cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The utility of the panic disorder concept

In this paper we discuss the theory that agoraphobic avoidances are central and spontaneous panics an epiphenomenon to the development of agoraphobia. Moreover we discuss the theory that posits a fixed cognitive-catastrophizing set as causal for panic. We conclude these theories do not fit the facts. We argue that it is important to distinguish between spontaneous panic and chronic or anticipatory anxiety and avoidance. Such a distinction allows for an understanding of the roles of anti-spontaneous panic medications such as tricyclics and MAOI's, as well as exposure therapy, in the treatment of panic disorder with agoraphobia. The former serves the purpose of blocking panic attacks while the latter undermines phobic avoidance, but only after the panic attacks have ceased through proper medication. We conclude that recognizing the key role of spontaneous panic and its variants in anxiety nosology is a necessary guide for etiological, psychophysiological and therapeutic research in this rapidly developing area.
Can Damage Mechanics Explain Temporal Scaling Laws in Brittle Fracture and Seismicity

Time delays associated with processes leading to a failure or stress relaxation in materials and earthquakes are studied in terms of continuum damage mechanics. Damage mechanics is a quasi-empirical approach that describes inelastic irreversible phenomena in the deformation of solids. When a rock sample is loaded, there is generally a time delay before the rock fails. This period is characterized by the occurrence and coalescence of microcracks which radiate acoustic signals of broad amplitudes. These acoustic emission events have been shown to exhibit power-law scaling as they increase in intensity prior to a rupture. In case of seismogenic processes in the Earth's brittle crust, all earthquakes are followed by an aftershock sequence. A universal feature of aftershocks is that their rate decays in time according to the modified Omori's law, a power-law decay. In this paper a model of continuum damage mechanics in which damage (microcracking) starts to develop when the applied stress exceeds a prescribed yield stress (a material parameter) is introduced to explain both laboratory experiments and systematic temporal variations in seismicity.
Limitation of a localized surface plasmon resonance sensor for Salmonella detection

We have designed a localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) biosensor to perform whole cell detection of Salmonella using Au nanoparticles fabricated by an oblique angle deposition technique. The LSPR sensor shows a plasmon peak shift due to the Salmonella antigen and anti-Salmonella antibody reaction as verified by scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence microscopy. However, this shift is not sensitive to the concentration of the bacteria. We have modeled this detection system by means of Mie theory and effective medium theory, and find that due to the small contact area between the nanoparticle and the bacteria and the short range interaction of the local electric field, the plasmon peak shift induced by such a system is about 2–4 nm, regardless of the concentration of the bacteria. This is consistent with the experiments, and an alternative method is needed if the LSPR sensor is used for whole cell bacteria detection.
Style and Action: A Decoding of Bike Messenger Symbols

Using a social world’s perspective, this article looks at the style of New York City bike messengers. Combining the works of Hebdige and Biernacki, it is argued that messenger style is intertwined with messenger practice. Five stylistic elements are analyzed: riding behaviors, the use of helmets, bicycle choice, clothing, and language. In each case, evidence is presented to illustrate how a liminal social position and an outlaw character is expressed within the signs messengers display.
Longitudinal changes in hypothalamic and ovarian function in perimenopausal women with anovulatory cycles: relationship with vasomotor symptoms.

Objective To determine whether the transition to menopausal status is unidirectional and predictable with aging. Design Longitudinal evaluation of the menstrual cycle hormone patterns and experience of vasomotor symptoms in an anovulatory, perimenopausal cohort, during cycles that occurred 1 and 2 years after an anovulatory cycle. Setting Academic center. Patient(s) One hundred fifty-nine of 840 women in the Daily Hormone Study, a substudy of the Study of Women's Health across the Nation (SWAN), had anovulatory cycles. Their menstrual cycle patterns were previously described. This report describes their cycle patterns and vasomotor symptoms in the subsequent 2 years. Intervention(s) None. Main Outcome Measure(s) Daily urinary hormone levels of FSH, LH, and estrogen and P metabolites and reports of daily occurrence of vasomotor symptoms. Result(s) While a tendency to develop cycles having a loss of negative feedback of estrogen on LH secretion was seen before menopause, there is no clear progression of cycle patterns in anovulatory women. Anovulation did not predict menopause within 2 years. Vasomotor symptoms occur before menopause, as experienced by 73% of the women. Vasomotor symptoms were not related to cycle pattern. Conclusion(s) Any cycle pattern may be related to vasomotor symptoms. The best predictor of vasomotor symptoms is a prior history of vasomotor symptoms.
Cluster Computing on the Fly: resource discovery in a cycle sharing peer-to-peer system

Peer-to-peer computing, the harnessing of idle compute cycles throughout the Internet, offers exciting new research challenges in the converging domains of networking and distributed computing. Our system, Cluster Computing on the Fly, seeks to harvest cycles from ordinary users in an open access, non-institutional environment. We conduct a comprehensive study of generic searching methods in a highly dynamic peer-to-peer environment for locating idle cycles for workpile applications which are heavy consumers of cycles. We compare four scalable search methods: expanding ring, advertisement-based, random walk and rendezvous point. We model a variety of workloads, simple scheduling strategies and stabilities of hosts. Our preliminary results show that under light workloads, rendezvous point performs best, while under heavy workloads, its performance falls below the other techniques. We expected rendezvous point to consistently outperform the other search techniques because of its inherent advantage in gathering knowledge about the idle cycles. However in a peer-to-peer environment, which satisfies requests on-demand, large jobs may dominate, resulting in delays for scheduling smaller jobs.
MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ELECTROPLATED Cu THIN FILMS

Copper films of different thicknesses of 0.2, 0.5, 1 and 2 microns were electroplated on top of the adhesion-promoting barrier layers on single crystal silicon wafers. Controlled Cu grain growth was achieved by annealing films in vacuum. The Cu film microstructure was characterized using Atomic Force Microscopy and Focused Ion Beam Microscopy. Elastic modulus of 110 to 130 GPa and hardness of 1 to 1.6 GPa were measured using the continuous stiffness option (CSM) of the Nanoindenter XP. Thicker films appeared to be softer in terms of the lower modulus and hardness, exhibiting a classical Hall-Petch relationship between the yield stress and grain size. Lower elastic modulus of thicker films is due to the higher porosity and partially due to the surface roughness. Comparison between the mechanical properties of films on the substrates obtained by nanoindentation and tensile tests of the freestanding Cu films is made.
Mechanical Properties of La1‐xSrxCo0.2Fe0.8O3 Mixed‐Conducting Perovskites Made by the Combustion Synthesis Technique

This paper examined the room-temperature mechanical properties of a mixed-conducting perovskite La 1-x Sr x Co 0.2 Fe 0.8 O 3 (x = 0.2-0.8). Powders were made by the combustion synthesis technique and sintered at 1250°C in air. Sintered density, crystal phase, and grain size were characterized. Young's and shear moduli, microhardness, indentation fracture toughness, and biaxial flexure strength were determined. The Young's and shear moduli slightly increased with increasing strontium content. Young's modulus of 151-188 GPa and shear modulus of 57-75 GPa were measured. Biaxial flexure strength of ∼160 MPa was measured for lower strontium content batches. Strength greatly decreased to ∼40 MPa at higher strontium concentrations (x = 0.6-0.8) because of the formation of extensive cracking. Indentation toughness showed a higher value (∼1.5 MPa.m 1/2 ) for low strontium (x = 0.2) content and a lower value (∼1.1 MPa.m 1/2 ) for the other batches (x = 0.4-0.8). Materials with fine and coarse grain size were also tested at various indent loads and showed no dependence of toughness on crack size. In addition, fractography was used to characterize the critical flaw and fracture mode.
Human Rights and U.S. Foreign Assistance from Nixon to Carter

This paper reports some preliminary findings on the relationships between United States policies towards human rights as it is expressed in Presidential policy and U.S. military and economic assistance to nations which have a substantial record of human rights threats and abuses. It examines these relationships from the start of the Nixon presidency through the end of the Carter administration. The statistical findings indicate that under Presidents Nixon and Ford foreign assistance was directly related to levels of human rights violations, i.e. more aid flowed to regimes with higher levels of violation, while under President Carter no clear statistical pattern emerged. It is concluded, therefore, that the Carter administration did not implement a policy of human rights which actually guided the disposition of military and economic assistance.
Hormonal regulation of serine dehydratase gene expression in liver and kidney of the adrenalectomized rat.

We have previously demonstrated that glucagon but not dexamethasone could induce serine dehydratase (SDH: EC.4.2.1.13) in liver, and either glucagon or dexamethasone could induce the enzyme in kidney of normal rats. The mechanism(s) of the hormonal regulation of SDH gene expression in liver and kidney was further studied using adrenalectomized rats. Simultaneous administration of glucagon and dexamethasone induced the activity, rate of SDH synthesis, and accumulation of SDH mRNA in both liver and kidney of the rat. The increased SDH activity was reflected by changes in the amount of enzyme protein and in the rate of SDH protein synthesis, both parameters closely paralleling the changes in the levels of SDH mRNA. The rates of transcription of the SDH gene as measured in runon experiments with isolated nuclei were also increased by the administration of these hormones. These results indicate that the expression of the SDH gene was regulated primarily at the transcriptional level under these conditions. When...
Digital quantitative measurements of gene expression

One of the primary goals of functional genomics is to provide a quantitative understanding of gene function. However, the success of this enterprise is dependent on the accuracy and precision of the functional genomic data. A novel approach, digital analysis of gene expression (DAGE) described herein, is an accurate and precise technology for measuring digital gene expression on a relative or absolute scale by simply counting the number of transcripts of a gene being expressed at a given time. The result is a greatly improved technology sensitive enough for identifying and quantifying small (but biologically important and statistically relevant) changes in gene expression. Fourteen genes involved in galactose metabolism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were analyzed for their expression levels in glucose and galactose minimal media. The quantitative expression results were characterized in terms of distributional and accuracy attributes; they were also in general agreement (in terms of direction of change) with corresponding results obtained using microarray technology. DAGE is likely to have profound implications in the field of functional genomics because the gene expression measurements are digital in nature and therefore more accurate than any other technologies.
Thorium-Carbon System,

Abstract : A study of the thorium-carbon system has been made and a tentative phase diagram constructed from metallographic X-ray, and melting point data. The existence of two compounds, ThC (4.92% carbon) and ThC2 (9.38% carbon), has been verified. No conclusive evidence was found for any other compound. The monocarbide has a sodium chloride type structure, and the lattice constant for this compound is shown to be 5.34 A. This is considerably larger than the lattice constant previously reported for the monocarbide. It is shown that the lattice constant previously measured was that of a solid solution of thorium in thorium monocarbide. The lattice constant at room temperature for the monocarbide phase increases from 5.29 to 5.34 A as the carbon content is increased from about 3.8 to 4.92%. The monocarbide melts at 2625 +/- 25 C and the dicarbide at 2655 +/- 25 C. All compositions between thorium and the monocarbide show complete miscibility in the liquid state and in the solid state at elevated temperatures. However, an immiscibility gap in the solid solution area appears to extend from room temperature to just under the solidus line. The peak of this gap is at about 2% carbon and 1975 C. The compositions of the thorium rich and carbon rich solid solutions for this gap at room temperature are about 0.25% carbon and 3.8% carbon, respectively. The monocarbide and dicarbide also form a complete series of solid solutions at elevated temperatures but show little or no mutual solid solubility at room temperature. The dicarbide forms a eutectic with graphite containing approximately 12.6% carbon which melts at 2500 +/- 35 C.
Massively parallelizing the RRT and the RRT

In recent years, the growth of the computational power available in the Central Processing Units (CPUs) of consumer computers has tapered significantly. At the same time, growth in the computational power available in the Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) has remained strong. Algorithms that can be implemented on GPUs today are not only limited to graphics processing, but include scientific computation and beyond. This paper is concerned with massively parallel implementations of incremental sampling-based robot motion planning algorithms, namely the widely-used Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithm and its asymptotically-optimal counterpart called RRT*. We demonstrate an example implementation of RRT and RRT* motion-planning algorithm for a high-dimensional robotic manipulator that takes advantage of an NVidia CUDA-enabled GPU. We focus on parallelizing the collision-checking procedure, which is generally recognized as the computationally expensive component of sampling-based motion planning algorithms. Our experimental results indicate significant speedup when compared to CPU implementations, leading to practical algorithms for optimal motion planning in high-dimensional configuration spaces.
USE OF BOUNDARY-LINE GROWTH PATTERNS AS A BASIS FOR DENDROECOLOGICAL RELEASE CRITERIA

Identifying releases from suppression represents one of the most fundamental dendroecological procedures for quantifying forest disturbance histories. In tree-ring series, releases are typically defined as pulses in percent growth change that exceed a minimum threshold. Past methodologies have applied fixed growth-change thresholds that may overly generalize the ability of a tree to respond to a disturbance event. In this study, we develop a more precise method that scales each release by its maximum release potential as defined by prior growth rates, using an old growth hemlock (Tsuga canadensisL.) forest in central Pennsylvania as an example. On average, tree age, diameter, and crown class appear to influence the magnitude of release response. However, differences in release response be- tween age, diameter, and crown classes are largely an artifact of the more fundamental relationship between release response and growth immediately prior to release. Specifically, maximum percent growth change declines at a steep, negative exponential rate as prior growth levels increase. Slow-growing hemlocks can exceed 800% growth increases while fast-growing hemlocks do not exceed growth increases of 20%. This negative exponential threshold, or boundary line, represents the maximum percent growth change that is phys- iologically possible at a given level of prior growth. Thus, release potential is relative to prior growth rate. This relationship between prior growth and release potential is species specific and is demonstrated in 24 additional hemlock stands. We propose new criteria based on prior growth in which moderate and major releases are those falling within 20- 49.9%, and 50-100% of the boundary line, respectively. Effects of short, moderate, and long-term climate events are mitigated by the percent-growth-change calculation and the high growth-change threshold applied to slow-growing trees. In addition, we demonstrate that similar boundary lines occur in Pinus strobusL and Quercus prinusL., and interspecific variations in boundary line configuration reflect differences in understory tolerance. Overall, this approach provides a more theoretically sound and flexible approach to developing disturbance histories, and we believe it will ultimately have broad applications in a variety of forest types.
Ockham’s razor is not so sharp

A 39-year-old male with newly diagnosed HIV had cavitary pneumonia initially attributed to Pneumocystis jirovecii but actually caused by Rhodococcus equi. After neurological deterioration, he was found to have intracerebral lesions caused by Toxoplasma gondii. This case underscores the inability to rely on the search for a unifying diagnosis (Ockham's Razor) in HIV-infected patients.
The impact of impulsivity on cocaine use and retention in treatment

To determine whether impulsivity was related to severity of drug use and treatment outcome, 50 cocaine dependent subjects underwent baseline measures of severity of current cocaine use and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). The hypothesis of the study was that there would be a significant correlation between impulsivity and cocaine use severity. As predicted, there was a significant correlation between BIS-11 total scores and self-reported average daily cocaine use as well as cocaine withdrawal symptoms. A subset of 35 patients underwent a 12-week double-blind placebo controlled trial of buspirone and group therapy. Subjects with high baseline impulsivity remained in the study a significantly shorter period than did subjects with lower baseline impulsivity. This study shows that impulsivity is a significant predictor of cocaine use and treatment retention, and suggests the need for targeting impulsivity in cocaine dependence treatment.
Phylogenetics of the woodrat genus Neotoma (Rodentia: Muridae): Implications for the evolution of phenotypic variation in male external genitalia

Interspecific morphological variation in animal genitalia has long attracted the attention of evolutionary biologists because of the role genital form may play in the generation and/or maintenance of species boundaries. Here we examine the origin and evolution of genital variation in rodents of the muroid genus Neotoma. We test the hypothesis that a relatively rare genital form has evolved only once in Neotoma. We use four mitochondrial and four nuclear markers to evaluate this hypothesis by establishing a phylogenetic framework in which to examine genital evolution. We find intron seven of the β-fibrinogen gene to be a highly informative nuclear marker for the levels of differentiation that characterize Neotoma with this locus evolving at a rate slower than cytochrome b but faster than 12S. We estimate phylogenetic relationships within Neotoma using both maximum parsimony and maximum likelihood-based Bayesian methods. Our Bayesian and parsimony reconstructions differ in significant ways, but we show that our parsimony analysis may be influenced by long-branch attraction. Furthermore, our estimate of Neotoma phylogeny remains consistent across various data partitioning strategies in the Bayesian analyses. Using ancestral state reconstruction, we find support for the monophyly of taxa that possess the relatively rare genital form. However, we also find support for the independent evolution of the common genital form and discuss possible underlying developmental shifts that may have contributed to our observed patterns of morphological evolution.
Treatment Options for Cubital Tunnel Syndrome

Compression of the ulnar nerve can occur at multiple sites at the level of the elbow, and it is the second most common compressive neuropathy after carpal tunnel syndrome. At this time, the evidence does not suggest that there is a superior procedure for treatment of ulnar nerve decompression. It is largely dependent on surgeon preference and comfort level. In situ decompression is the simplest procedure, with the least disruption of the normal anatomy and similar results to the more extensive anterior transposition or medial epicondylectomy. The more recent use of endoscopic techniques may further minimize the postoperative recovery time and duration of pain symptoms beyond what is seen with in situ decompression. These procedures are commonly performed and well described in the literature, and the techniques for each procedure are summarized here. The authors suggest a surgical algorithm of in situ decompression as the primary option for ulnar nerve decompression with anterior transposition may best be reserved for revision cases refractory to in situ decompression or cases in which the ulnar nerve is found to subluxate anterior to the medial epicondyle when observed through a full range of motion after in situ decompression.
Cinacalcet HCl prevents development of parathyroid gland hyperplasia and reverses established parathyroid gland hyperplasia in a rodent model of CKD

Background. Secondary hyperparathyroidism (sHPT) represents an adaptive response to progressively impaired control of calcium, phosphorus and vitamin D in chronic kidney disease (CKD). It is characterized by parathyroid hyperplasia and excessive synthesis and secretion of parathyroid hormone (PTH). Parathyroid hyperplasia in uremic rats can be prevented by calcium-sensing receptor (CaSR) activation with the calcimimetic cinacalcet (Sensipar� / Mimpara� ); however, it is unknown, how long the effects of cinacalcet persist after withdrawal of treatment or if cinacalcet is efficacious in uremic rats with established sHPT. Methods. We sought to determine the effect of cinacalcet discontinuation in uremic rats and whether cinacalcet was capable of influencing parathyroid hyperplasia in animals with established sHPT. Results. Discontinuation of cinacalcet resulted in reversal of the beneficial effects on serum PTH and parathyroid hyperplasia. In rats with established sHPT, cinacalcet decreased serum PTH and mediated regression of parathyroid hyperplasia. The cinacalcet-mediated decrease in parathyroid gland size was accompanied by increased expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21. Prevention of cellular proliferation with cinacalcet occurred despite increased serum phosphorus and decreased serum calcium. Conclusions. The animal data provided suggest established parathyroid hyperplasia can be reversed by modulating CaSR activity with cinacalcet and that continued treatment may be necessary to maintain reductions in PTH.
Mycobacteriophages: Genes and Genomes

Viruses are powerful tools for investigating and manipulating their hosts, but the enormous size and amazing genetic diversity of the bacteriophage population have emerged as something of a surprise. In light of the evident importance of mycobacteria to human health--especially Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis--and the difficulties that have plagued their genetic manipulation, mycobacteriophages are especially appealing subjects for discovery, genomic characterization, and manipulation. With more than 70 complete genome sequences available, the mycobacteriophages have provided a wealth of information on the diversity of phages that infect a common bacterial host, revealed the pervasively mosaic nature of phage genome architectures, and identified a huge number of genes of unknown function. Mycobacteriophages have provided key tools for tuberculosis genetics, and new methods for simple construction of mycobacteriophage recombinants will facilitate postgenomic explorations into mycobacteriophage biology.
The Tank Drainage Problem Revisited: Do These Equations Actually Work?

The drainage of a tank by gravity is an old, but knotty problem. The tank may be drained by just a hole (orifice situation) or may be drained through an attached pipe. The pipe may be vertical or horizontal or may include a full piping system with vertical drop and horizontal extension with valves and fittings, etc. The tank usually has a cylindrical shape with a vertical wall, but the bottom may be flat, conical, hemispherical or other shape. Sometimes there is interest in draining the tank completely dry, in which case the bottom shape needs to be accounted for, and sometimes not. In most cases turbulent flow is assumed, and the solutions are useful in plant situations. However, often overlooked is the fact that this geometry is widely used in tube viscometry, in which the laminar flow of a fluid through an attached tube is used to measure its viscosity. Various corrections must be made to get accurate results from an instrument of this type. So the laminar flow case is also important. In some cases the tank is drained by gravity alone; in others, as in the tube viscometer, there is an added pressure head. When the tank is drained by a hole, Torricelli’s equation is used to describe the discharge velocity and flow rate (de Nevers, 1991; Wilkes, 1999; Bird, et al., 2002). This neglects friction losses in the tank and the vena contracta, the contraction of the fluid jet a bit beyond the hole, and is also dependent on turbulent flow or a flat velocity profile. These effects are compensated for by a discharge coefficient, which is usually taken as the orifice coefficient; 0.61 for Reynolds numbers greater than about 10,000, but is sometimes reported as 0.63 (Wilkes, 1999). This value often depends on the Reynolds number and on the type of pressure tap used (for an orifice in a pipe), and the shape of the metal edge defining the orifice hole; for example, radiused, square-edged or sharp-edged can have quite a significant effect (Perry and Greene, 1997). The classical solution for the drainage time is outlined by de Nevers (1991) and Bird, et al. (2002) and appears in many textbooks on fluid mechanics and related fields. This assumes turbulent flow or flat velocity profile of the exiting fluid, but does not include a discharge coefficient and is therefore a solution to a hypothetical problem. When free drainage (without the use of a pump) is through a pipe (vertical or horizontal) or a pipeline system including elbows, tees, valves, etc. the problem becomes much more complex. This problem has received a lot of attention in the last 15 years. In a recent paper, Keffer (2001) gives the classic analysis method, which is application of the steady-state energy balance equation (sometimes broadly referred to as the Bernoulli equation) coupled with an unsteady-state mass balance.
Genome-Wide Congealing and Rapid Transitions across the Speciation Continuum during Speciation with Gene Flow

Our current understanding of speciation is often based on considering a relatively small number of genes, sometimes in isolation of one another. Here, we describe a possible emergent genome process involving the aggregate effect of many genes contributing to the evolution of reproductive isolation across the speciation continuum. When a threshold number of divergently selected mutations of modest to low fitness effects accumulate between populations diverging with gene flow, nonlinear transitions can occur in which levels of adaptive differentiation, linkage disequilibrium, and reproductive isolation dramatically increase. In effect, the genomes of the populations start to “congeal” into distinct entities representing different species. At this stage, reproductive isolation changes from being a characteristic of specific, divergently selected genes to a property of the genome. We examine conditions conducive to such genome-wide congealing (GWC), describe how to empirically test for GWC, and highlight a putative empirical example involving Rhagoletis fruit flies. We conclude with cautious optimism that the models and concepts discussed here, once extended to large numbers of neutral markers, may provide a framework for integrating information from genome scans, selection experiments, quantitative trait loci mapping, association studies, and natural history to develop a deeper understanding of the genomics of speciation.
TARGETED MUTATIONS IN HOXA-9 AND HOXB-9 REVEAL SYNERGISTIC INTERACTIONS

Mice were generated with a targeted disruption of the homeobox-containing gene hoxb-9. Mice homozygous for this mutation show defects in the development of the first and second ribs. In most cases the first and second ribs are fused near the point at which the first and second pairs of ribs normally attach to the sternum. Abnormalities of the sternum accompany the rib fusions. These include abnormal attachment of the ribs to the sternum, a reduction in the number of intercostal segments of the sternum, and abnormal growth of the intercostal segments. Over half of the homozygous mutants, as well as some heterozygotes, also have an eighth rib attached to the sternum. These results show that hoxb-9 plays a significant role in the specification of thoracic skeletal elements. To reveal potential interactions between the paralogous Hox genes hoxa-9 and hoxb-9, mice heterozygous for both mutations were intercrossed. Mice homozygous for both mutations show more severe phenotypes than predicted by the addition of the individual mutant phenotypes. Both the penetrance and the expressivity of the rib and sternal defects are increased, suggesting synergistic interactions between these genes. In particular, the sternum defects are greatly exacerbated. Interestingly, the defects in hoxb-9 and hoxa-9/ hoxb-9 mutant mice are concentrated along the axial column at points of transition between vertebral types. q 1997 Academic Press
POLYNUCLEOTIDE LIGASE IN BACTERIOPHAGE T4D RECOMBINATION

Following infection of E. coli B with ligase-deficient rII bacteriophage T4D recombination between linked markers is increased 4.2 fold and heterozygote frequency increased 2.3 fold. In such infection recombination occurs at a rapid rate for an extended period. This is in contrast to the time course of recombination observed in wild-type, lysis-inhibited, or lysis-defective (gene t defective) infection. In all of these cases recombination under standard cross conditions occurs early in the vegetative cycle. The increased recombination in ligase-deficient rII infection is reduced in a bacterial strain which produces greater than normal levels of host ligase. These results indicate that ligase has a crucial role not only in the replication of DNA but also in recombination. The level of ligase may determine whether DNA replication occurs with or without concomitant recombination.
Temperature-Sensitive Mutants of Herpesviruses

The processes involved in herpesvirus replication, latency, and oncogenic transformation, have, in general, been rather poorly defined. A primary reason for this is the size and complexity of the herpesvirus genome. Undoubtedly, a better understanding of the functions of the viral genome in infected and transformed cells will be achieved through studies with temperature-sensitive (ts) mutants of herpesviruses since, theoretically, any essential gene function can be affected by mutants of this type.
Coexistence of Weyl physics and planar defects in the semimetals TaP and TaAs

We report a structural study of the Weyl semimetals TaAs and TaP, utilizing diffraction and imaging techniques, where we show that they contain a high density of defects, leading to nonstoichiometric single crystals of both semimetals. Despite the observed defects and nonstoichiometry on samples grown using techniques already reported in the literature, de Haas--van Alphen measurements on TaP reveal quantum oscillations and a high carrier mobility, an indication that the crystals are of quality comparable to those reported elsewhere. Electronic structure calculations on TaAs reveal that the position of the Weyl points relative to the Fermi level shift with the introduction of vacancies and stacking faults. In the case of vacancies the Fermi surface becomes considerably altered, while the effect of stacking faults on the electronic structure is to allow the Weyl pockets to remain close to the Fermi surface. The observation of quantum oscillations in a nonstoichiometric crystal and the persistence of Weyl fermion pockets near the Fermi surface in a crystal with stacking faults point to the robustness of these quantum phenomena in these materials.
Implementation of Virtualization Oriented Architecture: A Healthcare Industry Case Study

This paper presents a Virtualization Oriented Architecture (VOA) and an implementation of VOA for Hridaya - a Telemedicine initiative. Hadoop Compute cloud was established at our labs and jobs which require a massive computing capability such as ECG signal analysis were submitted and the study is presented in this current paper. VOA takes advantage of inexpensive community PCs and provides added advantages such as Fault Tolerance, Scalability, Performance, High Availability.
Observations on Mindeniella Spinospora

In 1927, Dr. B. B. Kanouse (1) reported the finding on submerged rosaceous fruits in the vicinity of Ann Arbor, Michigan, of an extremely interesting aquatic Phycomycete, which she described as Mindeniella spinospora, a new genus and species of the Blastocladiales. Since then, if one may judge from reports in the literature, the fungus has apparently remained unobserved. In general habit it closely resembled a species of Blastocladia, particularly those forms of B. Pringsheimii in which the apex of the basal cell is unbranched and strongly expanded. Furthermore, like Blastocladia, it occurred in pustules on the substrate, mixed with other water molds such as Rhipidium and Gonapodya. It was pointed out at the time, however, by Dr. Kanouse, that her fungus differed markedly from other blastocladiaceous organisms in the following respects: the strong cellulose reaction of the walls, the reproductive organs being borne on short pedicels, and in the formation of delicate spines on the resting spores and on certain sporangia. As has been previously pointed out by the senior author (2), the precise relationships of Dr. Kanouse's fungus-combining as it did certain characteristics of both Blastocladiales and Leptomitales-could not be ascertained until studies were made of the structure and flagellation of the zo6spores. This was essential, since it is now recognized that among water fungi as among other members of the plant kingdom, parallelisms of body form frequently occur among species of very different orders, which often obscure their true relationships. It was also suggested at the time that Mindeniella showed strong affinities with Araiospora, a member of the Leptomitales, and indeed, that if the zo6spores were
Cooperative Transportation of a Flexible Object Towards Construction of a Martian Habitat

Future space exploration will likely include teams of autonomous robots that can perform various tasks in order to minimize human risk and maximize mission efficiency. One particular task may include the autonomous construction of a lunar or Martian habitat to prepare for long-duration human habitation on an extraterrestrial surface. This paper describes the development of an autonomous team of two robots that cooperatively transports a long construction object. Three major aspects of the project are discussed: the measurement of robot states, the design of cooperative control laws that govern the motion of the two-robot team, and the design of the central-PC infrastructure.
General Concepts on the Chemotherapy of Infectious Diseases

Chemotherapy affects both the host and the microorganism. Antimicrobial agents have a profoundly adverse influence on the surrounding environment if they are improperly employed. In all chemotherapy, it is critical to know what the infecting organisms are, and if that information is not immediately available, to base chemotherapy on those organisms that characteristically produce the infection. It also is critical to have an understanding of the distribution of antibiotic-resistant microorganisms in one's community if the proper antimicrobial agent is to be selected. The host's status and site of the infection will impact upon the choice of drug. Infection in sites in which phagocytic function is poor, such as in heart valves or in the spinal fluid, or in individuals lacking complement, white blood cells, or immunoglobulins, must be treated with bactericidal agents. An understanding of the pathogenesis of infection caused by different microorganisms will provide insights into the type of therapy, duration, and amount of drug that must be used. Ultimately, the chemotherapy of infection should be based on integration of the activity of antimicrobial agents with their pharmacologic properties.
Indexed Systems of Neighborhoods for General Topological Spaces

(1961). Indexed Systems of Neighborhoods for General Topological Spaces. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 68, No. 9, pp. 886-894.
Red nucleus stimulation inhibits within the inferior olive.

Horn, K. M., T. M. Hamm, and A. R. Gibson. Red nucleus stimulation inhibits within the inferior olive. J. Neurophysiol. 80: 3127–3136, 1998. In the anesthetized cat, electrical stimulation of the magnocellular red nucleus (RNm) inhibits responses of rostral dorsal accessory olive (rDAO) neurons to cutaneous stimulation. We tested the hypothesis that RNm-mediated inhibition occurs within the inferior olive by using stimulation of the ventral funiculus (VF) of the spinal cord in place of cutaneous stimulation of the hindlimb. Fibers in the VF terminate on hindlimb rDAO neurons, so inhibition of this input would have to occur within the olive. rDAO responses elicited by VF stimulation were inhibited by prior stimulation of the RNm, indicating that inhibition occurs within the olive. In contrast, evoked potentials recorded from the VF or dorsal columns following hindlimb stimulation were not affected by prior stimulation of RNm, indicating that stimulation of the RNm does not inhibit olivary afferents at spinal levels. RNm stimulation that inhibited rDAO responses had little effect on evoked somatosensory responses in thalamus, indicating that inhibition generated by activity in RNm may be specific to rDAO. To test limb specificity of RNm-mediated inhibition, conditioning stimulation was applied to the dorsolateral funiculus at thoracic levels, which selectively activates RNm neurons projecting to the lumbar cord. Stimulation at thoracic levels inhibited evoked responses from hindlimb but not forelimb regions of rDAO, suggesting that inhibitory effects of RNm activity are limb specific. Several studies have reported that olivary neurons have reduced sensitivity to peripheral stimulation during movement; it is likely that RNm-mediated inhibition occurring within the olive contributes to this reduction of sensitivity. Inhibition of rDAO responses by descending motor pathways appears to be a salient feature of olivary function.
Abstract B2-03: Inferred miRNA activity identifies miRNA-mediated regulatory networks underlying multiple cancers

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play a key role in regulating tumor progression and metastasis. However, miRNA9s activity can9t be measured by its expression level. We developed a computational approach, ActMiR, for identifying active miRNAs and miRNA-mediated regulatory mechanisms. Applying ActMiR to four cancer datasets in The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), we showed that (1) miRNA activity was tumor subtype specific; (2) genes correlated with inferred miRNA activities were more likely to enrich for miRNA binding motifs; (3) expression levels of these genes and inferred miRNA activities were more likely to be negatively correlated. For the four cancer types in TCGA we identified 64~203 key miRNAs for each cancer subtype and annotated their biological functions. For ER-/HER2- breast cancers we identified activities of key miRNAs let-7d and miR-18a as potential prognostic markers and validated them in two independent ER-/HER2- breast cancer data sets. We experimentally validated their causal relationships with their target genes. Similarly, we showed that key miRNA activities but no miRNA expression level were consistently associated with clinical outcomes for other cancer types. Taken together, the inferred activity of key miRNA provided a functional link to its mediated regulatory network, and can be used to robustly predict patient9s survival. Citation Format: Eunjee Lee, Koichi Ito, Eric E. Schadt, Hanna Y. Irie, Jun Zhu. Inferred miRNA activity identifies miRNA-mediated regulatory networks underlying multiple cancers. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Computational and Systems Biology of Cancer; Feb 8-11 2015; San Francisco, CA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2015;75(22 Suppl 2):Abstract nr B2-03.
Effect of temporary occlusion of hypogastric arteries on blood loss during radical retropubic prostatectomy.

AbstractWe report on a prospective, partially randomized study of 130 patients, examining the effect of temporary occlusion of the hypogastric arteries on intraoperative blood loss, perioperative blood replacement and change in preoperative to postoperative hematocrit. We observed no significant difference in any of these parameters when comparing patients who did and did not undergo intraoperative occlusion of the hypogastric arteries. These findings suggest that temporary occlusion of the hypogastric arteries during radical prostatectomy does not have a major effect on the blood loss associated with this operation. Extensive collateral circulation to the prostate and a substantial venous component of blood loss may explain these findings. Banking of 3 units of autologous blood preoperatively would have decreased the need for homologous transfusions in the majority of patients.
PAH and OPAH Flux during the Deepwater Horizon Incident

Passive sampling devices were used to measure air vapor and water dissolved phase concentrations of 33 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and 22 oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) at four Gulf of Mexico coastal sites prior to, during and after shoreline oiling from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (DWH). Measurements were taken at each site over a 13 month period, and flux across the water–air boundary was determined. This is the first report of vapor phase and diffusive flux of both PAHs and OPAHs during the DWH. Vapor phase sum PAH and OPAH concentrations ranged between 6.6 and 210 ng/m3 and 0.02 and 34 ng/m3 respectively. PAH and OPAH concentrations in air exhibited different spatial and temporal trends than in water, and air–water flux of 13 individual PAHs was shown to be at least partially influenced by the DWH incident. The largest PAH volatilizations occurred at the sites in Alabama and Mississippi at nominal rates of 56 000 and 42 000 ng/m2 day−1 in the summer. Naphthalene was the PAH with the highest o...
Towards a New Strategy of Liberation

Just as capitalism is the name we affix to the system in which commodity production based upon the domination of nature has become the leading force in world economic life but does not subsume all elements of social, political, and ideological relations, so a new conception of the emancipatory project of which socialism has been the leading proposal must be articulated.
Los cincuenta años de "Los fundamentos de la libertad"

Bruce Caldwell pasa revista en estas paginas a Los Fundamentos de la Libertad (FL) (1960), obra insigne de Friedrich A. von Hayek en el campo de la filosofia politica. Caldwell senala que la motivacion inmediata de Hayek para escribir FL habria sido, al parecer, la de entregar el complemento �positivo� de Camino de Servidumbre (1944), su obra critica de los regimenes socialistas totalitarios de izquierda y de derecha. Con todo, sugiere asimismo que el proyecto sobre el Abuso de la Razon iniciado por Hayek en 1939 habria sido la fuente de muchas de las ideas que el pensador austriaco profundizo anos despues en FL. Entre ellas, por cierto, las variantes verdadera y falsa del individualismo, la importancia de limitar el poder coactivo del Estado, los limites del conocimiento humano y su corolario sobre la necesidad de contar con un marco juridico de normas generales, claras, sencillas y ojala relativamente estables, y la inevitable tension entre la igualdad ante la ley y la justicia distributiva. A pesar de la pertinencia de las objeciones de que ha sido objeto FL, Caldwell considera que ellas no impiden afirmar que la obra logro sus objetivos y que uno de los mayores atractivos de FL consiste en la manera en que Hayek vincula la libertad y el conocimiento, identificando un conjunto de instituciones y tradiciones que aumentarian la libertad individual y, al mismo tiempo, ayudarian a resolver el problema de la coordinacion social en un mundo de conocimientos dispersos.
Assembly of Peptides Derived from β-Sheet Regions of β-Amyloid.

In Alzheimer’s disease, aggregation of the β-amyloid peptide (Aβ) results in the formation of oligomers and fibrils that are associated with neurodegeneration. Aggregation of Aβ occurs through interactions between different regions of the peptide. This paper and the accompanying paper constitute a two-part investigation of two key regions of Aβ: the central region and the C-terminal region. These two regions promote aggregation and adopt β-sheet structure in the fibrils, and may also do so in the oligomers. In this paper, we study the assembly of macrocyclic β-sheet peptides that contain residues 17–23 (LVFFAED) from the central region and residues 30–36 (AIIGLMV) from the C-terminal region. These peptides assemble to form tetramers. Each tetramer consists of two hydrogen-bonded dimers that pack through hydrophobic interactions in a sandwich-like fashion. Incorporation of a single 15N isotopic label into each peptide provides a spectroscopic probe with which to elucidate the β-sheet assembly and interacti...
A novel parametric estimation algorithm for non-Gaussian processes experiencing impulsive noise

Identifying the parameters of non-Gaussian processes perturbed by stochastic noise with impulses is a challenging task for researchers. The method of higher- order statistics is not well suited for analyzing non-Gaussian impulsive noise signals, which produce outliers. The authors propose the use of systems with impulse effect along with the well-known autoregressive moving average model to produce a parametric estimation algorithm to effectively model these particular processes without assuming ergodicity. A performance analysis is provided to showcase the novel algorithm.
Ballerina-pointe shoe becoming, fluid multiplicities, and The Red Shoes.

ABSTRACTWhile many published texts focus on pointe shoe history or pointe shoe fetishism, few assess the embodiment phenomenon at hand, or should I say at foot? With a posthuman perspective, I argue that the ballerina and pointe shoe function as a constant becoming. Through cultural, textual, and choreographic analysis, I apply Erin Manning’s theories based in Deleuzian philosophy to the ballet The Red Shoes. Revisiting this classic work, I parse out affective relations and budding multiplicities to suggest a new way of understanding the ballerina’s body at large.