cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Modifiable Determinants of Exercise Use in a Diverse Ethnic Population With Osteoarthritis.

Objective To determine the extent of ethnic differences in the use of exercise for therapy and identify relevant modifiable determinants of exercise use among patients with knee/hip osteoarthritis (OA). Methods Knee/hip OA study participants were identified. Surveys were administered to collect patient sociodemographic and clinical information, and beliefs and attitudes about providers and treatments. Final multivariable logistic regression models were created using a fully conditional method. Results Hispanic participants (n = 130), compared to non-Hispanic participants (n = 232), were less likely to have private medical insurance (9.2% versus 31.0%) or to report having excellent/very good health (40.7% versus 52.6%). They were also less likely to report using exercise for OA treatment in the last 6 months (56% versus 73%; P = 0.003). When adjusted for age and disease severity, the difference in exercise use among ethnicities remained significant (odds ratio [OR] 0.59 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.36-0.99]). In a multivariable logistic regression model designed to determine the most important determinants of exercise use for OA treatment, in the last 6 months the following were all associated with exercise use: having knee instead of hip OA (OR 2.83 [95% CI 1.51-5.29]), having family/friends who exercise (OR 3.20 [95% CI 1.76-5.84]), having a good understanding of what happens after exercise (OR 2.19 [95 CI 1.15-4.19]), and higher perceived benefit of exercise (OR 2.24 [95% CI 1.64-3.04]). Conclusion Among patients with knee/hip OA, Hispanics were less likely to exercise for OA treatment. Increased knowledge about the benefits of exercise for treatment and improved familiarity with exercise as treatment for OA may increase exercise use.
Sustained positive impact of ACS-NSQIP program on outcomes after colorectal surgery over the last decade.

Abstract Background We evaluate trends in outcomes after colorectal resection over the decade of the introduction of ACS-NSQIP as well as of targeted-colectomy information. Study design From 2007 to 2016, patients undergoing non-emergent colorectal procedures were included. Demographics, operative complexity (American Society of Anesthesiologists and wound classes); complications, early ( Results Of 310,632 included procedures, 131,122(42.2%) and 179,510(57.8%) were performed before and after the introduction of colectomy-targeted variables respectively. Most complications including surgical site and urinary tract infections, sepsis, septic shock, venous thromboembolism, respiratory complications, reoperation and mortality reduced over time with increased early discharge. On multivariable analysis, introduction of colectomy-targeted data was associated with lower surgical site (OR = 0.78,95%CI = [0.77–0.80]); systemic (OR = 0.94,95%CI = [0.91–0.98]) and urinary tract (OR = 0.70,95%CI = [0.67–0.74]) infections; reoperation (OR = 0.88,95%CI = [0.85–0.91]) and early discharge (OR = 1.60,95%CI = [1.57–1.63]). Conclusion Over its first decade of introduction, ACS-NSQIP has been associated with improved outcomes after colorectal surgery. The introduction of colectomy-targeted data has further improved outcomes.
Processing Process: The Event of Making Art

The article takes up the notion of process and artmaking as an event to be understood neither as a singular moment of forces (e.g., artist, artwork, viewer, and/or site) coming together, nor as the “end” of a productive process that is then superseded by another event. Rather, the authors suggest that the artmaking process can be understood as an event of movement through relationships between all things and people as they come into contact. Grounded in Gilles Deleuze’s philosophical concept of “becoming,” the artmaking process is conceptualized not as a predictable or identifiable aspect of change (i.e., becoming something else), but instead as a quality associated with the effects of art as a process-event. To demonstrate the efficacy of this conception of the artmaking process, the article explores the practice of two art education students engaged in dramatically different types of artistic practice.
Clinical and neuroradiological characteristics of ischemic stroke and subarachnoid hemorrhage in isolated posterior inferior cerebellar artery dissection: Literature review and report of 2 cases

Abstract Background/objective Isolated dissection of the posterior cerebellar artery (PICA) is very rare, with only few cases reported in the literature. Ischemic stroke or subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) may follow isolated PICA dissection depending on the dissection plane of the artery. The aim of this is study is to investigate similarities and variations in clinical, neuroradiological manifestations as well as the management and prognosis of ischemic stroke and SAH events in isolated PICA dissection. Method We report 2 cases of PICA dissection treated at our institution, one with ischemic stroke and other with SAH. Peer reviewed articles were used for insight on differences and similarities in presentation, management and prognosis between PICAD with ischemic stroke and SAH event. Results Occipital headache was noted to be the most common clinical presentation in both patients groups. Patients with SAH event presented with more severe symptoms compared to those with ischemic stroke. Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) was found to be better at detecting PICAD compared to conventional MRI/MRA. Digital Subtraction Angiography remains the gold standard diagnostic test for dissection. PICAD with ischemic stroke is likely under diagnosed. Conclusion PICAD with ischemic stroke is likely under-diagnosed due to the following reasons; 1) patients present with neurological deficits that are non-specific and mild, 2) DSA, which is a gold standard of diagnosing PICAD is not regularly performed in these patients, 3) lack of predisposing factors associated with PICAD in some patients. The mild and non-specific clinical presentation in young adults with PICAD with ischemia probably due to their ability to compensate better given low incidences of other comorbidities. Further investigation regarding the underlying etiology of isolated PICAD, association of proximal PICAD to ischemia and distal PICAD to SAH as well as use of SWI in detecting PICAD is recommended.
Characterization of the human myocardium by optical coherence tomography

Imaging of cardiac tissue structure plays a critical role in the treatment and understanding of cardiovascular disease. Optical coherence tomography (OCT) offers the potential to provide valuable, high-resolution imaging of cardiac tissue. However, there is a lack of comprehensive OCT imaging data of the human heart, which could improve identification of structural substrates underlying cardiac abnormalities. The objective of this study was to provide qualitative and quantitative analysis of OCT image features throughout the human heart. Fifty human hearts were acquired, and tissues from all chambers were imaged with OCT. Histology was obtained to verify tissue composition. Statistical differences between OCT image features corresponding to different tissue types and chambers were estimated using analysis of variance. OCT imaging provided features that were able to distinguish structures such as thickened collagen, as well as adipose tissue and fibrotic myocardium. Statistically significant differences were found between atria and ventricles in attenuation coefficient, and between adipose and all other tissue types. This study provides an overview of OCT image features throughout the human heart, which can be used for guiding future applications such as OCT-integrated catheter-based treatments or ex vivo investigation of structural substrates.
Last Mile Delivery of Cold Chain Medicines – Challenges and Recommendations

Cold chain medicines are those that require special temperature-controlled cold storage to maintain their quality and efficacy. Cold chain management is important to ensure that the right quality is maintained throughout the supply chain. There lies a variety of reasons why cold chain management continues to be the challenge in India like lack of the consolidated list of cold chain medicines, lack of standard refrigeration guidelines for retail pharmacies, non-uniformity in storage temperature instructions on the label, patient education and lack of awareness. The study aims to identify the challenges faced in the last mile delivery of such medicines in India and suggest practical recommendations for improvement that confirms the international best practices. More than 100 interviews were conducted with healthcare professionals like doctors, pharmacists, retail pharmacy experts, logistic partners, distributors and ex-regulators to understand the storage conditions and the possible solutions, especially at retail and customer level. An exhaustive list of cold chain medicines was framed with the databases of Indian hospitals, local drug distributors and drug retailers. Given the complexity of cold chain system in India, the guidelines for maintaining and managing the cold chain should be clearly available and then be mandatorily followed, in order to avoid the deleterious effects on such medicines due to storage and handling issues as elaborated in this study.
Structure-Based Design and Discovery of a Long-Acting Cocaine Hydrolase Mutant with Improved Binding Affinity to Neonatal Fc Receptor for Treatment of Cocaine Abuse

Despite decades of efforts to develop a pharmacotherapy for cocaine abuse treatment, there is still no FDA-approved treatment of diseases associated with this commonly abused drug. Our previously designed highly efficient cocaine hydrolases (CocHs) and the corresponding Fc-fusion proteins (e.g., CocH3-Fc) are recognized as potentially promising therapeutic enzyme candidates for cocaine abuse treatment, but all with limited biological half-lives. In order to prolong the biological half-life and, thus, decrease the required frequency of the enzyme administration for cocaine abuse treatment, we have modeled the Fc-fusion CocH binding with neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) in the present study. This approach led to the design and testing of CocH3-Fc(M6), a CocH3-Fc mutant with nearly 100-fold increased binding affinity: from Kd = ~ 4 μM to Kd = 43 nM. As a result, CocH3-Fc(M6) indeed revealed a markedly prolonged biological half-life (t1/2 = 206 ± 7 h or ~ 9 days) in rats, longer than other known Fc-fusion protein drugs such as abatacept and alefacept (for other therapeutic purposes) in the same species (rats). It has been demonstrated that a single dose of 3 mg/kg CocH3-Fc(M6) effectively blocked 20 mg/kg cocaine-induced hyperactivity on day 18 after CocH3-Fc(M6) administration. This is the first attempt to rationally design long-acting Fc-fusion enzyme mutant based on combined computational modeling and experimental measurement of the Fc-fusion CocH binding with FcRn. The similar structure-based design strategy may be used to prolong the biological half-lives of other Fc-fusion protein drugs.
Selective acetylene hydrogenation over single metal atoms supported on Fe3O4(001): A first-principle study

Supported single-atom catalysts (SACs) have gained increasing attention for improved catalytic activity and selectivity for industrially relevant reactions. In this study, we explore the hydrogenation of acetylene over single Pt, Ru, Rh, Pd, and Ir atoms supported on the Fe3O4(001) surface using density functional theory calculations. The thermodynamic profile of H diffusion is significantly modified by the type of single metal atoms used, suggesting that H spillover from the single atom dopant to the Fe3O4(001) surface is favored and will likely lead to high H coverages of the functioning catalyst. Correspondingly, as the surface H coverage increases, the important desorption step of ethylene becomes energetically competitive against the detrimental hydrogenation steps of ethylene to ethane. A kinetic model is employed to explore how the activity and selectivity of SACs toward ethylene production change as a function of mass of the catalyst loaded into a flow reactor. Overall, we show that the selectivity of SACs toward ethylene production can be tuned by considering the proper type of metal and controlling the redox state of the support.
Impact of Practical Education Network on Students in Selected Ghanaian Junior High School Science Classrooms

Within the science education community, it is widely accepted that quality science instruction is focused on knowledge construction and inquiry. The Ghanaian education system has many hallmark issu...
Review of the public’s law: Origins and architecture of progressive democracy: Blake Emerson (Ed.). The public’s law: Origins and architecture of progressive democracy. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2019. pp. xii, 276.

In this study of the Hegelian roots of American progressive democracy, law, and politics scholar Blake Emerson attends specifically to the effort of progressive thinkers to construct an American ad...
Arthroscopic Treatment of Iatrogenic Slipped Capital Femoral Epiphysis Screw Impingement and Associated Hip Pathology

Background:Screw impingement is an infrequently reported sequelae following in situ pinning of a slipped capital femoral epiphysis, but it may result in significant bony and chondrolabral degenerat...
Debating Debating Climate Ethics

In Debating Climate Ethics, Stephen Gardiner and I offer our views on how ethics or theories of justice more generally apply to climate change and possibly help inform climate change policy. It is ...
Short Interspersed Elements (SINEs)

Short interspersed elements (SINEs) are highly repetitive sequences that retrotranspose into eukaryotic DNA through intermediates transcribed by RNA polymerase III (pol III). In many species, SINEs are a ubiquitously dispersed feature of the whole genome, often constituting a significant (∼10%) mass fraction of total DNA. SINEs cause mutations both by their retrotransposition within genes and by unequal recombination, and are widely considered to be examples of ‘selfish’ or ‘parasitic’ DNA. Keywords: SINEs; Alu; retrotransposition; transposons; selfish DNA
Microbial Contamination in Cord Blood (CB): A Retrospective Analysis of Three Test Protocols

Aim Since 1995, the SCBB has used three protocols to screen CB for contaminating microbes. The protocols differed in the number of culture bottles inoculated and sample volume used. The aim of this study was to compare microbial detection rates for each method. Method CB units (n = 9,618) were tested for microbial contamination using BacT/ALERT blood culture bottles (BioMerieux). Of these, 6,836 had 20 ml plasma waste fraction inoculated into adult anaerobic and aerobic bottles (Group A), 365 had 1 ml final stem cell product into an aerobic paediatric bottle (Group B), and 2,417 had 1 ml final product into a paediatric bottle and 10 ml plasma waste fraction into an adult anaerobic bottle (Group C). All bottles were incubated for a minimum of 5 days. Detection rates for microbe contamination were calculated for each group. Result Microbe detection rates were: Group A –345/6836 (5.0%), Group B – 3/365 (0.8%) and Group C – 66/2417 (2.7%)(p < 0.0001). Organisms detected by A but not by B (and to a lesser extent C) included Streptococcus, Staphylococcus, Bacteroides and Proprionibacterium. Conclusion Contamination detection rates differ significantly, depending upon the sample volume and type of culture bottle used. A protocol that uses the recommended sample volume and both anaerobic and anaerobic test bottles is likely to detect the highest number of contaminated units. Testing of a small sample from the final product using only a single paediatric aerobic bottle is likely to miss detection of the majority of anaerobic and some aerobic organisms. Prospective studies to define a standardised method for microbial detection for CB are required.
Effect of fiber architecture on mechanical behavior of SiC(f)/SiC composites

We evaluated mechanical properties (first matrix cracking stress, strength, and work-of-fracture) of Nicalon-fiber-reinforced silicon carbide matrix composites with three different fiber lay-up sequences (0{degrees}/20{degrees}/60{degrees}, 0{degrees}/40{degrees}/60{degrees}, and 0{degrees}/45{degrees}) at various temperatures from room to 1300{degrees}C. Up to 1200{degrees}C, ultimate strength and work-of-fracture for the 0{degrees}/40{degrees}/60{degrees} and 0{degrees}/45{degrees} composites increased, but then declined at 1300{degrees}C. The decreases were correlated to in-situ Nicalon fiber strength and fiber/matrix interface degradation. However, for the 0{degrees}/20{degrees}/60{degrees} composites, ultimate strength and work-of-fracture reached their a minima at 1200{degrees}C. These measured ultimate strengths at room and 1300{degrees}C were correlated to the predictions made with an analytical model and to in-situ fiber strength characteristics. The large difference in room-temperature ultimate strengths between the three sets of composites is attributed to the relative contributions of the off-axis fibers to the load-bearing capacity of each composite.
Assessing Calcium Status and Metabolism

Currently, there is no commonly practiced tool for assessing calcium status of individuals or populations. Few biochemical markers reflect calcium status. Fasting urinary calcium:creatinine ratios may hold promise as an easy, inexpensive method to indicate recent calcium status. Calcium status may best be assessed by integrated measures of calcium assimilation, such as total-body calcium. Although bone-mass measurements do not correlate well with recent dietary intakes of calcium, long-term adequacy of calcium intake influences bone mass. Whether low calcium intakes lead to calcium deficiencies depends on one's ability to adapt and conserve calcium. The relationship between calcium status and a particular disease state, such as osteoporosis, hypertension, or colon cancer, cannot be established until a reliable indicator of calcium status is found.
Internal vs. External Cash: Evidence on M&As and Share Repurchases

Large cash reserves have typically been associated with agency problems and poor investment decisions. I explore the cross sectional variation on the sources of cash holdings (internal vs. external to the firm) and find that previous evidence on overinvestment is mainly driven by firms that build their cash reserves using internal funds. Firms that use external funds do not engage in empire-building acquisitions that destroy shareholder value. I also find that these firms present higher announcement returns to their share repurchases in response to a signal they send to the market that they are no longer dependent on external capital.
A DNA binding protein that recognizes oligo(dA).oligo(dT) tracts.

Oligo(dA).oligo(dT) tracts are common intergenic sequences in many organisms. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, these sequences have been shown to influence transcription of adjacent genes. We have purified an oligo(dA).oligo(dT)-binding protein from S. cerevisiae and cloned its gene. This protein, which has been named datin, requires at least 9-11 bp of oligo(dA).oligo(dT) DNA for high affinity binding. The gene for datin (the DAT gene) encodes a 248-residue protein which contains a number of repeated sequence motifs. Datin purified from yeast corresponds to the N-terminal half of the DAT gene product. Null mutants in the DAT gene are viable but phenotypically distinguishable from congenic wild-type strains. We discuss unusual structural features and biochemical properties of datin in relation to its possible functions.
The HathiTrust Research Center: Providing analytic access to the HathiTrust Digital Library's 4.7 billion pages

This lecture provides an update on the recent developments and activities of the HathiTrust Research Center (HTRC). The HTRC is the research arm of the HathiTrust, an online repository dedicated to the provision of access to a comprehensive body of published works for scholarship and education. The HathiTrust is a partnership of over 100 major research institutions and libraries working to ensure that the cultural record is preserved and accessible long into the future. Membership is open to institutions worldwide. Over 13.1 million volumes (4.7 billion pages) have been ingested into the HathiTrust digital archive from sources including Google Books, member university libraries, the Internet Archive, and numerous private collections. The HTRC is dedicated to facilitating scholarship by enabling analytic access to the corpus, developing research tools, fostering research projects and communities, and providing additional resources such as enhanced metadata and indices that will assist scholars to more easily exploit the HathiTrust materials. This talk will outline the mission, goals and structure of the HTRC. It will also provide an overview of recent work being conducted on a range of projects, partnerships and initiatives. Projects include Workset Creation for Scholarly Analysis project (WCSA, funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation) and the HathiTrust + Bookworm project (HT+BW, funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities). HTRC's involvement with the NOVEL(TM) text mining project and the Single Interface for Music Score Searching and Analysis (SIMSSA) project, both funded by the SSHRC Partnership Grant programme, will be introduced. The HTRC's new feature extraction and Data Capsule initiatives, part of its ongoing work its ongoing efforts to enable the non-consumptive analyses of the approximately 8 million volumes under copyright restrictions will also be discussed. The talk will conclude with some suggestions on how the non-consumptive research model might be improved upon and possibly extended beyond the HathiTrust context.
The Extrusion Cooking of Potato Starch Material

The effect of extrusion cooking on the pasting properties of potato starch materials is examined using a Couette rheometer. The dispersion viscosity of aqueous dispersions of potato starch, pregelatinized potato starch and commercial potato granules has been investigated. The effect of extrusion moisture and progress down the extruder on this property has been studied. The dispersion viscosity response is related to the gelatinization and disruption of starch granules. Extrusion at high moisture levels leads to high viscosity dispersions tending to that of gelatinized starch whereas low moisture levels result in lower viscosity dispersions. Das Kochen von Kartoffelstarke-Material im Extruder. Die Wirkung des Kochens im Extruder auf die Pasteneigenschaften von Kartoffelstarkematerial wurde unter Verwendung eines Couette-Rheometers untersucht. Die Dispersionsviskositat von wasrigen Dispersionen von Kartoffelstarke, vorverkleisterter Kartoffelstarke und handelsublichen Kartoffelkornern wurde ermittelt. Die Wirkung der Extrusionsfeuchtigkeit und die fortschreitende Anderung wahrend der Behandlung wurde gepruft. Die Dispersionsviskositat steht in Beziehung zu der Verkleisterung und Zerstorung der Starkekorner. Extrusion bei hohen Anteilen an Feuchtigkeit ergibt Dispersionen mit hoher Viskositat, die der von verkleisterter Starke ahnelt, wahrend niedrige Anteile an Feuchtigkeit zu Dispersionen mit niedrigerer Viskositat fuhren.
Effectiveness of Goal Setting as a Management Device: Research Note:

Previous research regarding the effects of the specification of goals on performance has shown that "specific hard goals produce a higher performance level than a goal of 'do your best' " (Bryan & Locke, 1967). The data reported here support this finding and generalize it to a rather complex industrial situation. Although it is a truism to say that employees assigned to work at a certain rate are more likely to work at that rate than are other employees not so assigned, the situation under investigation here has ramifications which might work to reduce the difference in performance between employees with and without specific assignment. The dara were generated as part of the evaluation of an incentive program the purpose of which was to induce soft-drink salesmen and servicemen to adjust soft-drink coolers to a temperature deemed optimal for sales (Hewes. Leidy, & Blumenfeld, 1968). For each unit yhecked, salesmen and servicemen turned in a card which, in fact, granted them certain bonus" sales points and constituted an entry in a national sweepstakes drawing. In addition to the national drawing, many local drawings and contests were held. Therefore, in addition to the influence managerial directives might have on employee behavior, in this situation direct and indirect financial rewards were also explicitly associated with high perform- ance levels. At the end of the program, participating bottlers were mailed a questionnaire intended to provide an over-all evaluation of the success of the program. The data cited here were developed from the responses made by 55 responding bottlers to two items included in the questionoaire. These were: (1) Were your men instructed to check a specified number of units each day? and (2) How many units did the typical salesman check each day? Cross-tabulating these two items indicated a positive relationship between the number of units assigned and the number actually checked (xa = 7.528, df = 2, p < .05). The obtained contingency coefficient was .35.
Parallelization techniques for implementing trellis algorithms on graphics processors

In this paper, we study different schemes to parallelize trellis algorithms for efficient implementation on a GPU. We consider parallelization schemes at the packet-level, subblock-level and trellis-level to increase the number of threads in a GPU implementation. At the trellis-level, we consider state-level, forward-backward traversal and branch-metric parallelism. To evaluate the performance of the different schemes, an LTE uplink Turbo decoder is implemented on an NVIDIA GTX470 GPU. Tradeoffs between throughput, latency and bit error rate are presented. Our most balanced configuration is simultaneously processing multiple subblocks in a packet in conjunction with recovery schemes and trellis-level parallelism, which can achieve a throughput of 19.65 Mbps with a latency of 0.56 ms at bit error rate of 10-5 for 1.3 dB channel SNR. We also show how different combinations of parallelization schemes can be used to satisfy systems with widely varying requirements of throughput, latency and bit error rate.
Incidental paraduodenal hernia found during laparoscopic colectomy

This paper describes a rare right paraduodenal hernia discovered during an elective laparoscopic colon resection. Our patient was a 60-year-old Asian man with a history of multiple bouts of diverticulitis and a lifelong history of mild constipation and postprandial abdominal pain. Prior CT scans and preoperative barium enema confirmed the diagnosis of diverticular disease, and no other abnormalities were appreciated. At laparoscopic exploration, a right paraduodenal hernia was found with complete herniation of the small intestine under the ascending colon and hepatic flexure. The unclear anatomy prompted conversion to an open laparotomy. This allowed safe reduction of the hernia and sac excision. Adhesions were lysed to relieve a partial duodenal obstruction, and a Ladd’s procedure was performed to correct the incomplete rotation. Additionally, a sigmoid colectomy was performed. After prolonged ileus, the patient was discharged on postoperative day 14. At 6-month follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and doing well.
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database: Establishing Generalizability to National Lung Cancer Resection Outcomes

Background The Society of Thoracic Surgeons General Thoracic Surgery Database (GTDB) has demonstrated outstanding results for lung cancer resection. However, whether the GTDB results are generalizable nationwide is unknown. The purpose of this study was to establish the generalizability of the GTDB by comparing lung cancer resection results with those of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), the largest all-payer inpatient database in the United States. Methods From 2002 to 2008, primary lung cancer resection outcomes were compared between the GTDB (n = 19,903) and the NIS (n = 246,469). Primary outcomes were the proportion of procedures performed nationally that were captured in the GTDB and differences in mortality rates and hospital length of stay. Observed differences in patient characteristics, operative procedures, and postoperative events were also analyzed. Results Annual GTDB lung cancer resection volume has increased over time but only captures an estimated 8% of resections performed nationally. The GTDB and NIS databases had similar median patient age (67 vs 68 years) and female sex (50% vs 49%), lobectomy was the most common procedure (64.7% vs 79.7%; p Conclusions The GTDB represents a small percentage of the lung cancer resections performed nationally and reports significantly lower mortality rates and shorter hospital length of stay than national results. The GTDB is not broadly generalizable. These results establish a benchmark for future GTDB comparisons and highlight the importance of increasing participation in the database.
Dual Role for Membrane Localization in Yeast MAP Kinase Cascade Activation and Its Contribution to Signaling Fidelity

Summary Distinct MAP kinase pathways in yeast share several signaling components [1, 2], including the PAK Ste20 and the MAPKKK Ste11, yet signaling is specific. Mating pheromones trigger an initial step in which Ste20 activates Ste11 [3], and this requires plasma membrane recruitment of the MAP kinase cascade scaffold protein, Ste5 [4–7]. Here, we demonstrate an additional role for Ste5 membrane localization. Once Ste11 is activated, signaling through the mating pathway remains minimal but is substantially amplified when Ste5 is recruited to the membrane either by the Gβγ dimer or by direct membrane targeting, even to internal membranes. Ste11 signaling is also amplified by Ste5 oligomerization and by a hyperactivating mutation in the Ste7 binding region of Ste5. We suggest a model in which membrane recruitment of Ste5 concentrates its binding partners and thereby amplifies signaling through the kinase cascade. We find similar behavior in the osmotically responsive HOG pathway. Remarkably, while both pheromone and hyperosmotic stimuli amplify signaling from constitutively active Ste11, the resulting signaling output remains pathway specific. These findings suggest a common mode of regulation in which pathway stimuli both initiate and amplify MAP kinase cascade signaling. The regulation of rate-limiting steps that lie after a branchpoint from shared components helps ensure signaling specificity.
Optimism and the Experience of Pain: Benefits of Seeing the Glass as Half Full

There is a strong body of literature that lends support to the health-promoting effects of an optimistic personality disposition, observed across various physical and psychological dimensions. In accordance with this evidence base, it has been suggested that optimism may positively influence the course and experience of pain. Although the associations among optimism and pain outcomes have only recently begun to be studied adequately, emerging experimental and clinical research links optimism to lower pain sensitivity and better adjustment to chronic pain. This review highlights recent studies that have examined the effects of optimism on the pain experience using samples of individuals with clinically painful conditions, as well as healthy samples in laboratory settings. Furthermore, factors such as catastrophizing, hope, acceptance and coping strategies, which are thought to play a role in how optimism exerts its beneficial effects on pain, are also addressed.
Cytochrome P-450-dependent covalent binding of carbon disulfide to rat liver microsomal protein in vitro and its prevention by reduced glutathione.

Carbon disulfide, a hepatotoxic solvent, is metabolized by liver microsomal enzymes to reactive sulfur atoms which get bound to the microsomal enzymes, causing inhibition of the enzyme system. These studies were carried out to examine whether glutathione can protect the liver enzymes from the sulfur binding and against carbon disulfide toxicity. When liver microsomes isolated from phenobarbital-pretreated rats were incubated with35S-CS2, NADPH and glutathione, almost 60% decrease in sulfur binding to microsomal protein was observed under the experimental conditions. It was further observed that the addition of glutathione to microsomal incubations resulted in almost complete recovery of the activity of the enzyme system as measured by cytochrome P-450 concentration and benzphetamine metabolism. The data suggest that the presence of glutathione in sufficient amount in the liver of subject exposed to CS2 may significantly decrease the liver toxicity of this highly toxic compound.
Angle-dependent infrared reflectance measurements in support of VIIRS

We have developed a goniometric reflectometer using a Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometer source for polarized reflectance measurements from 1 μm to 20 μm wavelength at angles of incidence from 10° to 80°, with an incident beam geometry of approximately f/25. Measurements are performed in either absolute mode, or relative to a reference mirror that has been calibrated at near-normal incidence using an integrating sphere-based reflectometer. Uncertainties in the 0.2 % to 0.5 % range are achieved using a photoconductive 77 K InSb detector from 1 μm to 5 μm and a 12 K Si:As BIB detector from 2 μm to 20 μm. The performance of the system has been tested using dielectric materials such as Si as well as high-quality Au mirrors. We describe measurements of SiOx-coated Ag mirrors to assess their performance for such applications as the half-angle mirror (HAM) in the VIIRS optical scanning system. Various coatings are analyzed to help assess the effect of p-polarized absorption bands at angles of incidence from 10° to 65° and wavelengths between 3 μm and 13 μm.
Clay-Mineral Diagenesis in Redbed Sequence, Juniata Formation, Central Pennsylvania: ABSTRACT

The Bald Eagle and Juniata Formations are thick Upper Ordovician units which comprise much of the Taconic clastic wedge in central Pennsylvania. Large parts of these formations consist of a homogeneous subgraywacke-sandstone and conglomerate lithofacies of fluvial origin. The Bald Eagle (lower) part of this lithofacies is greenish gray (drab), whereas the Juniata (upper) part is dark red, with thin drab layers. Because drab and red parts of this lithofacies have identical sedimentologic histories, X-ray diffraction investigations of sandstone-matrix clay minerals were undertaken to establish possible differences in abundance and in octahedral-layer cation content of clay-mineral species between the drab and red beds. The major clay phases present are illite and chlorite. Consistent variations in the ratios illite/chlorite (determined by peak area) and Fe+2/Mg in chlorite (determined by structure factors) occur between adjacent drab and red rocks. The illite/chlorite ratio is lower in drab than in red beds, and the Fe/Mg ratio is higher in drab-bed than in red-bed chlorite. Statistically, these ratios are inversely correlative, and suggest that the present clay-mineral distribution is not of depositional origin but is a result of diagenetic modifications of a detrital clay suite. Drab-bed chlorite commonly occurs as coatings between two generations of silica cement, which suggests diagenetic generation of chlorite in drab beds rather than secondary destruction of preexisting End_Page 745------------------------------ chlorite in red beds. Reduction and dissolution of hematite pigment in red beds may have supplied the necessary iron. End_of_Article - Last_Page 746------------
A screen for genetic suppressor elements of hepatitis C virus identifies a supercharged protein inhibitor of viral replication.

Genetic suppressor elements (GSEs) are biomolecules derived from a gene or genome of interest that act as transdominant inhibitors of biological functions presumably by disruption of critical biological interfaces. We exploited a cell death reporter cell line for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, n4mBid, to develop an iterative selection/enrichment strategy for the identification of anti-HCV GSEs. Using this approach, a library of fragments of an HCV genome was screened for sequences that suppress HCV infection. A 244 amino acid gene fragment, B1, was strongly enriched after 5 rounds of selection. B1 derives from a single-base frameshift of the enhanced green fluorescent protein (eGFP) which was used as a filler during fragment cloning. B1 has a very high net positive charge of 43 at neutral pH and a high charge-to-mass (kDa) ratio of 1.5. We show that B1 expression specifically inhibits HCV replication. In addition, five highly positively charged B1 fragments produced from progressive truncation at the C-terminus all retain the ability to inhibit HCV, suggesting that a high positive charge, rather than a particular motif in B1, likely accounts for B1’s anti-HCV activity. Another supercharged protein, +36GFP, was also found to strongly inhibit HCV replication when added to cells at the time of infection. This study reports a new methodology for HCV inhibitor screening and points to the anti-HCV potential of positively charged proteins/peptides.
Residential task scheduling under dynamic pricing using the multiple knapsack method

A key component of the smart grid is the ability to enable dynamic residential pricing to incentivize the customer and the overall community to utilize energy more uniformly. However, the complications involved require that automated strategies be provided to the customer to achieve this goal. This paper presents a solution to the problem of optimally scheduling a set of residential appliances under day-ahead variable peak pricing in order to minimize the customer's energy bill (and also, simultaneously spread out energy usage). We map the problem to a well known problem in computer science - the multiple knapsack problem - which enables cheap and efficient solutions to the scheduling problem. Results show that this method is effective in meeting its goals.
AN X-RAY DETERMINATION OF THE ELECTRON DISTRIBUTION IN CRYSTALS OF HEXAPYRIDINE-N-OXIDE COBALT(II) PERCHLORATE AND THE ELECTRONIC STRUCTURE OF THE CO2 + ION

Abstract The valence electron density distribution in hexapyridine-N-oxide cobalt(II) perchlorate, Co(C5H5NO)6(ClO4)2, has been investigated experimentally using high resolution single crystal X-ray diffraction data collected at 78(1) K with Mo Kα radiation, together with the results from the already reported neutron structure determination. The crystal data at 78 K are a = 12.317(1) and c = 18.826(1) A ; space group R 3 , Z = 3 . Deformation electronic density maps have been calculated from the X-ray data, using parameters from the refinement of the high data, sin θ/λ > 0.75 A −1 , the parameters obtained from the refinement of the neutron data and from structure factors obtained from a multipole deformation refinement. Conventional spherical atom refinement on 4030 reflections (Fo ⩾ 3σFo) gives R = 0.037 and Rw = 0.038, while the multipole refinement 3627 reflections gives R = 0.028 and Rw = 0.024. A pronounced aspherical electron distribution has been found for the cobalt atom in the deformation maps which is consistent with a significant trigonal distortion of the distribution expected for an octahedral ligand field, viz. t2g(5.0) and eg(2.0). The populations obtained from the multipole refinement confirm this and give apparent orbital occupancies of 3.7(1), 1.2(1) and 2.4(1) for the eg(t2g±), ag(t2g0) and eg′(eg) orbitals respectively, the charge on the cobalt ion being determined as +1.74(4). There is a large eg−e′g mixing coefficient which leads to the conclusion that there is a significant departure from the t2g octahedral character of the ground state orbitals. The results are consistent with a 4Ag ground state for the Co2+ ion, which is in accord with the various earlier magnetic, spectroscopic and heat capacity studies.
Hospital scale economies due to stochastic demand and service

Abstract This paper uses queuing theory to approximate empirically the potential for hospital scale economies due to the stochastic nature of hospital demand and service. These results suggest that scale economies due to stochastic demand and service are likely to be important only for the consolidation of small, specialized hospital units.
Podophyllum peltatum possesses a β-glucosidase with high substrate specificity for the aryltetralin lignan podophyllotoxin

A beta-glucosidase with high specificity for podophyllotoxin-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside was purified from the leaves of Podophyllum peltatum. The 65-kDa polypeptide had optimum activity at pH 5.0 and was essentially inactive at pH 6.5 or above. Maximum catalytic activity of this glucosidase was obtained at 45 degrees C, but the enzyme was not heat stable. This beta-glucosidase displayed higher substrate specificity for podophyllotoxin-4-O-beta-D-glucopyranoside than for the other lignans tested, and for the (1-->3) linkage of laminaribiose than for other glucosidic linkages.
Electron transport systems of Candida utilis. Purification and properties of the respiratory chain-linked external NADH dehydrogenase+

Abstract The respiratory chain-linked external NADH dehydrogenase has been isolated from Candida utilis in highly purified form. The enzyme is soluble and has a molecular weight of approx. 1.5 · 10 6 . The enzyme contains two moles of FMN per mole of enzyme and is composed of two large subunits of mol. wt. 270 000 and eight smaller subunits of mol. wt. 135 000. Iron and copper are present in the preparations, but appear to be contaminants. The enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of NADH and NADPH at nearly equal rates and reacts readily with 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol, CoQ 6 and CoQ 1 derivatives as acceptors. Rotenone (10 −5 M) and seconal (10 −3 M) do not inhibit enzymatic activity.
Part II. Future perspective on optimization

Following from part I, which presents a retrospective on optimization, we focus here on areas that are recent active research topics and are likely to strongly influence the future of optimization algorithms and formulations. First, we discuss recent developments in deterministic global optimization algorithms applied to both nonlinear programs and mixed-integer programs. Second, we discuss logic-based optimization and its influence in both modeling and solving mixed-integer optimization problems. Third, we discuss issues and approaches related to large-scale optimization algorithms and applications. Finally, we summarize recent progress in scientific computing and software engineering as applied to optimization applications.
Tensor structure applied to the least-squares method, revisited

The geometrical approach to the least-squares, based on differential geometry with tensor structure and notations, describes the adjustment theory in a simple and plausible manner. The development relies heavily on orthonormal space and surface vectors, and on the extrinsic properties of surfaces linking the two kinds of vectors. In order to relate geometry to adjustments, the geometrical concepts are extended to an n-dimensional space and u- or r-dimensional surfaces, where n is the number of observations, u is the number of parameters in the parametric method and r is the number of conditions in the condition method, with n=u+r. Connection is made to Hilbert spaces by demonstrating that the tensor approach to the least-squares is a classical case of the Hilbert-space approach.
Folding assembly of micro-actuators

Abstract A muscle-inspired linear actuator that combines many piezoelectric micro-actuator “cells” into a single functional unit is designed and fabricated via folding assembly technique. A bow-shaped epoxy beam structure amplifies the very small displacement of a thin film lead zirconate titanate (PZT) beam, generating a large orthogonal contractive displacement of 15.24 μm in a footprint of 515 μm. Then, three sets of three actuator cells are assembled out of plane by folding about thin gold hinges connecting each set. With the folded triplet array, an unblocked displacement of 5.16 μm and blocking force of 6.31 μN were obtained.
Reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatographic assay of 5-fluorouracil, 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine, their nucleosides, mono-, di-, and triphosphate nucleotides with a mixture of quaternary ammonium ions

Abstract Several quaternary ammonium ions were evaluated in the development of a reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatographic assay for the separation of the known nucleosides and nucleotides of 5-fluorouracil (FU) and its analogue, 5′-deoxy-5-fluorouridine (5′-dFUR). The capacity factors of FU, 5′-dFUR, and their eight anabolites including 5-fluorouridine and its mono-, di-, triphosphate and diphosphoglucose, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine and its mono- and diphosphate nucleotides, were dependent on the chain length and concentration of the counter ions, pH, type of buffer, as well as the type of bonded stationary phase. Separation of FU, 5′-dFUR, their nucleosides and monophosphate nucleotides was readily achieved using tetrabutylammonium ion alone as the counter ion. However, under these conditions, the di- and triphosphate nucleotides were eluted from the column only after lengthy gradient elution and with poor reproducibility. Optimal conditions for a simultaneous separation of the ten fore-mentioned compounds were achieved using a two-step elution with a mixture of tetraethylammonium (C8) and tetrabutylammonium (C16) ions. The first eluent consisted of C8 and C16 ions in a mixture of acetate—phosphate buffer and methanol, the second eluent contained an additional 30 mM phosphate. FU, 5′-dFUR, their nucleosides and monophosphates and diphosphoglucose were separated by isocratic elution from a μBondapak C18 reversed-phase column using the first eluent; and the di- and triphosphate nucleotides were subsequently eluted, isocratically with the second eluent. This assay does not require gradient elution and can be completed within 50 min with good reproducibility.
Sensitivity of virally-driven luciferase reporter plasmids to members of the steroid/thyroid/retinoid family of nuclear receptors.

Abstract During a series of transfection experiments, the pRSV-luc plasmid used as an internal control was found to be sensitive to co-transfection with expression vectors for several members of the steroid/thyroid/retinoid superfamily of nuclear receptors. Therefore, a survey of the effect of these expression vectors on the activity of four reporter plasmids was conducted. In CV-1 cells, the activity of pRSV-luc, which contains the P. pyralis luciferase gene, was repressed by co-transfection of PPARα and ARP-1 and was activated by COUP-TFI. Expression of pSV40-luc, containing the same luciferase gene, was repressed by PPARα and HNF-4 and activated by both COUP-TFI and ARP-1. All four of these expression vectors reduced the expression of the pRL-TK plasmid, which contains the luciferase gene from Renilla reniformis . RXR expression vectors had no effect on luciferase activity in CV-1 cells but induced luciferase activity in H4IIEC3 hepatoma cells. This activation was blocked by the addition of ligand, 9- cis retinoic acid. pSV2-CAT, which contains the chloramphenicol acetyltransferase gene, was insensitive to all receptor expression vectors tested. Both the P. pyralis and R. reniformis luciferase genes appear to contain sequences that render them responsive to steroid/thyroid/retinoid nuclear receptors.