cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of Multiplane and Biplane Transesophageal Echocardiography in the Assessment of Aortic Stenosis

Abstract The aim of the study was to compare the accuracy of multiplane transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) with the more conventional biplane technique in the direct assessment of aortic valve area in patients with aortic stenosis. Short-axis images of the aortic valve adequate for measuring aortic valve area were obtained in all 81 patients studied by multiplane TEE but in only 56 of 64 patients (88%) using the biplane approach. The correlation coefficient for aortic valve area determined by multiplane TEE (r = 0.89; SEE = 0.04 cm 2 ) was higher (p 2 ). Correlations were higher for bicuspid valves (multiplane, r = 0.93; biplane, r = 0.75) than tricuspid valves (multiplane, r = 0.87; biplane, r = 0.75). Our study has demonstrated the superiority of multiplane TEE to both biplane TEE and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) in the direct evaluation of aortic valve area in patients with aortic stenosis. Our study has demonstrated the superiority of multiplane transesophageal echocardiography over both biplane transesophageal echocardiography and transthoracic echocardiography in the direct evaluation of aortic valve area in patients with aortic stenosis.
Operational Consequences of Alternative Airport Demand Management Policies: Case of LaGuardia Airport, New York

The current demand management policy at LaGuardia Airport (LGA) New York, must be changed in 2007 under the provision of the Wendell H. Ford Aviation Investment and Reform Act for the 21st Century of April 2000 (AIR-21). As a preliminary step for developing a new policy, this study considered how past policies, along with other factors, have affected operational performance at LGA. The interaction between LGA and the rest of the aviation system was also investigated by estimating simultaneous equations of average delay for LGA and the National Airspace System (NAS) by using two-stage least squares. The results demonstrate that the arrival delay impact of AIR-21 on LGA was in the form of Increased Ground Delay Program holding and that although delay increased markedly under AIR-21, there were also observable improvements in the ability of LGA to handle traffic. Furthermore, on the basis of the simultaneous equations analysis, it was found that 1 min of arrival delay at LGA causes about 2 min of delay elsewhere in the NAS, suggesting that demand management at LGA is a national rather than a local issue.
Impacts into porous foam targets: possible implications for the disruption of comet nuclei

Abstract We have conducted a series of impact experiments to examine the response of very porous foam targets to various impacts. Under near-vacuum conditions, closed-pore and open-pore foam targets were subjected to ∼1 km s −1 impacts from aluminum and foam projectiles. We found that open-pore targets absorbed the impacts with little or no global fragmentation or noticeable cratering, exhibiting only local damage along the path of the projectile, which tunneled through the target. Closed-pore targets exhibited nearly explosive disruption, apparently resulting from stresses built up within the target due to internal pressurization from air that could not escape the target interior during evacuation of the impact chamber. These results suggest that build-up of internal volatile pressure within the nuclei of collisionally or dynamically unevolved comets could allow comparatively small impacts onto their surfaces to result in disproportionately disruptive outcomes.
Western Pine Beetle: Field Response to Its Sex Pheromone and a Synergistic Host Terpene, Myrcene

In the field, both sexes of the western pine beetle, Dendroctonus brevicomis, are attracted by the female-produced bicyclic ketal exo-brevicomin; this response is enhanced by myrcene (a constituent of the beetle's host, ponderosapine), which is not an attractant by itself. This synergism may be part of the phenomenon of the mass attack on its host. Temnochila virescens chlorodia, one of the principal insectan predators of this beetle, is attracted by exo-brevicomin alone.
Interpersonal attitudes of suicidal individuals

This study compared differences in the way in which 63 suicidal and 56 nonsuicidal persons in therapy reported their relations to other people on the FIRO-B, and the Sociability and Tolerance scales from the California Personality Inventory. Suicidal and nonsuicidal groups performed significantly differently on three scales, Wanted Affection, Sociability, and Tolerance. There was a significant interaction on Wanted Affection between suicidal status and sex. Suicidal persons showed a preference for less social involvement and a lower level of tolerance for others. Suicidal males expressed more affection than suicidal females while nonsuicidal males expressed less affection than nonsuicidal females. Suicidal individuals, both males and females, and nonsuicidal females obtained much higher wanted affection scores than did nonsuicidal males. Implications of these findings regarding the nature of the personality needs of suicidal males and females were discussed.
State of the art of sonic boom modeling

Based on fundamental theory developed through the 1950s and 1960s, sonic boom modeling has evolved into practical tools. Over the past decade, there have been requirements for design tools for an advanced supersonic transport, and for tools for environmental assessment of various military and aerospace activities. This has resulted in a number of advances in the understanding of the physics of sonic booms, including shock wave rise times, propagation through turbulence, and blending sonic boom theory with modern computational fluid dynamics (CFD) aerodynamic design methods. This article reviews the early fundamental theory, recent advances in theory, and the application of these advances to practical models.
Nested bipartite graphs

We investigate a class of bipartite graphs, whose structure is determined by a binary number.
Immunohistochemical localization of tissue-type plasminogen activator in ovaries before and after induced and spontaneous ovulation in the rat.

The observation that tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) activity increased dramatically in preovulatory follicles has led to the hypothesis that plasminogen activation is causally related to follicle rupture. With immunohistochemistry, we have studied the appearance of tPA in ovaries of immature rats induced to ovulate and in adult cycling rats. Treatment of immature female rats with a single dose of pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) induced follicular maturation. A subsequent human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) injection resulted in follicle rupture 12–14 h later. PMSG treatment alone did not induce appearance of tPA-immunoreactive cells in any ovarian compartment. After hCG stimulation, however, theca cells, granulosa cells, and oocytes of pre- and postovulatory follicles displayed distinct tPA immunoreactivity. Fibroblastlike cells in the theca layers and tunica albuginea of the follicle apex also demonstrated localized cytoplasmic tPA reactivity. In addition to tPA synthesis in preovulatory follicles, hCG also induced tPA staining in the theca (but not granulosa) layers of non-ovulatory follicles. At 24 h after hCG treatment, there was a marked tPA staining in developing corpora lutea, ovulated ova, and oviductal epithelium. Ovaries from regularly cycling adult rats displayed a similar ovulation-related pattern of tPA immunostaining. The appearance of tPA in different cell types of the preovulatory follicle and in the fibroblast-like cells at the follicle apex, strengthens the hypothesis of a direct involvement of tPA in follicle rupture. Presence of tPA in postovulatory oocytes, cumulus cells, and surrounding oviductal epithelium may also indicate a role for tPA in the transfer of eggs in the oviduct.
Glutamine: the first clinically relevant pharmacological regulator of heat shock protein expression?

PURPOSE OF REVIEW It is well known that enhanced heat shock protein expression protects organisms against morbidity and mortality following experimental injury/illness. Presently, chemical/gene therapy based laboratory methods of enhancing heat shock protein expression are impractical for clinical application. Our laboratory has shown glutamine enhances heat shock protein expression following models of experimental illness/injury. The purpose of this review is to examine recent data supporting the use of glutamine as a clinically relevant enhancer of heat shock protein expression. RECENT FINDINGS Recent studies indicate glutamine induces heat shock protein-70, HO-1 (heat shock protein-32), and heat shock protein-27 in models of illness/injury. Enhanced expression of heat shock proteins correlates with improved outcome in these models. Further, in-vitro data reveal glutamine enhances DNA binding of heat shock factor-1 (heat shock protein transcription factor) to its promoter. Finally, recently published pilot data show that glutamine enhances serum heat shock protein-70 expression in critically ill patients and this enhanced expression correlates with improved outcome. SUMMARY Currently, extensive data support glutamine as a gene level regulator of heat shock protein expression. Glutamine depletion, following critical illness/injury, is likely to lead to a state in which organisms are unable to induce heat shock proteins appropriately. Further, pharmacologic supplementation of glutamine potentiates the heat shock protein response prior to and following a stress. Pharmacologic trials utilizing glutamine to enhance heat shock proteins in humans are indicated.
The Effect of Glutathione Depletion on Methyl Mercury-Induced Microtubule Disassembly in Cultured Embryonal Carcinoma Cells

Microtubule (MT) assembly and stability are thought to be dependent on intracellular glutathione for the maintenance of critical sulfhydryl groups. Since methyl mercury (MeHg) is a sulfhydryl-binding toxicant, it is possible that alteration of intracellular glutathione status might enhance the toxic effects of MeHg on microtubules. The influence of MeHg on the relationship between intracellular glutathione and the structural integrity of interphase microtubules was assessed in embryonal carcinoma cells by immunofluorescence microscopy, using antibodies to tyrosinated and acetylated alpha-tubulins. Intracellular glutathione concentrations were reduced by treatment with 10 microM buthionine sulfoximine (BSO; an inhibitor of gamma-glutamyl cysteine synthetase) for 18-24 hr. BSO-treated cells displayed little change in the pattern of microtubule staining, despite reduction of glutathione levels to less than 10% of control levels. Similarly, a combination of BSO and the nonspecific glutathione-depleting agent diethylmaleimide (DEM) had little effect on microtubule networks, except at the highest concentrations of DEM where nonspecific cytotoxicity was observed. The susceptibility of microtubules to MeHg-induced disassembly was determined in normal and glutathione-depleted cells incubated with 1.0 to 7.5 microM MeHg for 2 hr. MeHg treatment alone resulted in concentration-dependent disassembly of microtubules; depletion of glutathione with BSO prior to MeHg treatment did not enhance MT damage. Further, BSO-pretreated cells exposed to MeHg still showed substantial recovery of microtubule networks following removal of MeHg from culture media, even when glutathione levels remained less than 5% of control levels. These data indicate that the integrity of interphase microtubules is largely unaffected by reductions in glutathione concentration and that susceptibility of microtubules to MeHg-induced disassembly is not directly dependent on intracellular glutathione content.
Specialized role for a murine class I-b MHC molecule in prokaryotic host defenses

Although nonclassical (class I-b) gene products represent the majority of murine major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes, the role of these relatively nonpolymorphic molecules remains uncertain. Recently, one such protein, H-2M3 (formerly designated Hmt), was shown to bind and specifically present N-formylated peptides to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Because N-formylation is characteristic of prokaryotic proteins, this MHC molecule may be especially adapted for a role in the mammalian defense against bacterial attack. The current studies demonstrate that an MHC molecule, indistinguishable from H-2M3, presents antigens derived from the intracellular pathogen Listeria monocytogenes to Listeria-specific CD8+ cells.
Interpreting the short circuit behavior of Type 4 wind turbine generator

With fast increase in wind generation, grid codes are being revised, requiring wind farms to be connected during fault, and supply reactive support. One of the Wind Turbine Generators used to comply with such grid codes is Type 4 — a synchronous machine with converter interface. The short circuit behavior of this generator is dominated by converter controls, and not clearly derived. This paper documents the controls of a Type 4 wind turbine generator, and develops its short circuit model using time domain simulations of this generator using PSCAD.
Platform-Based Design for Clinical Information Systems

Clinical information systems (CIS) have emerged as a new critical infrastructure that influence affordability and security of health care delivery. Complex and conflicting societal requirements, such as providing control for patients over their personal health information and requiring health organizations to assure the security and privacy of patient-specific information, create significant technical challenges for the design of CIS. This paper presents a novel approach that is based on the principles and tools of model integrated computing (MIC), platform-based design (PBD) and service-oriented architectures (SOA). We present a domain-specific, graphical design environment and show how formal system specifications can be mapped to different service-oriented architecture execution platforms through a set of standard languages, such as WSBPEL and XACML. The model-integrated clinical information systems (MICIS) design environment includes a suite of domain-specific modeling languages capturing essential aspects of CIS design, model transformation tools that map the domain models onto the standard specification languages of SOA platforms and static model analysis tools checking the consistency and wellformedeness of the multiple-view models. The MICIS design tool is tested in modeling the MyHealth@Vanderbilt patient portal of the Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
Structures of the Boron-Rich Boron Carbides from Neutron Powder Diffraction: Implications for the Nature of the Inter-Icosahedral Chains

Results from structure refinement using neutron powder diffraction data for boron carbide samples with 10, 13, 16, and 20 at. % carbon are reviewed. Those obtained for ceramic powder samples show an apparent large vacancy concentration (as high as 25%) at the central atom position of the linear three-membered chains. A model deduced from the previous X-ray structure of the boron-rich end member, B9C, suggests the shift of sufficient scattering density from the central chain position into adjacent voids to account for the observed vacancies. On the other hand, neutron powder diffraction from ground, Cu-melt-grown single crystals gives a structure which shows no such vacancies. This, together with results from sequential runs with the same ceramic sample, suggests that the vacancies in the ceramic materials are intrinsic to their synthesis and do not result from radiation damage, as has been suggested. Our results support the more recent interpretation of other experimental results concerning the nature of ...
Through the Lens of a Neighbor: Perceptions of Mexican Educators and Students regarding Current United States Policies:

Researchers analyzed the perceptions and pedagogies of educators in two Chihuahua, Mexico, public schools with regard to United States foreign policies. The key objective of the research was to provide additional insight into the impact of recent actions taken by the United States Government, including the war in Iraq. Chihuahuan educators and their students suggested that the United States Government should be more engaged in the dialogue of how to address the root causes of terrorism. Additionally, the findings of this study indicated that educators and future teachers in both the United States and Mexico benefit from broader understandings of educators' roles and students' perceptions in a bi- national community.
BFAST: an alignment tool for large scale genome resequencing.

Background The new generation of massively parallel DNA sequencers, combined with the challenge of whole human genome resequencing, result in the need for rapid and accurate alignment of billions of short DNA sequence reads to a large reference genome. Speed is obviously of great importance, but equally important is maintaining alignment accuracy of short reads, in the 25–100 base range, in the presence of errors and true biological variation. Methodology We introduce a new algorithm specifically optimized for this task, as well as a freely available implementation, BFAST, which can align data produced by any of current sequencing platforms, allows for user-customizable levels of speed and accuracy, supports paired end data, and provides for efficient parallel and multi-threaded computation on a computer cluster. The new method is based on creating flexible, efficient whole genome indexes to rapidly map reads to candidate alignment locations, with arbitrary multiple independent indexes allowed to achieve robustness against read errors and sequence variants. The final local alignment uses a Smith-Waterman method, with gaps to support the detection of small indels. Conclusions We compare BFAST to a selection of large-scale alignment tools - BLAT, MAQ, SHRiMP, and SOAP - in terms of both speed and accuracy, using simulated and real-world datasets. We show BFAST can achieve substantially greater sensitivity of alignment in the context of errors and true variants, especially insertions and deletions, and minimize false mappings, while maintaining adequate speed compared to other current methods. We show BFAST can align the amount of data needed to fully resequence a human genome, one billion reads, with high sensitivity and accuracy, on a modest computer cluster in less than 24 hours. BFAST is available at http://bfast.sourceforge.net.
The Effect of Specificity of Reading Purposes on Children's Reading Achievement:

The effect of establishing purposes for reading upon reading comprehension was investigated. It was predicted that children's comprehension of prose material would be higher when purposes for reading were more precisely defined than simply asking children to read in order to be able to answer questions. This investigation attempted to replicate aspects of an earlier study (Rothkopf & Kaplan, 1972) and to extend other aspects of that study. Learning of intentional and incidental information was compared when purpose setting directions for reading were varied as to specificity. Children identified as reading at, above, or below the sixth grade level were assigned to one of three experimental conditions: “specific directions” which focused on single facts; “general directions” which focused on two or more facts; or a “read to be tested direction” which simply told children to read because they would be tested. Findings were: (a) significant differences in the performance of those reading at, above, and below...
Characteristics of electronic visual analogue and numerical scales for ratings of experimental pain in healthy subjects and fibromyalgia patients

Comparisons of measurement characteristics were made for three types of electronic pain scales: (a) visual analogue scale (VAS), (b) VAS combined with an electronic number box (VAS-N; 0-100), and (c) electronic number box scale (NUM). The three scales were capable of discriminating pain sensations from very small (0.5 degrees C) temperature steps in 13 healthy males, 26 healthy females, and 16 female fibromyalgia (FM) patients. All scales provided monotonic functions when used by subjects to rate pain from 5s nociceptive temperatures (45-49 degrees C), thereby demonstrating the generality of these results across different demographic groups. As expected, FM patients rated heat pain sensations higher on all scales in comparison to healthy females, demonstrating the capacity of these scales to detect well-established group differences in pain sensitivity that exist across these two groups. However, in comparison to male subjects, healthy females gave higher NUM but not VAS or VAS-N ratings to the range of nociceptive presented temperatures. We interpret this difference as a selective scaling bias of female subjects for NUM. Finally, all three groups (total of 55 subjects) found the scales easy to use after brief instructions, though subjects strongly preferred the use of VAS-N or VAS in comparison to NUM scale.
Prepositional Phrases from the Twilight Zone

This paper proposes a treatment of optional prepositional phrases with a status intermediate between adjuncts and complements. The essential idea is simply that such PPs are semantically but not syntactically selected. It is argued that prepositions often assign an external theta role to a complement of the governing verb, subject to the heretofore unnoticed syntactic condition that such external arguments must be direct rather than oblique. This explains certain binding opacity effects and also greatly simplifies the subcategorization frames of verbs. The analysis is formulated in the framework of Head-Driven Phrase Structure Grammar (Pollard & Sag 1994).
Factors to be considered in refining a general model of economic threshold

A general model of economic threshold was developed in 1979 on the basis of the European corn borer in Minnesota. It has been tested and adopted on various insects in Europe and South America. On the basis of these experiences and other studies in Minnesota, the model has now been refined to consider the factors of plant stress, host tolerance and insect phenology.
Absorption of hydrogen by vanadium-palladium alloys

Abstract Pressure-composition isotherms (273–373K) have been determined for the absorption of hydrogen by a series of six palladium alloys (f.c.c.) in the composition range from 1 to 8 at.% vanadium. At a given hydrogen content, the equilibrium hydrogen pressure progressively increases with vanadium content. Thermodynamic parameters for the absorption of hydrogen are reported at infinite dilution of hydrogen, and for the formation of the nonstoichiometric hydride phase from the hydrogen-saturated alloy. The relative, partial molar enthalpy of solution of hydrogen at infinite dilution increases slightly with vanadium content, e.g., for V(5%)-Pd, Δ H ° H = −8,500 j H compared with −10,040 j H for palladium. The presence of vanadium, which absorbs hydrogen itself in its normal b.c.c. structure, greatly inhibits the ability of palladium to absorb hydrogen. For example, the isobaric solubility of hydrogen (1 atm, 298 K) decreases from H Pd = 0.7 (palladium) to 0.024 (V(6%)-Pd). The lattice expansion due to the presence of interstitial hydrogen has been determined by X-ray diffraction. From these data it can be concluded that the formation of two non-stoichiometric hydride phases does not occur at vanadium contents greater than 5 at.% (298 K). Electrical resistance has been measured as a function of the hydrogen content of the alloys. The electrical resistance increases more markedly with hydrogen content for these alloys than for any of the palladium alloys previously examined.
Wealth transfer estimates for African American households

Between now and 2055, the amount of wealth to be transferred by African American households will be small compared to the aggregate transfer from all households. This relative scarcity places a special emphasis on wise allocation of financial resources and an equal burden on the organizations that receive charitable donations to honor the gifts by using them wisely.
Analytical solution for the time-dependent Emden-Fowler type of equations by Adomian decomposition method

In this paper, Adomian decomposition method is used to obtain analytical solution for the time-dependent Emden-Fowler type of equations and wave-type equation with singular behavior. The advantage of this single global method is employed to present a reliable framework is used to overcome the singularity behavior at the point x=0 for both models. The proposed scheme reveals quite a number of remarkable features that will be helpful for identical problems. The work is supported by analyzing few examples where the convergence of the results is observed.
Replies to my critics

I am grateful for Chris Hill's and Diana Raffman's very insightful and challenging commentaries. In this article, I examine their objections and remarks in turn. In Sect. 1, I examine Hill's criticism of the notion of concept proposed in Doing without Concepts. In Sect. 2, I consider Raffman's defense of the idea that at least some concepts might be definitions. In Sect. 3, I criticize her defense of the proposition that concepts form a natural kind. Finally, in Sect. 4, I clarify my views about eliminativism and natural kinds.
Statistical concepts in philosophy of science

This article focuses on the role of statistical concepts in both experiment and theory in various scientific disciplines, especially physics, including astronomy, and psychology. In Sect. 1 the concept of uncertainty in astronomy is analyzed from Ptolemy to Laplace and Gauss. In Sect. 2 theoretical uses of probability and statistics in science are surveyed. Attention is focused on the historically important example of radioactive decay. In Sect. 3 the use of statistics in biology and the social sciences is examined, with detailed consideration of various Chi-square statistical tests. Such tests are essential for proper evaluation of many different kinds of scientific hypotheses.
Development of a power systems protection laboratory through university-industry partnership

At the 2007 National Science Foundation workshop on ‘The Future Power Engineering Workforce’ participants from US government, academia, and the private sector discussed the looming shortage of power engineering graduates to replace large numbers of projected retirees in the power engineering sector. The group identified the key drivers of this shortage and suggested a series of measures which, if implemented, would add to the ongoing renaissance in power engineering. Some of these measures have been adopted and reflected in the development of a power system protection lab at Penn State Harrisburg. With the support of local utility industry a new lab has been developed that integrates the latest devices and software in the electric utility industry into power systems courses. Instructional modules on key aspects of the new lab are developed to assist both the course instructor and future students enrolled in Power Systems Analysis courses. This paper outlines the facilitation and design process in the deve...
Rural library services: historical development and modern-day examples from West Africa

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of the historical development of the rural library services in Africa, and highlight modern rural village libraries in Ghana and Burkina Faso within this context.Design/methodology/approach – The information in the article comes from a number of different impact studies, including one research study of the rural village libraries in Ghana and one research study of the rural village libraries in Burkina Faso. In particular, the studies examined the impact and role of the libraries on the communities they serve, and enquiries included library use by students, reading habits, leisure reading, attitudes of community members towards the library, and the library's role in academic support. The methodology included focus groups, interviews, questionnaires, examination of library circulation information, and many hours of observation. A review of the professional literature is also provided to contextualize the historical review and the findings from t...
Some Results of Ordering Theory for Guttman Scaling

Some of the ramifications of the linear order assumption underlying much of measurement theory are discussed. Ordering theory is then described as an alternative deterministic measurement model tha...
EFFECT OF PRESSURE ON THE ISOMER SHIFT OF $sup 57$Fe IN THE bcc PHASE.

The effect of pressure to 130 kbar has been measured on the isomer shift of bcc iron, using the inner two lines of the magnetically split six-line iron spectrum. The isomer shift is nearly linear in pressure to about 60 kbar; at higher pressures the rate of shift to higher electron density is less. The data are not linear with volume in the higher-pressure region either. The results are interpreted in terms of Ingalls's discussion of the transfer of electrons from the $4s$ to the $3d$ bands and the value of the proportionality constant between the isomer shift and the square of the wave function. The change in magnetic field with pressure is discussed very briefly.
Exercise adherence in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: an exploration of motivation and goals

Adherence to an exercise regimen is challenging. Motivation is an important factor that can enhance exercise adherence. A key component of motivation is the setting and accomplishment of specified goals. Therefore, it is important to understand the relationship between patients' motivation and goals. Motivation and goal orientation in 14 participants with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were assessed. Participants were also interviewed to explore their exercise and activity goals. Motivation was significantly associated with goal orientation. In addition, participants reported many explicit activity goals, but few participants had set specific exercise goals. The inconsistency between activity and exercise goals has not been reported previously. Findings from this preliminary study provide novel and relevant information that may help care providers understand factors that may influence exercise adherence in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Hepatitis C virus NS5A colocalizes with the core protein on lipid droplets and interacts with apolipoproteins

The nonstructural protein 5A (NS5A) of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) has been shown to interact with a variety of cellular proteins and implicated in the regulation of cell growth, interferon resistance, and other cellular signaling pathways, but the role of NS5A in HCV pathogenesis has not been firmly established. To further characterize this multifunctional protein, we instigated the studies of the subcellular localization of NS5A in a hepatoma cell line. NS5A was localized to the perinuclear membrane structures, including the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and the Golgi apparatus, by immunofluorescence staining and confocal microscopy. In addition, it was also associated with the surface of cytoplasmic globular structures when expressed alone or as a part of the NS3-5B polyprotein. Oil red O staining revealed that these globular structures were lipid droplets, where the HCV core protein was also localized. The association of NS5A with intracellular membrane was further confirmed by membrane flotation analysis. To determine whether NS5A interacts with any cellular lipid-binding protein, we performed yeast two-hybrid screening in both HepG2 and human liver cDNA libraries. Apolipoprotein A1 (apoA1), one of the protein components of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) particles, was identified by two independent screening processes. The interaction between NS5A and apoA1 was confirmed by both in vitro pull-down and in vivo coimmunoprecipitation experiments. Immunofluorescence staining revealed a significant colocalization of NS5A and apoA1 in the Golgi apparatus. Our results established an association of NS5A with lipid droplets and apoA1, suggesting that NS5A, together with the core protein, may play a role in the pathogenesis of the derangement of lipid metabolism, contributing to liver steatosis commonly observed in hepatitis C.
Gravity Waves and Neutrinos: The Later Work of Joseph Weber

How does the physics community deal with the subsequent work of a scientist whose earlier work has been regarded as incorrect? An interesting case of this involves Joseph Weber whose claim to have observed gravitational waves was rejected by virtually all of the physics community, although Weber himself continued to defend his work until his death in 2000. In the course of this defense Weber made a startling suggestion regarding the scattering of neutrinos. I will summarize the history of gravity waves including the rejection of Weber’s claim around 1975, his later work on gravity waves, and examine the reaction of the physics community to his neutrino hypothesis.
On estimation of dynamic friction

Evidence is mounting that friction is a dynamic phenomenon. Three techniques for estimating dynamic friction are presented. The first uses an observer based on a static model; the second uses an observer that tracks the friction force; the third is based on estimation of the friction coefficient of a correct dynamic model. By simulation it is found that the observer that is based on the correct model performs the best, but all are satisfactory. The results indicate that the dynamic effects of friction in control systems can be dealt with effectively. >
Presence and Persistence of Coxiella burnetii in the Environments of Goat Farms Associated with a Q Fever Outbreak

ABSTRACT Q fever is a zoonotic disease caused by inhalation of the bacterium Coxiella burnetii. Ruminant livestock are common reservoirs for C. burnetii, and bacteria present in aerosols derived from the waste of infected animals can infect humans. The significance of infection from material deposited in the environment versus transmission directly from infected animals is not known. In 2011, an outbreak of Q fever cases on farms in Washington and Montana was associated with infected goats. A study was undertaken to investigate the quantity and spatial distribution of C. burnetii in the environment of these goat farms. Soil, vacuum, and sponge samples collected on seven farms epidemiologically linked to the outbreak were tested for the presence of C. burnetii DNA by quantitative PCR. Overall, 70.1% of the samples were positive for C. burnetii. All farms had positive samples, but the quantity of C. burnetii varied widely between samples and between farms. High quantities of C. burnetii DNA were in goat housing/birthing areas, and only small quantities were found in samples collected more than 50 m from these areas. Follow-up sampling at one of the farms 1 year after the outbreak found small quantities of C. burnetii DNA in air samples and large quantities of C. burnetii persisting in soil and vacuum samples. The results suggest that the highest concentrations of environmental C. burnetii are found in goat birthing areas and that contamination of other areas is mostly associated with human movement.
QUANTITATIVE EVALUATION OF Rubus FRUIT ANTHOCYANIN PIGMENTS

The distribution of individual anthocyanin pigments in the fruits of 43 Rubus clones was determined by TLC and densitometry. Quantitative estimates of anthocyanin pigments were based on absorbance at 533 nm. The fruit of all red and black raspberries and blackberries contained cyanidin 3-glucoside. Some blackberries also contained cyanidin 3-rutinoside. Cyanidin 3-rutinoside and cyanidin 3-glucosylrutinoside were also present in most red raspberries. Cyanidin 3-sophoroside was present only in red raspberry and red raspberry hybrids while cyandin 3-sambubioside and cyanidin 3-xylosylrutinoside were found only in black raspberries. R. crataegifolius, R. morifolius, R. illecebrosus and R. parviflorus each contained pelargonidin glycosides as major pigments. Black raspberry had the highest anthocyanin content, over 200 mg/100g of fruit, and red raspberry had the lowest, less than 60 mg/100g. Blackberry was generally intermediate in anthocyanin content between red and black raspberries.
4G, Solution for Convergence?

4G issue has been addressed since 3G disappointed the investor and users and has been getting a lot of attention from both academia society and industry sector as an ultimate solution for ubiquitous mobile broadband service. However, at the same time, 4G has been criticized as a yet another hype by media. In this paper, the 4G definition and its key requirements are discussed and see how it can provide new values and tools to the players in mobile communication ecosystem.
Joint analysis of refractions with surface waves: An inverse solution to the refraction-traveltime problem

We describe a possible solution to the inverse refraction-traveltime problem (IRTP) that reduces the range of possible solutions (nonuniqueness). This approach uses a reference model, derived from surface-wave shear-wave velocity estimates, as a constraint. The application of the joint analysis of refractions with surface waves (JARS) method provided a more realistic solution than the conventional refraction/tomography methods, which did not benefit from a reference model derived from real data. This confirmed our conclusion that the proposed method is an advancement in the IRTP analysis. The unique basic principles of the JARS method might be applicable to other inverse geophysical problems.
Genetic iron chelation protects against proteasome inhibition-induced dopamine neuron degeneration

Impairment of the ubiquitin proteasome system (UPS) and iron accumulation in the substantia nigra (SN) have both been implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD). We previously reported that chemical iron chelation can protect against proteasome inhibitor lactacystin-induced dopamine (DA) neurodegeneration in vivo. Here, we tested potential neuroprotection via genetic expression of the iron chelator human ferritin heavy chain (H-ferritin). We found that overexpression of H-ferritin in DA neurons significantly reduced lactacystin-induced nigral DA neuron loss and striatal DA depletion. Overexpression of H-ferritin also attenuated elevated levels of total and ferrous iron as well as the divalent metal ion transporter 1 (DMT1) in the SN following lactacystin treatment. In addition, overexpression of H-ferritin alleviated the inhibitory effects of lactacystin on proteasome activity in the nigral tissues. These results suggest that H-ferritin exerts neuroprotection possibly by modulating iron homeostasis and restoring proteasome activity.
Sequential Entry of Components of Gene Expression Machinery into Daughter Nuclei

In eukaryotic cells, RNA polymerase II (RNA pol II) transcription and pre-mRNA processing are coordinated events. We have addressed how individual components of the transcription and pre-mRNA processing machinery are organized during mitosis and subsequently recruited into the newly formed daughter nuclei. Interestingly, localization studies of numerous RNA pol II transcription and pre-mRNA processing factors revealed a nonrandom and sequential entry of these factors into daughter nuclei after nuclear envelope/lamina formation. The initiation competent form of RNA pol II and general transcription factors appeared in the daughter nuclei simultaneously, but prior to pre-mRNA processing factors, whereas the elongation competent form of RNA pol II was detected even later. The differential entry of these factors rules out the possibility that they are transported as a unitary complex. Telophase nuclei were competent for transcription and pre-mRNA splicing concomitant with the initial entry of the respective factors. In addition, our results revealed a low turnover rate of transcription and pre-mRNA splicing factors during mitosis. We provide evidence to support a model in which the entry of the RNA pol II gene expression machinery into newly forming daughter nuclei is a staged and ordered process.
Compact Modeling of Variation in FinFET SRAM Cells

FinFET technology is a possible solution to achieve a better power/performance trade-off for SRAM cells. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the variations in FinFET devices, their impact on SRAM stability, and a statistical design procedure for FinFET SRAM cells.
Conformational analysis of 2‐OAryl‐2‐oxo‐4,6‐dimethyl‐ and ‐4‐methyl‐1,3,2λ5‐dioxaphosphorinanes. Spectroscopic, X‐Ray, and solid‐state 13C and 31P studies

Results of IR and 1 H, 13 C, and 31 P NMR studies of the anancomeric title compounds (2‐5) and compound 1 (Scheme 1) are analyzed to search for the existence of high-energy boat or twist-boat conformations in the equatorial epimers. While the difference in frequencies (Dm)P4O between the axial and equatorial compounds and 13 C NMR JPOCC and anti JPOCCH3 values suggest the participation of twist-boat conformations for the equatorial isomers, coupling constants in 1 H NMR JH4H5a or JH6H5a and JH4H5e or JH6H5e of the equatorial isomers 2e‐4e along with the lack of a large 3 JPH in 31 P NMR are consistent with predominant chair conformations. In addition, an X-ray structure of the equatorial 2-p-nitrophenoxy-2-oxo-cis-4,6-dimethyl-1,3,2dioxaphosphorinane (4e) showed that the molecule adopts a chair conformation with no severe ring flattening in the OPO region in the solid state. X-ray structures of trans-4 and trans-5 displayed chair conformations with mild ring flattening especially in the axial methyl region, presumably as a result of the steric
Urine drug screening: practical guide for clinicians.

Drug testing, commonly used in health care, workplace, and criminal settings, has become widespread during the past decade. Urine drug screens have been the most common method for analysis because of ease of sampling. The simplicity of use and access to rapid results have increased demand for and use of immunoassays; however, these assays are not perfect. Falsepositive results of immunoassays can lead to serious medical or social consequences if results are not confirmed by secondary analysis, such as gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. The Department of Health and Human Services’ guidelines for the workplace require testing for the following 5 substances: amphetamines, cannabinoids, cocaine, opiates, and phencyclidine. This article discusses potential false-positive results and false-negative results that occur with immunoassays of these substances and with alcohol, benzodiazepines, and tricyclic antidepressants. Other pitfalls, such as adulteration, substitution, and dilution of urine samples, are discussed. Pragmatic concepts summarized in this article should minimize the potential risks of misinterpreting urine drug screens.
Discrimination of solvent from protein regions in native Fouriers as a means of evaluating heavy-atom solutions in the MIR and MAD methods

An automated examination of the native Fourier is tested as a means of evaluation of a heavy-atom solution in MAD and MIR methods for macromolecular crystallography. It is found that the presence of distinct regions of high and low density variation in electron-density maps is a good indicator of the correctness of a heavy-atom solution in the MIR and MAD methods. The method can be used to evaluate heavy-atom solutions during MAD and MIR structure solutions and to determine the handedness of the structure if anomalous data have been measured.
Longitudinal Prediction of Metabolic Rate in Critically Ill Patients

Background: Indirect calorimetry is the criterion method for assessment of energy expenditure in critically ill patients but is decidedly uncommon. Thus, calculation methods proliferate. Even if indirect calorimetry is available, it usually is not repeated more than weekly on the same patient, creating potential for error. The purpose of the current study was to quantify estimation errors against indirect calorimetry measurements in critically ill patients over time. Methods: In mechanically ventilated, critical care patients, indirect calorimetry was used to measure resting metabolic rate for 7 days. Three estimation methods were compared with the cumulative measurement: the Penn State equations, the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) standard (25 kcal/kg body weight), and an extrapolated value based on the first measurement multiplied by 7 days. Results: The cumulative difference between measured resting metabolic rate and the rate predicted by the Penn State equations was −468 ± 642 kcal (–3.7...
Reduced Heart Rate Variability Is Associated With Worse Cognitive Performance in Elderly Mexican Americans

Reduced heart rate variability is a strong predictor of cardiovascular risk factors, cardiovascular events, and mortality and thus may be associated with cognitive neurodegeneration. Yet, this has been relatively unexplored, particularly in minority populations with high cardiovascular burden. We used data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging to examine the cross-sectional association of reduced heart rate variability with cognitive function among elderly Mexican Americans. A total of 869 participants (mean age, 75 years; 59% women) had their 6-minute heart rate variability measured using an ECG monitor and respiration pacer in response to deep breathing. We used the mean circular resultant, known as R bar, as a measure of heart rate variability and categorized it into quartiles (Q1 to Q4 of R bar: reduced to high heart rate variability). Cognitive function was assessed using the modified Mini-Mental State Examination, a 100-point test of global cognitive function, and the Spanish and English verbal learning test, a 15-point test of verbal memory recall. In fully adjusted linear regression models, participants in quartile 1 had a 4-point lower modified Mini-Mental State Examination score (P<0.01), those in quartile 2 had a 2-point lower score (P=0.04), and those in quartile 3 had a 1-point lower score (P=0.35) compared with those in the highest quartile of R bar. Reduced R bar was not associated with verbal memory. Our results suggest that reduced heart rate variability is associated with worse performance on the test of global cognitive function, above and beyond traditional cardiovascular risk factors.
Creating cascading failure scenarios in interconnected power systems

The reported catastrophic failures of power systems from different geographical parts of the world often point to cascading outage events of system elements that eventually had led to system blackout. Although the initiating events of these cascading failures may, at times, be avoidable by vegetation management or proper protection settings, the occurrence of such an event as well as the eventual impact cannot always be predicted. There is much debate in the industry whether the operator has enough time to apply countermeasures to avoid blackouts. Besides, the process of determining effective countermeasures cannot be deemed accurate unless a system has been extensively studied for the occurrence of widespread blackouts. In this paper, methods to create different cascading failure scenarios are developed under credible contingency conditions. The methods are tested on the 118 bus test system and several cases are reported.
Advanced Medical Accelerator Design

This report describes the design of an advanced medical facility dedicated to charged particle radiotherapy and other biomedical applications of relativistic heavy ions. Project status is reviewed and some technical aspects discussed. Clinical standards of reliability are regarded as essential features of this facility. Particular emphasis is therefore placed on the control system and on the use of technology which will maximize operational efficiency. The accelerator will produce a variety of heavy ion beams from helium to argon with intensities sufficient to provide delivered dose rates of several hundred rad/minute over large, uniform fields. The technical components consist of a linac injector with multiple PIG ion sources, a synchrotron and a versatile beam delivery system. An overview is given of both design philosophy and selected accelerator subsystems. Finally, a plan of the facility is described.