cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modulation of Rap Activity by Direct Interaction of Gαo with Rap1 GTPase-activating Protein

We used the yeast two-hybrid system to identify proteins that interact directly with Gαo. Mutant-activated Gαo was used as the bait to screen a cDNA library from chick dorsal root ganglion neurons. We found that Gαo interacted with several proteins including Gz-GTPase-activating protein (Gz-GAP), a new RGS protein (RGS-17), a novel protein of unknown function (IP6), and Rap1GAP. This study focuses on Rap1GAP, which selectively interacts with Gαoand Gαi but not with Gαs or Gαq. Rap1GAP interacts more avidly with the unactivated Gαo as compared with the mutant (Q205L)-activated Gαo. When expressed in HEK-293 cells, unactivated Gαo co-immunoprecipitates with the Rap1GAP. Expression of chick Rap1GAP in PC-12 cells inhibited activation of Rap1 by forskolin. When unactivated Gαo was expressed, the amount of activated Rap1 was greatly increased. This effect was not observed with the Q205L-Gαo. Expression of unactivated Gαo stimulated MAP-kinase (MAPK1/2) activity in a Rap1GAP-dependent manner. These results identify a novel function of Gαo, which in its resting state can sequester Rap1GAP thereby regulating Rap1 activity and consequently gating signal flow from Rap1 to MAPK1/2. Thus, activation of Go could modulate the Rap1 effects on a variety of cellular functions.
Laparoscopic bilateral nephrectomy for renin-mediated hypertension.

Abstract Hypertension arising from retained native kidneys complicates the management of recipients of renal transplants. Reluctance to administer angiontensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEI) drugs to patients taking cyclosporine has reopened the question of performing native nephrectomies for poorly controlled, renin-dependent hypertension. We report the first published cases of simultaneous bilateral laparoscopic nephrectomies in 2 patients: 1 in preparation for living-related donor transplantation and the other ten months following cadaver transplantation in a patient whose end-stage renal disease was from malignant nephrosclerosis. Both had very severe hypertension resistant to multiple drugs and both became normotensive with little or no antihypertensive medication following nephrectomies. A bilateral nephrectomy is currently feasible using a laparoscopic approach.
Methodological considerations when assessing age related changes

Abstract The lack of standardized procedures can significantly influence the outcome and interpretation of aging studies.
On the molecular mechanism of water reorientation.

We detail and considerably extend the analysis recently presented in Science 2006, 311, 832−835 of the molecular mechanism of water reorientation based on molecular dynamics simulations and the analytic framework of the extended jump model (EJM). The water reorientation is shown to occur through large-amplitude angular jumps due to the exchange of hydrogen (H)-bond acceptors, with a minor contribution from the diffusive H-bond frame reorientation between these exchanges. The robust character of this mechanism with respect to different water models is discussed. We fully characterize these jump events, including the distributions of trajectories around the average path. The average path values and the distributions of the jump time and the jump amplitude, the two key parameters in the Ivanov jump model component of the EJM, are determined. We also discuss the possibility of selectively exciting water molecules close to the jump event, of interest for ultrafast infrared experiments. In addition to a compari...
Effects of nu Gene on the Numbers of Mast Cells in Lymph Nodes

The total numbers of mast cells (MC) in popliteal lymph nodes of homozygous nude (nu/nu) and phenotypically normal, heterozygous (+/nu) BALB/c mice are greater than in normal (+/+) BALB/c mice at approximately 6 months of age. The values obtained from 4- to 7-month-old (nu/nu) and (+/nu) mice are twice as high as those from 2- to 3-month-old mice. It is concluded that the thymus does not directly determine the number of MC in lymph nodes, but the presence of the nu gene or another gene closely linked to the nu gene regulates the number of MC. 'Nude' mice infected with hepatitis virus accumulate many more MC than do healthy mice.
Frequency of germline genomic homozygosity associated with cancer cases.

Context Cancer is a multigenic disease resulting from both germline susceptibility and somatic events. While studying loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in cancer tissues, we anecdotally observed a low frequency of heterozygosity in cancer patients compared with controls, raising the question whether homozygosity could play a role in cancer predisposition. Objectives To determine the frequency of germline homozygosity in a large series of patients with 3 different types of solid tumors compared with population-based controls. Design, Setting, and Patients Germline and corresponding tumor DNA isolated from 385 patients with carcinomas (147 breast, 116 prostate, and 122 head and neck carcinomas) were subjected to whole genome (345-microsatellite marker) LOH analysis. Main Outcome Measures Frequency of homozygosity at microsatellite markers in cancer cases vs controls and frequency of somatic LOH in cancers at loci with the highest homozygosity. Results We identified 16 loci in common among the 3 cancer types, with significantly increased germline homozygosity frequencies in the cancer patients compared with controls (P < .001). In the cases who happened to be germline heterozygous at these 16 loci, we found a mean (SD) LOH frequency of 58% (4.2%) compared with 50% (7.5%) at 197 markers without increased germline homozygosity (P < .001). Across the genome, this relationship holds as well (r = 0.46; 95% confidence interval, 0.37-0.53; P < .001). We validated the association of specific loci with high germline homozygosity frequencies in an independent, single-nucleotide polymorphism–based, public data set of 205 lung carcinomas from white individuals (P Conclusions In our study of 4 different types of solid tumors (our data for 3 types validated in a fourth type), increased germline homozygosity occurred at specific loci. When the germline was heterozygous at these loci, high frequencies of LOH/allelic imbalance occurred at these loci in the corresponding carcinomas.
Ischemic heart disease and congestive heart failure in diabetic patients

Ischemic heart disease and heart failure are major contributors to the morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes mellitus. With growing knowledge of how the metabolic derangements of diabetes contribute to the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease, we must continuously refine our understanding of optimal screening and strategies for prevention and treatment for these interlinked disorders. This article summarizes our current understanding of ischemic heart disease and heart failure in patients with diabetes mellitus, highlighting gaps in our knowledge about the relationship between diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Special consideration is given to new strategies for treating the adverse effects of abnormal glucose metabolism on the cardiovascular system.
Use of ridge points in partial fingerprint matching

Matching of partial fingerprints has important applications in both biometrics and forensics. It is well-known that the accuracy of minutiae-based matching algorithms dramatically decrease as the number of available minutiae decreases. When singular structures such as core and delta are unavailable, general ridges can be utilized. Some existing highly accurate minutiae matchers do use local ridge similarity for fingerprint alignment. However, ridges cover relatively larger regions, and therefore ridge similarity models are sensitive to non-linear deformation. An algorithm is proposed here to utilize ridges more effectively- by utilizing representative ridge points. These points are represented similar to minutiae and used together with minutiae in existing minutiae matchers with simple modification. Algorithm effectiveness is demonstrated using both full and partial fingerprints. The performance is compared against two minutiae-only matchers (Bozorth and k-minutiae). Effectiveness with full fingerprint matching is demonstrated using the four databases of FVC2002- where the error rate decreases by 0.2-0.7% using the best matching algorithm. The effectiveness is more significant in the case of partial fingerprint matching- which is demonstrated with sixty partial fingerprint databases generated from FVC2002 (with five levels of numbers of minutiae available). When only 15 minutiae are available the error rate decreases 5-7.5%. Thus the method, which involves selecting representative ridge points, minutiae matcher modification, and a group of minutiae matchers, demonstrates improved performance on full and especially partial fingerprint matching.
Childhood intussusception: the safety case

In this issue of Pediatric Radiology, Drs. Fallon et al. [1], as authors of the clinical study titled “Needle decompression to avoid tension pneumoperitoneum and hemodynamic compromise after pneumatic reduction of pediatric intussusception” are to be congratulated for providing a simple, well-articulated and focused report that describes the successful outcomes (with no fatalities) of needle decompression of tension pneumoperitoneum occurring during childhood intussusception reduction. More important than a sterile scientific report, this report provides a critical summary of excellent outcomes that can be predicted by implementing a prospective protocol, with a plan of action that anticipates risk and complications, and responsible acts that result in life-saving management, averting catastrophe and death. In paraphrased outline form, the authors recommend the following:
Interleukin-1β enhances cell migration through AP-1 and NF-κB pathway-dependent FGF2 expression in human corneal endothelial cells

Background Information Interleukin 1β is a major pro-inflammatory cytokine that plays a crucial role in the regulation of inflammation and wound healing in the cornea. Elucidation of Interleukin1β signaling may help identify therapeutic targets for corneal wound healing; however, mechanisms such as cell migration, a component of Interleukin 1β induced wound healing response in human corneal endothelial cells, have not been well characterized.
Questions of Assertion, Diversity, and Spirituality: Simultaneously Becoming a Minority and a Sociologist.

The article describes the author’s entry into a second career as both a minority and a sociologist. At age 40, after retiring from a career in the military service, due to value and culture conflict experienced over a twenty-five year span, the author decided to return to the Native American values, religion, and, in part, culture, as taught to him by his traditional grandfather. He describes the conversion and draws analogies to three major theoretical dimensions of Native American victimization raised by Dadrian (1976). Culture conflict issues were confounded by personal conflicts concerning the very nature of assertion and competition, cultural diversity, and spirituality. The author describes his difficulty in dealng with such conflicts and, as an initial move to adapt to these stresses, purposes an extension of Merton’s (1938) five adaptations to stress.
Role of the Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor, Scleraxis, in the Regulation of Sertoli Cell Function and Differentiation

Sertoli cells are a postmitotic terminally differentiated cell population in the adult testis that form the seminiferous tubules and provide the microenvironment and structural support for developing germ cells. The transcription factors that regulate Sertoli cell differentiation remain to be elucidated. The basic helix-loop-helix transcription factors are involved in the differentiation of a variety of cell lineages during development and are expressed in pubertal Sertoli cells. A yeast-two-hybrid procedure was used to screen a Sertoli cell library from 20-d-old pubertal rats to identify dimerization partners with the ubiquitous E47 basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. Scleraxis was identified as one of the interacting partners. Among the cell types of the testis, scleraxis expression was found to be specific to Sertoli cells. Analysis of the expression pattern of scleraxis mRNA in developing Sertoli cells revealed an increase in scleraxis message at the onset of puberty. Sertoli cells respond to FSH to promote expression of differentiated gene products such as transferrin that aid in proper development of the germ cells. Analysis of the hormonal regulation of scleraxis expression revealed a 4-fold increase in scleraxis mRNA in response to the presence of FSH or dibutryl cAMP in cultured Sertoli cells. An antisense oligonucleotide procedure and overexpression analysis were used to determine whether scleraxis regulates the expression of Sertoli cell differentiated gene products. An antisense oligonucleotide to scleraxis down-regulated transferrin promoter activity in Sertoli cells. A transient overexpression of scleraxis in Sertoli cells stimulated transferrin and androgen binding protein promoter activities and the expression of a number of differentiated genes. Observations suggest scleraxis functions in a number of adult tissues and is involved in the regulation and maintenance of Sertoli cell function and differentiation. This is one of the first adult and nontendon/chondrocyte-associated functions described for scleraxis.
Sorption of methyl tert-butyl ether and benzene in fine-grained materials from northern Illinois and the Chalco Basin, Mexico

Methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) is a gasoline oxygenate additive used to enhance gasoline combustion by lowering carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon emissions, thus reducing air pollution. However, it has been identified as the second most common volatile organic contaminant of urban aquifers in the United States. Methyl tert-butyl ether has also been blended into two types of gasoline sold in Mexico by the state oil company (Petrleos Mexicanos) but is currently not monitored in groundwater. Early research on MTBE determined that it is unable to sorb to soils and sediments. The objective of this study is to determine if fine-grained materials with high organic matter (0.25–15.3%) have the potential for sorption of MTBE. The experiment consisted of sorption isotherms of loess from DeKalb, Illinois, and lacustrine sediments from Chalco, Mexico. Experiments were performed with various concentrations of MTBE and benzene (10, 50, 100, 500, and 1000 g/L) at 25C and 10C. Methyl tert-butyl ether showed a retardation factor (R) as high as 1.856 0.0130 for lacustrine sediments and 1.095 0.0010 for loess at 25C. Benzene showed retardation factors as high as 1.996 0.0150 in lacustrine sediments and 1.775 0.0050 in loess at 25C. These results showed that sorption, and therefore, the retardation of MTBE in groundwater, is possible in fine-grained materials especially with high organic matter. This research increases the understanding of the fate and transport of MTBE and improves the knowledge to implement the optimal remediation method for sites contaminated by MTBE.
An examination of the effectiveness of static hedging in the presence of stochastic volatility

Toft and Xuan (1998) use simulation evidence to demonstrate that the static hedging method of Derman et al. (1995) performs inadequately when volatility is stochastic. Particularly, the greater the “volatility of volatility,” the poorer the static hedge. This article presents an alternative static hedging methodology, denoted the generalized static hedge, that appears to perform more reliably. Specifically, the value, delta, and vega of the static hedges closely approximate those values of the barrier option being hedged. Further, simulation evidence indicates that when volatility of volatility is large, the standard deviation of simulated cash flows from the generalized static hedge position is less than the standard deviation of simulated cash flows from previously defined static hedge positions. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Jrl Fut Mark 23:859–890, 2003
Genetic design of fuzzy controllers: the cart and jointed-pole problem

Considers the application of genetic algorithms to the automatic generation of fuzzy process controllers. In contrast to prior genetic-fuzzy systems which require that every input combination be enumerated, we employ a novel encoding scheme which maintains only those rules necessary to control the target system. The key to this method is to represent each fuzzy system as an unordered list of an arbitrary number of rules. This compact rule base methodology, introduced by Cooper and Vidal (1993) to generate a controller for the cart and single-pole problem, is applied to the more complex cart and jointed-pole problem. By using a compact rule base representation, successful systems evolve quickly, increasing the likelihood of success when applied to complex problems. >
Digital design education infrastructure using multiple EDA tool vendors and multiple modes of tool access

Generous EDA university programs enable students to have the best of class tools in every phase of a digital systems design flow. Remote access technologies can free students from the captivity of a single dedicated CAD laboratory. This paper describes how one large Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) department is exploiting both of these opportunities.
The next generation of moderator research in personality psychology.

The concept of a moderator variable has a long and checkered history in personality psychology. In this article I review the methodological and conceptual advances in recent moderator variable research. I then report the results of a number of empirical analyses of three newly proposed idiographic moderator variables: scalability, metatraits, and construct similarity, as well as the ipsatized variance index. The results of these analyses indicate that moderator effect sizes in personality can be expected to correspond to a correlation of about .10. I then consider two recent prescriptions, (a) aggregating trait-specific moderators into general ones, and (b) evaluating joint (e.g., triple interaction) moderator effects. Following these prescriptions did not increase the size of the moderator effects in these data. I conclude that moderator effects in personality will be small, and will thus be most reliably detected in very large samples with predictors that are strongly related to the criteria. Even small moderator effects can be important and interesting in the context of theory disconfirmation. However, moderator variables generally will not serve to transform weak relations among personality variables into strong ones.
Transposon Tn7 Directs Transposition into the Genome of Filamentous Bacteriophage M13 Using the Element-Encoded TnsE Protein

The bacterial transposon Tn7 has a pathway of transposition that preferentially targets conjugal plasmids. We propose that this same transposition pathway recognizes a structure or complex found during filamentous bacteriophage replication, likely by targeting negative-strand synthesis. The ability to insert into both plasmid and bacteriophage DNAs that are capable of cell-to-cell transfer would help explain the wide distribution of Tn7 relatives.
Extensor tendon injuries in the hand

Summary Extensor tendon injuries of the hand are often inadequately managed. Poor outcomes include extensor lag, reduced range of flexion and weakened grip strength. Poor outcomes are particularly associated with injuries in zones 2–4, with severe crush and tissue damage, and in the presence of associated injuries. Dynamic splintage and controlled active mobilisation have some benefits over static splinting for zone 5–8 injuries but require closer supervision.
AN EXPLANATION FOR THE DIVERSITY OF FINANCIAL STRUCTURE

This paper seeks to provide a theoretical explanation for the weak association between measures of financial structure—as defined by the mixture of bank-based and market-based financial systems in an economy—and economic development. Lenders fund risky investment projects of firms by drawing up loan contracts in the presence of an informational asymmetry. An optimal contract entails the issue of debt, equity, or a mix of the two. The equilibrium choice of contract and the financial structure depend on the state of the economy, which in turn depends on the contracting regime. Based on this analysis, the paper provides a theory that can explain the wide diversity of financial structure among middle-income countries.
Identification and measurement of fibers in scanning electron microscopy images using a high-order correlation process

This work describes the development of a dedicated system capable of identifying, measuring and counting various types of fibers and other objects in digitized scanning electron micrograph (SEM) imagery. The system uses a recursive high order correlation (HOC) process to extract the corner pixels of the fibers. The objects are defined by grouping connected corners, so that morphometric analysis can be performed. The method developed performs satisfactorily when the density of fibers per image ranges from low to medium. Simulation results for several cases are presented, along with a discussion on the capabilities and limitations of the current version of the system.
Retrieval Enhances Eyewitness Suggestibility to Misinformation in Free and Cued Recall

Immediately recalling a witnessed event can increase people's susceptibility to later postevent misinformation. But this retrieval-enhanced suggestibility (RES) effect has been shown only when the initial recall test included specific questions that reappeared on the final test. Moreover, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is affected by the centrality of event details. These limitations make it difficult to generalize RES to criminal investigations, which often begin with free recall prior to more specific queries from legal officials and attorneys. In 3 experiments, we examined the influence of test formats (free recall vs. cued recall) and centrality of event details (central vs. peripheral) on RES. In Experiment 1, both the initial and final tests were cued recall. In Experiment 2, the initial test was free recall and the final test was cued recall. In Experiment 3, both the initial and final tests were free recall. Initial testing increased misinformation reporting on the final test for peripheral details in all experiments, but the effect was significant for central details only after aggregating the data from all 3 experiments. These results show that initial free recall can produce RES, and more broadly, that free recall can potentiate subsequent learning of complex prose materials.
Fanconi-like crosslink repair in yeast

Interstrand crosslinks covalently link complementary DNA strands, block replication and transcription, and can trigger cell death. In eukaryotic systems several pathways, including the Fanconi Anemia pathway, are involved in repairing interstrand crosslinks, but their precise mechanisms remain enigmatic. The lack of functional homologs in simpler model organisms has significantly hampered progress in this field. Two recent studies have finally identified a Fanconi-like interstrand crosslink repair pathway in yeast. Future studies in this simplistic model organism promise to greatly improve our basic understanding of complex interstrand crosslink repair pathways like the Fanconi pathway.
Attachment to suspended particles may improve foraging and reduce predation risk for tintinnid ciliates

We describe a new behavior of planktonic ciliates. The field-collected tintinnid Eutintinnus inquilinus attached with its lorica to a range of surfaces, including particulate aggregates. Most tintinnids remained attached with the aboral end of their lorica when well fed. On starvation, many tintinnids detached and resumed a free-swimming life. We hypothesize that the adhesive property of the lorica has evolved as an adaptation to attach to suspended aggregates or other seston particles. Attached E. inquilinus have a feeding rate that is 80% higher than freeswimming individuals because of the change in the fluid dynamics of the feeding current for attached E. inquilinus, which leads to steeper velocity gradients and higher flow rates close to the lorica. This mechanism will also operate for swimming suspension feeders attached to smaller particles that significantly increase the hydrodynamic drag. Selection for traits that enhance the velocity gradients in feeding currents of small plankton may be common and may partly shape behavioral patterns and functional morphology. When exposed to the calanoid copepod Acartia clausi, populations of E. inquilinus were less susceptible to predation than another Eutintinnus species of similar morphology but that were entirely free swimming. The dynamics of colonization and biogenic degradation of aggregates in the water column (marine snow) have large consequences for the vertical material fluxes in the ocean and is believed to influence the global climate by acting as a sink for atmospheric carbon (e.g., Longhurst 1991). Particulate aggregates are considered to be hot spots of microbial processes (Caron et al. 1986; Grossart et al. 2003) and even of larger zooplankton (Kiorboe 2000). Several previous studies have described microbial communities associated with aggregates and showed that organisms may be enriched .100-fold compared with the ambient water (Silver et al. 1998; Simon et al. 2002). However, at present, little is known about behavioral or physiological mechanisms involved in the microbial colonization of and dispersal from aggregates.
Social Issues, Authoritarianism, and Ideological Conceptualization: How Policy Dimensions and Psychological Factors Influence Ideological Labeling

Ideology's crucial theoretical and empirical role in explaining political behavior makes it imperative that scholars understand how individuals conceptualize and apply ideological labels. The existing literature on this topic is quite limited, however, because it relies almost exclusively upon data from the 1970s and 1980s, and it does not examine how psychological factors influence conceptualizations of ideological labels. This article uses data from two original laboratory experiments to test the relative impact of four major policy dimensions on participants' evaluations of candidate ideology and to test authoritarianism's role in shaping ideological conceptualization. These analyses indicate that individuals most often define liberalism and conservatism primarily in terms of social policies closely associated with religious values, each of which invert traditional ideological orientations toward the appropriate size and role of government. The causal mechanism shaping this relationship is authoritarianism, because, I argue, the religious social policy dimension most clearly evokes the deep-seated value conflicts associated with an authoritarian view of political conflict.
A comparison between recurrence risks and conditional recurrence risks based on the semi-symmetric intraclass contingency table

Recurrence risks are compared to conditional recurrence risks under certain association models corresponding to the underlying semi-symmetric intraclass contingency table. Ratios of mean squared errors are used to make the comparisons. A study of the comparisons corroborates the theory of KHAMIS and HINKELMANN (1984), and gives new insight into the disease-genotype association problem.
Neural correlates of ‘distracting’ from emotion during autobiographical recollection

Remembering emotional autobiographical memories (AMs) is important for emotional well-being, and investigation of the role of emotion regulation (ER) during AM recollection has relevance for understanding mental health issues. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the brain mechanisms underlying ER and AM, less is known about the role of ER during AM recollection. The present study investigated how focusing away (or �distracting�) from the emotional content during AM recollection influences the subjective re-experiencing of emotions and the associated neural correlates, by manipulating the retrieval focus of participants who remembered emotional AMs while fMRI data were recorded. First, focusing away from emotion led to decreased self-reported emotional responses, along with increased engagement of ER-related regions (ventro-medial prefrontal cortex, vmPFC), and reduced activity in emotion-related regions (amygdala, AMY). Second, increased vmPFC activity was linked to reduced emotional ratings, during the non-emotional focus. Third, mediation analysis identified vmPFC as a functional hub integrating affective signals from AMY and mediating their impact on the subjective re-experiencing of emotion, according to the current retrieval focus. Collectively, these findings shed light on the neural mechanisms underlying the ability to effectively switch attentional focus away from emotions during AM recollections and have direct relevance for understanding, preventing and treating affective disorders, characterised by reduced ability to regulate emotions.
Post-Apartheid South Africa and Its Neighbours: a Maritime Transport Perspective

The official dismantling of apartheid, the release of Nelson Mandela after 27 years imprisonment in Febuary 1990, and especially the first multi-racial elections in April 1994 followed by the inauguration of the Government of National Unity (GNU), have marked this decade as the most fascinating in the history of South Africa.
MR imaging of pelvic floor continence mechanisms in the supine and sitting positions.

Our goal was to determine the anatomic differences in pelvic floor anatomy for continent women and women with stress incontinence using MR imaging and to assess whether these anatomic differences depend on the position of the subject during imaging.Eight continent volunteers and eight women with stress incontinence underwent MR imaging in the supine and sitting positions. For imaging, we used an open-configuration 0.5-T magnet. T2-weighted images were obtained in the midline sagittal plane with subjects at rest and at maximal pelvic floor strain in 5 sec using a modified fast spin-echo sequence. In the axial plane, thin-section T2-weighted images were obtained with subjects at rest using a standard fast spin-echo technique. Images were evaluated for mobility of the urethra and bladder neck and for integrity of the vagina, levator ani, and supporting fascia.Pelvic floor laxity and abnormalities of the supporting fascia were more common in incontinent women than in continent women. Both descent of the bladd...
80 T Magnet Operational Performance and Design Implications

The US National High Magnetic Field Laboratory constructed and tested a stand-alone 80 T prototype magnet. The activity was in support of the insert magnet development project for the US-DOE-NSF 100 Tesla Multi-Pulse Magnet Program. The 80 T magnet assembly was developed to simulate the physical conditions an insert magnet would encounter during peak field operations at 105 T... The design incorporated further improvements to the engineering template developed from the 65 T and 75 T pulsed magnets now in use at the NHMFL Pulsed Field Facility at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Two coaxially nested solenoid coils comprised the 80 T prototype magnet design. The windings are in series electrically. The inner coil is constructed with materials & techniques identical to those in use for the 100 T insert program. The outer coil is a conventional winding. The prototype was successfully trained to a peak field of ~80.4 T. 80 T pulsed operations were repeated until the coil assembly faulted after 10 full-field pulses. Post-fault inspection of the magnet assembly indicated that the outer magnet winding failed structurally. This paper will present an overview of the 80 T prototype's design, construction, and performance. A review of the magnets failure mode will be presented. Additionally, we will discuss new design criteria for stand alone high-field pulsed magnet based upon the 80 T prototype experience.
PATTERNS OF FLOCK SIZE, DIET, AND VIGILANCE OF NATURALIZED MONK PARAKEETS IN HYDE PARK, CHICAGO

Abstract We examined patterns of diet, foraging group size, and vigilance effort of naturalized Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) in Hyde Park, a neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois. Parakeets exhibited a highly seasonal and varied diet consisting of fruits, seeds, and buds, and they fed almost exclusively on birdseed provided at backyard feeding stations during the winter months. Birds foraged in groups of 1 to 31 birds, but most flocks were of 10 birds or less. Foraging group size was greatest in the fall and early winter, and smallest at the beginning of the spring when breeding began. Monk Parakeets adjusted their vigilance effort with changes in flock size. Individual vigilance effort declined with increasing flock size through a decrease in time spent scanning as well as the number of times scans were initiated. The number of parakeets exhibiting vigilance in a flock at any given time also decreased with flock size. It is likely that the highly adaptable and varied diet of Monk Parakeets contribute...
Singlet-based photon upconversion in multichromophore organic thin films (Presentation Recording)

Solid-state energy upconversion has many potential applications, from nonlinear photonics and biophotonics to expanding the spectrum available for solar energy harvest. In organic molecular systems, upconversion is frequently done in solution to mitigate aggregation-induced photoluminescence quenching or to facilitate the diffusion of triplet donors in Triplet-Triplet Annihilation (TTA) systems. Here we demonstrate an organic thin film upconversion system utilizing two-photon absorption (TPA) properties to improve upconversion efficiency. In blend films of Stilbene-420 and Rhodamine 6G we observe a tenfold increase in up-converted fluorescence compared to the fluorescence yield of TPA in pristine stilbene films. While TPA normally has quadratic dependence on excitation intensity, these blend films exhibit sub-quadratic intensity dependence, indicating a combination of linear and quadratic upconversion processes and dramatically improving upconversion efficiency at lower excitation intensities. This improvement in intensity dependence allows for relatively efficient upconversion upon excitation by a nanosecond laser pulse, in contrast to the more expensive femtosecond lasers generally required for excitation in TPA microscopy and similar systems. Time-resolved photoluminescence decay measurements reveal that all excited states involved in this upconversion process are singlets, which indicates the potential for reduced energy losses when compared to TTA upconversion systems and their inherent intersystem-crossing energy losses. We observe emission from both the Rhodamine 6G donor molecules and Stilbene-420 acceptor molecules, indicating the presence of prompt fluorescence from the donor as well as upconversion to the acceptor, and FRET losses from acceptor back to donor. By fitting to a kinetic model we extract rates for these competing processes.
Unsupervised False Friend Disambiguation Using Contextual Word Clusters and Parallel Word Alignments

Lexical false friends (FF) are the phenomena where words that look the same, do not have the same meaning or lexical usage. FF impose several challenges to statistical machine translation. We present a methodology which exploits word context modeling as well as information provided by word alignments for identifying false friends and choosing the right sense for them in the context. We show that our approach enhances SMT lexical choice for false friends across language variants. We demonstrate that our approach reduces word error rate (WER) and position independent error rate (PER) for Egyptian-English SMT by 0.6% and 0.1% compared to the baseline.
Treatment of Surgical Cancer Stage IB

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5915/23-3-15218 Debate continues as to the efficacy of irradiation therapy versus radical surgery in Stage IB carcinoma of the cervix. The few reported randomized series demonstrate that the results are comparable in each series. Radical hysterectomy in skilled hands is a safe procedure and mortality is reducible. In the meantime, the number of radioresistant lesions are small; radiation injuries are low but occur in later years and are difficult to treat. None of the available data show that combined treatment has a better survival rate than the use of one modality alone. Patients with stage IB should be examined and discussed individually in conference with a gynecologic oncologist and radiation therapist. Utilizing all the above factors and the clinical parameters, young and healthy patients are more suitable for surgical treatment while the remainder may be treated by irradiation alone. In the meantime, some patients will benefit from modified methods of combined treatment.
Highways into Byways: The Travels of Tiberius

Can there be a less promising topic than this? It is well known that Tiberius twice took time off from a busy career, first as heir-apparent and finally as emperor, but at first glance such withdrawals appear to be non-travel rather than travel. By the same token, his military expeditions seem to be tours of duty rather than travel in the sense classical scholars have constituted that rubric. Arguably the Capri stay was not travel but retirement. As the writer Norman Douglas put it, with a hint of apology: ‘In retiring at the close of an arduous life to enjoy the beauties of nature on fabled Siren shores, he was only doing what any civilised person might be expected to do.’ But there is more that can be said. In so far as such movements constitute imperial travel, there is a short but rich section of Millar's The Emperor in the Roman World as well as the detailed study by Halfmann, Itinera Principum, to read alongside ancient and modern biographies.
Elevating Annotation Summaries To First-Class Citizens In InsightNotes.

Most scientific and modern applications generate—in addition to the base data—valuable annotations and metadata information at unprecedented scale and complexity. Such annotations warrant the need for advanced annotation management techniques that not only propagate the raw annotations to end-users, but also mine, summarize, and extract useful knowledge from them. Towards this goal, we proposed the InsightNotes system, the first summary-based annotation management engine in relational databases [22]. InsightNotes relies on creating concise representations of the raw annotations, called annotation summaries. InsightNotes addresses several unique challenges related to the maintenance, propagation, and zooming of these summaries. However, a key limitation is that the annotation summaries are treated as propagate-only (report-only) objects that cannot be directly queried or manipulated. This limitation hinders higher-level applications from applying complex processing over both the base data and its attached annotation summaries even within a single query. In this paper, we propose new extensions to InsightNotes for treating the annotation summaries as first-class citizens. We address the challenges of: (1) Developing new manipulation functions and query operators specific for the annotation summaries, (2) Designing summary-based index structures and access methods for efficient retrieval and predicate evaluation, and (3) Extending the query optimizer to optimize queries accessing both the data and the annotation summaries. The proposed extensions not only make it feasible to natively query and manipulate the annotation summaries, but also achieve more than two orders of magnitude speedup in query evaluation.
Religion and Politics in an Age of Pluralism, 1945–1976: An Ethnocultural View

Federal systems are seen most frequently as relationships involving differing territorial-based governmental units. Political scientists have known, of course, that the various racial, religious, and ethnic groups impact heavily on these arrangements. What has only just begun to be grasped, however, is that the arrival, interaction, conflicts, and accomodations of these groups provide an important conceptual framework for understanding the power-sharing process. This can be seen in the current period of American life. It has been characterized by many as socially and politically more "conservative." This is seen, often, as arising out of the "limits of growth" and "excesses" of reform, highlighted by the race revolution and governmental efforts to overcome the effects of poverty. To understand these social currents, however, it may be helpful, also, to view our time as deeply affected by major ethnocultural changes that have taken place since World War II. The breakdown (or perhaps abdication) of authority of an older, eastern, Protestant, leadership class; the race revolution; and emergence of Roman Catholic, white ethnics, more "ethnic" Jews, evangelical Protestants, and other groups as major social forces in recent years have been reshaping American thought and behavior.' The American democratic republic, with its "judicious modification and mixture of the federal principle" (to quote James Madison), was conceived by its architects as a solution to the inevitable conflicts which diversity was likely to produce in a majoritarian political system. By building the states and sub-state congressional districts into the national policy-making institutions, the founders expected the differences
A high pressure bipropellant micro-rocket engine

The development of high aspect-ratio, high precision micromachining in silicon or silicon carbide suggests the feasibility of microfabricated, high chamber pressure chemical rocket engines. Using high-speed turbopumps and valves incorporated onto the rocket "chip," a number of propulsion cycles are possible. Such an engine, approximately 20 x 15x3 mm in size, would produce about 15 N of thrust using 300 second Isp propellants at a thrust to weight ratio of 1000:1. The feasibility of these engines has been investigated and a liquid cooled, pressure fed thrust chamber has been successfully designed, fabricated, and tested to further evaluate the concept.
Beta 2-microglobulin amyloidosis (AB2M) in patients undergoing long-term hemodialysis. A new type of amyloid.

Amyloidosis has been increasingly recognized in association with renal failure and chronic hemodialysis. This report describes three patients who had long-term hemodialysis (between 7-18 years), in whom deposits developed of a new type of amyloid of beta 2-microglobulin origin. Beta 2-microglobulin amyloid (AB2M) was found in multiple organs, i.e., bone, subendocardium, gastrointestinal blood vessels, tongue, and carpal tunnel connective tissue. AB2M displayed characteristic amyloid features on conventional light and polarized microscopic examination after congo red staining. However immunostaining with anti-amyloid A protein, kappa, and lambda antisera were negative. The studied material reacted positively with beta 2-microglobulin antisera, identifying AB2M in all three cases. Ultrastructural study revealed an unusual curvi-linear fibrillar configuration. AB2M appears to be a new subtype of systemic amyloidosis secondary to renal failure and long-term hemodialysis.
On-chip ultra-broad frequency conversion via simultaneous second and third-order optical nonlinearity

We demonstrate ultra-broad frequency conversion through simultaneous second and third-order nonlinearities. Using a high-Q resonator, we generate multiple frequency lines in both the near-IR and in the visible range using a single near-IR CW pump.
Analysis of Labor Investment in Company

Labor investment means the provision of labors acts as a financing method.Currently,Chinese "Company Law" deny labor investment as a form of financing in company.However,with the arrival of the era of the knowledge and capital,the theoretical basis for its legislation gradually shake.labor investment requests to be legally recognized increasingly high.From the concept and feature of labor investment,the article will try to analyse and rebut the theoretics about the prohibition of labor investment,elicit the feasibility and discuss the related Legislation.
Destruction of factor VIII procoagulant activity in tissue culture media

Human endothelial cells have been reported to synthesize protein that has von Willebrand factor activity and reacts with a heterologous antibody to plasma factor Vlll/von Willebrand factor (FVIII/vWF); however, no FVIII procoagulant activity has been associated with the protein produced by endothelial cells. Of its three biologic properties, only the FVIII procoagulant activity of purified plasma FVIII/vWF is rapidly destroyed by trace levels of serine proteases; despite extensive degradation of human plasma FVIII/vWF protein by proteolytic enzymes, both its vWF activity and its immunoreactivity are fairly well preserved. It is possible that endothelial cells synthesize a molecule with all the biologic properties characteristic of plasma FVIII/vWF protein and that only vWF activity and immunoreactivity are detected because protease activity in the cell culture medium destroys FVIII procoagulant activity. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, the protease activity of growth media was assessed by hydrolysis of p-nitroaniline from the tripeptide n-benzoyl-phenylalanyl-valyl-arginyl-p-nitroanilide and by destruction of the FVIII procoagulant activity of purified plasma FVIII/vWF protein added to various media. Among the growth media that had protease activity were culture medium made with fetal calf serum (FCS) and culture medium containing FCS heated to 56°C for 0.5 hr after adsorption with aluminum hydroxide. Only culture medium made with FCS heated to 66°-68°C for 2 hr did not hydrolyze p-nitroaniline from the tripeptide, and only in this medium was the FVIII procoagulant activity of purified plasma FVIII/vWF protein stable. Thus the demonstration of protease activity in growth media of endothelial cell cultures leaves open the question of whether or not endothelial cells synthesize a molecule having all the biologic properties of the plasma FVIII/vWF protein.
Association of androgen receptor variant 9 (AR-V9) mRNA expression levels in metastatic tissue with resistance to abiraterone acetate/prednisone (AA/P).

5036Background: AA/P is an approved treatment for metastatic castrate resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC), for which there are no validated resistance/response markers. We conducted a prospective tri...
Effect of impurities and growth parameters on the quality of Tl 3 AsSe 3 optical crystal

Abstract Thallium arsenic selenide (Tl3AsSe3) stoichiometric source materials suitable for crystal growth was synthesized in a horizontal furnace using purified parent components Tl, As and Se. Single crystal was grown using a two zone vertical Bridgman furnace using capillary for nucleation. A thermal gradient 18–20 K/cm and growth speed of 1 cm/day was used in vertical Bridgman furnace during crystal growth. Crystals were free from micro cracks and precipitates and demonstrated good fabricability. Results indicated that lower gradient and low growth rate are key to reduce thermal stresses in this ternary Tl-As-Se material system. Measured dielectric values in the range of 10 Hz to 100 KHz were almost constant indicating its suitability for applications in a range of frequency where constant dielectric is required.