cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dissecting glucose signalling with diversity-oriented synthesis and small-molecule microarrays

Small molecules that alter protein function provide a means to modulate biological networks with temporal resolution. Here we demonstrate a potentially general and scalable method of identifying such molecules by application to a particular protein, Ure2p, which represses the transcription factors Gln3p and Nil1p1,2,3. By probing a high-density microarray of small molecules generated by diversity-oriented synthesis with fluorescently labelled Ure2p, we performed 3,780 protein-binding assays in parallel and identified several compounds that bind Ure2p. One compound, which we call uretupamine, specifically activates a glucose-sensitive transcriptional pathway downstream of Ure2p. Whole-genome transcription profiling and chemical epistasis demonstrate the remarkable Ure2p specificity of uretupamine and its ability to modulate the glucose-sensitive subset of genes downstream of Ure2p. These results demonstrate that diversity-oriented synthesis and small-molecule microarrays can be used to identify small molecules that bind to a protein of interest, and that these small molecules can regulate specific functions of the protein.
Bowel Function After Rectal Cancer Surgery: A Review of the Evidence

Impaired bowel function can profoundly affect quality of life. Multiple studies have looked at contributing factors to bowel function after rectal cancer surgery, using various measures in its assessment. The objective of this article was to review and summarize existing studies in the literature on bowel function after rectal cancer surgery. The major contributing factors to bowel function are reconstructive techniques and radiation therapy. Colonic J-pouch has been thoroughly studied and provides the best functional outcome, particularly with regard to bowel frequency. This technique may be impossible in obese patients with a narrow pelvis. Radiation therapy has an adverse effect on bowel outcomes, in particular, incontinence and bowel frequency, despite proven benefits in decreasing the risk of local recurrence. There is limited information on preoperative chemoradiation, but information to date suggests it is no different from short-course radiation. It is unclear whether a colonic J-pouch may compensate for radiation therapy's impact on bowel function. Bowel function can be improved by creating a colonic J-pouch. More research with detailed and standardized questionnaires is needed on patients who undergo radiation therapy, in particular, preoperative chemoradiation.
Spatial distribution of synthetic fibers in concrete with X-ray computed tomography

Abstract The strength and toughness prediction models for fiber-reinforced concrete (FRC) typically assume the spatial distribution of fibers is uniform. However, non-uniform dispersion can greatly affect the FRC’s mechanical properties. Several techniques have been used in the past to quantify the distribution and orientation of steel fibers within concrete. For quantifying dispersion of synthetic fibers within concrete, a non-destructive technique using X-ray computed tomography (CT) combined with a post-processing image analysis is proposed. Due to X-ray attenuation similarities, the synthetic fibers were resolved from air voids by shape and size-based filters. The described approach to determine the actual fiber content within FRC samples was verified to be accurate. The method can be used to determine the individual fiber spatial distribution inside the concrete. As expected, the actual volume fraction of fibers in a fracture sample was correlated with the measured total fracture energy of the sample.
Improvement of an acoustic-surface-wave filter with a multistrip coupler

The letter reports the experimental verification of the improvement in the response of an acoustic-surface-wave filter on incorporating a multistrip coupler in the design. The results show improvement in the sidelobe level and skirt steepness, and show a reduction in the spurious ripples.
The biology of Sphaerotilus species

Abstract This review is intended to summarize the literature pertaining to the taxonomy, morphology, cytology and nutrition of members of the bacterial genus Sphaerotilus and present limited unpublished data of the author. Special emphasis is placed on the papers published since the literature review of Harrison and Heukelekian (1958).
Automated diagnostics for AHU-VAV systems using pattern matching: demo abstract

Faults in commercial HVAC systems can result in energy waste of up to 30% of the total usage. This demonstration exhibits a novel application for automated fault detection and diagnosis (AFDD) for air handling units (AHUs) and variable air volume units (VAVs) in building HVAC systems. The application has been designed to facilitate low-cost implementation and fault monitoring, while maintaining high diagnostic accuracy and low false alarm rates. This is accomplished via the use of unsupervised machine learning methods and analytic redundancies, combining pattern-matching methods, principal component analysis (PCA) methods, and Bayesian network analysis into a single AFDD application. The benefit of using these automated methods is the ability to adapt to the built up custom systems found with AHU-VAV installations, thereby minimizing the engineering effort required for implementation.
Electron hopping in the presence of random flux.

We calculate the distribution of single-particle states for a spinless electron hopping on a two-dimensional square lattice in the presence of random magnetic flux. The flux is taken to be uniformly random between 0 and 1 flux quantum, taking on either continuous or rational values. We consider nearest-neighbor and next-nearest-neighbor hopping. Compared with the density of states without flux, the allowed energies span a smaller range, and the distribution is relatively flat. If states are filled with noninteracting fermions, the random flux lowers the energy for a wide range of filling fractions and next-nearest-neighbor couplings
Exchange Depreciation, Financial Policy, and the Domestic Price Level

T HE PRESENT PAPER constitutes the first part of a study designed to show the order of magnitude of the increases in domestic prices that will result, on specified assumptions regarding the relevant foreign trade elasticities and propensities, from exchange depreciation accompanied by appropriate financial policies. Exchange devaluation may be used to improve the balance of payments or to permit a relaxation of import restrictions. Only the former use is considered here, the latter being reserved for consideration in a later paper. It is assumed here that exchange depreciation is accompanied by a financial policy that leaves unchanged the level of aggregate employment. For the type of depreciation examined, such a policy is taken to be compatible with the maintenance of stability in the prices of home trade goods, although the prices of import and export goods will rise. Several hypothetical cases are defined by assigning sets of numerical values to the relevant coefficients (Table 1); and illustrations are given of the price effects that will result in these cases from (1) an exchange depreciation of 10 per cent and (2) a depreciation leading to an improvement in the balance of trade equivalent to 5 per cent of national output (Table 2). For some of these cases, the extent to which the price level may be expected to rise after adjustments have been made to indirect taxes for the purpose of restoring budgetary equilibrium is indicated (Table 8). Finally, the effect on the price level of a defined tendency for wage rates to rise in response to, though to lesser extent than, increases in the cost of living is illustrated (Table 9). In general, it appears that, if an appropriate financial policy is pursued, and if a wage-price spiral can be prevented, price increases are likely to be fairly moderate relative to the improvement achieved in the balance of trade, although considerable differences exist in this respect between different cases.
Molecular Basis for Neurofilament Heavy Chain Side Arm Structure Modulation by Phosphorylation

The role of phosphorylation of neurofilament side arms in neurofilament transport and in several neuromuscular diseases is a topic of active research. However, owing to the lack of a secondary structure of the side arms, little is known about the precise nature of the structural modifications caused by this important post-translational modification. Here, we probe the effect of phosphorylation on the structure of the C-terminal domain of the human neurofilament heavy chain NFH using molecular dynamics simulations. Our study indicates that the unphosphorylated NFH side arm is unstructured and characterized by several flexible loops stabilized by salt bridges. Phosphorylation of multiple SER residues is shown to destabilize these bridges due to electrostatic repulsion and thereby increase side arm size. We demonstrate that phosphorylation acts locally by modulating intramolecular electrostatic interactions to cause global changes in the otherwise disordered side arm. Our findings have implications for under...
Multiphoton free-carrier absorption at high intensities in polar semiconductors

The problem of multiphoton absorption and scattering by an electron in an intense radiation field is treated by an extension of the theory of one-photon free-carrier absorption in polar semiconductors. The rate equation for m-photon absorption, where m is a positive integer, is obtained from the equation of motion of the quantum density matrix. It is shown to be proportional to the Joule heating arising from the interaction of the corresponding Fourier components of the electron current and the electric field. The latter is, in turn, proportional to the mth power of the radiation intensity. The wave functions appropriate to an electron in an intense radiation field are used in the calculation of the relevant transition matrix elements. An expression for the average Joule heating per electron is found. A comparison with earlier treatments is given.
CONTRIBUTIONS OF AGE DIVERSITY AMONG STUDENTS TO GRADUATE EDUCATION IN GERONTOLOGY: STUDENTS’ VIEW

The age range of students in any given class in a master's program in gerontology often spans 30, 40, and even 50 years. Using a questionnaire students were asked about their perceptions of the age diversity in their classes and what if anything they think age‐diverse classes contributed to their education. They were also asked if age should be used as a criterion for acceptance into the program and for scholarship aid. Findings revealed that students of all ages were positive about age diversity and believed it enhanced their learning experience in and out of the classroom. However, a significant minority of the students would use age to discriminate against older people receiving financial aid. Responses suggest that instructors can use their age‐diverse graduate classes as laboratories that afford students important opportunities to explore and modify as desirable their personal attitudes towards age, the aging process, the aged, and ageism; that research is needed to assess changes in graduate geronto...
The Use of Formaldehyde Flakes as an Antimicrobial Agent in Built-up Poultry Litter,

Abstract Formaldehyde flakes which decompose slowly and spontaneously into formaldehyde gas were incorporated into built-up poultry litter at 1 and 3% levels (w./w.). Day-old chicks were placed on the litter at a density of 0.06 m2. per bird and reared to 8 weeks of age. The treatments had no significant effect on growth rate, feed efficiency or mortality of the broilers. Bacterial counts were reduced to about 10% of control values and mold counts were reduced to about 1% for up to 3 weeks. The pH of the litter at the 3% formaldehyde level was lowered slightly but significantly (P
Capacity adequacy calculation by considering locational capacity prices

A proper investment mechanism is required in restructured power systems to secure the adequacy of installed capacity by encouraging investments on generation and transmission expansions. In this study, the authors propose a locational capacity price (LCP) model along with multi-level load bidding curves, which reflect the effectiveness of the market-based capacity payment and at the same time, prohibits the capacity withholding and the exercising of market power. The purpose of capacity expansion decision is analysed and compared with three other market design options, that is, energy-only, capacity payment (CP) and installed capacity (ICAP). The case studies show that the proposed LCP method provides proper investment signals in capacity-constrained locations. The proposed LCP method also provides signals to system operators to alleviate transmission congestions economically using proper operation strategies in power systems.
Optimization of Near-Infrared Reflectance Model in Measuring Gelatinization Characteristics of Rice Flour with a Rapid Viscosity Analyzer (RVA) and Differential Scanning Calorimeter (DSC)

This study compared the calibration models generated by combinations of different mathematical and preprocessing treatments as well as regression algorithms to optimize the analysis of gelatinization properties of rice flour by using near-infrared spectroscopy, in comparison with conventional techniques of differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and rapid viscosity analysis (RVA). A total of 220 milled rice flours were used for model construction. A model generated by the modified partial least squares regression (MPLS) with mathematical treatment “2, 8, 8, 2” (second-order derivative computed based on eight data points, and eight and two data points in the second smoothing, respectively) and detrend preprocessing was identified as the best for simultaneously measuring onset temperature (To), peak temperature (Tp), and conclusion temperature (Tc) of DSC. MPLS/“2, 8, 8, 2”/weighted multiplicative scattering correction preprocessing was identified as the best for RVA properties. The results indicated that n...
The Distribution of Phenolic Hydroxyl Groups in Hardwood Lignins

Abstract Periodate oxidation, because of its high selectivity in the degradation of free-phenolic units, has been used along with the combined phenyl nucleus exchange and nitrobenzene oxidation techniques to estimate the distribution of phenolic hydroxyl groups in hardwood lignins. Analyses of the aspen and white birch wood lignin in situ indicate that the percentage of uncon-densed structures having a phenolic hydroxyl group was considerably higher for guaiacyl (∼20%) than for syringyl (−5%) units. Thus, the total phenolic hydroxyl groups of hardwood lignins are largely associated with the guaiacyl propane units.
Metamaterial Huygens' surfaces

A rigorous formulation of Huygens principle is applied to develop designer surfaces that provide extreme control of electromagnetic wavefronts across electrically-thin layers. These reflectionless surfaces, referred to as metamaterial Huygens surfaces, are realized with electric and magnetic sheet impedances that provide the necessary surface currents to generate prescribed wavefronts. A straightforward design methodology is demonstrated, and applied to develop a beam-refracting surface.
Multi-Domain Information Fusion for Insider Threat Detection

Malicious insiders pose significant threats to information security, and yet the capability of detecting malicious insiders is very limited. Insider threat detection is known to be a difficult problem, presenting many research challenges. In this paper we report our effort on detecting malicious insiders from large amounts of work practice data. We propose novel approaches to detect two types of insider activities: (1) blendin anomalies, where malicious insiders try to behave similar to a group they do not belong to, and (2) unusual change anomalies, where malicious insiders exhibit changes in their behavior that are dissimilar to their peers' behavioral changes. Our first contribution focuses on detecting blend-in malicious insiders. We propose a novel approach by examining various activity domains, and detecting behavioral inconsistencies across these domains. Our second contribution is a method for detecting insiders with unusual changes in behavior. The key strength of this proposed approach is that it avoids flagging common changes that can be mistakenly detected by typical temporal anomaly detection mechanisms. Our third contribution is a method that combines anomaly indicators from multiple sources of information.
Mechanical Properties of Evaporated Gold Films. Hard Substrate Effect Correction

Nanoindentation tests using the Berkovich indenter tip were performed on 50 and 200 nm thick polycrystalline gold films deposited on hard substrates. Gold film hardness increased with the indentation depth due to the influence of the substrate. A procedure based on the Joslin-Oliver method was introduced to correct for the substrate effect. The method utilizes the fact that the measured elastic modulus does not change significantly with the indentation depth, which allows reducing the contact area variation used in the hardness calculation.
Selective Immigration and Ethnic Economic Achievement: Japanese Americans before World War II

Abstract This article examines the determinants of Japanese immigrant economic achievement in the continental United States before World War II. Japanese immigrants to the United States were a select group in terms of their occupational background and education relative to the Japanese population as a whole because of the restrictions imposed on Japanese immigration by both the Japanese and U.S. governments. Furthermore, the selective nature of Japanese immigration contributed to the economic achievement of Japanese Americans before World War II, when their occupational position underwent a dramatic improvement. This finding differs from the standard cultural explanation of ethnic economic achievement.
MICROBIC VIRULENCE AND HOST SUSCEPTIBILITY IN PARATYPHOID-ENTERITIDIS INFECTION OF WHITE MICE IX. THE RELATIONSHIP OF DOSAGE TO MORTALITY RATE, SURVIVAL TIME, AND CAGE POPULATION.

Epidemics of mouse typhoid set up among the Rockefeller Institute strain of mice were studied over a period of 6 months. During this time the relationship of cage number of mouse typhoid bacilli to mortality, total population, and survival time was determined. A single virulence titration of the epidemic strain was made, and at the end of the experiment all survivors were examined for evidence of infection. The following conclusions may be drawn for the data here presented. 1. The available dosage of mouse typhoid bacilli varied directly with the mortality (plus a time constant of 6 to 8 days) and inversely with the survival time. 2. The virulence of the epidemic strain appeared to be practically the same as that of the original stock culture. 3. About 53.5 per cent of the survivors of one epidemic and 68 per cent of those in the other showed, at the end of the experiment, no signs of infection; the others had either specific blood agglutinins, or living bacteria in their heart's blood, spleen, feces, or gall bladder. 4. During the course of the epidemic, the original infecting strain (mouse typhoid Type II—Bacillus pestis caviae) was almost entirely replaced by an antigenically dissimilar strain (mouse typhoid Type I—Bacillus enteritidis), probably introduced through the inadvertent inclusion of fecal carriers among the normal mice added as contacts.
Comparison of cytokinin activities of 9-substituted N6-benzyladenines in the Cucumis and Amaranthus bioassays

Abstract 9-Substituted N6-benzyladenines were tested for their ability to eliminate the lag phase in and promote chlorophyll synthesis in Cucumis sativus cotyledons and for their effectiveness in eliciting the dark biosynthesis of betacyanin in Amaranthus tricolor cotyledon-hypocotyl explants. The following general relationships were established for dose-responses: (a) 9-ribosidation brought about little (in Amaranthus) or no (in Cucumis) decrease in activity relative to the free base, (b) the presence of a 9-ribose 5′-phosphate group moderately depressed activity in Amaranthus but slightly enhanced activity in Cucumis, (c) the presence of a 9-ribose 3′,5′- cyclic phosphate group depressed activity substantially in both systems, more so in Amaranthus, (d) 9-glucosylation greatly decreased activity, as did 7-glucosylation, while 3-glucosylation depressed activity to a much lesser extent, in both systems, (e) 9-substitution with cyclopentyl, methyl, methoxymethyl, and tetrahydropyranyl groups reduced activity, the first two substituents more so than the last two, and (f) alteration of the 9-riboside group to a 9-[2-O-β-hydroxyethylglycerol] moiety by oxidation- reduction led to complete (in Amaranthus) or nearly complete (in Cucumis) inactivation. Responses to hormone treatment were detectable after dark incubation times as short as 4 hr (in Cucumis) or 8 hr (in Amaranthus).
A thermodynamic muscle model and a chemical basis for A.V. Hill's muscle equation.

Direct measurements of a relationship between force and actin–myosin biochemistry in muscle suggest that molecular forces in active muscle rapidly equilibrate among, not within, individual myosin crossbridges [Baker et al. (1999) Biophys J 77: 2657–2664]. This observation suggests a thermodynamic model of muscle contraction in which muscle, not an individual myosin crossbridge, is treated as a near-equilibrium system. The general approach can be applied to any ensemble of molecular motors that undergo a physicochemical step against a constant external potential. In this paper we apply the model to a simple two-state crossbridge scheme like that proposed by A.F. Huxley (1957) [Prog Biophys 7: 255–317], and we immediately obtain A.V. Hill's muscle equation. We show that this equation accurately describes steady-state muscle mechanics, biochemistry and energetics. This thermodynamic model provides a novel description of force-dependent actin–myosin kinetics in muscle and provides precise chemical expressions for myosin cooperativity, myosin duty ratios, the number of working strokes per ATP hydrolyzed, muscle efficiency, and energy transfer.
Patients spend more time with the physician for excision of a malignant skin lesion than for excision of a benign skin lesion.

Background. Currently, there is a difference in reimbursement between excision of malignant and benign lesions. There is concern that there is not sufficient rationale for differential reimbursement for these two procedures. Objective. To assess whether there is a difference in physician work involved with excision of benign versus malignant skin tumors. Method. We searched National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey data for visits at which excision of benign and malignant skin lesions was performed. We compared the time spent with the physician at these two types of visits. To exclude confounding issues unrelated to the excision that would affect the time of visit, we excluded visits at which multiple diagnoses were addressed. Results. The mean time spent with the physician at visits for excision of benign lesions was 22.9±1.0 minutes. The mean time spent with the physician at visits for excision of malignant lesions was 30.0±1.7, 30% longer (p < 0.001). The longer time for excision of malignant lesions remained significant after controlling for age, gender, and race. Conclusion. Excision of malignant lesions involves more physician work than does excision of benign lesions. Elimination of differential compensation for benign versus malignant skin lesion procedures would not enhance the accuracy of reimbursement. In the absence of any compelling rationale to change the existing differential reimbursement, the proposals to do so are not warranted.
Visually evoked response correlates of perceptual masking and enhancement

Perceptual masking and enhancements of two flashes in evoked cortical potentials recorded by electroencephalography
Tracer diffusion in methanol, 1‐butanol and 1‐octanol from 298 to 433 K

Diffusion coefficients of argon, krypton, xenon, methane, carbon tetrachloride and the tetraalkyltins (methyl through butyl) were measured in methanol, 1-butanol and 1-octanol over the temperature range 298 to 433 K. With temperature-dependent solvent diameters fitted from the tracer diffusivity of one of the solutes, a rough-hard-sphere theory predicts well the observed tracer diffusivity over the solvent density range in which hard-sphere computer simulations are available. The Wilke-Chang correlation predicts diffusion coefficients in the higher alcohols with an average error of 80% and a maximum error of 200%. A correlation of the form Dμp/T = A where p and A depend on solute and solvent size is more successful giving an average error of 7% and a maximum error of 24%.
Dimethyl Fumarate (Tecfidera) A New Oral Agent for Multiple Sclerosis

Objective: To describe the clinical evidence supporting the safety, efficacy, and clinical utility of oral dimethyl fumarate for the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS). Data Sources: A comprehensive PubMed search was conducted in July 2013 using the search terms dimethyl fumarate and Tecfidera. Reference lists of abstracted publications were reviewed to identify relevant works that were not retrieved via the electronic search. Additional information was obtained from the FDA Web site, manufacturer prescribing information, and Clinicaltrials.gov. Study Selection and Data Abstraction: Clinical trials and review articles that included the use of dimethyl fumarate in the treatment of MS and were available in English were abstracted for review. Data Synthesis: The safety and efficacy of dimethyl fumarate for the treatment of relapsing remitting MS was confirmed in 2 phase III trials, DEFINE and CONFIRM. Relative to placebo, twice-daily dimethyl fumarate was found to reduce the proportion of patients with rel...
Wyartite: Crystallographic evidence for the first pentavalent-uranium mineral

Determination of the structure of wyartite provides the first evidence for a pentavalent-U mineral. The structure of wyartite, CaU 5+
Prior robust empirical Bayes inference for large-scale data by conditioning on rank with application to microarray data.

Empirical Bayes methods have been extensively used for microarray data analysis by modeling the large number of unknown parameters as random effects. Empirical Bayes allows borrowing information across genes and can automatically adjust for multiple testing and selection bias. However, the standard empirical Bayes model can perform poorly if the assumed working prior deviates from the true prior. This paper proposes a new rank-conditioned inference in which the shrinkage and confidence intervals are based on the distribution of the error conditioned on rank of the data. Our approach is in contrast to a Bayesian posterior, which conditions on the data themselves. The new method is almost as efficient as standard Bayesian methods when the working prior is close to the true prior, and it is much more robust when the working prior is not close. In addition, it allows a more accurate (but also more complex) non-parametric estimate of the prior to be easily incorporated, resulting in improved inference. The new method’s prior robustness is demonstrated via simulation experiments. Application to a breast cancer gene expression microarray dataset is presented. Our R package rank.Shrinkage provides a ready-to-use implementation of the proposed methodology.
Development status of a next generation ECRIS: MARS-D at LBNL

To demonstrate a Mixed Axial and Radial field System (MARS) as the best magnet scheme for future ECRISs, MARS-D, a demonstrative ECRIS using a NbTi MARS magnet is progressing at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. An optimized MARS design can use either NbTi or Nb3Sn coils with reduced engineering complexities to construct the needed high-field magnets. The optimized magnet design could enhance MARS-D to a next generation ECRIS by producing minimum-B field maxima of 5.6 T axially and 3.2 T radially for operating frequencies up to 45 GHz. In-progress test winding has achieved a milestone demonstrating the fabrication feasibility of a MARS closed-loop coil.
Screening for major depression and posttraumatic stress disorder among asylum seekers: adapting a standardized instrument to the social and cultural context.

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the PTSD and MDE sections of a validated psychiatric diagnostic instrument, we used the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) during an initial health assessment into a primary care facility for asylum seekers. METHOD: A 3-step process was carried out. First, items of the original version of the MINI were adapted to the specific context of life of asylum seekers in the host country (by a multidisciplinary group that included public health nurses, a primary care physician, a psychologist, a psychiatrist, and an epidemiologist). Second, we submitted the reworded and original versions of the MINI to 14 interpreters' who tested for general and cultural acceptability. Each diagnostic criterion was rated according to interpreters' comments on a 4-point Likert scale (1 = an item good for translation and 4 = an unusable or completely inadequate item). In the third step, we rephrased the most problematic items identified by the interpreters. RESULTS: Some original items were considered particularly ill-adapted for this context, and 4 had to be dropped. This final rewording took into account cultural inadequacies and lack of structure (including temporal organization) of the everyday life of newly arrived asylum seekers. CONCLUSION: The reworded MINI was successfully tested, and its items are presented in the final part of the study. Language: en
A Framework for Analyzing Dialogues over the Acceptability of Controversial Technologies

This article asks under what circumstances controversial technologies would be considered seriously for remediation instead of being rejected out of hand. To address this question, the authors developed a conceptual framework called public acceptability of controversial technologies (PACT). PACT considers site-specific, decision-oriented dialogues among the individuals and groups involved in selecting or recommending hazardous waste remediation technologies. It distinguishes technology acceptability, that is, a willingness to consider seriously, from technology acceptance, the decision to deploy. The framework integrates four dimensions: (1) an acceptability continuum that underlies decision-oriented dialogues among individuals and constituency groups, (2) the attributes of these individuals and groups, (3) the attributes of the technology at issue, and (4) the community context—social, institutional, and physical. This article describes and explores PACT as a tool for understanding and better predicting ...
Ranking Departments: A Comparison of Alternative Approaches

There are many different ways to develop rankings of Ph.D.-granting academic departments. Perhaps the most common method is reputational: we simply ask knowledgeable scholars in the discipline to provide their rankings and aggregate these in some fashion. Other ways involve more “objective indicators.” But, of course, departments have multiple attributes, e.g., we might be interested in how good a department is as a place to get a Ph.D., or we might be interested simply in the research record of its faculty, etc. Thus, we might want to use different indicators to measure different aspects of the department.
Assessing the Argument for Agency Incompatibilism

AbstractIn A Metaphysics for Freedom (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2012), Helen Steward asks us to reconceptualize the metaphysics of agency. To make room for agency, she argues, we must reject: (i) the Causal Theory of Action, (ii) the view that causation is exclusively bottom-up, and (iii) the view that agency is compatible with causal determinism. I am convinced by Steward’s arguments against the first two views, but not by her arguments against the third. There are non-reductive compatibilist alternatives to Steward’s incompatibilist account of action as settling. The idea of agent as robust metaphysical settler of matters concerning the movements of her body is not part of the folk-psychological conception of agency. The causal role that folk psychology ascribes to agents is compatible with determinism of a certain form.
Role of non-soluble contaminants on the flashover voltage of porcelain insulators

The influence of non-soluble or inert contaminants on the flashover voltage of HV outdoor porcelain insulators is examined. A dynamic arc model, presented earlier for predicting the flashover voltage of porcelain insulators covered with water soluble contaminants, has been modified suitably. The extended model has been used to predict the flashover voltage of suspension and station post insulators of various shapes for both ac and dc voltages. Good correlation with experimental data has been shown. The model can thus be used as a computer aided tool for design and maintenance of HV porcelain insulators.
Evaluation of fecal mRNA reproducibility via a marginal transformed mixture modeling approach

Developing and evaluating new technology that enables researchers to recover gene-expression levels of colonic cells from fecal samples could be key to a non-invasive screening tool for early detection of colon cancer. The current study, to the best of our knowledge, is the first to investigate and report the reproducibility of fecal microarray data. Using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) as a measure of reproducibility and the preliminary analysis of fecal and mucosal data, we assessed the reliability of mixture density estimation and the reproducibility of fecal microarray data. Using Monte Carlo-based methods, we explored whether ICC values should be modeled as a beta-mixture or transformed first and fitted with a normal-mixture. We used outcomes from bootstrapped goodness-of-fit tests to determine which approach is less sensitive toward potential violation of distributional assumptions. The graphical examination of both the distributions of ICC and probit-transformed ICC (PT-ICC) clearly shows that there are two components in the distributions. For ICC measurements, which are between 0 and 1, the practice in literature has been to assume that the data points are from a beta-mixture distribution. Nevertheless, in our study we show that the use of a normal-mixture modeling approach on PT-ICC could provide superior performance. When modeling ICC values of gene expression levels, using mixture of normals in the probit-transformed (PT) scale is less sensitive toward model mis-specification than using mixture of betas. We show that a biased conclusion could be made if we follow the traditional approach and model the two sets of ICC values using the mixture of betas directly. The problematic estimation arises from the sensitivity of beta-mixtures toward model mis-specification, particularly when there are observations in the neighborhood of the the boundary points, 0 or 1. Since beta-mixture modeling is commonly used in approximating the distribution of measurements between 0 and 1, our findings have important implications beyond the findings of the current study. By using the normal-mixture approach on PT-ICC, we observed the quality of reproducible genes in fecal array data to be comparable to those in mucosal arrays.
Symptomatic intraarticular ganglia of the cruciate ligaments of the knee.

Summary This case report draws attention to the clinical presentation, differential diagnosis, and recommended diagnostic modality and treatment of symptomatic ganglia of the anterior and posterior cruciate ligaments. One patient presented with a recurrent inability to fully extend the left knee. Another patient presented with pain and soreness over the lateral aspect of the knee, including the lateral joint line. The diagnosis of ganglia of the cruciate ligaments was made after clinical, radiographic, and magnetic resonance examination. Both patients were treated successfully with resection of their ganglia using arthroscopic techniques.
Beet tissue ensiling: An alternative for long-term storage of sugars in industrial beets for nonfood use

Abstract Industrial beets have significant potential to compete against corn grain as an important source of sugars for nonfood industrial processes including microbial bioconversions. However, dependable, long-term storage techniques are necessary to extend processing campaigns and meet increasingly-important industry requirements such as carbon footprint reductions. This work evaluated the potential of industrial-beet tissue ensiling as an alternative for long-term sugar storage. Ground industrial-beet tissue was ensiled for 8 wk at 23 °C and various combinations of pH, moisture content (MC), and sugar:solids (SSR). The pH, MC, and SSR values ranged from 2.0 to 6.8, 50%–85%, and 38%–76%, respectively, according to a central composite rotatable design. Response surface methodology was used to model and illustrate effects of parameter combinations on beet sugar retention. MC and pH had statistically significant effects on sugar retention in beet tissue silage, whereas SSR had no significant effect. Only some combinations of pH ≤ 4.0 and MC ≤ 67.5% enabled the highest sugar retentions in ensiled tissue (≥ 90%). Moreover, tissue ensiled at pH ≤ 3.0 and MC ≤ 67.5% showed increases of ≤ 7% over initial sugars after 3 d of ensiling, suggesting that highly acidic conditions may partially hydrolyze beet tissue cellulose and/or hemicellulose during storage. In contrast, tissue ensiled at some combinations of pH 67.5% only achieved sugar retentions of −1 to $18.6 Mg −1 .
Detection of Human Enteroviruses Using the Polymerase Chain Reaction

Human enteroviruses are standardly detected and identified using cell culture and serology, techniques which are slow, expensive and may not always provide a conclusive answer. PCR primers have been designed to detect, identify, and clone enteroviral genomes, even though actual sequence data have not been derived in all cases. Enteroviral RNA can be detected using PCR primers directed against the relatively well-conserved 5′ nontranslated region in the enterovirus genome, while degenerate primers can be used to amplify most, if not all, of an enterovirus genome in overlapping fragments. These approaches should augment and in many cases replace the need for analytical or clinical isolation of infectious enteroviruses.
Efficacy and tolerance of a novel precision-dose formulation of indomethacin: double-blind trials in rheumatoid arthritis and osteoarthritis.

SummaryTwo short-term, double-blind, multi-centre studies, one in rheumatoid arthritis and the other in osteoarthritis, were carried out to investigate the efficacy and tolerance of two formulations of the new osmotic delivery system containing sodium indomethacin trihydrate (‘Osmosin’) compared with conventional indomethacin capsules and placebo. Both formulations contained the equivalent of 85 mg indomethacin. ‘Osmosin’ was designed to deliver drug in solution at a constant rate of 7 mg per hour, the other formulation at 9 mg per hour. The results indicated that ‘Osmosin’ administered once or twice daily was at least as effective in reducing disease symptoms as 25 mg indomethacin capsules 3-times daily. In addition, the combined incidence of gastro-intestinal side-effects reported in the two studies was significantly lower with ‘Osmosin’ than with the other active drug groups. The possible contribution of this novel drug delivery system towards patient compliance as a result of less frequent administrat...
Dynamic Multi-Task Allocation for Collaborative Unmanned Aircraft Systems

This paper outlines the practical approach taken for improving quality of service for multi-task allocation in multiagent environments. Research in this field can be split into centralized and decentralized task allocation algorithms. Centralized algorithms compute a solution to the task assignment problem for all the agents leading, in most cases, to the global optimal solution. The centralized algorithms are plagued by creating a single point of failure and the bandwidth needed for creating consistent and accurate situational awareness of all agents. This work will extend upon a widely researched and heavily extended decentralized task assignment algorithm based on the consensus principle. Although many extensions have led to improvements of the original algorithm, there is still much opportunity for improvement in providing sufficient and reliable task assignments in dynamic conditions and changing environments.
Pretzel Logic An Embodied Ethnography of a Rock Climb

Rock climbing entails far more than simply climbing rocks. Modern sport climbing is, rather, rooted in the myriad ways in which climbers engage with rock climbs, the specific human-made spaces mapp...
Salaries of Entomologists are a Professional Disgrace: a Challenge to ARPE

I have had a long-time interest in trying to improve the salaries paid professional entomologists. This interest was sharpened about 5 years ago when I learned that salaries of entomology faculty members in most land-grant universities are among the lowest of all agricultural disciplines.
Optical Nanoantenna Input Impedance

Optical nanoantennas have been studied as a means to manipulate nanoscale fields, local field enhancements, radiative rates, and emissive directional control. However, a fundamental function of antennas, the transfer of power between a coupled load and far-field radiation, has seen limited development in optical antennas owing largely to the inherent challenges of extracting impedance parameters from fabricated designs. As the transitional element between radiating fields and loads, the impedance is the requisite information for describing, and designing optimally, both emissive (transmitting) and absorptive (receiving) nanoantennas. Here we present the first measurement of an optical nanoantenna input impedance, demonstrating impedance multiplication in folded dipoles at infrared frequencies. This quantification of optical antenna impedance provides the long sought enabling step for a systematic approach to improve collection efficiencies and control of the overall antenna response.
Galactinol Synthase Activity and Soluble Carbohydrate Contents during Acquisition of Seed Desiccation Tolerance in Brassica napus L.

In this research, soluble carbohydrates concentrations and galactinol synthase activity in rapeseeds of different developing stages were determined. Their changing trends were also compared with the acquisition of seed desiccation tolerance. During development, concentrations of glucose and fructose declined, while sucrose content was always in a relatively high level. Inositol concentration decreased and galactinol concentration increased as seed development progressed. Raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) levels in seeds were elevated during development, especially stachyose. Activity of galactinol synthase in seeds began to rise at middle stage of development and peaked when the reserve accumulation finished. Activity of galactinol synthase, accumulation of galactinol, concentration of RFO and acquisition of desiccation tolerance were all positively associated in developing seeds. We propose that galactinol synthase promotes the synthesis and accumulation of RFO, and thus deeply affected the acquisition of desiccation tolerance of Brassica napus seeds.
Pressor doses of angiotensin II increase insulin-mediated glucose uptake in normotensive men

The effect of pressor doses of angiotensin II infused intravenously on insulin-mediated glucose uptake was determined in normotensive men. A 3-h hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp was employed in 14...
What history of evolutionary biology is not.

L'auteur denonce le traitement de l'histoire de la biologie evolutionniste en philosophie de la science. A travers l'exemple d'un essai de David Hull datant de 1969 corroborant les theses de Mirko Grmek, il etaye ses convictions par un expose de ses reflexions epistemologiques sur le sujet.
Microgravity Stress: Bone and Connective Tissue

The major alterations in bone and the dense connective tissues in humans and animals exposed to microgravity illustrate the dependency of these tissues' function on normal gravitational loading. Whether these alterations depend solely on the reduced mechanical loading of zero g or are compounded by fluid shifts, altered tissue blood flow, radiation exposure, and altered nutritional status is not yet well defined. Changes in the dense connective tissues and intervertebral disks are generally smaller in magnitude but occur more rapidly than those in mineralized bone with transitions to 0 g and during recovery once back to the loading provided by 1 g conditions. However, joint injuries are projected to occur much more often than the more catastrophic bone fracture during exploration class missions, so protecting the integrity of both tissues is important. This review focuses on the research performed over the last 20 years in humans and animals exposed to actual spaceflight, as well as on knowledge gained from pertinent ground-based models such as bed rest in humans and hindlimb unloading in rodents. Significant progress has been made in our understanding of the mechanisms for alterations in bone and connective tissues with exposure to microgravity, but intriguing questions remain to be solved, particularly with reference to biomedical risks associated with prolonged exploration missions.
The Agony and Anger of the Eastern Sioux

By the middle of the nineteenth century, the Sioux nation stretched from Minnesota to the Dakotas and Wyoming. The eastern Sioux tribes, known as the Santee, or in their own language the Dakotas, occupied western Minnesota and the upper Mississippi valley. Between the Mississippi and the Missouri lived the Yanktons and Yanktonais, or Nakotas. West of the Missouri ranged the Teton, or Lakotas, who constituted about half of the entire Sioux population and were themselves divided into seven bands, or subtribes. The Santee Sioux — the Mdewa-kantons, the Wahpetons, the Wahpekutes, and the Sissetons — were the first to come into sustained contact with Americans and the first to endure dispossession and defeat at the hands of the United States. Their experiences in the early 1860s presaged what their western relatives would have to deal with in subsequent decades.
Genetic switches and related tools for controlling gene expression and electrical outputs of Geobacter sulfurreducens

Physiological studies and biotechnology applications of Geobacter species have been limited by a lack of genetic tools. Therefore, potential additional molecular strategies for controlling metabolism were explored. When the gene for citrate synthase, or acetyl-CoA transferase, was placed under the control of a LacI/IPTG regulator/inducer system, cells grew on acetate only in the presence of IPTG. The TetR/AT system could also be used to control citrate synthase gene expression and acetate metabolism. A strain that required IPTG for growth on D-lactate was constructed by placing the gene for D-lactate dehydrogenase under the control of the LacI/IPTG system. D-Lactate served as an inducer in a strain in which a D-lactate responsive promoter and transcription repressor were used to control citrate synthase expression. Iron- and potassium-responsive systems were successfully incorporated to regulate citrate synthase expression and growth on acetate. Linking the appropriate degradation tags on the citrate synthase protein made it possible to control acetate metabolism with either the endogenous ClpXP or exogenous Lon protease and tag system. The ability to control current output from Geobacter biofilms and the construction of an AND logic gate for acetate metabolism suggested that the tools developed may be applicable for biosensor and biocomputing applications.