger vascular and immune P2 purinergic receptors, provoking inflammation and vascular throm...
Nematic antiferromagnetism and deconfined criticality from the interplay between electron-phonon and electron-electron interactions

Systems with strong electron-phonon couplings typically exhibit various forms of charge order, while strong electron-electron interactions lead to magnetism. We use determinant quantum Monte Carlo calculations to solve a model on a square lattice with a caricature of these interactions. In the limit where electron-electron interactions dominate it has antiferromagnetic order, while where electron-phonon coupling dominates there is columnar valence-bond-solid (VBS) order. We find an intervening phase that hosts coexisting nematic and antiferromagnetic orders. We have also found evidence of a Landau-forbidden continuous quantum phase transition with an emergent $O(4)$ symmetry between the VBS and the nematic antiferromagnetic phases.
Three Decades of the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning

Introduction As one of the leading academic research journals in its field since 1990, the Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning (JFCP) has produced useful research for educators, researchers, practitioners, students and policymakers, contributed to the improvement of financial education, and provided publication opportunities. The journal has provided access to articles with content including information about risk tolerance, financial ratios, retirement planning, household financial management practices, divorce, farm family management, and a wide variety of other financial topics. Overall, 271 articles, excluding reviews and editor comments, appeared within this publication during its first 20 years.
The Spanish-Dutch War in Spanish Seventeenth-Century Painting and Theater

The purpose of this paper is to analyze how two playwrights (Lope de Vega and Calderon de la Barca) and two painters (Juan Bautista Maino and Diego Velazquez) portrayed the Dutch military men in three different war actions: the first is El asalto de Mastrique por el principe de Parma, by Lope de Vega; the second, El Brasil restituido, by Lope de Vega and La recuperacion de Bahia, by Maino, and finally, the third El sitio de Breda, by Calderon de la Barca, and La rendicion de Breda or Las lanzas, by Velazquez.
Effects of backgrounding and growing programs on beef carcass quality and yield

Clearly, the future of the beef cattle industry in the United States depends on the quality of the product. The majority of calves are born in the spring; therefore, to have a consistent supply of feeders entering feedlots and to take advantage of forages, a variety of stocker programs exist. Cattle enter the feedlot at varying weights and ages and from different nutritional backgrounds, and this variation could produce differences in carcass quality. The economically important measures of carcass quality are yield grade and quality grade. They are directly related: as cattle fatten in the feedlot, both quality grade and yield grade increase. Because cattle are commercially fed to fat-constant end points, it is logical to make comparisons at equal fat end points. Then, marbling (percentage Choice) becomes the primary quality criterion. We analyzed data from 534 cattle serially slaughtered and found that the percentage grading Choice increased 12 ± 1 percentage units for each 1-mm increase in rib fat. Marbling score increased 30 units (200 = slight 00) for each 1-mm increase in fat. To determine the effect of rate of winter gain on carcass quality, 372 calves over 5 yr were wintered at .23 or .61 kg/d gain. When adjusted to equal rib fat after summer grazing and finishing, there was no difference in quality grade. To test the effect of summer gain on carcass quality, 418 calves over 7 yr were followed through the feedlot after gaining .57 or .84 kg/d on grass. When compared at equal rib fat, there was no difference in quality grade. Shear force values and consumer taste panels were used to evaluate steaks from 90 cattle from calf-fed and yearling production systems. Calf-feds were 14 mo of age at slaughter and yearlings were 19 or 21 mo. Each group was serially slaughtered. There was no effect of an additional .39 cm of rib fat on shear force, juiciness, tenderness, flavor, or overall palatability. Calf-feds were significantly more tender than yearlings, but the risk of an undesirable steak from yearlings was < .2% based on shear force and < 2.8% based on the consumer taste panel. If cattle are fed to a common rib fat end point, and within the range of rates of winter and summer gains reported herein, we conclude that the backgrounding program has little or no effect on marbling or carcass quality grade.
Electronic Cigarette Topography in the Natural Environment

This paper presents the results of a clinical, observational, descriptive study to quantify the use patterns of electronic cigarette users in their natural environment. Previously published work regarding puff topography has been widely indirect in nature, and qualitative rather than quantitative, with the exception of three studies conducted in a laboratory environment for limited amounts of time. The current study quantifies the variation in puffing behaviors among users as well as the variation for a given user throughout the course of a day. Puff topography characteristics computed for each puffing session by each subject include the number of subject puffs per puffing session, the mean puff duration per session, the mean puff flow rate per session, the mean puff volume per session, and the cumulative puff volume per session. The same puff topography characteristics are computed across all puffing sessions by each single subject and across all subjects in the study cohort. Results indicate significant inter-subject variability with regard to puffing topography, suggesting that a range of representative puffing topography patterns should be used to drive machine-puffed electronic cigarette aerosol evaluation systems.
Reaction Kinetics and Mechanism on Metal Single Crystal Surfaces

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the reaction kinetics and mechanism on metal single crystal surfaces. The combined use of temperature programmed reaction spectroscopy and physical methods of surface characterization made possible the study of the effect of surface composition and structure on surface reactions. Both mechanistic and kinetic studies are performed on model reaction systems. The results show strong effects due to changes in surface composition. These effects include the partial passivation of tungsten by surface carburization and the pronounced selective activation of silver by adsorbed oxygen. For copper-nickel alloys both ligand and cluster effects are observed for the formic acid decomposition. The ligand effect is minor. Kinetic perturbations on the behavior of nickel due to adsorbed oxygen have also been observed. The autocatalytic decomposition of formic acid is believed to originate in attractive interactions among adsorbed intermediates. The kinetics of methanol oxidation on silver also shows evidence for lateral interactions between adsorbed methoxy groups.
Deleveraging and mortgage curtailment

Abstract Using monthly loan-level data, individual partial prepayments (curtailments) from January 2001 to June 2011 are observed for mortgages in twenty metropolitan statistical areas. Contrary to some earlier assertions, American homeowners now frequently commit funds towards their mortgage payments in excess of the amount due; over 30% of loans outstanding have made at least one curtailment payment. After controlling for borrower and loan-level variables, we show that the latent propensity to curtail has steadily risen from 2003 to 2006 and remains at elevated levels. Therefore, curtailment provides an example of consumer deleveraging behavior that began prior to the Great Recession.
Random and systematic defect analysis using IDDQ signature analysis for understanding fails and guiding test decisions

This work demonstrates IDDQ signature analysis of random and systematic defects, including yield detractors and reliability defects. Application is demonstrated for both understanding failure root cause and guiding test decisions. IDDQ signatures contain rich information about the circuit, defect behavior and processing conditions. This paper describes capturing that information by classifying signatures into different categories and using the classifications to learn about the nature of the defects occuring on a variety of ASIC chips.
Programas de prescripción de heroína

Los programas de prescripcion de heroina se situan en el marco de un abordaje terapeutico y de reduccion de danos. Estos tienen su propia especificidad clinica en relacion a otros programas con agonistas: 1) la prescripcion diversificada e individualizada de agonistas opioides apoyados en la diacetilmorfina (heroina), 2) El abordaje de la via intravenosa como via de administracion de tratamientos que permite la integracion del trastorno fisico a la dinamica psicologica del sujeto y una aproximacion al placer inherente a todo consumo de heroina y, 3) la intensidad en el seguimiento que permite el establecimiento de un programa terapeutico global e interdisciplinar, muy estructurado, que responde al abordaje del policonsumo y de los trastornos psiquiatricos y al seguimiento del proceso de ruptura del drogodependiente con la marginalidad y con la ilegalidad. Aunque la heroina se prescribe para el tratamiento de dependientes a opioides en el Reino Unido desde 1926 es, sin embargo, desde la experiencia suiza que estos programas se inspiran y se extienden en Europa. Desde esta perspectiva se aborda el presente trabajo, aportando un modelo terapeutico contrastado a un enfoque que admite las particularidades propias de cada contexto socio-cultural, sanitario y politico. La prescripcion de heroina es tecnicamente posible, puede llevarse a cabo de un modo seguro, es clinicamente eficaz en la gran mayoria de los casos y constituye un recurso mas, complementario en una red de atencion al drogodependiente.
Self-Consistent Quantum Field Theory and Symmetry Breaking

This lecture consists of two parts. In part I, we present a study of spontaneously broken symmetries in the terminology of quantum field theory. Though many of our results in this part help our physical and intuitive understanding of subjects and are also useful for practical computations, some of them are derived by means of certain approximations. A rigorous derivation of these results are presented in part II in which use was made of the path-integral method. The latter method is very useful for formal analysis of problems of broken symmetries.
Differential Requirement for Tapasin in the Presentation of Leader- and Insulin-Derived Peptide Antigens to Qa-1b-Restricted CTLs

The loading of MHC class I molecules with peptides involves a variety of accessory proteins, including TAP-associated glycoprotein (tapasin), which tethers empty MHC class I molecules to the TAP peptide transporter. We have evaluated the role of tapasin for the assembly of peptides with the class Ib molecule Qa-1b. In normal cells, Qa-1b is predominantly bound by a peptide, the Qa-1 determinant modifier (Qdm), derived from the signal sequence of class Ia molecules. Our results show that tapasin links Qa-1b to the TAP peptide transporter, and that tapasin facilitates the delivery of Qa-1b molecules to the cell surface. Tapasin was also required for the presentation of endogenous Qdm peptides to Qdm-specific, Qa-1b-restricted CTLs. In sharp contrast, tapasin expression was dispensable for the presentation of an insulin peptide to insulin-specific, Qa-1b-restricted CTL isolated from TCR transgenic mice. However, tapasin deficiency significantly impaired the positive selection of these insulin-specific, Qa-1b-restricted transgenic CD8+ T cells. These findings reveal that tapasin plays a differential role in the loading of Qdm and insulin peptides onto Qa-1b molecules, and that tapasin is dispensable for retention of empty Qa-1b molecules in the endoplasmic reticulum, and are consistent with the proposed peptide-editing function of tapasin.
Life on the Salvage Path: The Deoxynucleoside Kinases of Lactobacillus acidophilus R-26

In Lactobacillus acidophilus R-26, the synthesis of DNA precursor deoxynucleotides occurs exclusively by salvage of deoxynucleosides, beginning with phosphorylation by four deoxynucleoside kinases. Subunits bearing three of these activities are uniquely organized into two heterodimers, deoxyadenosine/deoxycytidine kinase (dAK/dCK) and deoxyadenosine/deoxyguanosine kinase (dAK/dGK), which, along with a distinct deoxythymidine kinase (TK), catalyze the parallel first committed steps of dNTP biosynthesis. Whereas TK is common to most prokaryotes (and eukaryotes), the other three activities that are the emphasis of this review are quite unusual in bacteria. Each activity is regulated in cis by its homologous end-product (dNTP) which is understood to act as a multisubstrate inhibitor capable of binding to both nucleoside and phosphate subsites. Conversely, the inactive dAK subunit is progressively activated by 1) association with a dGK or dCK subunit and 2) the conformationally driven heterotropic affect of dGuo or dCyd bound to the opposing subunit. Limited proteolysis has proven to be a powerful probe of conformational states. Further indication of conformational or structural differences between dAK and dGK (or dCK) is that the former follows an ordered kinetic path, while dGK or dCK exhibits rapid-equilibrium random kinetics. The multi-substrate behavior of end-product binding provides a convenient new diagnostic tool for distinguishing kinetic mechanisms. Tandem dak-dgk genes have been cloned from Lactobacillus DNA and expressed in Escherichia coli as dAK/dGK, utilizing the associated promoter. Sequence alignments reveal 65% identity in their DNA and 61% in their derived amino acid sequences. Encoded N-terminal sequences are identical for the first 18 residues, and both subunits share conserved sequences in common with adenylate kinase and viral TK. A more unusual conserved element, which appears to play a role in the activation of dAK, resembles the G2 loop of p21ras. Remarkably, no homologous gene(s) for the dAK/dCK pair could be found. Comparisons of amino acid sequences, isoelectric pHs and subunit masses strongly indicated that native dCK and dGK are identical in sequence, except at their extreme N-termini (M–IVL for dCK and –TVTVL for dGK), suggesting that processing of a common precursor occurs in Lactobacillus . Accordingly, deletion of codons 2 and 3 from dgk resulted in the expression of dAK/dCK in the E . coli host; its kinetic properties are indistinguishable from those of native dAK/dCK. Subcloning the dgk or engineered dck gene resulted in expression of active dGK or dCK homodimers, each with a virtually unchanged Km toward its primary deoxynucleoside. However, in common with human dCK, dCK (or dGK) homodimer exhibits secondary activities with much larger Kms towards dAdo and dGuo (or dCyd). dCTP (or dGTP) is the best inhibitor of all three activities of the respective homodimer. Fully active heterodimers can be reconstituted simply by mixing a homodimer with independently expressed (inactive) dAK. © 1998 Academic Press
Plant Programmed Cell Death

Programmed cell death (PCD) in higher plants is observed throughout their development and in pathogenic infection. There is evidence of some mechanistic and morphological similarities to cell death in animals but many fundamental questions related to plant PCD remain to be answered. Keywords: cell death; tracheids; xylem; salicylic acid; phytohormones; disease resistance; reactive; oxygen; caspase; stress; cytochrome c; alternative oxidase
Reply to Tenesa et al ‘Association of DLG5 and inflammatory bowel disease across populations’

Reply to Tenesa et al ‘Association of DLG5 and inflammatory bowel disease across populations’
Water deprivation upregulates ANG II AT1 binding and mRNA in rat subfornical organ and anterior pituitary

We studied angiotensin II (ANG II) receptor subtype expression in selected brain nuclei and pituitary gland after water deprivation by in vitro receptor autoradiography using 125I-labeled [Sar1]ANG II and by in situ hybridization using 35S-labeled AT1A, AT1B, and AT2 receptor-specific riboprobes. In control rats we found binding to AT1 receptors in the subfornical organ, paraventricular nucleus, median eminence, and anterior pituitary; AT1A mRNA expression in the subfornical organ and paraventricular nucleus; and AT1B mRNA expression in the anterior pituitary. No receptor mRNA was found in the median eminence. AT1 receptors and AT1A receptor mRNA levels were increased in the subfornical organ, and, in the anterior pituitary, AT1 receptors and AT1B receptor mRNA were increased, only after 5 days of water deprivation. No significant changes occurred after 1 or 3 days of water deprivation, and no regulation of ANG II receptor expression was detected in other brain areas. Our results show that prolonged water deprivation selectively regulates AT1 receptor expression and AT1A and AT1B receptor mRNA levels in the subfornical organ and anterior pituitary, respectively, supporting a role for these receptors during sustained dehydration.
SEXIE 3.0 — an updated computer program for the calculation of coordination shells and geometries

Abstract We report a new version of our FORTRAN program SEXIE (ACBV). New features permit interfacing to related programs for EXAFS calculations (FEFF by J.J. Rehr et al.) and structure visualization (SCHAKAL by E. Keller). The code has been refined and the basis transformation matrix from fractional to cartesian coordinates has been corrected and made compatible with IUCr (International Union for Crystallography) standards. We discuss how to determine the correct space group setting and atom position input. New examples for Unix script files are provided.
Ontogenetic quinpirole treatments produce spatial memory deficits and enhance skilled reaching in adult rats.

There is a paucity of data on neurochemical abnormalities and associated effects on cognition and motor performance in rats ontogenetically treated with quinpirole, a rodent model of dopaminergic hyperfunction. The objective of the current study was to analyze the cognitive and motor effects produced by ontogenetic administration of quinpirole, a dopamine D2/D3 receptor agonist. Past research from this laboratory has shown that ontogenetic quinpirole treatment sensitizes D2 receptors and produces a variety of characteristic stereotypic behaviors in adult rats. In the current study, rats received quinpirole HCl (1 mg/kg/day) or saline from postnatal day (PD) 1 to PD 11 and went otherwise untreated until adulthood (PD 60). In Experiment 1, cognitive performance was assessed on the standard and matching-to-place versions of the Morris water task (MWT). In Experiment 2, skilled motor performance was assessed on the Whishaw reaching task and locomotor activity was also analyzed. We found that ontogenetically quinpirole-treated rats displayed a deficit on the probe trial given at the end of training of the standard version of the MWT but that there were no significant differences from control on the matching-to-place task. Additionally, rats treated in ontogeny with quinpirole showed significant enhancement in reaching accuracy on the Whishaw reaching task as well as increased locomotor activity relative to saline controls. These findings demonstrate that ontogenetic quinpirole treatments produce cognitive deficits, enhanced skilled reaching and hyperlocomotion. The behavioral changes produced by ontogenetic quinpirole treatment are consistent with dopaminergic hyperfunction, and possible mechanisms are discussed.
Dynamic parallelization and mapping of binary executables on hierarchical platforms

As performance improvements are being increasingly sought via coarse-grained parallelism, established expectations of continued sequential performance increases are not being met. Current trends in computing point towards platforms seeking performance improvements through various degrees of parallelism, with coarse-grained parallelism features becoming commonplace in even entry-level systems.Yet the broad variety of multiprocessor configurations that will be available that differ in the number of processing elements will make it difficult to statically create a single parallel version of a program that performs well on the whole range of such hardware. As a result, there will soon be a vast number of multiprocessor systems that are significantly under-utilized for lack of software that harnesses their power effectively. This problem is exacerbated by the growing inventory of legacy programs in binary executable form with possibly unreachable source code.We present a system that improves the performance of optimized sequential binaries through dynamic recompilation. Leveraging observations made at runtime, a thin software layer recompiles executing code compiled for a uniprocessor and generates parallelized and/or vectorized code segments that exploit available parallel resources. Among the techniques employed are control speculation, loop distribution across several threads, and automatic parallelization of recursive routines.Our solution is entirely software-based and can be ported to existing hardware platforms that have parallel processing capabilities. Our performance results are obtained on real hardware without using simulation.In preliminary benchmarks on only modestly parallel (2-way) hardware, our system already provides speedups of upto 40% on SpecCPU benchmarks, and near-optimal speedups on more obviously parallelizable benchmarks.
L‐BIVARIATE AND L‐MULTIVARIATE ASSOCIATION COEFFICIENTS

Given a system of multiple random variables, a new measure called the L-multivariate association coefficient is defined using (conditional) entropy. Unlike traditional correlation measures, the L-multivariate association coefficient measures the multiassociations or multirelations among the multiple variables in the given system; that is, the L-multivariate association coefficient measures the degree of the association for the given system. The L-multivariate association coefficient for the system of two random variables is also called the L-bivariate association coefficient. The association measured by the L-multivariate association coefficient is a general type of association, not any specific type of a linear or nonlinear association. Unlike the K-dependence coefficient, which is an asymmetrical measure, the L-multivariate association coefficient is a symmetrical measure. A direct application of the L-multivariate association coefficient is in variables selection or variables reduction. This paper also explores the relationship between the L-multivariate association coefficient and the K-dependence coefficient.
Economic retrospective voting and incentives for policymaking

This paper explores the possibility that the punishment–reward strategy known as economic retrospective voting provides incentives to pursue good economic policies. By “good” we mean policies that enhance efficiency and reduce economic rents. The key hypothesis is that in those countries whose electoral arrangements and governing institutions yield high clarity of responsibility, a resultant high level of retrospective voting should compel incumbent parties to be more vigorous in the pursuit of efficiency-enhancing policies, or at least less vigorous in creating rents. In countries where the clarity of responsibility is low, the more tenuous linkage between economic performance and electoral success should leave incumbent governments less motivated to promote efficiency and to eliminate rents. As hypothesized, countries low in clarity of responsibility appear to be more inclined to subject their economies to over-regulation and to engage in higher levels of transfers and subsidies. On several other policy dimensions, however, there were no discernable differences between high and low clarity of responsibility countries.
A Nonparametric Analysis of Agricultural Technology

U.S. agricultural technology and technical change are analyzed nonparametrically under cost minimization and profit maximization. Based on annual data for 1948–83, various separability hypotheses concerning the aggregate production function for U.S. agriculture are investigated. The proposed nonparametric approach also provides some insights into the nature of technical change.
The value of screening for glaucoma with tonometry

This paper estimates the value of performing Schiotz tonometry to detect glaucoma in an asymptomatic patient. About 9% of adults over 40 will be found on a single Schiotz tonometry test to have elevated intraocular pressure (IOP). On work-up, about 1 out of 50 of these individuals with high IOP will be found to have glaucoma. Tonometry, however, will miss about half of all patients with glaucoma because they do not have elevated IOPs at the time of the test. Pilocarpine or epinephrine are the most commonly used drugs to treat the disease, but they are not always effective in lowering a patient's IOP or in stopping the progression of field defects. From the available evidence it does not appear that earlier diagnosis makes a substantial difference in the patient's outcome. If all individuals over 40 years of age in a city of 1,000,000 were screened, the total cost of finding and treating about 484 people with chronic simple glaucoma would be on the order of $4,944,866 or about $13,000 per patient potentially benefited. Screening with tonometry does not appear to be warranted.
Transient wave mixing and recording kinetics in photorefractive barium titanate: a nonlinear coupled mode approach

By using rigorous coupled-wave diffraction theory along with a time-dependent nonlinear formulation, we analyze two- and multiple-wave coupling and the grating kinetics in BaTiO 3 with different boundary interfaces. Efffects of electrostatic and optical anisotropy have been included in the analysis. Significant mode conversion to higher orders is observed only when the boundary interfaces are highly mismatched.
Structural and tectonic setting of the Charleston, South Carolina, region: Evidence from the Tertiary stratigraphic record

Eleven upper Eocene through Pliocene stratigraphic units occur in the subsurface of the region surrounding Charleston, South Carolina. These units contain a wealth of information concerning the long- term tectonic and structural setting of that area. These stratigraphic units have a mosaic pattern of distribution, rather than a simple layered pattern, because deposition, erosion, and tectonic warping have interacted in a complex manner through time. By generating separate structure-contour maps for the base of each stratigraphic unit, an estimate of the original basal surface of each unit can be reconstructed over wide areas. Changes in sea level over geologic time generate patterns of deposition and erosion that are geographically unique for the time of each transgression. Such patterns fail to persist when compared sequentially over time. In some areas, however, there has been persistent, repetitive net downward or upward movement over the past 34 m.y. These repetitive patterns of persistent motion are most readily attributable to tectonism. The spatial pattern of these high and low areas is complex, but it appears to correlate well with known tectonic features of the region. This correlation suggests that the tectonic setting of the Charleston region is controlled by scissors- like compression on a crustal block located between the north-trending Adams Run fault and the northwest-trending Charleston fault. Tectonism is localized in the Charleston region because it lies within a discrete hinge zone that accommodates structural movement between the Cape Fear arch and the Southeast Georgia embayment.
Novel cryptic, complex rearrangements involving ETV6‐CBFA2 (TEL‐AML1) genes identified by fluorescence in situ hybridization in pediatric patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia

In childhood B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common genetic change, the ETV6-CBFA2 (TEL-AML1) fusion resulting from the cryptic t(12;21)(p13;q22) is associated with a favorable outcome. Therefore, it is important to identify patients with this translocation so that they can receive appropriate treatment. To identify new partner breakpoints for ETV6 and CBFA2, we selected 30 patients with childhood ALL in whose leukemic cells a t(12;21) had been detected by RT-PCR. Conventional cytogenetics revealed that 12p abnormalities were present in 10 patients and that other random abnormalities were present in another 15, including 9 with a numerical or structural abnormality of chromosome 21. Normal karyotypes were observed in the leukemic blasts of five patients. Interphase fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) confirmed the RT-PCR finding of the t(12;21) in each patient and detected the loss of the wild-type ETV6 allele in 14 (47%) patients. Metaphase cells from only 20 patients were available for additional FISH analysis. In 13 patients, the expected fusion signal of t(12;21) was observed on der(21)t(12;21), and the reciprocal CBFA2 signal was observed on der(12)t(12;21). However, in six patients with the ETV6-CBFA2 fusion on chromosome 21, the reciprocal CBFA2 signal was observed not on 12p13 but on 4q21, 4q27, 8q24, 11q24, 14q11.2, or 16p13.1. In four of these six patients, we found interstitial insertions of part of CBFA2. In another patient, the ETV6-CBFA2 fusion was observed on 4q21 rather than on 21q. Thus, seven (35%) of the 20 patients with a t(12;21) revealed complex rearrangements. Our findings also indicate the importance of analyzing metaphase chromosomes in identifying cryptic and complex rearrangements involving ETV6 and CBFA2.
The total Steenrod operation is induced by an A∞ ring homomorphism

Let X be a (based) space of the homotopy type of a CW -complex. Let H ( X ) denote the classical (ungraded) cohomology ring Π i≥0 H i ( X ; Z /2). In [1] Atiyah and Hirzebruch described the group of natural ring automorphisms of H ( X ) (‘cohomology automorphisms’) with group operation given by composition. They showed that is isomorphic to the group of formal power series of the form with group operation given by ‘substitution’ of one power series into another. In particular the most famous ‘cohomology automorphism’, the total Steenrod Square, corresponds to x + x 2 .
TH-B-224C-02: Performance Evaluation and Optimization of a Novel Brachytherapy Robot

Purpose: To evaluate and optimize the performance of a prototype robotic manipulator designed for prostate seed implantations in a gel phantom. Methods and Materials: The prototype design is a custom‐built six degree‐of‐ freedom robot engineered for highly accurate prostate seed implantations. The robot allows for a fully automatic insertion or a manually assisted implantation using the device as a guide. The accuracy was determined using a gel phantom with a holed‐template placed at 10 cm depth. Insertion speed and rotation were varied, and the distance from the target hole was measured. The effect on the gel due to needle rotation was observed for increased damage. The experiment included both manual and automatic insertions using 30 cm, 17‐gauge, beveled‐tip prostate brachytherapy needles. Results: The optimal techniques were automatic insertions with a rotation speed of 10 rev/s or 1 rev/s. This provided a “hit” of the target 67% of the insertions with maximum displacement in the “non‐hit” insertions of 2.1 mm. The least accurate technique utilized a non‐rotated needle, which deflects towards its beveled‐tip as inserted. The total displacement from the target with this technique reached distances of greater than 8 mm for a 10 cm depth insertion with an average of 6.9 ± 0.8 mm. Conclusion: Preliminary results yielded an optimization of insertion parameters which increased the accuracy from near 1 cm to sub‐millimeter displacements. The robot was determined to have a high accuracy in tip placement within the gel. Rotation of the needle can dramatically increase the accuracy of the tip's final position. Rotating the needle at 1 rev/s yielded an accurate implant with minimal increase in gel damage. The robot used in conjunction with an optimized needle insertion technique benefits the patient with increased accuracy, leading to a more successful outcome and reduced complications.