cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nuclear magnetic resonance studies of isotopic impurity tunneling in solid hcp 4 He

Nuclear magnetic relaxation studies of isotopically impure solid4He have been made in the temperature-independent region of the relaxation spectrum, below 0.7 K. The Torrey theory for nuclear relaxation has been applied to measurements ofT 1 andT 2 to calculate the characteristic fluctuation time of the3He atoms due to the zero-point motion of3He and4He atoms. The fluctuation rates have been determined as a function of molar volume and Larmor frequency in samples where the mole fractions of3He in the gaseous mixtures used to form the solids were 0.02, 0.01, 0.005, and 0.002. The volume dependence of the fluctuation rate has been found to be far greater than that of the exchange rate of a3He-3He pair.T 1 has been found to vary as ω 0 2 , and bothT 1 andT 2 increased as the concentration decreased, in agreement with the Torrey theory. Preliminary investigations of the solid isotopic phase separation have also been carried out.
Grain boundary resistance to fatigue crack growth

Results of an experimental study tracing the grain boundary effect on the fatigue crack growth rate are reported. Direct experimental evidence for the grain boundary blockage mechanism is presented. The orientation difference between two neighboring grains directly contributed to the extent of crack growth retardation.
The stereology of grain boundary allotriomorphs

Grain boundary allotriomorphs have been modeled as two abutting spherical caps of equal radius. The effects of the distance from the center of the allotriomorph, х, and the angle with respect to the plane normal to the grain boundary, ψ, at which a plane of polish sections the allotriomorph have been investigated. Expressions were derived relating the apparent to the true thickness, length, aspect ratio and dihedral angle. The effects of х and ϕ upon measurements of the lengthening and thickening kinetics of allotriomorphs were found to be significant, particularly at larger values of ψ. Analysis of published high-temperature measurements of allotriomorph growth kinetics indicated that an appreciable portion of the scatter in this data may have been due to nonzero values of х and ψ. A room temperature technique for making these measurements which minimizes such effects is concluded to be stereologically more reliable.
Cholinergic marker deficits induced by lesions of the nucleus basalis of Meynert are attenuated by nerve growth factor in young, but not in aged, F344 rats

To investigate the efficacy of nerve growth factor (NGF) in promoting recovery from cholinergic damage, young (3–4 month old) and aged (22–23 month old) Fischer 344 rats received NMDA-induced unilateral lesions of the nucleus basalis of Meynert and subcutaneous osmotic pumps (2-week duration) connected to permanently implanted cannulas directed at the lateral ventricle ipsilateral to the lesion. Pumps were filled with either artificial CSF/rat serum albumin (the vehicle) or 5.0 μg of angiotensin-free, β-NGF. Fourteen days after surgery, all subjects were sacrificed and their brains regionally dissected (frontal and occipital cortices, and dorsal and ventral hippocampi) and assayed for choline acetyltransferase (CAT) and acetylcholinesterase (AChE). Results indicated that the lesion decreased CAT and AChE levels within the frontal cortex of both young (29.8% and 39.4% depletion, respectively) and aged (30.5% and 34.8% depletion, respectively) animals. Only in young animals did NGF reduce these lesion-induced CAT (by 34.2%) and AChE deficits (by 65.5%). In fact, NGFexacerbated frontal cortical CAT depletions in aged animals in that percent depletion was 11.3% more following treatment (30.5% vs. 41.8% depletion in Aged/CSF and Aged/NGF groups, respectively). Lower CAT and AChE levels were found in the striatum of aged animals, an effect not reversed by NGF treatment. In contrast, NGF young animals enhanced striatal CAT activity on the non-lesioned side by 22.2%. Although NGF has previously been shown to enhance the functional and structural status of cholinergic cells in aged animals, the present data suggest that such an effect may not apply to aged, cholinergically lesioned neurons or that treatment conditions (e.g. dose, duration of treatment, etc.), which are adequate for promoting recovery in young adult rats, do not apply fully to aged rats.
Glutathione attenuates ethanol-induced alveolar macrophage oxidative stress and dysfunction by downregulating NADPH oxidases

Chronic alcohol abuse increases lung oxidative stress and susceptibility to respiratory infections by impairing alveolar macrophage (AM) function. NADPH oxidases (Nox) are major sources of reactive...
Expert systems for inventory control management

Abstract An expert system for inventory management is presented in this paper. The focus is on the development of a simple, user friendly tool that can be used by managers to increase the effectiveness of their inventory control systems. The expert system is capable of deriving input parameters by performing necessary analysis on databases, implementing a set of rules for the selection of inventory models, and present the output through tables. plots, or graphs. The scope of this paper is limited to the single item, single location problem.
The Disneyfication of the World: A Grobalisation Perspective

AbstractThis article analyses the Disneyfication of the world based on the grobalisation model. As a radical form of globalisation, grobalisation refers to the imperialistic goals, desires, and needs of multinational corporations (MNCs) or even entire nations to enter diverse markets worldwide so that their supremacy, impact, and profits can grow. Regarding grobalisation and the Walt Disney Company, Disneyfication implies the internationalisation of the entertainment values of US mass culture. It is the idea of bigger, faster, and better entertainment with an overarching sense of uniformity worldwide. In this article, Disneyfication is regarded as spectacle, theming, hybrid consumption, and emotional labour. By the same token, the authors compare Disneyfication with three other types of grobalisation: McDonaldisation, Wal-Martisation, and Disneyisation.
Organizational Climate in Its Semiotic Aspect: A Postmodern Community College Undergoes Renewal

The chief purpose of the present study was to chart various institutional discourses relating to the climate at a rural community college undergoing organizational renewal. The researcher hypothesized that members of various subsystems within the institution would differ in the ways they make meaning of the signs and symbols of organizational climate. The findings have significance for both theory and practice. First, a valid understanding of climate within a postmodern reality may require a shift in how researchers assess and define organizational climate. Second, higher education leaders who seek to understand postmodern organization must acknowledge diversity where it exists, particularly when it engenders divergent ways of making sense of leadership behaviors and symbolic actions.
Mitochondrial chloramphenicol-resistant mutants can have deficiencies in energy metabolism.

Three pairs of mouse CAP-R PYR-IND OLI-R mitochondrial mutants, and the corresponding CAP-S parental lines, were assayed to determine if cellular expression of these phenotypes was accompanied by changes in cellular energy metabolism: glycolysis, cellular respiration, citric acid cycle activity, and mitochondrial electron transport. Relative to its parental CAPS line, the SVT2 CAP-R mutant had no significant deficiencies in any of the pathways analyzed. In contrast, the LA9 and SVA31 CAP-R mutants showed significant reductions in cellular respiration. At the biochemical level, respiration deficiency was accompanied by derangements in mitochondrial electron transport. It was also found that the CAP-R mutants had very high levels of glycolysis when the cells were maintained in the presence of chloramphenicol. The possibility is discussed that the sequence changes in the mitochondrial large rRNA gene which determine chloramphenicol resistance can also result, at least in some cases, in reduced levels of mitochondrial biogenesis, leading to respiration deficiency. The PYR-IND and OLI-R phenotypes, which also appear to be encoded by the CAP-R mutations, may result from a compensatory increase in glycolysis-generated ATP or metabolic intermediates.
Anomalies of the Axial-Vector Current in Two Dimensions

In a world with one space and one time dimension, it is shown that the axial-vector current in a vectorgluon model exhibits anomalies in perturbation theory analogous to those found by Adler in fermion electrodynamics. The analysis is extended to include a four-fermion (Thirring) interaction; this model has been solved exactly by Sommerfield, permitting an explicit verification of the perturbation-theory calculations. In analogy to results in four dimensions, a model is presented in which the anomalous properties of the axial-vector current, both in its divergence and in its commutation relations, follow immediately from the canonical structure of the theory.
Nanomedicines of Hedgehog inhibitor and PPAR-γ agonist for treating liver fibrosis.

Purpose Hedgehog (Hh) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ) are major signaling pathways involved in the pathogenesis of liver fibrosis. Since Hh inhibitor, vismodegib (GDC) and PPAR-γ agonist, rosiglitazone (RSG) have poor water solubility, our objective was to formulate biodegradable polymeric nanoparticles encapsulating GDC and RSG for treating liver fibrosis.
HARTREE--FOCK CALCULATIONS OF AUTOIONIZATION STATES.

It is argued that Hartree-Fock (HF), and certain HF-like, calculations provide upper bounds to energies of certain atomic autoionization states, defined as eigenfunctions of Feshbach's $\mathrm{QHQ}$. A detailed discussion and supporting calculations are given for the $2{s}^{2}^{1}S$ state of helium. The $Q$-space constraint can be satisfied by assignment of a suitable value to an orbital-expansion parameter. A slightly higher, and hence upper-bound, value of energy is obtained by instead maximizing energy with respect to this parameter. It is argued that a HF calculation can be reduced to such a parameter-maximization process, on the assumption that the solution is unique. Several autoionization states in two-electron atoms are discussed, and it is noted that the HF energy bounds are useful for some such states but are useless for others because of configuration mixing. The general approach is not inherently limited to two-electron atoms, and a similar argument is given for the lowest $^{2}S$ autoionization state of a three-electron atom.
Protection against circulatory collapse after adrenalectomy by splanchnic neurectomy.

SummaryBilateral splanchnic neurectomy prevented the occurrence of circulatory collapse in dogs following acute bilateral adre-nalectomy. Sham splanchnic neurectomy was not effective in this, regard. The mechanism of this protective effect is not by delaying the disappearance of the corticosteroids, but rather by preventing hyperactivity of the sympathetic nervous system in the face of adrenal insufficiency.
An Elective Course on Pharmacy-Based Health Screenings

Objective. To provide an elective course for pharmacy students focused on the knowledge and skills necessary to implement health screenings in a pharmacy environment. Design. Course lectures focused on expert recommendations for health screenings as well as regulatory requirements and procedures integral to the implementation of screening services. Workshops provided hands-on experience with blood glucose, body composition, bone density, and cholesterol testing devices. Assessment. Attainment of knowledge and skills was assessed by patient case assignments, screening device demonstrations, group projects, and a final quiz. Annual course evaluations revealed consistently favorable student feedback regarding the course design and content. Students reported a high level of preparedness and interest in participating in health screening services in future practice. Conclusion. An elective course focused on the delivery of health screenings in pharmacy settings was well received by student participants and exposed students to a unique opportunity in patient care.
Tb927.10.6900 encodes the glucosyltransferase involved in synthesis of base J in Trypanosoma brucei

Base J is a DNA modification found in the genome of Trypanosoma brucei and all other kinetoplastids analyzed, where it replaces a small fraction of Ts, mainly in telomeric and chromosome-internal transcription initiation and termination regions. The synthesis of base J is a two-step process whereby a specific T is converted to HOMedU (hydroxymethyldeoxyuridine) and subsequently glucosylated to generate J. The thymidine hydroxylases (JPB1 and JBP2) that catalyze the first step have been characterized, but the identity of the glucosyltransferase catalyzing the second step has proven elusive. Recent bioinformatic analysis by Iyer et al. (Nucleic Acids Res 2013;41:7635) suggested that Tb927.10.6900 encodes the glucosyltransferase (HmdUGT) responsible for converting HOMedU to J in T. brucei. We now present experimental evidence to validate this hypothesis; null mutants of Tb927.10.6900 are unable to synthesize base J. Orthologues from related kinetoplastids show only modest conservation, with several insertion sequences found in those from Leishmania and related genera.
Predictive values, relative risks, and overall benefits of high and low maternal serum α-fetoprotein screening in singleton pregnancies: New epidemiologic data

Abstract In a prospective study of maternal serum α-fetoprotein screening for both high and low values, we assessed the overall predictive value, sensitivity, specificity and relative risks for congenital defects and complications of pregnancy. Among 13,486 women with singleton pregnancies interviewed at the time of screening (15 to 20 weeks of gestation), 3.9% had high and 3.4% had low values. A high maternal serum α-fetoprotein value was associated with the following adverse outcomes: neural tube defects (relative risk = 224), other major congenital defects (relative risk = 4.7), fetal deaths (relative risk = 8.1), neonatal death (relative risk = 4.7), low birth weight (relative risk = 4.0), newborn complications (relative risk = 3.6), oligohydramnios (relative risk = 3.4), abruptio placentae (relative risk = 3.0) and preeclamptic toxemia (relative risk = 2.3). A low maternal serum α-fetoprotein value was associated with chromosomal defects (relative risk = 11.6) for fetal death (relative risk = 3.3). Either high or low maternal serum a-fetoprotein values were associated with 34.2% of all major congenital defects, 19.1% of all stillbirths and fetal-neonatal deaths, 11.0% of major pregnancy complications, and 15.9% of serious newborn complications. Maternal serum α-fetoprotein screening provides an important adjunctive tool for the identification of high-risk pregnancy and adverse neonatal outcome.
Characterization of salt tolerant alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants regenerated from salt tolerant cell lines.

Salt tolerant cell lines have been selected from Medicago sativa, by a single step selection process on tissue culture medium containing 1% NaCl. Plants regenerated from these lines show improved salt tolerance compared to parent plants. The regenerated plants are vigorous, have flowered and are self fertile. The cellular salt tolerance characteristic can be passaged through the regenerated plants, since callus cultures initiated from immature ovaries of the salt tolerant regenerated plants are salt tolerant without additional selection on 1% NaCl. Several of these “second generation” callus cultures have been regenerated to produce vigorous plants which maintain the salt tolerance characteristic. The tolerance phenotype appears dominant in seeds obtained from self fertilization of the tolerant plants. The regenerated salt tolerant plants are therefore a valuable source as genotypes in plant breeding for salt tolerance and isolation, identification and manipulation of genes which confer salt tolerance in alfalfa.
The role of ‘virtual water’ in efforts to achieve food security and other national goals, with an example from Egypt

Abstract The term ‘virtual water’ has been used previously to describe the volume of water embodied in food crops that are traded internationally. This paper describes the economic dimension of the ‘virtual water’ concept as an application of comparative advantage, with particular emphasis on water as the key factor of production. The paper also extends the discussion of ‘virtual water’ by describing a nation’s goals regarding food security within a broader framework that includes other objectives such as providing national security, promoting economic growth, and improving the quality of life for citizens. The analysis suggests that land, labor, and capital must also be considered when evaluating a nation’s production and trade opportunities. In countries where one or more of those resources is limiting, focus on ‘virtual water’ alone will not be sufficient to determine optimal policies for maximizing the social net benefits from limited water resources. In countries where labor is relatively abundant, public policies that promote labor-intensive crop production and processing activities may be desirable. The role of ‘virtual water’ within a broader policy framework is demonstrated using crop production and international trade data from Egypt, where substantial amounts of ‘virtual water’ and ‘virtual land’ are embodied in wheat and maize imports. Policies that promote increased exports of labor-intensive crops will improve rural incomes and enhance food security.
The immuno-oncology framework: Enabling a new era of cancer therapy.

Developers of cancer immunotherapy have struggled for decades to achieve clinical success in using the patient’s immune system to treat cancer. In the absence of a defined development paradigm for immunotherapies, conventional criteria established for chemotherapy were applied to these agents. This article summarizes the recent lessons for development of agents in the immunotherapy space, describes the systematic creation of a new clinical development paradigm for cancer immunotherapies and integrates this paradigm with the emerging methodological framework for a new clinical sub-specialty of immuno-oncology, which was driven by the collaborative work between the Cancer Immunotherapy Consortium (CIC) of the Cancer Research Institute in the US and the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT) in Europe. This new framework provides a better defined development path and a foundation for more reproducible success of future therapies.
Impact of the Scale Upper Anchor on Health State Preferences

Background . Some studies of patient preferences use a measurement scale with an upper anchor point of ``perfect health'' (``Q scale''), whereas others use ``disease free'' (``q scale''). Different measurement scales can lead to problems with interpreting and comparing study results. In an earlier study of patients with degenerative spine disease, the authors showed systematic differences between preferences measured on the Q v. q scales. They sought to validate the differences in Q and q scale measurements in a separate patient population.Methods. The authors measured preferences for current health in a population of 186 patients with cerebral aneurysms using the standard gamble (SG), time tradeoff (TTO), and willingness to pay (WTP) methods. Values were measured on both the Q and q scales and compared with the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. The authors used an additive utility model to calculate aneurysm-specific disutility.Results. Q and q scale values were different for the SG (mean values Q: 0.77, q: 0.8...
Thermomechanical behavior of organic and ceramic flip chip BGA packages under power cycling

Numerical and experimental techniques were employed to assess the thermomechanical behavior of ceramic and organic flip chip packages under power and accelerated thermal cycling (ATC). In power cycling (PC), the non-uniform temperature distribution and different coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of each component make the package deform differently than in the case of ATC. Conventionally, reliability assessment is conducted by ATC that assumes uniform temperature throughout the assembly. This is because ATC is believed to be a worse case condition compared to PC, which is similar to actual field conditions. For ceramic and organic flip chip ball grid array (FC-BGA) packages, numerical simulations of ATC and PC were performed by a combination of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analyses (FEA). For PC, CFD analysis was used to extract transient heat transfer coefficients while subsequent thermal and structural FEA was performed with heat generation and heat transfer coefficient from CFD as thermal boundary condition. The numerical simulations were compared with an in-situ, real-time moire/spl acute/ interferometry experiment. It was found that, for certain organic packages, power cycling was the more severe condition that caused solder interconnects to fail earlier than ATC, while ceramic packages fail earlier in ATC than PC. Accordingly, qualification based on ATC testing may overestimate the life of the package.
A photometric approach to digitizing cultural artifacts

In this paper we present a photometry-based approach to the digital documentation of cultural artifacts. Rather than representing an artifact as a geometric model with spatially varying reflectance properties, we instead propose directly representing the artifact in terms of its reflectance field --- the manner in which it transforms light into images. The principal device employed in our technique is a computer-controlled lighting apparatus which quickly illuminates an artifact from an exhaustive set of incident illumination directions and a set of digital video cameras which record the artifact's appearance under these forms of illumination. From this database of recorded images, we compute linear combinations of the captured images to synthetically illuminate the object under arbitrary forms of complex incident illumination, correctly capturing the effects of specular reflection, subsurface scattering, self-shadowing, mutual illumination, and complex BRDF's often present in cultural artifacts. We also describe a computer application that allows users to realistically and interactively relight digitized artifacts.
Coordination of wind farms and flywheels for energy balancing and frequency regulation

In this paper we propose a control scheme to coordinate wind generators and flywheel energy storage systems (FESS) for the provision of energy balancing and grid frequency regulation services. By exploiting power electronics-based controllers to adjust the output power from these asynchronous machines, the proposed control enables both wind generators and FESS to collectively respond to the system frequency deviations. Therefore, the seemingly non-dispatchable wind can be utilized to improve the system frequency performance and reduce the regulation burden on conventional generators. Economically, by allowing wind to participate in regulation markets, the proposed control extracts more value from the variable wind generation and reduces the system frequency regulation costs. Moreover, coordination of wind and FESS could increase the profits for both the wind generators and the FESS. We demonstrate the technical and economic performances of the proposed control in a small five bus system.
Comparisons of experimental and computed protein anisotropic temperature factors.

Because of its appealing simplicity, the anisotropic network model (ANM) has been widely accepted and applied to study many molecular motion problems: such as ribosome motions, the molecular mechanisms of GroEL-GroES function, allosteric changes in hemoglobin, motor-protein motions, and conformational changes in general. However, the validity of the ANM has not been closely examined. In this work, we use ANM to predict the anisotropic temperature factors of proteins obtained from X-ray and NMR data. The rich, directional anisotropic temperature factor data available for hundreds of proteins in the Protein Data Bank (PDB) are used as validation data to closely test the ANM model. The significance of this work is that it presents a timely, important evaluation of the model, shows the extent of its accuracy in reproducing experimental anisotropic temperature factors, and suggests ways to improve the model. An improved model will help us better understand the internal dynamics of proteins, which in turn can greatly expand the usefulness of the models, which has already been demonstrated in many applications.
Phylogenetic analysis using Lévy processes: finding jumps in the evolution of continuous traits.

Gaussian processes, a class of stochastic processes including Brownian motion and the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, are widely used to model continuous trait evolution in statistical phylogenetics. Under such processes, observations at the tips of a phylogenetic tree have a multivariate Gaussian distribution, which may lead to suboptimal model specification under certain evolutionary conditions, as supposed in models of punctuated equilibrium or adaptive radiation. To consider non-normally distributed continuous trait evolution, we introduce a method to compute posterior probabilities when modeling continuous trait evolution as a Levy process. Through data simulation and model testing, we establish that single-rate Brownian motion (BM) and Levy processes with jumps generate distinct patterns in comparative data. We then analyzed body mass and endocranial volume measurements for 126 primates. We rejected single-rate BM in favor of a Levy process with jumps for each trait, with the lineage leading to most recent common ancestor of great apes showing particularly strong evidence against single-rate BM. [Continuous traits; saltational evolution; Levy processes; Bayesian inference.]
Negotiation of Face between Bereaved Parents and Their Social Networks

For many bereaved parents, talking about their child's death and their grief experiences is a way to cope with grief. Unfortunately, communicating with others often proves difficult for parents and their social networks, often because of face threats. The purpose of the present study is to identify how the face needs of parents and their social network is communicatively negotiated. Fifty-three bereaved parents were interviewed and the data analyzed, resulting in a theme of protection. The findings highlight ways in which both the parents' and others' positive and negative faces were co-managed. These findings highlight the complex nature of facework in social networks at individual, relational, and systemic levels.
Self-Determination Interventions Building a Foundation for School Completion

This brief synthesis of theory, research, and practice examines the role of self-determination as a factor in school completion and considers the importance of teaching self-determination skills for all youth. Self-determination interventions can help students to develop the internal motivational architecture they need to achieve success in school and as young adults. Furthermore, educators can help students to apply self-determination strategies to personally meaningful goals, which further strengthens their engagement in school and likelihood of school completion.
Predicting a vehicle or pedestrian's next move with neural networks

For a given digitized view of a driving scenario, motion clusters are formed, indicating possible moving object threats to the driver. Recurrent neural networks minimize hopping between clusters and predict a cluster's next location. Frequency analysis then categorizes as significant motion, and then as either head-on/away or transverse motion.
Leadership Succession and Performance: An Application to College Football

This article examines the impact of leader succession on organizational performance. We argue that both time and size of program are critical factors that need to be considered to appropriately determine the impacts of the leader succession on performance. We focus our analysis on the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and examine the effect of performance-related coaching firings on on-field performance (win-loss percentage, Sagarin rating, Sagarin rank) and financial performance (team revenue). We cluster teams into three categories based on revenue and analyze team performance following leader succession after the first, second, and fourth year following the change. While most studies in this area report findings consistent with vicious cycle theory or ritual scapegoating, our findings offer primary support for common sense theory and ritual scapegoating, contingent on time and the size of the program as determined by team revenue.
High-throughput quantification of chloroplast RNA editing extent using multiplex RT-PCR mass spectrometry.

Summary RNA editing in plants, animals, and humans modifies genomically encoded cytidine or adenosine nucleotides to uridine or inosine, respectively, in mRNAs. We customized the MassARRAY System (Sequenom Inc., San Diego, CA, USA, www.sequenom.com) to assay multiplex PCR-amplified single-stranded cDNAs and easily analyse and display the captured data. By using appropriate oligonucleotide probes, the method can be tailored to any organism and gene where RNA editing occurs. Editing extent of up to 40 different nucleotides in each of either 94 or 382 different samples (3760 or 15 280 editing targets, respectively) can be examined by assaying a single plate and by performing one repetition. We have established this mass spectrometric method as a dependable, cost-effective and time-saving technique to examine the RNA editing efficiency at 37 Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplast editing sites at a high level of multiplexing. The high-throughput editing assay, named Multiplex RT-PCR Mass Spectrometry (MRMS), is ideal for large-scale experiments such as identifying population variation, examining tissue-specific changes in editing extent, or screening a mutant or transgenic collection. Moreover, the required amount of starting material is so low that RNA from fewer than 50 cells can be examined without amplification. We demonstrate the use of the method to identify natural variation in editing extent of chloroplast C targets in a collection of Arabidopsis accessions.
Does Lateral Stress Really Influence Settlement

Construction innovations such as compaction grouting, the use of a reverse pitch section for installing augercast piles, and the use of beveled rammers to compact rammed aggregate piers, all emphasize the development of lateral in situ soil stress. The question posed herein is whether lateral stress in itself may reduce settlement, aside from any influences through densification or increased skin friction. Stress paths for a normally consolidated soil that is laterally stressed to the passive limit, then vertically loaded, gives a sequence of Mohr circles that indicates a shift from consolidating to near-linear-elastic behavior. The change requires and appears to depend on reversals in the directions of intergranular friction. As these reversals should occur with very little strain, they do not require that the soil be significantly compacted. Excess pore pressures that may develop should be relieved with the aggregate pier method of soil reinforcement. The reinforced soil layer should distribute stresses to the underlying soil in a manner that is similar to the action of a highway base course.
Higher-Order Septin Assembly Is Driven by GTP-Promoted Conformational Changes: Evidence From Unbiased Mutational Analysis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Septin proteins bind GTP and heterooligomerize into filaments with conserved functions across a wide range of eukaryotes. Most septins hydrolyze GTP, altering the oligomerization interfaces; yet mutations designed to abolish nucleotide binding or hydrolysis by yeast septins perturb function only at high temperatures. Here, we apply an unbiased mutational approach to this problem. Mutations causing defects at high temperature mapped exclusively to the oligomerization interface encompassing the GTP-binding pocket, or to the pocket itself. Strikingly, cold-sensitive defects arise when certain of these same mutations are coexpressed with a wild-type allele, suggestive of a novel mode of dominance involving incompatibility between mutant and wild-type molecules at the septin–septin interfaces that mediate filament polymerization. A different cold-sensitive mutant harbors a substitution in an unstudied but highly conserved region of the septin Cdc12. A homologous domain in the small GTPase Ran allosterically regulates GTP-binding domain conformations, pointing to a possible new functional domain in some septins. Finally, we identify a mutation in septin Cdc3 that restores the high-temperature assembly competence of a mutant allele of septin Cdc10, likely by adopting a conformation more compatible with nucleotide-free Cdc10. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that GTP binding and hydrolysis promote, but are not required for, one-time events—presumably oligomerization-associated conformational changes—during assembly of the building blocks of septin filaments. Restrictive temperatures impose conformational constraints on mutant septin proteins, preventing new assembly and in certain cases destabilizing existing assemblies. These insights from yeast relate directly to disease-causing mutations in human septins.
Natural Variant of Collagen-Like Protein A in Serotype M3 Group A Streptococcus Increases Adherence and Decreases Invasive Potential

Group A Streptococcus (GAS) predominantly exists as a colonizer of the human oropharynx that occasionally breaches epithelial barriers to cause invasive diseases. Despite the frequency of GAS carriage, few investigations into the contributory molecular mechanisms exist. To this end, we identified a naturally occurring polymorphism in the gene encoding the streptococcal collagen-like protein A (SclA) in GAS carrier strains. All previously sequenced invasive serotype M3 GAS possess a premature stop codon in the sclA gene truncating the protein. The carrier polymorphism is predicted to restore SclA function and was infrequently identified by targeted DNA sequencing in invasive strains of the same serotype. We demonstrate that a strain with the carrier sclA allele expressed a full-length SclA protein, while the strain with the invasive sclA allele expressed a truncated variant. An isoallelic mutant invasive strain with the carrier sclA allele exhibited decreased virulence in a mouse model of invasive disease and decreased multiplication in human blood. Further, the isoallelic invasive strain with the carrier sclA allele persisted in the mouse nasopharynx and had increased adherence to cultured epithelial cells. Repair of the premature stop codon in the invasive sclA allele restored the ability to bind the extracellular matrix proteins laminin and cellular fibronectin. These data demonstrate that a mutation in GAS carrier strains increases adherence and decreases virulence and suggest selection against increased adherence in GAS invasive isolates.
Numerical models of the onset of yield strength in crystal–melt suspensions

The formation of a continuous crystal network in magmas and lavas can provide finite yield strength, dy, and can thus cause a change from Newtonian to Bingham rheology. The rheology of crystal^melt suspensions affects geological processes, such as ascent of magma through volcanic conduits, flow of lava across the Earth’s surface, melt extraction from crystal mushes under compression, convection in magmatic bodies, and shear wave propagation through partial melting zones. Here, three-dimensional numerical models are used to investigate the onset of ‘static’ yield strength in a zero-shear environment. Crystals are positioned randomly in space and can be approximated as convex polyhedra of any shape, size and orientation. We determine the critical crystal volume fraction, Pc, at which a crystal network first forms. The value of Pc is a function of object shape and orientation distribution, and decreases with increasing randomness in object orientation and increasing shape anisotropy. For example, while parallel-aligned convex objects yield Pc = 0.29, randomly oriented cubes exhibit a maximum Pc of 0.22. Approximations of plagioclase crystals as randomly oriented elongated and flattened prisms (tablets) with aspect ratios between 1:4:16 and 1:1:2 yield 0.086Pc 6 0.20, respectively. The dependence of Pc on particle orientation implies that the flow regime and resulting particle ordering may affect the onset of yield strength. Pc in zero-shear environments is a lower bound for Pc. Finally the average total excluded volume is used, within its limitation of being a ‘quasi-invariant’, to develop a scaling relation between dy and P for suspensions of different particle shapes. fl 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
System failure: the underlying causes of US policy-making errors in Afghanistan

The United States intervention in Afghanistan since 2001 has brought progress in some areas, but the conflict has expanded, the Taliban remains powerful, and misgovernance and predation are widespread. Afghan national security forces—the linchpin of the coalition's exit strategy—offer no guarantee of future stability. Many accounts describe the mistakes that led to this predicament. This article attempts to explain why these mistakes were made by examining their underlying or structural causes. Based on 51 interviews with officials and experts, it identifies major US policy-making errors with respect to state-building, military activities and diplomacy. It argues that there are four principal underlying causes of such errors, relating to organizations, leadership and strategic thinking, psychology, and domestic politics. It finds that there were severe shortcomings in the acquisition and processing of information and a lack of institutional self-evaluation; civilian and military leaders made major strategic misjudgements in mistaking the strategy for the goal, overestimating the efficacy of military force or resources, and drawing false lessons from history or analogous cases such as Iraq; leaders were predisposed to overconfidence and oversimplification; and, at the highest level, policies were distorted by domestic politics. The article contends that the cumulative impact of these shortcomings was sufficient to seriously disrupt the functioning of the foreign policy-making system. It argues that action is required to improve US information gathering and assessment, systematize institutional self-evaluation, build regional expertise, establish mechanisms to understand the motivations and perceptions of other actors, and increase awareness of decision-makers’ cognitive flaws and biases.
Updating old process control systems to DCS, or moving out of the stone age!

Updating old/existing control systems to computer based, digital control systems (DCS) is a complex undertaking. It is anything but a "conversion" to computerized controls. More often than not, in fact, guaranteed 100% of the time, the existing process must be adequately "redefined". Years of process updates, modifications and midnight fixes take their toll on documentation. The quantum change in man-machine interfaces (MMI) also requires considerable finesse in not just technical issues, but interpersonal and interdepartmental relationships. In addition, once the advantages and the capabilities of the new technology are appreciated, an explosion in new applications will confront the project engineer. Techniques to deal with these, and other, issues are described based on actual experience with four polyester resin, chemical process lines and associated infrastructure. Examples of what must be done differently, and why, are given along with their rationale.
History: Cooling and societal change

The rise and fall of civilizations over the past two millennia was set against a backdrop of climate change. High-resolution climate records evince a link between societal change and a period of cooling in the sixth and seventh centuries.
Evaluation of the effects of specific opioid receptor agonists in a rodent model of spinal cord injury.

Evaluation of the effects of specific opioid receptor agonists in a rodent model of spinal cord injury
Interpersonal conflicts in reward allocation and their resolution

Subjects performed a task in pairs and received false feedback concerning their performance levels. The performance level of one subject (HS) was set twice as high as the other (LS). It was predicted that (1) when the total rewards to be distributed between the two are dependent upon the sum of their performance scores, HS's and LS's equity judgments would agree with each other, but (2) when the total rewards are predetermined and not dependent upon their performance scores, HS would think that he/she deserves more than half of the rewards while LS would think that he/she deserves about half of the rewards. It was further predicted that the compromise between the two concerning reward distribution would be easier when accepting the partner's claim still yields referentially fair rewards to the subject than not. These predictions were supported in an experiment using 144 subjects in 72 same-sex pairs.
Abstract 314: Characterization of the Y83C Gab1 mutation in breast cancer

Proceedings: AACR 101st Annual Meeting 2010‐‐ Apr 17‐21, 2010; Washington, DC Following addition of various growth factors and cytokines, the Gab1 docking protein is tyrosine phosphorylated, which then activates different signaling pathways. A screening of human breast cancers revealed a mutation in the Pleckstrin homology domain of Gab1, at the 83rd amino acid changing the tyrosine to a cysteine. To explore the impact of this mutation in human breast cancer, the mutation was overexpressed in the MDA-MB 468 cell line. Upon addition of EGF there was a significant higher increase in tyrosine phosphorylation of the mutant versus the wild type that correlated with an increased association with Shc, Shp2, Grb2 and p85. Pull down experiments with the GST/RBD (Ras binding domain of Raf) fusion protein detected higher activity levels of Ras in the mutant form in comparison with the wild type. Soft agar colony formation assays indicated a 2-3 fold increase in the number of colonies in the Y83C mutation with respect to the wt Gab1. The information understood from this study can help to characterize a mutant of Gab1 and this plays an important role in the context of personalized medicine by elucidating a specific target against tumors which express the mutation. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 101st Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2010 Apr 17-21; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2010;70(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 314.
Timing and Synchrony of Parturition in Alaskan Moose: Long-Term Versus Proximal Effects of Climate

We studied timing and synchrony of parturition in Alaskan moose ( Alces alces ) in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, from 1990 to 1994. Mean date of birth was 25 May ( SD = 5.7 days) and did not differ significantly among years. Although moose did not congregate to give birth, parturition was highly synchronized (95% of births occurred in 16 days) with no significant differences among years. Most young moose were killed by predators, especially grizzly bears ( Ursus arctos ), but timing of reproduction had no effect on survivorship of young, which was low (ca. 0.2 by 16 June). We reject the hypothesis that moose timed births to avoid predation. We also measured depth of snow in winter, and precipitation, cloud cover, and temperature in spring; none of these variables was related to timing or synchrony of births. Likewise, quality of willow ( Salix pulchra ) in 3 springs in which percent nitrogen and in vitro dry-matter digestibility of this important forage varied markedly was unrelated to timing of births. We reject the hypothesis that moose timed parturition in response to proximal changes in their environment. We hypothesize that both timing and synchrony of parturition in moose are adaptations to long-term patterns of climate that provide the most hospitable conditions to bear and rear young. Consequently, moose may be more susceptible to climatic change than other ungulates that are more adapted to climatic variability.
An experimental method for testing soil mobility of landslides

Debris flows can travel great distances from their sources and pose hazards to communities downstream. Identification of soils susceptible to liquefaction during slope failure could aid in locating potential debris-flow sources. We used a modified version of the slump test, typically used to measure the consistency of wet concrete mix, to test the proclivity of soil to flow. The method can be used to identify a threshold density below which a soil will flow under field-saturated conditions. We performed 51 soil mobility tests on 13 sandy and gravelly soils with 0%–16% silt and clay (fines) and one sample with 72% fines collected from landslide and nonlandslide sites. Results are consistent with corresponding site porosity and failure mode for coarse-grained soils. Threshold porosity for flow ranged from 0.39 to 0.65. Highest failure velocities were associated with the loosest soils and soils with the lowest permeability. Failure velocities and modes observed in our tests were consistent with test results for identical soils in a large-scale flume on thicker samples (0.65 m) that approach average failure depths measured in the field (0.75 m). This novel test was successfully designed as a rapidly conducted (∼24 h to prepare and test samples, including overnight saturation), low-cost alternative to large-diameter triaxial tests capable of testing gravelly soils that does not require a predefined shear rate, allowing pore pressure to evolve as soil fails under self-weight and drained conditions.
Abstract 1653: Regulation of autophagy and apoptosis by a natural triterpenoid in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), a subtype of non-Hodgkin9s lymphoma, is the most common lymphoid malignancy in the western world. Treatment of DLBCL has been greatly improved in recent years with the addition of the monoclonal antibody Rituximab to the gold standard CHOP chemotherapy regimen, but these treatments are often ineffective in patients with highly aggressive disease or in patients of advanced age. A real problem given the population of DLBCL patients is largely 60 years of age or older, these chemotherapeutics also present the issue of severe toxicity to the patient(s). Thus, studies have focused lately on natural products that can selectively kill malignant lymphomas while displaying a reduced host toxicity profile. Here, we report that a natural extract from the Ganoderma lucidum mushroom, GA-DM, induces apoptosis in human DLBCL cell lines and primary tumors, and activates an orchestrated autophagy/apoptosis pathway in the murine B-cell lymphoma cell line A20. Antitumor efficacy of GA-DM was also investigated in vivo in a murine B-cell lymphoma model using the A20 cell line, where GA-DM (50mg/kg) treatment reduced both the number of tumor metastases and the overall tumor burden in diseased mice. These findings support the potential use of GA-DM as a novel chemotherapeutic in the treatment of DLBCL and could improve the treatment of higher risk patients with advanced disease who can9t tolerate current chemotherapy treatment. Citation Format: Bently Doonan, Azim Hossain, Faisal Radwan, Azizul Haque. Regulation of autophagy and apoptosis by a natural triterpenoid in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 104th Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2013 Apr 6-10; Washington, DC. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 1653. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2013-1653
Restoration of vision following long-term blindness: Considerations for providing rehabilitation

The purpose of this article is to introduce the reader to a new area of research and practice known as vision restoration. The various approaches to restoration will be introduced and the implicati...