cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A general assignment method for oriented sample (OS) solid-state NMR of proteins based on the correlation of resonances through heteronuclear dipolar couplings in samples aligned parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field

A general method for assigning oriented sample (OS) solid-state NMR spectra of proteins is demonstrated. In principle, this method requires only a single sample of a uniformly 15N-labeled membrane protein in magnetically aligned bilayers, and a previously assigned isotropic chemical shift spectrum obtained either from solution NMR on micelle or isotropic bicelle samples or from magic angle spinning (MAS) solid-state NMR on unoriented proteoliposomes. The sequential isotropic resonance assignments are transferred to the OS solid-state NMR spectra of aligned samples by correlating signals from the same residue observed in protein-containing bilayers aligned with their normals parallel and perpendicular to the magnetic field. The underlying principle is that the resonances from the same residue have heteronuclear dipolar couplings that differ by exactly a factor of two between parallel and perpendicular alignments. The method is demonstrated on the membrane-bound form of Pf1 coat protein in phospholipid bilayers, whose assignments have been previously made using an earlier generation of methods that relied on the preparation of many selectively labeled (by residue type) samples. The new method provides the correct resonance assignments using only a single uniformly 15N-labeled sample, two solid-state NMR spectra, and a previously assigned isotropic spectrum. Significantly, this approach is equally applicable to residues in alpha helices, beta sheets, loops, and any other elements of tertiary structure. Moreover, the strategy bridges between OS solid-state NMR of aligned samples and solution NMR or MAS solid-state NMR of unoriented samples. In combination with the development of complementary experimental methods, it provides a step towards unifying these apparently different NMR approaches.
The Effect of Progesterone, Estradiol and Serum on RNA Synthesis in Preimplantation Mouse Embryos Cultured in vitro

The effect of concentrations of progesterone, from i0�-lOM. on RNA synthesis in pre- implantation mouse embryos was tested. It was found that there was no major stimulation nor inhibition of RNA synthesis in 8-cell or blastocyst mouse embryos cultured in vitro in the presence of progesterone. The same absence of an effect was observed when progesterone and estradiol were administered together. These results complement an earlier study which showed that estra- diol alone does not affect RNA synthesis in preimplantation mouse embryos. Although preim- plantation mouse embryos are refractory to stimulation of RNA synthesis by estradiol and/or progesterone, RNA synthesis is markedly stimulated when the embryos are exposed to 15% mouse serum which was heated to 56#{176}C for 30 mm. The nature of this stimulatory factor is unknown. Nonheated mouse serum was found to inhibit RNA synthesis in 8-cell and 2-cell preimplantation mouse embryos.
Purification, solution properties and crystallization of SIV integrase containing a continuous core and C-terminal domain.

The C-terminal two-thirds segment of integrase derived from the simian immunodeficiency virus has been cloned, expressed in Escherichia coli, and purified to greater than 95% homogeneity. The protein encompasses amino-acid residues 50–293 and contains a F185H substitution to enhance solubility. In dilute solutions at concentrations below 1 mg ml−1, the enzyme is predominantly dimeric. At the higher concentrations (>10 mg ml−1) required to enable crystallization, the enzyme self-associates to form species with molecular weights greater than 200 kDa. Despite the apparent high aggregation in solution, the enzyme crystallizes from a 8%(v/v) polyethylene glycol (molecular weight 6000) solution in a form suitable for X-ray diffraction studies. The resulting single crystals belong to the space group P212121, with unit-cell parameters a = 79.76, b = 99.98, c = 150.2 A, α = β = γ = 90° and Z = 4. Under X-ray irradiation generated with a rotating-anode generator, the crystals diffract to 2.8 A resolution and allow collection of a native 3 A resolution diffraction data set.
Somatic hybrids between Solanum bulbocastanum and potato : a new source of resistance to late blight

Solanum bulbocastanum, a wild, diploid (2n=2x=24) Mexican species, is highly resistant to Phytophthora infestans, the fungus that causes late blight of potato. However this 1 EBN species is virtually impossible to cross directly with potato. PEG-mediated fusion of leaf cells of S. bulbocastanum PI 245310 and the tetraploid potato line S. tuberosum PI 203900 (2n=4x=48) yielded hexaploid (2n= 6x=72) somatic hybrids that retained the high resistance of the S. bulbocastanum parent. RFLP and RAPD analyses confirmed the hybridity of the materials. Four of the somatic hybrids were crossed with potato cultivars Katahdin or Atlantic. The BC1 progeny segregated for resistance to the US8 genotype (A-2 mating type) of P. Infestans. Resistant BC1 lines crossed with susceptible cultivars again yielded populations that segregated for resistance to the fungus. In a 1996 field-plot in Wisconsin, to which no fungicide was applied, two of the BC1 lines, from two different somatic hybrids, yielded 1.36 and 1.32 kg/plant under a severe late-blight epidemic. In contrast, under these same conditions the cultivar Russet Burbank yielded only 0.86 kg/plant. These results indicate that effective resistance to the late-blight fungus in a sexually incompatible Solanum species can be transferred into potato breeding lines by somatic hybridization and that this resistance can then be further transmitted into potato breeding lines by sexual crossing.
Adjuvant-specific regulation of long-term antibody responses by ZBTB20

The duration of antibody production by long-lived plasma cells varies with the type of immunization, but the basis for these differences is unknown. We demonstrate that plasma cells formed in response to the same immunogen engage distinct survival programs depending on the adjuvant. After alum-adjuvanted immunization, antigen-specific bone marrow plasma cells deficient in the transcription factor ZBTB20 failed to accumulate over time, leading to a progressive loss of antibody production relative to wild-type controls. Fetal liver reconstitution experiments demonstrated that the requirement for ZBTB20 was B cell intrinsic. No defects were observed in germinal center numbers, affinity maturation, or plasma cell formation or proliferation in ZBTB20-deficient chimeras. However, ZBTB20-deficient plasma cells expressed reduced levels of MCL1 relative to wild-type controls, and transgenic expression of BCL2 increased serum antibody titers. These data indicate a role for ZBTB20 in promoting survival in plasma cells. Strikingly, adjuvants that activate TLR2 and TLR4 restored long-term antibody production in ZBTB20-deficient chimeras through the induction of compensatory survival programs in plasma cells. Thus, distinct lifespans are imprinted in plasma cells as they are formed, depending on the primary activation conditions. The durability of vaccines may accordingly be improved through the selection of appropriate adjuvants.
Substitution and pooling in visual crowding induced by similar and dissimilar distractors

Visual crowding refers to a phenomenon whereby objects that appear in the periphery of the visual field are more difficult to identify when embedded within clutter. Pooling models assert that crowding results from an obligatory averaging or other combination of target and distractor features that occurs prior to awareness. One well-known manifestation of pooling is feature averaging, with which the features of target and nontarget stimuli are combined at an early stage of visual processing. Conversely, substitution models assert that crowding results from binding a target and nearby distractors to incorrect spatial locations. Recent evidence suggests that substitution predominates when target–flanker feature similarity is low, but it is unclear whether averaging or substitution best explains crowding when similarity is high. Here, we examined participants' orientation report errors for targets crowded by similar or dissimilar flankers. In two experiments, we found evidence inconsistent with feature averaging regardless of target–flanker similarity. However, the observed data could be accommodated by a probabilistic substitution model in which participants occasionally “swap” a target for a distractor. Thus, we conclude that—at least for the displays used here—crowding likely results from a probabilistic substitution of targets and distractors, regardless of target–distractor feature similarity.
Increased frequency capability for a given active filter configuration

It is shown that the performance of a given active filter configuration is dependent upon the design procedure employed. Consequently, design procedures may be selected to optimize some aspect of the active filter's performance. This paper develops design procedures which minimize the effect of gain bandwidth (GB) upon a given active filter configuration. The root sensitivity with respect to the GB can be decreased by a factor of two or more depending upon the realization. The techniques presented are applicable to most single and multiple amplifier, second-order active filter realizations.
Parallax-Shifted Microlensing Events from Ground-Based Observations of the Galactic Bulge

The parallax effect in ground-based microlensing (ML) observations consists of a distortion to the standard ML light curve arising from the Earth's orbital motion. In most cases, the resolution in current ML surveys is not accurate enough to observe this effect, but parallax could conceivably be detected with frequent followup observations of ML events in progress. We calculate the expected fraction of events where parallax distortions will be detected by such observations, adopting Galactic models consistent with the observed ML timescale ($t_0$) distributions. We study the dependence of the rates for parallax-shifted events on the sampling frequency and on the photometric precision. For example, we find that for hourly observations with typical photometric errors of 0.01 mag, 6\% of events where the lens is in the bulge, and 31\% of events where the lens is in the disk, (or $\approx 10$\% of events overall) will give rise to a measurable parallax shift at the 95\% confidence level. These fractions may be increased by improved photometric accuracy and increased sampling frequency. Parallax measurements yield the reduced transverse speed, $\tilde{v}$, which gives both the relative transverse speed and lens mass as functions of distance. We give examples of the accuracies with which $\tilde{v}$ may be measured in typical parallax events. Using only the 3 standard ML parameters to fit ML light curves which may be shape-distorted by parallax or blending, can result in incorrect inferred values for these quantities. We find that the inferred timescales from such fits tend to shift the event duration distribution by $\approx 10$\% towards shorter $t_0$ for events with disk lenses, but do not affect bulge lenses. In both cases, the impact-parameter distribution is depressed slightly at the low and high ends.
Disparities in survival improvement for metastatic colorectal cancer by race/ethnicity and age in the United States

Previous studies documented significant increase in overall survival for metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) since the late 1990s coinciding with the introduction and dissemination of new treatments. We examined whether this survival increase differed across major racial/ethnic populations and age groups. We identified patients diagnosed with primary metastatic colorectal cancer during 1992–2009 from 13 population-based cancer registries of the National Cancer Institute’s Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program, which cover about 14 % of the US population. The 5-year cause-specific survival rates were calculated using SEER*Stat software. From 1992–1997 to 2004–2009, 5-year cause-specific survival rates increased significantly from 9.8 % (95 % CI 9.2–10.4) to 15.7 % (95 % CI 14.7–16.6) in non-Hispanic whites and from 11.4 % (95 % CI 9.4–13.6) to 17.7 % (95 % CI 15.1–20.5) in non-Hispanic Asians, but not in non-Hispanic blacks [from 8.6 % (95 % CI 7.2–10.1) to 9.8 % (95 % CI 8.1–11.8)] or Hispanics [from 14.0 % (95 % CI 11.8–16.3) to 16.4 % (95 % CI 14.0–19.0)]. By age group, survival rates increased significantly for the 20–64-year age group and 65 years or older age group in non-Hispanic whites, although the improvement in the older non-Hispanic whites was substantially smaller. Rates also increased in non-Hispanic Asians for the 20–64-year age group although marginally nonsignificant. In contrast, survival rates did not show significant increases in both younger and older age groups in non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics. Non-Hispanic blacks, Hispanics, and older patients diagnosed with metastatic CRC have not equally benefitted from the introduction and dissemination of new treatments.
Theory-based development of high-performance magnostrictive particulate actuated polymer composite transducer materials with strongly improved cyclic strain endurance

The present experimental effort characterizes the development of damage in two different forms of experimental magnetostrictive composite material. This effort is intended to identify the various forms of damage mechanisms operating in the two very different materials, and to identify how the development of fine scale damage influences the overall magnetostrictive behavior and performance. Optical examination of as-magneto-strain cycled Terfenol-D particle actuated epoxy matrix composite material strongly suggests the following primary damage processes, particle fracture under cyclic internal stress, severe degradation of the particle to epoxy matrix interfacial bond, and ultimate sample failure by matrix crack coalescence leading to complete granulation.
Hybrid FDTD and ray optics approximation for simulation of through-wall microwave imaging

In this paper the phenomenology of the near-field microwave imaging through walls is examined. A hybrid finite difference time domain (FDTD) numerical technique and physical optics (PO) approximation in conjunction with the phase conjugation method is used, for the computation of the transmitted field through different walls and image formation. Numerical results, delineating features of wideband and wide angle wave propagation and imaging through walls are presented.
Behaviour of Dickey–Fuller tests when there is a break under the unit root null hypothesis

Abstract We show that Dickey and Fuller's [1979. Distribution of the estimator for autoregressive time series with a unit root. J. Amer. Statist. Assoc. 74, 427–431; 1981. Likelihood ratio statistics for autoregressive time series with a unit root. Econometrica 49, 1057–1072.] normalized estimator, and F-statistics will spuriously reject the unit root null when the true data generating process is a unit root with a break.
Effects of ergocryptine on postpartum maternal behavior, ovarian cyclicity, and food intake in rats

It is known that postpartum mothers are much more likely than maternal virgins to retrieve pups from a T-maze extension of their home cage. By administering ergocryptine (Ergo), a prolactin inhibitor, to thelectomized (nipple-removed) females, it was demonstrated that prolactin release in the postpartum rat in response to nonsuckling pup stimulation is not responsible for this difference. Indirect indexes of prolactin inhibition included earlier onset of estrus and decreased mammary gland weight in Ergo-treated mothers. Ergo was not found to affect food intake.
Bringing your "A" game to urticaria and angioedema.

Urticaria and angioedema are common conditions encountered by the practicing allergist. Although we lack epidemiologic data of the accurate prevalence of urticaria and angioedema in the United States, there is a general perception among practicing allergists that we are seeing more patients with both chronic urticaria (CU) and angioedema. Whether this is due to a true increase in prevalence of CU and angioedema or that other specialists are managing these patients less frequently is unclear. In this issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice, 3 review articles discuss the topics of urticaria and 2 different forms of angioedema. The most common form of angioedema is due to histamine release and may or may not be associated with urticaria. Hereditary nonhistamine-mediated angioedema has been recognized for more than a century as a different entity. Recently, there has been an explosion of literature on hereditary angioedema (HAE), partly due to newer HAE-specific therapies. For many years, investigators have noted patients with HAE-like presentations but who had normal C1INH. This condition has been referred to by several names, including HAEIII and estrogen-dependent HAE. In this issue, Riedl tackles this perplexing subject of hereditary angioedema with normal C1 inhibitor, which he has termed HAE-nmlC1INHdef. Riedl points out the clinical manifestations of this rare condition, which have many similarities with other forms of C1INH deficiency, eg, recurrent angioedema, including gastrointestinal angioedema, and the absence of urticaria. Key differentiating features of HAE-nmlC1INHdef are that the age of onset is later, some patients may develop hemorrhage into areas of angioedema, and the disease predominately affects women. Estrogen has been noted to exacerbate this condition in many patients, which potentially could be related to estrogen’s effects on bradykinin degradation. Unfortunately, the pathophysiology of this condition remains unknown, and various hypotheses are discussed by Riedl. Diagnostic criteria for HAE-nmlC1INHdef are also reviewed, including the requirement for a demonstration of either a factor XII mutation (rare in the United States) or a positive family history of angioedema. As discussed, this
Absence of post-fast food compensation in the golden hamster (Mesocricetus auratus).

Abstract Ad lib food intakes and body weights were measured for hamsters fed one of 4 different diets. Animals were then placed on an intermittent starvation (IS) schedule in which food was available ad lib on alternate days only. Hamsters of both sexes showed little or no post-fast food compensation, i.e., after 24 hr of food deprivation their daily food intake was no greater than their daily intake during baseline testing. These animals lost a large percentage of their initial body weight and many of them died. Other hamsters restricted daily to half-day feeding periods that nearly coincided with the light (L) or dark (D) phases of the illumination cycle also failed to show food compensation; they generally ate no more during D- or L-periods that followed a half day of food deprivation than during D- or L-periods that succeeded a half day of ad lib feeding. These animals lost substantial portions of their initial body weight and many died. Hamsters refed after a 96-hr fast and an 18% loss in body weight also did not increase their food intake substantially above baseline values. In each of these experiments substantial portions of the body weight lost during starvation were not regained during extended ad lib refeeding regimens. These findings contrast strikingly with the behavior of rats tested concurrently; rats showed a dramatic post-fast hyperphagia, rapid recovery of body weight lost during starvation, and a reversal of the normal nocturnal feeding pattern when refeeding began during L-periods. Hamsters' nocturnal rhythms of eating and drinking were remarkably stable in the face of all the experimental manipulations. However, hamsters, as well as rats, were quite effective in compensating for changes in diet density; a 1:1 dilution of a liquid diet produced a prompt doubling in the volume of diet ingested. Impressive but less complete compensation was recorded when solid diets were diluted with inert substances (kaolin, cellulose). Hoarding and perhaps hibernation rather than compensation may have evolved as adaptations to periods of food scarcity. Noncompensation may be related to hamsters' nonresponsiveness to some signal of energy depletion. The possibility of lipogenesis being a rate-limiting step is considered. The desirability of adequate field data as a prerequisite to laboratory analysis of feeding behavior is emphasized.
Organizational responses and adaptations after 9‐11

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore whether organizations have increased their crisis response planning in response to the terrorist attacks of 9‐11. While organizations were encouraged to implement crisis response plans or improve their existing plans after the events of 9‐11, there is mixed research on whether firms have taken such actions.Design/methodology/approach – This study used a survey to explore if the number of firms implementing crisis response plans had increased since 9‐11. The survey also looked at employee perceptions of their company's preparedness for a crisis. By using subjects in New York and California, the survey also explored if there were geographical differences to the crisis response planning which occurred after 9‐11.Findings – The survey found that firms have not responded as well as researchers and the government had hoped. The survey did find that the west coast firms seem to be responding quicker than the east coast companies.Research limitations/implications ...
Science teachers' use of online resources and the digital library for Earth system education

A three-part study of teachers' use of online resources and of the Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) was conducted from 2004 through summer 2006. The first two phases were qualitative and informed a survey administered to 622 science teachers across the U.S., one-fifth of whom had used DLESE. The findings present a profile of teachers and their access to Internet-connected computers and other hardware/electronic media devices in their classrooms; and teachers' preferences for resource formats (e.g., customizability) and educational web site features (e.g., tagged reading level). Analysis of variance showed that teachers with more than one working computer and teachers with more other devices valued the Internet more highly for teaching than did their less equipped peers. DLESE users valued the Internet more highly for their teaching, had more years teaching experience, and valued customizable resources more than their non-DLESE using peers. Most believed that resources catalogued in DLESE were scientifically accurate. Teachers used DLESE most often for finding hands-on activities, still images and other visual aids, and hand-outs; they were least likely to seek people, games, or assessment tools. The findings provide guidance for developers of K12 educational resources.
Effects of Strake Coverage and Marine Growth on Flexible Cylinder VIV

In this paper we present some results from the recent SHELL tests at the MARINTEK basin. The tests involved towing densely instrumented flexible cylinders at Reynolds numbers up to 220,000. The main objective is to present the experimental results describing the effectiveness of different amounts of strake coverage and to explore the influence of simulated marine growth.The data is presented in terms of CF response amplitudes and rainflow-counted damage rates due to the combined CF and IL bending stresses. All results are compared with the bare cylinder cases which will be used as a reference to determine how effective the strakes are in suppressing VIV and how this effectiveness can be affected by marine growth. The results show that even small bare sections (missing strakes) can lead to significant VIV response. We also observe that moderate amounts of marine growth can quickly negate any suppression coming from the strakes.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Sortase-mediated ligation of PsaE-modified photosystem I from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to a conductive surface for enhanced photocurrent production on a gold electrode.

Sortase-mediated ligation was used to attach the photosystem I (PSI) complex from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in a preferential orientation to enhance photoinduced electron flow to a conductive gold surface. Ideally, this method can result in a uniform monolayer of protein, covalently bound unidirectionally to the electrode surface. The exposed C-termini of the psaE subunits of the PSI trimer were targeted to contain an LPETG-sortase recognition sequence to increase noncompeting electron transfer by uniformly orienting the PSI stromal side proximal to the surface. Surface characterization with atomic force microscopy suggested that monolayer formation and optimal surface coverage occurred when the gold surfaces were incubated with peptide at 100 to 500 μM concentrations. When photochronoamperometry with potassium ferrocyanide and ferricyanide as redox mediators was used, photocurrents in the range of 100 to 200 nA/cm2 were produced, which is an improvement over other attachment techniques for photosystem m...
Novel trapping and delivery systems for airborne insect pheromones

Abstract A cryogenic air liquefaction technique was developed for totally recovering volatile insect pheromones. Compounds thus trapped are metered and released into the air during field assays with power-driven micro-syringes and during laboratory assays by evaporation from the lower end of disposable micro-pipettes.
Religio-Secular Metamorphoses: The Re-Making of Turkish Alevism

This article analyzes how the socio-religious minority of Turkish Alevis, in the course of the Alevi revival in the last two decades, adopted the language of religion as a means of empowerment in Turkey and Germany. In both cases, formations of Alevi identity in religious terms are encouraged by the specific discourses regarding legitimate formulations of identity. In Turkey, the question of Alevi recognition as a group legitimately different from Sunni Islam is entangled in ideological and material conflicts evolving around competing interpretations of Turkish nationalism, Islam, and laicism. Alevis are compelled to articulate their demands within this ideological framework if they want to advance their cause. In Germany, enunciations of Alevi identity likewise adjust to the local religion discourse, and here often transgress the languages of Islam and Turkish nationalism. Though configured differently, both secular and national contexts encourage Alevis to standardize and objectify Alevism using the language and grammar of religion. This reformulation of Alevism is accompanied by a restructuring of traditional knowledge and practice in secularist terms, distinguishing between religious and secular spaces, languages, and practices.
DSCA: Dynamic Spectrum Co-Access Between the Primary Users and the Secondary Users

In the current architecture of dynamic spectrum access , secondary users (SUs) only opportunistically access the spectrum of primary users (PUs). The resurgence of PUs disrupts secondary communications, which can result in poor performance for SUs. In this paper, we propose a novel architecture for dynamic spectrum access, termed dynamic spectrum co-access (DSCA), to enable the PU and the SU to simultaneously access the licensed spectrum. With DSCA, SUs transparently incentivize PUs through increasing the PU performance so that SUs can access the spectrum simultaneously with PUs; hence, there is no disruption to secondary communications due to the resurgence of PUs. We derive a mathematical model to formulate the minimum incentives for the spectrum co-access between the PU and the SU and to compute the region of co-access to determine the SUs that can co-access with a given PU. An algorithm is also developed to select the co-access primary and secondary links to maximize network performance. Numerical results indicate that DSCA significantly improves performance compared with the current architecture of dynamic spectrum access.
Adaptive visual querying of image databases

We describe techniques for adaptive nonverbal visual querying of large databases of images. The technique facilitates (a) visual mapping, a technique visualizing the relationships among the images, revealed by plotting each image as a point in a multidimensional `feature space,' and (b) interactive selection of features to maximize the correspondence between the clusters in feature space and the user's understanding of the relationships among the stored images. We refer to these techniques of querying as Adaptive visual querying. Adaptive visual querying will facilitate browsing and searching image databases from examples of images and from computer-aided sketches.
Grazing incidence x-ray scattering study of defect structures in MBE GaAs/Si using synchrotron radiation

Defect structures in thin, MBE grown, GaAs/Si(001) heteroepitaxial films were studied with grazing incidence x-ray scattering techniques. The diffuse scattering associated with GaAs having the predominant epitaxial orientation varied strongly with the penetration depth of the x-rays. Well-directed streaks corresponding to planar faults were observed and easily distinguished from a broad and more randomly oriented background. Bragg peaks corresponding to twinned GaAs were also studied. The probability of twinning was seen to be much higher about the (111) planes whose normals, when projected onto the sample surface, lay parallel to the off-orientation direction than about the (111) planes whose normals, when projected onto the sample surface, lay perpendicular to the off-orientation direction. The intensity and breadth of the twin reflections were analyzed to estimate the corresponding defect density. The depth dependence of the twinning probability was seen to vary with growth parameters. 9 refs., 6 figs.
A characterization of nonlinear φ-accretive operators

Let E be a Banach space and φ∶E→(−∞,∞] a proper lower semi-continuous convex function. The main purpose of this paper is to characterize those m-accretive operators A⊂E x E that are also φ-accretive. This is done by using the semigroup S generated by -A, and by first establishing a necessary and sufficient condition for φ to be a Lyapunov function for S. We also obtain similar results for accretive operators that are not necessarily m-accretive, and deduce invariance and order-preserving criteria for nonlinear semigroups.
Isolation and characterization of clones for the rat hepatic lipase gene upstream regulatory region

Abstract Genomic clones for 2287 nucleotides of the 5′ flanking region, 135 nucleotides of the first exon, and 283 nucleotides of the first intron of the hepatic lipase gene were characterized. The predominant start site for transcription was identified by primer extension and S1 nuclease analyses to be 50 bases upstream of the ATG initiation codon. Based on the location of the major transcription start site, the functional TATA box is located 29 nucleotides upstream. Putative response elements for AP-2, cAMP, OCT-1, C/EBP, estrogen, glucocorticoids, sterols and thyroid hormone were located in this gene. Also a putative liver-specific element for apolipoproteins, C3P, was identified.
Glucose enhancement of face recognition is unaffected by alterations of face features.

Abstract Glucose improves memory on a variety of tasks has been well established in both the animal and human literature. Of particular relevance to the present experiment is the finding that administration of glucose improves face recognition performance in both healthy, young adults ( Metzger, 2000 ) and in Alzheimer’s patients ( Manning, Ragozzino, & Gold, 1993 ). This experiment attempted to expand on these findings to determine if glucose-enhanced performance for face recognition is specific to certain face features (e.g., nose, eyes, or hair). In a between subjects experiment that tested healthy, young adults, a pre-training administration of glucose (50 g) was shown to improve face recognition performance relative to placebo (27.3 mg saccharin); however, the significant improvement on the task was not specific to a particular feature. This result suggests that glucose did not enhance memory for individual face features, but rather enhanced overall memory for face stimuli.
Active Participation in Fieldwork Level I: Fieldwork Educator and Student Perceptions

ABSTRACT Fieldwork experiences bridge the gap between a student's education and entry-level practice. Academic programs, faculty members, and fieldwork educators are challenged to prepare occupational therapy students for entry-level practice. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards advocate for both active participation and guided observation in Level I fieldwork experience ( American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), 2007) . Students report their most meaningful learning experiences, which include performance of clinical skills and participation in clinical reasoning. However, many students enrolled in the author's entry-level master's program and the other schools within a regional consortium report their Level I fieldwork experience is primarily observation. This article describes the results of a survey administered to fieldwork educators and occupational therapy students eliciting their perceptions of active participation in Level I fieldwork. Results indicate that perceptions of the groups are dissimilar. Recommendations and implications for increased active participation in Level I fieldwork are discussed.
The Effect of Temperature on the Uptake of Radiosulfate by Rat Renal Tissue from Radiosulfate-Containing Solutions in Vitro

Kidney cortex slices incubated in vitro at 0°C. accumulate radiosulfate from the incubation medium. This process differs from the previously described uptake of radiosulfate by renal tissue incubated at 38°C., for instance, in the lesser sensitivity of the uptake at 0°C. to differential effects of Na+ as compared with K+ ions, and of sucrose as compared with glucose. Phlorizin inhibits radiosulfate accumulation at 0°C., whereas it enhances the uptake at 38°C. Effects of the cations K+ and Na+ and of phlorizin at temperatures intermediate between 0° and 38°C. have been studied. Parallels have been noted between the accumulative processes for radiosulfate of kidney slices maintained at 0°C. and of mitochondria isolated from rat liver and kidney cortex. These similarities may be attributed to an important role of radiosulfate uptake by mitochondria in slice accumulation of radiosulfate in the cold.
Tracer diffusion of star‐branched polystyrenes in poly(vinyl methyl ether) gels

The tracer diffusion of 3-, 4-, and 12-arm polystyrene (PS) stars in poly (vinyl methyl ether) (PVME) gels has been measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS). The intensity correlation functions were analyzed by two methods which gave equivalent results, suggesting that nonergodicity plays a small role in this system. The resulting star diffusivities are consistently less than or equal to those for linear probes of comparable size, with the difference increasing with molecular weight
Neurotoxicological and Behavioral Effects of Cyanide and Its Potential Therapies

The use of the blood agent cyanide (CN) as a military threat agent has been recognized not only historically (Nero and Napoleon III) but also more currently in World War I, World War II, in the Ira...
CA2+/CALMODULIN CAUSES RAB3A TO DISSOCIATE FROM SYNAPTIC MEMBRANES

The GTPase Rab3A has been postulated to cycle on and off synaptic membranes during the course of neurotransmission. Moreover, a Rab guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor has been shown to cause Rab3A to dissociate from synaptic membranes in vitro. We demonstrate here that Ca2+/calmodulin also can cause Rab3A to dissociate from synaptic membranes in vitro. Like Rab guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor, it forms a 1:1 complex with Rab3A that requires both the lipidated C terminus of Rab3A and the presence of bound guanine nucleotide. In addition, a synthetic peptide corresponding to the Lys62-Arg85 sequence of Rab3A can prevent the dissociating effect of each protein and disrupt complexes between each protein and Rab3A. However, Ca2+/calmodulin's effect differs from that of Rab guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor not only in being Ca2+-dependent but also in having a less stringent requirement for GDP as opposed to GTP and in involving a less complete dissociation of Rab3A. The functional significancein vivo of Ca2+/calmodulin's effect remains to be determined; it may depend in part on the relative amounts of Ca2+/calmodulin and Rab guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor that are available for binding to Rab3A in individual, activated nerve termini.
Two-Dimensional Thermal Analysis of a Robotic Arm and Hand with Insulation Interacting with a High-Temperature Field

Two-dimensional thermal analysis of the effect of thermal insulation on the transient temperature distribution of a robotic arm and hand moving in a nonhomogeneous temperature field is presented. A finite-difference scheme is used to find the transient temperature distribution for a composite two-dimensional cylindrical rod moving periodically into and out of a hot environment. One part of the rod simulates the robotic hand with its insulation and the other part simulates the robotic arm. The heat transfer to the surface is by convection and radiation. Due to the periodic motion, the heat transfer coefficient has spatial and time dependence and the environmental condition is time dependent. The effect of thickness of insulation covering the robotic hand on the temperature distribution in the robotic arm and hand for fast, intermediate, and slow transients is studied and discussed.
How best to measure surgical quality? Comparison of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Patient Safety Indicators (AHRQ-PSI) and the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) postoperative adverse events at a single institution.

Background Evaluating surgical outcomes is an important tool to compare providers and institutions and to drive process improvements. Differing methodologies, however, may provide conflicting measurements of similar clinical outcomes making comparisons difficult. ACS-NSQIP is a validated, risk-adjusted, clinically derived data methodology to compare observed to expected outcomes after a wide variety of operations. The AHRQ-PSI are a set of computer algorithms to identify potential adverse in-patient events using secondary ICD-9-CM diagnosis and procedure codes from hospital discharge abstracts. Methods We compared the ACS-NSQIP and AHRQ-PSI methods for hospital general surgical (n = 6565) or vascular surgical inpatients procedures (n = 1041) at a tertiary-care academic institution from April 2006 to June 2009 on 7 adverse event types. Results ACS-NSQIP inpatient adverse events were identified in 564 (7.4%) patients. AHRQ-PSIs were identified in 268 (3.5%) patients. Only 159 (2.1%) patients had inpatient events identified by both methods. Using ACS-NSQIP as the clinically based standard the sensitivity of the specific AHRQ-PSI ranged from 0.030 for infections to 0.535 for PE/DVT. Positive predictive values of AHRQ-PSI ranged from 18% for hemorrhage/hematoma to 89% for renal failure. Greater agreement at greater ASA class and wound classification was observed. Conclusion AHRQ-PSI algorithms identified less than a third of the ACS-NSQIP clinically important adverse events. Furthermore, the AHRQ-PSI identified a large number of events with no corresponding clinically important adverse outcomes. The sensitivity of the AHRQ-PSI for detecting clinically relevant adverse events identified by the ACS-NSQIP varied widely. The AHRQ-PSI as applied to postoperative patients is a poor measure of quality performance.
Evaluation of a CdZnTe dual-energy system

The purpose of the study is to optimize the input and the output parameters of a dual energy CdZnTe semiconductor detector for chest radiography. The optimal detector parameters were obtained by maximizing the figure of merit, defined as the ratio between the square of the signal-to- noise ratio and the absorbed dose, for chest radiography.
Strategic planning of preparedness budgets for wildland fire management

As part of the prototyping effort for the preparedness module (PM) of the Fire Program Analysis (FPA) system that IBM developed for five U.S. federal agencies, we designed and implemented an optimization model for determining budgets necessary for managing wildland fires during the initial response period. For a given budget, the model uses a mixed-integer linear optimization approach to maximize the number of acres managed ('i.e., land protected from fire damage as a result of the initial response). The model is solved iteratively to establish a function that maps best achievable effectiveness, in terms of acres managed, at different budget levels. To handle the computationally prohibitive size of the resulting model instances, we devised a heuristic-based solution approach, and we reformulated the client's original model by switching to a continuous time domain and introducing piecewise-linearized functions. As a result, we not only built a tractable model, but also succeeded in delivering a performance speedup of more than 150 fold. We also conducted validation experiments for certain assumptions in the model to assess their impact on the solution quality.
Investigation of the Influence of Organometallic Precursors on the Formation of Cobalt Nanoparticles

An investigation of the influence of organometallic precursors on the formation of cobalt nanoparticles is presented. The cobalt nanoparticles were obtained by decomposing two different organometal...
Fracture, fatigue and environmentally-assisted failure of a Zr-based bulk amorphous metal

Abstract Bulk amorphous alloys, such as the Zr 41.2 Ti 13.8 Cu 12.5 Ni 10 Be 22.5 (at%) alloy, have received much interest of late. This study seeks to investigate mechanical properties of this amorphous metal, including fracture and fatigue behavior in the presence of air and sodium chloride solution. For the fully amorphous Zr 41.2 Ti 13.8 Cu 12.5 Ni 10 Be 22.5 (at%) alloy, plane-strain fracture toughness ( K Ic ) values of 18 to 68 MPa√m have been measured, the significant sample-to-sample variability being associated with the presence of residual stresses following processing and a dependence on loading rate. Upon partial or complete crystallization, the alloy becomes severely embrittled, with K Ic dropping to ∼1 MPa√m. Moreover, in NaCl solution, static load testing reveals a threshold value for cracking, K ISCC , as low as ∼0.8 MPa√m. Results from fatigue testing in air and sodium chloride, as well as fatigue testing under potential control, suggest that quite distinct mechanisms of fatigue-crack propagation are active in air and NaCl solution. Specifically, in air, fatigue-crack propagation behavior is similar to that observed in polycrystalline metals and is associated with alternating blunting and re-sharpening of the crack tip, as evidenced by the presence of fatigue striations. In NaCl solution, conversely, the high crack-growth rates likely depend on an anodic process, which results in a brittle mode of failure.
ASSESSING ENVIRONMENTAL SCANNING AT THE SUBUNIT LEVEL: A MULTITRAIT‐MULTIMETHOD ANALYSIS*

Environmental scanning activities of over 400 top management subunits in 108 European manufacturing firms provided the data base for this research. Four traits (constructs) of scanning using three methods (interest, frequency, and time) were examined. A confirmatory factor analysis approach to multitrait-multimethod (MTMM) data was employed. Verification of the reliability as well as convergent and discriminant validity of the scanning scales are reported and discussed. The viability of confirmatory factor analysis in providing a precise analysis of partitioning variance according to trait, method, and error is demonstrated.
Mechanism of plasma lipid increases following brain stimulation

Abstract Ten fasting animals were given a total meal of 1 ml of cream by intubation and stimulated in the hypothalamic region. Pre- and post-stimulation blood specimens were analyzed for total cholesterol, phospholipids and alkaline phosphatase. An equal number of control animals were sham operated, fed and identically treated except for stimulation. In the stimulated animals significant increases were observed in plasma levels of total cholesterol, phospholipids and alkaline phosphatase within 60 minutes after the test meal was administered and 30 minutes following stimulation. These increases were accompanied by electron microscopic evidence of biliary canalicular dilatation. The experiment was repeated with ten animals in which the common bile duct was ligated without subjecting the animals to brain stimulation. Similar changes were observed in the concentration and activity of the variables examined and in the structure of the bile canaliculi, when compared with control animals. In a third experiment the patency of the common bile duct in ten animals was maintained by introduction of a rigid canulla and stimulation was subsequently carried out. No increases in plasma levels of total cholesterol, phospholipids and alkaline phosphatase were observed, and no changes were present in anatomical structure of the bile canaliculi, when compared with animals treated identically except for the presence of the canulla in the common bile duct. From these experiments in may be concluded that the mechanism of plasma lipid increases following stimulation in the lateral hypothalamic region depends upon the patency of the extrahepatic biliary system and the maintenance of a free flow of bile from the liver into the duodenum.
Building Fictional Ethos: analysing the rhetorical strategies of persona design for online role play

This article presents a qualitative case study that uses discourse and social semiotic analysis methods in order to examine the rhetorical construction of fictional personas within an online role play used for learning in the college classroom. Of special focus are the differing patterns of semiotic resource use (for example, language and interaction) and how these patterns vary in their rhetorical impact. The article begins with a review of recent literature related to digital writing and online role play. Next, an analysis of two participants' identity performances within an online role-play debate shows how the selection and distribution of semiotic resources have different rhetorical impact within the role-play setting. This study further develops the understanding of online identity construction and networking as social practices that impact learning and literacy online.
Electron-Alkali-Metal Inelastic Recoil Experiments with Spin Analysis: Experimental Method and the Small-Angle Behavior of the 4S122→4P12,322 Excitation of Potassium

The use of the atom-beam recoil technique in the study of differential inelastic electron-atom collisions with spin analysis is discussed. The general theory of the experimental method is presented. It is shown how to relate the observable $R$, the fractional depolarization of a polarized atom beam, to the several direct and exchange scattering amplitudes. A linear momentum-transfer analysis, required to connect the atomic and electron scattering angles, is also given. Some observations of the change of spin state of potassium, resulting from small-angle excitations of $4^{2}S_{\frac{1}{2}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}4^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2},\frac{3}{2}}$ transitions are discussed, and are related to the threshold laws.