cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Noncoding RNA transcription targets AID to divergently transcribed loci in B cells

The vast majority of the mammalian genome has the potential to express noncoding RNA (ncRNA). The 11-subunit RNA exosome complex is the main source of cellular 3'-5' exoribonucleolytic activity and potentially regulates the mammalian noncoding transcriptome. Here we generated a mouse model in which the essential subunit Exosc3 of the RNA exosome complex can be conditionally deleted. Exosc3-deficient B cells lack the ability to undergo normal levels of class switch recombination and somatic hypermutation, two mutagenic DNA processes used to generate antibody diversity via the B-cell mutator protein activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID). The transcriptome of Exosc3-deficient B cells has revealed the presence of many novel RNA exosome substrate ncRNAs. RNA exosome substrate RNAs include xTSS-RNAs, transcription start site (TSS)-associated antisense transcripts that can exceed 500 base pairs in length and are transcribed divergently from cognate coding gene transcripts. xTSS-RNAs are most strongly expressed at genes that accumulate AID-mediated somatic mutations and/or are frequent translocation partners of DNA double-strand breaks generated at Igh in B cells. Strikingly, translocations near TSSs or within gene bodies occur over regions of RNA exosome substrate ncRNA expression. These RNA exosome-regulated, antisense-transcribed regions of the B-cell genome recruit AID and accumulate single-strand DNA structures containing RNA-DNA hybrids. We propose that RNA exosome regulation of ncRNA recruits AID to single-strand DNA-forming sites of antisense and divergent transcription in the B-cell genome, thereby creating a link between ncRNA transcription and overall maintenance of B-cell genomic integrity.
Clinical implications of delayed growth of the lyme borreliosis spirochete, Borrelia burgdorferi

Lyme borreliosis, a spirochetal infection caused by Borrelia burgdorferi, may become clinically active after a period of latency in the host. Active cases of Lyme disease may show clinical relapse following antibiotic therapy. The latency and relapse phenomena suggest that the Lyme disease spirochete is capable of survival in the host for prolonged periods of time. We studied 63 patients with erythema migrans, the pathognomonic cutaneous lesion of Lyme borreliosis, and examined in vitro cultures of biopsies from the active edge of the erythematous patch. Sixteen biopsies yielded spirochetes after prolonged incubations of up to 10.5 months, suggesting that Borrelia burgdorferi may be very slow to divide in certain situations. Some patients with Lyme borreliosis may require more than the currently recommended two to three week course of antibiotic therapy to eradicate strains of the spirochete which grow slowly.
Radial forearm free tissue transfer in the management of persistent cerebrospinal fluid leaks.

Objective: Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leaks can occur after head trauma or skull base surgery. Persistent or spontaneous leaks should be repaired, since they put patients at risk for serious intracranial complications. Although numerous repair methods have been successful, the occasional patient develops a persistent leak. We describe our experience with free tissue transfer for repair of recalcitrant CSF leaks. Study Design: Retrospective chart review of patients undergoing free tissue transfer for repair of a CSF leak between November 1995 and October 2004. Setting was an academic, tertiary care referral center. Methods: Twelve patients with persistent CSF leak were studied. Eleven of 12 patients had undergone a previous repair attempt ranging from endoscopic repair with fat graft to craniotomy and primary repair of the dural defect. All patients underwent radial forearm free tissue transfer. Results: There were six female and six male patients. Average age was 52.7 years (range, 22-80 y). The most common presenting complaints were intracranial abscess, recurrent meningitis, or pneumocephalus (n = 9) and CSF otorrhea or rhinorrhea (n = 8). Cause was head trauma (n = 6), prior surgery (n = 4), cholesteatoma (n = 1), or meningoencephalocele (n = 1). Eleven of 12 patients failed prior procedures (range, 0-6 procedures; mean, 1.9). Ten flaps were placed in the anterior skull base and two were in the middle or posterior skull base. Radial forearm free tissue transfer resulted in sustained resolution of CSF leakage in all 12 patients. Conclusions: Free tissue transfer is an efficacious option in the repair of recalcitrant CSF leaks.
High-dose atorvastatin and risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack: analysis of the Stroke Prevention by Aggressive Reduction in Cholesterol Levels (SPARCL) trial.

Background Observational analyses and short-term randomized trials have suggested that statins reduce occurrence or recurrence of atrial fibrillation (AF). We tested the hypothesis that long-term treatment with high-dose atorvastatin reduces occurrence of AF in patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack. Methods We examined development of new AF in the SPARCL trial that compared atorvastatin 80 mg daily with placebo in 4,731 patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack. Patients who had chronic or paroxysmal AF or were taking medications for treatment or prophylaxis of AF at the time of enrollment were excluded. Atrial fibrillation was identified from electrocardiograms submitted to a blinded central electrocardiographic laboratory and from investigators' adverse event reports. Results Patients were followed up for a median of 4.8 years, corresponding to >20,000 patient-years of observation with a median of 5 electrocardiograms per patient. The primary efficacy measure, the time from randomization to first occurrence of new AF, did not differ between treatment groups. By intention to treat, there were 139 cases of new AF in the atorvastatin group and 122 cases in the placebo group, corresponding to incidence rates of 1.32 and 1.14 cases per 100 patient-years observation (hazard ratio 1.15, 95% CI 0.90-1.46, P = .26). On-treatment analysis yielded similar findings, with incidence rates of 1.26 and 1.01 cases per 100 patient-years observation in the atorvastatin and placebo groups, respectively (hazard ratio 1.25, 95% CI 0.94-1.67, P = .12). Conclusion High-dose atorvastatin does not prevent development of AF in patients with prior stroke or transient ischemic attack.
Dopamine D1 and D2 antagonists block L-dopa-elicited air-stepping in neonatal rats.

Abstract When administered to rat pups that have been suspended in air, l -3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine ( l -DOPA) induces a highly stereotypic locomotor response referred to as air-stepping. In order to determine the respective roles of dopamine D1 and D2 receptors in the expression of air-stepping, the abilities of the selective D1 antagonist SCH 23390 and the selective D2 antagonist spiperone to block l -DOPA-induced air-stepping in 5-day-old rat pups were assessed. Both antagonists increased latency to onset, and both decreased total duration of air-stepping by decreasing the number and length of air-stepping episodes. Neither SCH 23390 nor spiperone altered the topography of the air-stepping response; however, subjects receiving lower doses of spiperone spent significantly more time with the body dorsiflexes and limbs extended (extension/tremor activity) than did control subjects. The results suggest that both the D1 and D2 receptor subtypes are involved in the production of l -DOPA-induced locomotor activity.
On the Proportional Mean Residual Life Model and its Implications

The proportional mean residual life (PMRL) model and its implications are studied. Its relation with the proportional hazard model is explored. Some results concerning ageing properties in reliability are investigated for the PMRL model and conditions under which these classes remain closed are examined. Finally, bounds on the residual moments and residual variance are obtained and some examples are furnished.
Synthesis and crystallographic characterization of a dicyclopentadienylvanadium alkynide complex: (C5H5)2VCCC(CH3)3

Abstract (C 5 H 5 ) 2 VCl reacts with LiCCC(CH 3 ) 3 to form (C 5 H 5 ) 2 VCCC(CH 3 ) 3 which was characterized by spectroscopic, analytical, and crystallographic methods. The complex crystallizes from pentane at 0°C as a monomer in the orthorhombic space group Pnma with four molecules in a unit cell of dimensions a 9.075(3), b 9.807(3), c 16.444(5) A. Full-matrix least-squares refinement based upon 1300 nonzero intensity data converged to a final conventional R factor of 0.060. The molecule has a mean VC 5 H 5 -ring centroid distance of 1.941 A with 146.6° ring centroid-V-ring centroid angle. The vanadium alkynide carbon distance is 2.075(5) A.
The Legacy of Robert Macarthur: From Geographical Ecology to Macroecology

Despite his tragically short life (1930–1972) and brief career, Robert MacArthur was perhaps the most influential ecologist of the 20th Century. With the possible exceptions of Charles Elton and Eugene Odum, no other ecologist had as much influence during his lifetime or left such an enduring legacy. MacArthur's influence stems not only from his substantial and frequently cited published works but also from his direct personal interactions and collaborations with contemporary scientists, especially young people. He combined his facility for mathematics and his knowledge of natural history to develop a body of ecological theory that set the direction of evolutionary ecology during his career and in the decades since his death. Much of his work was inspired by very general statistical patterns of abundance, distribution, body size, and diversity of species. To explain these patterns, he developed simple mathematical and graphical models. In the 25 years since MacArthur's death, the limitations of his models have been revealed, but the empirical patterns that inspired them remain poorly understood. Accumulation of new data has allowed these statistical “macroecological” patterns to be quantified more precisely and has shown them to be nearly universal. They remain vexing puzzles waiting for solution—manifestations of general ecological laws that are still waiting to be discovered.
Automated microsequence analysis in the presence of a synthetic "carrier".

Abstract When small amounts of protein are subjected to automated sequence analysis, significant material washes out during the solvent wash steps and prevents extended analysis. Inclusion of a synthetic “carrier,” succinylated poly-ornithine, with the protein to be sequenced significantly reduces protein washout and permits extended automated microsequence analysis. This carrier also permits microquantities of protein to be sequenced in the presence of the detergent, sodium dodecyl sulfate.
Mathematical theory of radioligand assays: the kinetics of separation of bound from free.

Abstract The theory of radioimmunoassay (RIA) has been expanded to consider, describe, and predict quantitatively the effect of the separation of bound from free fractions on the nature of the dose response curves, under a variety of conditions. The necessary differential equations and programs for computer simulation have been developed, tested, applied and illustrated. These theoretical models may explain several anomalous results obtained in many assay systems, and can predict the effect of the separation procedure on the observed apparent affinity constant and binding capacity values obtained from Scatchard plots and related techniques.
“But that's not really mean”: Competing in a cooperative mode

Girls' games are widely perceived as impediments to the goal of a more equitable society because they are simpler and less competitive than boys' games, and foster skills, attitudes, and competencies that are inappropriate to the achievement of higher status adult roles. Girls' more cooperative social orientation, their concern for being “nice,” and for relationships with small groups of friends has been cited to explain why girls avoid more complex, competitive games. Observations from an ethnographic study of one girls' play group are used to illustrate that this type of social orientation is not incompatible with competition among girls. It shapes their ways of competing, not whether they compete at all. The girls in this study used a stereotypically feminine rhetoric of “nice” and “friends” to support, and even demand, aggressive competition among players.
Effects of excitation of sensory pathways on the membrane potential of cat masseter motoneurons before and during cholinergically induced motor atonia

Electrical stimulation of the nucleus pontis oralis during wakefulness enhances somatic reflex activity; identical stimuli during the motor atonia of active (rapid eye movement) sleep induces reflex suppression. This phenomenon, which is called reticular response-reversal, is based upon the generation of excitatory postsynaptic potential activity in motoneurons during wakefulness and inhibitory postsynaptic potential activity during the motor atonia of active sleep. In the present study, instead of utilizing artificial electrical stimulation to directly excite brainstem structures, we sought to examine the effects on motoneurons of activation of sensory pathways by exogenously applied stimuli (auditory) and by stimulation of a peripheral (sciatic) nerve. Accordingly, we examined the synaptic response of masseter motoneurons prior to and during cholinergically induced motor atonia in a pharmacological model of active sleep-specific motor atonia, the alpha-chloralose-anesthetized cat, to two different types of afferent input, one of which has been previously demonstrated to elicit excitatory motor responses during wakefulness. Following the pontine injection of carbachol, auditory stimuli (95 dB clicks) elicited a hyperpolarizing potential in masseter motoneurons. Similar responses were obtained upon stimulation of the sciatic nerve. Responses of this nature were never seen prior to the injection of carbachol. Thus, stimulation of two different afferent pathways (auditory and somatosensory) that produce excitatory motor responses during wakefulness instead, during motor atonia, results in the inhibition of masseter motoneurons. The switching of the net result of the synaptic response from one of potential motor excitation to primarily inhibition in response to the activation of sensory pathways was comparable to the phenomenon of reticular response-reversal. This is the first report to examine the synaptic mechanisms whereby exogenously or peripherally applied stimuli that elicit motor excitation during wakefulness instead elicit inhibitory motor responses during the motor atonia of active sleep. Thus, not only are motoneurons tonically inhibited during active sleep, but the selective elicitation of inhibitory motor responses indicates that this inhibition can be phasically increased in response to sensory stimuli, possibly in order to maintain the state of active sleep. The data provided the foundation for the hypothesis that, during naturally occurring active sleep, there is a change in the control of motor systems so that motor suppression occurs in response to stimuli that would otherwise, if present during other behavioral states, result in the facilitation of motor activity.
The promotional effect of water in hydrocracking

Abstract The effects of water on the hydrocracking of n -hexadecane and of a certain hydrocracking feed using a rare-earth containing X zeolite and an acid Y catalyst have been examined. The results indicate that the partial pressure of water in the reaction system exerts a marked influence on both activity and selectivity which are quite different between the two catalysts tested. The effects manifest themselves quickly and are reversible by drying with hydrogen at 600 °F. To explain the observations, three concurrently operating mechanisms are proposed.
Profiling in the age of total information awareness

In recent years, a secretive domestic surveillance apparatus has been created in the US in the name of counter-terrorism. Based on the notion of ‘predictive policing’, it aims to gather such detailed information about individuals — ‘total information awareness’ — that it is able to anticipate crimes before they are committed. Linked to the return of racial profiling in the name of the ‘war on terror’ and implemented by local Joint-Terrorism Task Forces, operating effectively with federal powers and little accountability, this new surveillance apparatus is especially focused on Muslims, immigrants and prisoners.
Stress-related influences on blood pressure in African American women.

The relationship of blood pressure status to three stress-related variables, anger, coping resources, and strain, was evaluated in 90 African American women. The majority of the participants (57%) were normotensive, 32% of the participants reported current use of hypertensive medication, and an additional 16% had a mean blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg but were not on hypertensive therapy. From an analysis using ANCOVA, participants in the latter group were found to have significantly higher scores on rational-cognitive coping resources, controlling for age, waist/hip ratio, and pack-years. No significant differences among the blood pressure groups were found in anger or personal strain. Fostering rational-cognitive coping skills, which represent the ability to problem-solve effectively and to set priorities, may be beneficial for African American women and should be evaluated further in a larger sample.
Effects of Sleep on Performance of a Keyboard Melody.

Recent research has shown that both the speed and accuracy of novel motor skills improve during sleep in a process called consolidation. Such off-line learning in the absence of practice as yet has been experimentally observed only with learners performing relatively simple tasks. In the experiment we report here, we tested whether experienced learners performing a music skill obtain similar sleep-dependent improvements. Participants learned a 12-note melody on the piano, and recalled the melody following 12- or 24-hour intervals that either did or did not include sleep. We found significant sleep-dependent improvements in performance accuracy in the retests that followed intervals of sleep, and no significant improvements following intervals that did not include sleep. This is the first demonstration of consolidation-based enhancement of motor skills in the context of music. We did not find consistent sleep-dependent enhancements in performance speed, but we observed that temporal evenness improved in th...
Cloning of the IgM heavy chain of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), and initial analysis of VH gene usage

Clones encoding the dolphin IgM heavy (micro) chain gene were isolated from a cDNA library of peripheral blood leukocytes. Genomic Southern blot analyses showed that the dolphin IGHM gene is most likely present in a single copy, and its sequence shows greatest similarity to those of the IGHM gene of the sheep, pig and cow, evolutionarily related artiodactyls. The transmembrane (TM) form of the IGHM chain was isolated by 3' RACE. While showing similarities to the TM regions of other mammalian IGHM chains, the highly conserved Ser residue of the CART motif is substituted with a Gly in the dolphin. In contrast to the pig and cow, which utilize only a single VH family, the dolphin expresses at least two distinct VH families, belonging to the mammalian VH clans I and III. At least two JH genes were identified in the dolphin. Some CDR3 regions of the dolphin VH are long (up to 21 amino acids), and contain multiple Cys residues, hypothesized to stabilize the CDR3 structure through disulfide bond formation.
Epitope mapping of a monoclonal antibody against human thrombin by H/D-exchange mass spectrometry reveals selection of a diverse sequence in a highly conserved protein

The epitope of a monoclonal antibody raised against human thrombin has been determined by hydrogen/deuterium exchange coupled to MALDI mass spectrometry. The antibody epitope was identified as the surface of thrombin that retained deuterium in the presence of the monoclonal antibody compared to control experiments in its absence. Covalent attachment of the antibody to protein G beads and efficient elution of the antigen after deuterium exchange afforded the analysis of all possible epitopes in a single MALDI mass spectrum. The epitope, which was discontinuous, consisting of two peptides close to anion-binding exosite I, was readily identified. The epitope overlapped with, but was not identical to, the thrombomodulin binding site, consistent with inhibition studies. The antibody bound specifically to human thrombin and not to murine or bovine thrombin, although these proteins share 86% identity with the human protein. Interestingly, the epitope turned out to be the more structured of two surface regions in which higher sequence variation between the three species is seen.
COMBINATORIAL PROOFS OF CERTAIN IDENTITIES INVOLVING PARTIAL THETA FUNCTIONS

In this brief note, we give combinatorial proofs of two identities involving partial theta functions. As an application, we prove an identity for the product of partial theta functions, first established by Andrews and Warnaar. We also provide a generalization of the first two identities and give a combinatorial proof of the generalized identities.
Side Chain Entropy in Enzymes and its Role in Catalysis

Directed Evolution is a popular biochemical engineering technique used to improve, and in some cases alter the activity of enzymes. Although many empirical strategies have been developed to carry out directed evolution, it is still an opaque process that could benefit from more rational design. In this work, we try to rationalize directed evolution based on the physical principles of thermodynamics. Our model system is the Kemp Eliminase KE07, which was designed computationally to catalyze the conversion of 5-nitrobenzisoxazole to cyanophenol, but showed poor activity in solution (kcat/KM ∼12 M-1s-1). Seven rounds of directed evolution lead to a 2 order of magnitude improvement in kcat/KM but structural analysis could not explain why many of the mutations were made. Using a sequential Monte Carlo technique we have been able to calculate and identify systematic changes in the side chain entropy through the 7 rounds of directed evolution. Our technique uses a realistic energy function coupled with a rotamer library to estimate the important rotameric states. These results suggest that the functional partitioning of structure (enthalpy) and statistical fluctuations (entropy) that occurs at the side chain level could give us important leads to predict further mutations. This work also provides further evidence to start looking beyond the traditional structure-function paradigm and incorporate entropic contributions for designing/improving enzymes.
Detection of γ-hydroxybutyrate in striatal microdialysates following peripheral 1,4-butanediol administration in rats

Abstract The illicit use and abuse of 1,4-butanediol (1,4-BD) results from its presumed conversion to gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) and subsequent pharmacological effects via action on GABA-B and GHB-specific receptors. Using in vivo microdialysis we measured the appearance of GHB in the striata of rats after peripheral 1,4-BD administration. We developed and utilized an HPLC-UV (215 nm) detection of GHB that yielded a limit of quantification (S/N = 10) of 2.0 μg/mL (40 ng/injection) and a limit of detection (S/N = 3) of 0.75 μg/mL (15 ng/injection). GHB appeared in the striatal microdialysates within 20 min after intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of varying doses of 1,4-BD. GHB concentrations reached dose-dependent maxima 80–100 min post-1,4-BD administration, with peak values of 10.6 ± 2.9, 25.3 ± 3.4 and 48.1 ± 7.1 μg/mL (mean ± S.E.M.), corresponding to 1,4-BD doses of 250, 500 and 750 mg/kg, respectively. The conversion of 1,4-BD to GHB was completely prevented by the alcohol dehydrogenase inhibitor 4-methylpyrazole (4MP), administered prior to 1,4-BD, as evidenced by the failure of GHB to appear in the striatal microdialysates. Sleep times in animals were similarly correlated with GHB concentrations in the microdialysates.
STUDIES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF MOUSE EMBRYOS IN VITRO. I. THE EFFECT OF OSMOLARITY AND HYDROGEN ION CONCENTRATION.

Several thousand two-cell mouse ova were cultivated in vitro, and the effect on development of changing the osmolarity and hydrogen ion concentration of the medium was examined. Statistical experimental design techniques were employed throughout the experiments in order to make the most efficient use of the material available. The two-cell ova were cultivated for three days, and the percentage which developed into normal blastocysts was used as a measure of the treatment effect. Changing the osmolarity of the medium had a marked effect on the number of blastocysts developing from two-cell mouse ova. Blastocysts developed in media with osmolarities ranging between 0.2002 and 0.3542 osmols. The optimum osmolarity for the development of two-cell mouse ova into blastocysts was 0.2760 osmols. The hydrogen ion concentration of the culture medium also had an effect on the development of two-cell mouse ova into blastocysts. Although blastocysts developed in media with pH's ranging from 5.87 to 7.78, the optimum pH appeared to be near 6.82.
Psychometric evaluation of the Reasons for Living Inventory

This study examined the factor structure and psychometric properties of the Reasons for Living Inventory (RFL; Linehan, Goodstein, Nielsen, & Chiles, 1983) in a sample of college students with a range of suicidal ideation and behaviors. An exploratory factor analysis of the 48-item RFL extracted 6 factors, similar to those described by Linehan et al. (1983). All coefficients alpha and item-subscale correlations were adequate. Additional nonclinical normative data are presented. Multivariate analysis of variance identified 3 significant discriminant functions for group separation. Correlational analyses provided information about the relationships between the RFL and other self-report measures of suicide risk and general psychopathology. Three RFL subscales were useful in predicting suicide risk and general psychopathology
Sulphur transformations in Sphagnum-derived peat during incubation

Abstract Big Run Bog, West Virginia receives high SO2−4 inputs in acid precipitation. During a closed incubation in the laboratory lasting for 125 days, concentrations of total S in surface peat did not change significantly, but in deeper (30–35 cm) peat total S decreased at a rate of 84.8 nmol g−1 dry mass day −1. In both surface and deep peat, carbon-bonded S concentration decreased (215 and 295 nmol g−1 dry mass day−1, respectively) and ester-sulphate S concentration increased (178 and 137 nmol g−1 dry mass day−1, respectively). Total inorganic S increased in surface and deeper peat (49.4 and 88.1 nmol g−1 dry mass day−1, respectively). In general, however, for the inorganic S forms (FeS2, FeS, So and SO2−4) linear regression of concentration vs time, even when significant, explained a small proportion of total variance R2⩽ 0.45). Results suggest that S flow through organic S compounds is dominated by the formation and mineralization of carbon-bonded S, rather than ester-sulphate S. The importance of inorganic S fractions to S flow, however, may be more important than their small pool size would suggest.
ToxR (RegA) activates Escherichia coli RNA polymerase to initiate transcription of Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxA

Abstract The Pseudomonas aeruginosa (Pa) structural gene ( toxA ), which encodes the exotoxin A protein has been shown to be regulated at the transcriptional level by a protein designated ToxR (also known as RegA). We have previously reported that ToxR directly enhances toxA transcription in vitro; however, in the absence of ToxR, Pa RNA polymerase (RNAP) transcribes toxA with low efficiency. In the present study, we have examined the ability of ToxR to initiate toxA transcription using the heterologous Escherichia coli (Ec) RNAP and found that ToxR can function with Ec RNAP to efficiently transcribe toxA both in vitro and in vivo. Antibodies produced against the σ 70 subunit of Ec RNAP inhibit ToxR-mediated enhancement of toxA transcription, suggesting that the RNAP holoenzyme (E σ 70 ) is required for transcriptional activation of toxA . We further demonstrate that ToxR is required for open-complex formation at the toxA promoter. By selectively deleting toxA upstream sequences, we have localized a 214-bp region containing both the toxA promoter and a putative ToxR-binding site sufficient for ToxR-mediated transcription of toxA .
Incorporation of trivalent chromium into riverine and estuarine colloidal material

Abstract The binding of dissolved trivalent chromium by dissolved and colloidal substrates at the riverestuary interface was studied using a combination of product and reactant mode experiments, at concentrations of materials typical of estuarine conditions. Using spikes of 1–20 μg/l Cr3+, about one third of the Cr3+ was scavenged by that fraction of riverine colloidal material which flocculated upon mixing of river water and seawater. Reactant mode experiments, using chemiluminescence as a speciation technique, showed that virtually all of the spiked Cr3+ was bound by dissolved or colloidal substrates, but that the higher molecular weight fractions were able to kinetically outcompete the lower molecular weight fractions. There was no effect of salinity or the flocculation process on the binding of Cr by riverine substrates at natural concentrations. However, salinity did produce a strong kinetic inhibition of binding if the river water was first diluted. This salinity response is likely a result of a wide variety of Cr binding site energies on the substrates.
Update on mild cognitive impairment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to persons whose memory or other cognitive abilities are not normal, but who do not have clinically diagnosed dementia. MCI has received considerable attention in the medical literature over the past few years. There were 63 original reports in the English language literature with the term "mild cognitive impairment" in the title in 2001 and 2002, in contrast to only 26 articles in the prior decade. Although criteria for MCI are not a matter of secure agreement, a consensus is emerging that MCI is common, is associated with significant mortality and morbidity, particularly the development of AD, and is due, in large part, to the same pathologic processes responsible for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Current research efforts are geared towards understanding factors that contribute to the development of dementia among persons with MCI and towards intervention studies aimed at preventing the development of dementia among persons with MCI.
Unexplained elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein is not predictive of adverse perinatal outcome in an indigent urban population†

Objective: The null hypothesis of this study Is that in an urban, Indigent obstetric population at high risk for adverse perinatal outcome, unexplained elevations of maternal serum α-fetoprotein are not an additional predictor of adverse perinatal outcome. Study Design: Perinatal outcomes of 72 patients from a clinic for indigent patients with unexplained elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels were compared with those of matched controls from the same population with normal maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels. Subjects and controls were matched for age, race, parity, and presence or absence of Hollister risk factors. The frequency of adverse perinatal outcome in the two groups was subjected to matched-pair χ 2 analysis. Results: Adverse perinatal outcome occurred in 38.9% (28 of 72) of subjects with unexplained elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels ≥ 2.5 multiples of the median, compared with 31.9% (23 of 72) of controls with normal maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels ( p = 0.5). No statistically significant difference in adverse perinatal outcomes was found. Conclusions: Elevated maternal serum α-fetoprotein levels offer little if any additional predictive value for adverse perinatal outcome in populations already at high risk for such outcomes on the basis of obstetric or socioeconomic criteria.
Seismic wave generation by a nonisotropic explosion source

[1] We develop a general solution for seismic wave generation by an explosion source in a spherical cavity, and then a specific solution for a point explosion source offset from the cavity center. We find that the offset causes a dipole component to the source which generates S waves and causes angular variation in P wave amplitude and shape. The S waves vanish at zero frequency but may be a sizable fraction of the P waves at frequencies of interest. We also perform a nonlinear axisymmetric calculation of an offset explosion in a spherical cavity, which causes a complex source due to cavity reverberations and generates S waves comparable to those found from the analytic solution. The solution has application to shear wave generation by decoupled explosions, and explains at least part of the shear waves observed from such explosions. Data from a pair of explosions centered and offset from the center of a spherical cavity show the expected enhancement of shear waves from the offset source.
Application of the periodate method for the analysis of nucleotide sequence to tobacco mosaic virus RNA.

Abstract 1. 1. When [ 14 C]TMV-RNA was treated first with an excess of periodate and then with methylamine approx. 0.6 mole of adenine was released per mole of RNA. If the RNA was subsequently digested with pancreatic ribonuclease (EC 2.7.7.16), adenosine could not be detected among the products, thus confirming that the adenine was derived from the terminal nucleotide of the RNA. 2. The amount of monoesterified phosphate in [ 32 P]TMV-RNA increased by approx. 1 mole per mole of RNA following treatment of the RNA with periodate and methylamine. 3. The only nucleoside liberated in significant quantity when [ 14 C]TMV-RNA which had been treated with periodate, methylamine and phosphomonoesterase (EC 3.1.3.1), was digested with ribonuclease was cytidine. Confirmation of cytidylic acid as the penultimate nucleotide in TMV-RNA came from the application of two cycles of the periodate-methylamine reaction, cytosine being the major base liberated in the second cycle. A third and fourth cycle of degradation gave equivocal results which did not permit the allocation of specific bases to positions 3 and 4 in the RNA molecule. 4. Reaction of TMV-RNA with periodate caused an 80–90 % loss in infectivity. A subsequent treatment with methylamine resulted in the level of infectivity dropping to less than 1.0 % of the control. Sedimentation analysis of the treated RNA revealed some change from the normal pattern, but not sufficient to account for the loss in infectivity except in terms of loss of the terminal nucleotide. 5. The possibility of carrying out successful nucleotide sequence analysis on large RNA molecules using the periodate method has been discussed.
LUMINESCENT PHOTOFRAGMENTS OF (1,1,1,5,5,5-HEXAFLUORO-2,4-PENTANEDIONATO) METAL COMPLEXES IN THE GAS PHASE

The luminescence that is observed under gas phase photolytic deposition conditions is studied for Cr(hfac)3, Ni(hfac)2, and Pt(hfac)2. This luminescence is analyzed under a variety of conditions, including the relatively high pressures of an evacuated gas cell and the collision-free conditions of a molecular beam. The effects of inert buffer gas are also studied. Features in these spectra indicate that, in general, multiple photolysis processes occur. Some simple fragments that are produced from these compounds are identified, including bare metal atoms (Ni, Cr), metal monofluorides (NiF, CrF), CH (in the case of Ni(hfac)2), and metal carbide from Pt(hfac)2. It is postulated that the difference in the observed photofragmentation pathway in the case of platinum is due to σ bonding to the β carbon of the hfac moiety as opposed to the bidentate bonding of the other two metals. Possible mechanisms are presented. Detailed analysis of the spectra allows characterization of the internal energy of the platinum ca...
ON THE NATURE OF BACTEREMIA IN EXPERIMENTAL PNEUMOCOCCAL PNEUMONIA IN THE DOG : II. DISAPPEARANCE OF PNEUMOCOCCI FROM THE CIRCULATION IN RELATION TO THE BACTERICIDAL ACTION OF THE BLOOD IN VITRO

With the purpose of ascertaining the influence exerted by the pneumococcidal activity of the blood on the course of bacteremia occurring in experimental canine pneumococcal pneumonia, a study was made of the rates at which intravenously injected pneumococci disappeared from the circulation and the shed blood of diseased dogs. Preliminary studies on normal animals showed that blood containing hundreds of thousands of pneumococci per cc. immediately after injection usually became sterile or nearly so within an hour's time. Simultaneous observations carried out on the blood in vitro showed an analogous rapid disappearance of the microorganisms, although the effect was not quite as marked. Similar tests on non-bacteremic dogs with pneumonia revealed essentially the same ability of the body to dispose of large numbers of circulating pneumococci. The shed blood likewise exhibited marked bactericidal power. The occurrence of bacteremia during pneumonia did not retard greatly the rate at which injected pneumococci disappeared from the circulation, as compared with the non-bacteremic state. After several hours the numbers of circulating microorganisms were approximately the same as prior to the intravenous injection. Blood in vitro often cleared as fully as it did in vivo over the same length of time. Studies on the role played by humoral immune substances in the bactericidal action of the blood showed that while their presence was necessary for maximum killing power, and that bacteremic blood lacking humoral immune properties was rarely capable of self-sterilization in vitro, nevertheless such blood often retained considerable bactericidal potency as shown by its ability to reduce materially the numbers of pneumococci added to it. This phenomenon is discussed. The marked pneumococcidal capacity of the blood exhibited by dogs with experimental pneumococcal pneumonia and its persistence during bacteremia suggest that this constitutes the principal mechanism for limiting the degree of blood invasion. The similarity of the findings in canine and human pneumococcal lobar pneumonia is pointed out.
The Great Widow Rockfish Hunt of 1980‐1982

Abstract The rapid depletion of the widow rockfish (Sebastes entomelas) resource along the Pacific coast is described. The economic, sociological, and political factors that set the stage for this phenomenon are briefly discussed. The depletion of this resource has revealed significant weaknesses in the current fisheries management regime, and suggests that both short-term and long-term management policies for Pacific groundfish stocks need to be re-appraised.
Enhancing the limit of detection for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC × GC) using bilinear chemometric analysis

The chemometric method referred to as the generalized rank annihilation method (GRAM) is used to improve the precision, accuracy, and resolution of comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GC x GC) data. Because GC × GC signals follow a bilinear structure, GC x GC signals can be readily extracted from noise by chemometric techniques such as GRAM. This resulting improvement in signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) and detectability is referred to as bilinear signal enhancement. Here, GRAM uses bilinear signal enhancement on both resolved and unresolved GC x GC peaks that initially have a low S/N in the original GC × GC data. In this work, the chemometric method of GRAM is compared to two traditional peak integration methods for quantifying GC x GC analyte signals. One integration method uses a threshold to determine the signal of a peak of interest. With this integration method only those data points above the limit of detection and within a selected area are integrated to produce the total analyte signal for calibration and quantification. The other integration method evaluated did not employ a threshold, and simply summed all the data points in a selected region to obtain a total analyte signal. Substantial improvements in quantification precision, accuracy, and limit of detection are obtained by using GRAM, as compared to when either peak integration method is applied. In addition, the GRAM results are found to be more accurate than results obtained by peak integration, because GRAM more effectively corrects for the slight baseline offset remaining after the background subtraction of data. In the case of a 2.7-ppm propylbenzene synthetic sample the quantification result with GRAM is 2.6 times more precise and 4.2 times more accurate than the integration method without a threshold, and 18 times more accurate than the integration method with a threshold. The limit of detection for propylbenzene was 0.6 ppm (parts per million by mass) using GRAM, without implementing any sample preconcentration prior to injection. GRAM is also demonstrated as a means to resolve overlapped signals, while enhancing the S/N. Four alkyl benzene signals of low S/ N which were not resolved by GC x GC are mathematically resolved and quantified.
Generalizing Deferred Acceptance Auctions to Allow Multiple Relinquishment Options

Introduction and the Statement of the Problem. Reallocation of spectrum from current licensees TV broadcasters to mobile uses to promote e cient use of spectrum has become a public policy agenda. The Congress authorized the FCC to conduct incentive auctions for reallocations of spectrum in the UHF band. In this paper, we focus on the design of reverse auctions where TV stations submit bids to voluntarily relinquish spectrum rights to FCC in exchange for payments. The state of the art of the design of reverse auctions is the framework given in Paul Milgrom, Lawrence Ausubel, Jon Levin, and Ilya Segal (2012) and deferred acceptance auctions proposed by Paul Milgrom and Ilya Segal (2014). In deferred acceptance auctions, each seller submits a single o er. At each round, an o er is evaluated with its scoring function. The buyer deletes the o er with the highest score. Then the set of frozen sellers (i.e., the set of sellers who will be assigned back to the band because the scores are too high) will be updated and o ers are re-evaluated. Auctions end when only o ers with the zero score remain. The payment rule is determined by the threshold price that is the maximum amount that the seller can o er to sell. When bidders are single-minded (that is, a bidder can make only one bid), then, the deferred acceptance auctions are strategy-proof, can be implemented in descending clock auctions, nearlyoptimal, group strategy-proofness, and equivalent to payas-bid auctions. But the Spectrum Act 6403(a)(2) stipulates that bidders shall have multiple relinquishment options such as going o the air, moving to the VHF band, and channel sharing. When the seller can make only one o er, the seller has to choose which auction to bid. Then the payment depends on the choice of auctions by other bidders. Therefore, the seller’s choice of auctions can depend on other sellers’ choices. Thus sincere bidding may not be an equilibrium.
Long-range absorption enhancement in organic tandem thin-film solar cells containing silver nanoclusters

We investigate the optical properties of silver nanoparticles used in tandem ultrathin-film organic photovoltaic cells. Experimental results indicate that the enhancement of an incident optical field persists into an organic dielectric for distances of up to 10nm from the center of an array of approximately 5-nm-diameter nanoparticles. Furthermore, this enhancement exists far from the resonant particle surface-plasmon excitation energy. We propose a model to explain this long-range enhancement and investigate the role that cluster spacing, shape, and an embedding dielectric medium with a complex dielectric constant play in determining plasmon enhancement. This effect is shown to increase the efficiency of tandem organic solar cells, and the implications for further solar cell efficiency improvements are discussed.
Adenylate cyclase in the corpus luteum of the rhesus monkey. II. Sensitivity to nucleotides, gonadotropins, catecholamines, and nonhormonal activators.

The sensitivity of the adenylate cyclase of the primate corpus luteum to various nucleotides, gonadotropins, catecholamines, and nonhormonal activators was assessed in homogenates of luteal tissue obtained from rhesus monkeys at the midluteal phase of the menstrual cycle. The conversion of [α-32P] ATP to [32P]cAMP was used to monitor adenylate cyclase activity. GTP, the GTP analog 5'-guanylyl-imidodiphosphate, and ITP stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in the presence or absence of exogenous hormone; however CTP, UTP, GMP, and guanosine did not. The gonadotropins, human (h) LH and hCG, stimulated cAMP production in a dose-dependent manner. Maximal stimulation of adenylate cyclase was achieved at 100 nM hLH and hCG, and the activation constant was 20 nM for both hormones. The addition of GTP increased maximal activation of adenylate cyclase by hLH or hCG, but did not alter sensitivity to the hormones. Neither hFSH nor the isolated subunits of hCG stimulated cAMP production. Deglycosylated hCG (native hC...
A spiking neural network model of canonical babbling development

Canonical babbling, the production of vocalizations that contain mature-sounding syllables, is one of the most striking and important milestones prior to the production of first words. This study simulates the emergence of canonical babbling using a spiking neural network containing motor neurons that activate muscles in a vocal tract simulator. The spiking neural network periodically produces synthesized vocalizations and a human listener judges the vocalizations on the basis of their syllabicity, deciding whether or not to reward the model. If a reward is given, spike timing dependent plasticity is increased and the model becomes more likely to recreate a pattern of neural firings similar to that which generated the reinforced vocalization. The model successfully increases its production of mature-sounding canonical syllables, whereas a yoked control simulation does not exhibit any such effect. This finding corresponds to results of experimental work with human infants in which consonant-vowel syllable production is selectively reinforced by the infants' caregivers.
Analysis and Control of Beliefs in Social Networks

In this paper, we investigate the problem of how beliefs diffuse among members of social networks. We propose an information flow model (IFM) of belief that captures how interactions among members affect the diffusion and eventual convergence of a belief. The IFM model includes a generalized Markov Graph (GMG) model as a social network model, which reveals that the diffusion of beliefs depends heavily on two characteristics of the social network characteristics, namely degree centralities and clustering coefficients. We apply the IFM to both converged belief estimation and belief control strategy optimization. The model is compared with an IFM including the Barabasi-Albert model, and is evaluated via experiments with published real social network data.