cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Past, Present, and Future: Microbial Mats as Models for Astrobiological Research

Modern microbial mats have long served as tractable model systems for the emerging field of astrobiology. Whether it be the exploration of past, present, or even future ecosystems on Earth and beyond, microbial mats are ideal model communities for fundamental astrobiological research as they can be experimentally manipulated under in situ, in vitro, and in silico conditions. In this chapter, we discuss those microbial mat systems that lend themselves to experimental manipulation under natural and artificial growth conditions. We discuss the role that microbial mat models have played in the search for chemical biosignatures that may ultimately provide diagnostic tools for screening the geologic record of ancient Earth, Mars, or other putative locales for life. We also discuss the role of microbial mats in the evolution of global climate and their potential role as indicators and tools for the present and future regulation of Earth’s climate. Finally, we examine the use of microbial mat ecosystems to elucidate the molecular infrastructure of modern microbial consortia using metagenomic approaches. By understanding the cell-to-cell interactions within microbial consortia at the molecular level, the underlying genetic and biochemical mechanisms needed for the initiation, maintenance, and possibly the evolution of microbial mats can be delineated.
Structure of Synovial Membrane in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Since the investigations of Hueter (1866), Hagen-Torn (1882) and Hammar (1894) the synovial membrane has been regarded as a layer of modified connective tissue cells. Consequently, in contrast to some concepts (Bichat, 1806; Tillmann, 1877; Aschoff, 1919; Kaufman, 1922), the nature of the synovial cells as connective tissue elements is no longer disputed (Franceschini, 1930; Marquart, 1931; Sigurdson, 1956). Function of these cells regarding contribution to synovial fluid and resorption from the synovial is suggested by a dense network of blood and lymph vessels in the subsynovial tissue (Baumecker, 1932; Efskind, 1941; Hidvegi, 1954; Lang, 1958; Ruckes and Schuckmann, 1961/62; Suter and Majno, 1964).
Minerals and Warfare

Civil War troops marching off to battle in 1861 most likely gave no thought to the origin of the weapons they carried or the provisions in their haversacks. But where did the iron come from to make the rifles they shouldered and the cannon, shot, and shell trailing along behind them? And from where was the coal mined that fired the forges and foundries to cast all that ordnance? Whence came the lead bullets in their pouches or the gunpowder that propelled those deadly projectiles or the salt that preserved the meat in their rations? The answer to all these questions is the same—the mineral industries of the North and South. The lead and salt for the Confederate soldiers in all likelihood were taken from extensive deposits in southwestern Virginia, by far the leading source of these commodities in the South. The coal and gunpowder niter probably originated in Virginia as well, which provided more of these mineral products than any other Southern state. Virginia contributed a substantial amount of iron as well, ranking a close second to Alabama, the leading source.
Results of the Measurement and Comparison with Predictions

This chapter presents the final measured cross section with all uncertainties, and compares it against predictions from the JETPHOX Monte Carlo generator.
Comparison of Radial Artery Occlusion Following Transradial Access for Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Using Sheath-based versus Sheathless Technique

We compared the risk of radial artery occlusion (RAO) in patients undergoing coronary intervention with introducer sheath (SG) or without introducer sheath (SLG). 1251 consecutive patients, from 2 tertiary care center in Pennsylvania, USA, undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) between 2008–2013 formed the study cohort (SLG: 161 patients, SG: 1090 patients). Radial artery patency was assessed using plethysmography. The association between sheath use and RAO was assessed using unadjusted, adjusted and propensity macthed logistic regression analyses. Mean age: 65 years, men: 63%, diabetics: 37%. SG was associated with lower RAO at band removal [unadjusted (OR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.21–0.46), adjusted (OR: 0.10, 95% CI: 0.05–0.20) and propensity matched (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.13–0.32)], at 24 hours [unadjusted (OR: 0.20, 95% CI: 0.12–0.34), adjusted (OR: 0.12, 95% CI: 0.06–0.24) and propensity matched (OR: 0.13, 95% CI: 0.07–0.25)] and 30 days [unadjusted (OR: 0.28, 95% CI: 0.14–0.54), adjusted (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.10–0.50) and propensity matched (OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.10–0.40)], compared to SLG. Sheath use during radial access for PCI is associated with less RAO. It is unclear if use of introducer sheath during radial access for PCI reduces incidence of RAO. In this prospective cohort study involving 1251 concecutive patients undergoing PCI via radial access between 2008–2013, we assessed the difference in incidence of RAO between the SG (n = 1090) and the SLG (n = 161 patients) groups. SG group experienced lower incidence of RAO at band removal, 24 hours and 30 days post PCI in the unadjusted, adjusted, and propensity matched analyses compared to the SLG group. In conclusion sheath use during radial access for PCI is associated with less RAO.
Outcomes after splenectomy in children: a 48-year population-based study.

In children who have undergone splenectomy, there may be impaired immunologic function and an increased risk of infection. We aimed to define the long-term rate of and risk factors for post-splenectomy infection using a population-based cohort study. All children (< 18 years) who underwent splenectomy from 1966 to 2011 in Olmsted County, MN were identified using the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP). Descriptive statistics, Kaplan–Meier estimates, and Cox Proportional hazard ratios were performed to evaluate for risk factors associated with developing infection. Ninety patients underwent splenectomy and 46% were female. Indications included trauma (42%), benign hematologic disease (33%), malignancy (13%), and other (11%). Most were performed open. Vaccination was completed in (72%) for pneumococcal, H. influenza, and meningococcal vectors. Nineteen patients developed infection, and associated factors included non-traumatic, non-malignant disease [HR 4.83 (1.18–19.85)], and performance of multiple surgical procedures [HR 2.80 (1.09–7.21)]. Estimated survival free of infection rates at 15 and 20 years following surgery was both 97%. After splenectomy in children, most patients do not develop infection. Nearly three-quarters of patients were vaccinated with the lowest rates in patients that underwent a splenectomy for trauma. In patients who received multiple procedures during a splenectomy, the infection risk was higher.
Gender-specific predictors of methadone treatment outcomes among African Americans at an urban clinic.

Background: African American patients with opioid use disorder (OUD) have demonstrated poorer methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) outcomes compared with white patients. This issue is further comp...
Optical power limiters based on intersubband polaritonic metasurfaces

We present a novel class of power limiting polaritonic metasurfaces exploiting saturable intersubband absorption in semiconductor quantum wells coupled to plasmonic resonators. Power limiting is experimentally verified and the metasurface performance limits are theoretically analyzed.
DPM: A deep learning PDE augmentation method (with application to large-eddy simulation)

Machine learning for scientific applications faces the challenge of limited data. We propose a framework that leverages a priori known physics to reduce overfitting when training on relatively small datasets. A deep neural network is embedded in a partial differential equation (PDE) that expresses the known physics and learns to describe the corresponding unknown or unrepresented physics from the data. Crafted as such, the neural network can also provide corrections for erroneously represented physics, such as discretization errors associated with the PDE's numerical solution. Once trained, the deep learning PDE model (DPM) can make out-of-sample predictions for new physical parameters, geometries, and boundary conditions. Our approach optimizes over the functional form of the PDE. Estimating the embedded neural network requires optimizing over the entire PDE, which itself is a function of the neural network. Adjoint partial differential equations are used to efficiently calculate the high-dimensional gradient of the objective function with respect to the neural network parameters. A stochastic adjoint method (SAM), similar in spirit to stochastic gradient descent, further accelerates training. The approach is demonstrated and evaluated for turbulence predictions using large-eddy simulation (LES), a filtered version of the Navier--Stokes equation containing unclosed sub-filter-scale terms. The DPM outperforms the widely-used constant-coefficient and dynamic Smagorinsky models, even for filter sizes so large that these established models become qualitatively incorrect. It also significantly outperforms a priori trained models, which do not account for the full PDE. A relaxation of the discrete enforcement of the divergence-free constraint is also considered, instead allowing the DPM to approximately enforce incompressibility physics.
Adversity profiles among court-involved youth: Translating system data into trauma-responsive programming

Abstract Background Court-involved youth have high levels of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which can impact functioning in adolescence and throughout adulthood. Yet there is limited research to help clinicians translate these histories into trauma-responsive programming guidelines. Objective This manuscript utilizes data that is routinely collected to inform practitioners about how to utilize trauma histories to inform program and practice decisions. Methods This study used administrative data with a diverse sample of medium- to high-risk youth on probation (N = 5,378) to examine how ACE clusters, identified through Latent Class Analysis, evinced differential treatment needs across multiple domains. Results Six identified classes – Low All, Parental Incarceration, Parental Health Problems, High Conflict, High Maltreatment, and High All – were assessed for differences in self-regulation, mental health, substance use, academic functioning, family/social resources, and behavioral problems. Classes varied significantly on all assessed domains, indicating differential needs for effective interventions to interrupt negative trajectories. Conclusions Utilizing existing data in a real-world setting and addressing challenges and barriers in real-time can help bring research evidence to practice. In addition to juvenile justice settings, we conclude with discussion of ways that allied community based services in schools, youth programming, and family services can benefit from awareness of these youth adversity profiles.
Searching for a Sign: CEO Successor Selection in the Wake of Corporate Misconduct:

We theorize about board decision making by introducing image theory, a descriptive theory of selection for decisions of more than routine importance, to research on CEO successor selection. We cont...
Impact of UVB Radiation on Langerhans Cells: In Vitro Studies Using XS52 Cell Line

The immunologic impact of cutaneous exposure to UVB radiation has been the subject of extensive investigation, leading to several different hypotheses concerning the identity of photoreceptors and mechanisms of action.1,2. Recent studies have examined: a) relevant chromophores, e.g., plasma membrane-associated molecules, trans-urocanic acid, and DNA, 3-5 b) initial molecular events, e.g., generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), activation of transcription factors, receptor dimerization, photoisomerization of urocanic acid, and DNA damage, 4-7 and c) subsequent alterations in cellular function, e.g., altered production of cytokines, induced apoptosis, and modulated expression of adhesion molecules. 8-12
Remembering and Forgetting

In its most common usage, the word memory refers to an assemblage of mental representations of past experience. To study memory from this point of view is to study the structures and processes that have evolved to store and manipulate these representations. In its behavior-analytic sense, by contrast, memory refers not to static mental entities but to the potential to manifest in behavior the effects of past experience. To study memory from this point of view is to study behavior that reflects a previously presented stimulus (i.e., remembering) or the loss of that kind of stimulus control (i.e., forgetting). The vast majority of memory research with humans has been performed with the former interpretation in mind, but many of the techniques developed in that literature are well-suited to the behavioral analysis of remembering and forgetting as well.
SU-E-J-184: Volumetric Indices to Aid Definition of Respiratory Gates with Particular Reference to Lung Stereotactic Body Radiotherapy (SBRT)

Purpose: Conventional definition of respiratory gates relies on tumor motion determination in limited planes. We are proposing a new method to define the RPM gates in a consistent manner ensuring that the tumor motion is restricted to 4 mm in 3D for lung SBRT patients. The method relies on studying the ratio of volumes obtained by GTVnn intersection with GTV50+2mm margin and GTVnn where GTVnn is the GTV volume in phase nn (=0,10,30.) while GTV50+2mm is a pseudo structure created by adding an isotropic margin of 2mm to GTV50. If for any phase nn, above ratio equals 1, it ensures that the tumor motion is ≤ ±2 mm in 3D from GTV50. Methods: This method was tested for 50 patients (14-Central, 36-peripheral) to determine the RPM gates which were then compared with the gates used clinically. The minimum cut-off value of the above coefficient for its inclusion of a phase in RPM gate was taken as 0.97 for central and 0.95 for peripheral tumors. Results: 15 (30%) of the patients did not require any change in the RPM gates w.r.t. gates defined using conventional motion assessment methods. In 15(30%) cases, the RPM gates could have been smaller while in remainingmore » 20 patients, gates could have been larger. 5(/14) patient’s central tumors and 10 (/36) peripheral tumors did not need any gate change. 8(/50) patients could have RPM gate change of 30% while 10(/50) could have a gate change of up to 20%. 10, 20 & 30% RPM gate change could have happened for 11, 10 & 9 patients, respectively. Conclusion: Proposed volumetric indices based method allows a consistent, scientific and objective method to decide optimal RPM gates which is free from any inter or intra person variability and satisfies the tumor motion limits as defined by AAPM TG-76 in totality.« less
Mass spectral methods of chiral analysis

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses mass spectrometry (MS) technique. It also emphasizes that mass spectrometry, especially tandem mass spectrometry, provides several unique analytical advantages for quantitative chiral analysis. These include intrinsically high sensitivity, molecular specificity, and tolerance to impurities, and the simplicity and speed of the mass spectrometric measurement. The limitation of MS chiral analysis is poor in applicability to samples <1% “ee”. This methodology has the potential to be applied into many fields. The three point interaction used for gas-phase chiral recognition is useful in the exploration of stereoselective ion channel-chiral drug interactions. Such interactions give rise to quantitative differences in stereoselectivity that can be utilized for the better understanding of different pharmacological effects of chiral drugs in different forms of enantiomers..
Identification of the primary caspase 3 cleavage site in alpha II-spectrin during apoptosis.

Alpha II-spectrin is one of the major proteins responsible for maintaining the cytoskeletal integrity of the cell. The caspase 3-mediated cleavage of alpha II-spectrin during apoptotic cell death may play an important role in altering membrane stability and the formation of apoptotic bodies. In this study, we identified the primary caspase 3 cleavage site in alpha II-spectrin. We found that the transcriptional inhibitor, actinomycin D, induced caspase 3 activation and that caspase 3 activation is coincident with the cleavage of alpha II-spectrin protein at a primary cleavage site. Deletion analysis and site directed mutagenesis identified the primary cleavage site in alpha II spectrin at amino acid 1185 (DETD). The primary caspase 3 cleavage site in alpha II spectrin is conserved in immature and mature B cells. Our results indicate that alpha II-spectrin is initially cleaved at a caspase 3 consensus site and this primary event likely alters the structural conformation of the protein exposing subsequent cleavage sites and altering cytoskeletal integrity. Identification of the primary cleavage site for caspase 3 may help to elucidate the role of alpha II-spectrin in membrane stability and apoptosis as well as provide new insights into alpha II-spectrin autoantibody formation associated with the autoimmune disease, Sjogren's syndrome.
The time sequence of early events in the fertilization of sea urchin eggs: I. The latent period and the cortical reaction☆

Abstract 1. 1. The existence and duration of a latent period of fertilization has been established by a double interruption method. The Hagstrom method for determining fertilization rate has been used to ascertain the time of successful sperm attachment in a population of eggs. Eggs from the same population were fixed in formalin to determine when cortical granule breakdown began and ended. 2. 2. A latent period of about 17 seconds (12–22 seconds) before the beginning of the cortical reaction was found in eggs of Psammechinus fertilized at 20 °C. Values of 17–23 seconds were found for the egg of Arbacia at 22 °C. Duration of the cortical reaction was about 20 seconds in two experiments and 24.5–26 seconds in a third with Psammechinus eggs. 3. 3. Temperature coefficients for the latent period suggested that processes occurring during this time were limited by chemical reactions, while the conduction of the cortical reaction (granule breakdown) is very likely limited by diffusion. 4. 4. Sodium periodate (10−5 M) caused a 7–10 per cent decrease in the duration of the latent period. 5. 5. Penetration of the spermatozoon apparently takes longer than previously believed. Sperm heads had only partially penetrated in eggs fixed about 35 seconds after sperm attachment. 6. 6. The extensive latent period found requires that the egg have some polyspermy-preventing mechanism more rapid than the cortical reaction; some possibilities are discussed.
Cutting Edge: Salmonella AvrA Effector Inhibits the Key Proinflammatory, Anti-Apoptotic NF-κB Pathway

Secreted prokaryotic effector proteins have evolved to modulate the cellular functions of specific eukaryotic hosts. Generally, these proteins are considered virulence factors that facilitate parasitism. However, in certain plant and insect eukaryotic/prokaryotic relationships, effector proteins are involved in the establishment of commensal or symbiotic interactions. In this study, we report that the AvrA protein from Salmonella typhimurium, a common enteropathogen of humans, is an effector molecule that inhibits activation of the key proinflammatory NF-kappaB transcription factor and augments apoptosis in human epithelial cells. This activity is similar but mechanistically distinct from that described for YopJ, an AvrA homolog expressed by the bacterial pathogen Yersinia. We suggest that AvrA may limit virulence in vertebrates in a manner analogous to avirulence factors in plants, and as such, is the first bacterial effector from a mammalian pathogen that has been ascribed such a function.
'How do you know what Aunt Martha looks like?' A video elicitation study exploring tacit clues in doctor–patient interactions

Rationale and objectives Theory suggests that tacit clues inform clinical judgements, but the prevalence and role of tacit clues during clinical interactions is unknown. This study explored whether doctors and patients identify information likely to be tacit clues or judgements based on tacit clues during health maintenance examinations. Methods Qualitative analysis of video elicitation interview transcripts involving 18 community-based primary care doctors and 36 patients. Outcomes were description and analysis of tacit clues and judgements based on tacit clues mentioned by participants. Results A total of 57 references to tacit clues and 53 references to judgements based on tacit clues were identified from patient and doctor transcripts. Non-verbal behaviours comprised the most common category of tacit clues (53% of doctor comments; 42% of patient comments). Patients mostly discussed judgements based on tacit clues that related to the doctor–patient relationship. Doctors discussed actively using non-verbal behaviours to provide patients with tacit clues about the doctor–patient relationship. They also mentioned tacit clues that informed medical judgements and decision making. Gestalt judgements based on tacit clues were common (33% of doctor comments). Several participants identified instances in which they had difficulty articulating their rationale for specific judgements. Doctors varied widely in how frequently they mentioned tacit clues. Conclusion During video elicitation interviews, patients and doctors identified tacit clues and judgements based on these clues as playing a role during health maintenance examinations. Future research should further elucidate the role of tacit clues in medical judgements and doctor–patient relationships.
Probabilistic graphical models in modern social network analysis

The advent and availability of technology has brought us closer than ever through social networks. Consequently, there is a growing emphasis on mining social networks to extract information for knowledge and discovery. However, methods for social network analysis (SNA) have not kept pace with the data explosion. In this review, we describe directed and undirected probabilistic graphical models (PGMs), and highlight recent applications to social networks. PGMs represent a flexible class of models that can be adapted to address many of the current challenges in SNA. In this work, we motivate their use with simple and accessible examples to demonstrate the modeling and connect to theory. In addition, recent applications in modern SNA are highlighted, including the estimation and quantification of importance, propagation of influence, trust (and distrust), link and profile prediction, privacy protection, and news spread through microblogging. Applications are selected to demonstrate the flexibility and predictive capabilities of PGMs in SNA. Finally, we conclude with a discussion of challenges and opportunities for PGMs in social networks.
Controversies in Implicit Race Bias Research

Advances in measurement have allowed researchers to empirically distinguish between explicit attitudes, which are conscious and controllable, and implicit attitudes, which are activated automatically without cognitive effort or even awareness. Researchers using these methods have shown that although survey data reveal unprecedented declines in Americans’ expressions of overtly racist attitudes, most Americans continue to harbor an implicit pro-White bias relative to other racial minority groups. This research has generated a great deal of controversy. The primary focus of the controversy has been on the findings that have come out of studies using the Implicit Association Test or IAT – a response-time computer software program that records the speed with which positive and negative evaluations of different racial groups come to mind. This paper addresses the following questions that continue to divide researchers: (1) What does the IAT measure? (2) How do implicit attitudes as measured by the IAT relate to people’s race-related judgments and behaviors? (3) What are the political and legal implications of being able to measure implicit racial bias?
Peer mentorship to promote physical activity among cancer survivors: effects on quality of life.

Objective Physical activity (PA) adoption can improve quality of life (QOL) and related outcomes among breast cancer survivors. To disseminate a telephone-based PA intervention to cancer survivors, we partnered with the American Cancer Society's Reach To Recovery program (RTR) whose volunteers (breast cancer survivors) provide information and emotional support to breast cancer survivors. Method This randomized controlled trial compared the effects of PA telephone counseling delivered by RTR volunteers (PA Plus RTR) versus a contact control condition (RTR Control) in six New England states. RTR volunteers (n = 18; mean age = 54.9 years, mean years since breast cancer diagnosis = 7.0) delivered a 12-week PA program to help participants adopt 30 min of moderate-intensity activity ≥5 days/week. Breast cancer survivors (n = 76; mean age = 55.62 years, mean years since diagnosis = 1.11, Stage 0 = 6.58%, Stage 1 = 38.16%, Stage 2 = 44.74%, Stage 3 = 10.53%) were randomized to a study group. Results Using a series of generalized linear models, we assessed intervention effects on physical health, physical functioning, mental health, fatigue, and QOL at 12 and 24 weeks, and examined whether these effects were moderated by age, marital status, chemotherapy use, and baseline values of the outcomes. There were no significant intervention effects on the outcomes but there were significant moderator effects of age, chemotherapy use, and baseline physical functioning, physical health, and breast cancer-specific symptoms (all p's < .05). Conclusions Specific demographic and treatment variables and baseline psychosocial health moderate the impact of PA interventions on QOL. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Faber Polynomial Coefficients of Classes of Meromorphic Bistarlike Functions

Applying the Faber polynomial coefficient expansions to certain classes of meromorphic bistarlike functions, we demonstrate the unpredictability of their early coefficients and also obtain general coefficient estimates for such functions subject to a given gap series condition. Our results improve some of the coefficient bounds published earlier.
Comparison of particle mass and number emissions from a diesel transit bus across temporal and spatial scales

This study analyzes particle number and mass emission rates measured from the exhaust of a 2002 diesel transit bus in real-world driving conditions. The dynamics of the particle number and mass emission rates are examined at resolved temporal and spatial scales across an urban arterial, a rural arterial and a divided freeway. Time-based particle number and mass emission rates were highest on the freeway, but the distance-based particle emission rates of emission/km at “hot-spots” for exposure assessment for selected 50-m road segments occurred at intersections when the bus accelerated from a stop or traveled up high grades. Comparisons of particle mass and number emission rates between idling and acceleration indicate that unless the bus is extending idling for several minutes, public exposure to bus particle emissions near bus stops can be mainly attributed to accelerations. Generally, particle number and mass emissions rates are highly correlated both temporally and spatially. Some deviations occur because particle mass emissions are highly elevated during sustained fueling events such as traveling on high grades and during sustained accelerations, while particle number emissions are more sensitive to fuel and engine speed fluctuations.
Classification of Learning Outcomes: Evidence from the Computer Games Literature.

Following up on an earlier issue of The Curriculum Journal (Vol. 16, No. 1), this article focuses on learning outcomes in the context of video games. Learning outcomes are viewed from two theoretical frameworks: Kirkpatrick's levels of evaluation and the CRESST model of learning. These are used to analyse the outcomes claimed in journal articles that report empirical work, indicating the usefulness of the frameworks, and the necessity to consider the role of affective learning. The article ends with some comments on the relationship of instructional design to effective games and learning outcomes.
Disparate fluorescence properties of 2-[4'-(iodoacetamido)anilino]-naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid attached to Cys-84 and Cys-35 of troponin C in cardiac muscle troponin.

Two monocysteine mutants of cardiac muscle troponin C, cTnC(C35S) and cTnC(C84S), were genetically generated and labeled with the fluorescent probe 2-[4′-(iodoacetamido)anilino]naphthalene-6-sulfonic acid (IAANS) at Cys-84 and Cys-35, respectively. Cys-84 is located on helix D in the regulatory N-domain, and Cys-35 is at the -y position of the inactive 12-residue loop of site I. These labeled mutants were studied by a variety of steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence methods. In the absence of divalent cation, the fluorescence of the attached IAANS indicated an exposed environment at Cys-35 and a relatively less-exposed environment at Cys-84. The binding of Ca2+ to the single regulatory site elicited a large enhancement of the emission of IAANS attached to Cys-84, but only marginal fluorescence changes of the probe at Cys-35. Upon reconstitution of the labeled cTnC mutants with troponin I and troponin T to form the three-subunit troponin, the fluorescence of IAANS-Cys-84 in apo-troponin was spectrally similar to that observed with the Ca2+-loaded uncomplexed cTnC mutant. Only very moderate changes in the fluorescence of IAANS-Cys-84 were observed when the regulatory site in reconstituted troponin was saturated. The exposed Cys-35 environment of the uncomplexed cTnC mutant became considerably less exposed and less polar when the mutant was incorporated into apo-troponin. In contrast to the Cys-84 site, saturation of the regulatory site II by Ca2+ in reconstituted troponin resulted in a reversal of the environment of the Cys-35 site toward a more exposed and more polar environment. These results indicated involvement of the inactive loop I in the Ca2+ trigger mechanism in cardiac muscle. The fluorescence of IAANS at both Cys-84 and Cys-35 was sensitive to phosphorylation of cTnI in reconstituted troponin, and the sensitivity was observed with both apo-troponin and Ca2+-loaded troponin.
The sperm chromatin structure assay: A review of clinical applications

Abstract The sperm chromatin structure assay (SCSA) was introduced by Evenson in 1980 as a method to determine the susceptibility of sperm DNA to denaturation and how those results related to fertility. This initial study used human sperm and was followed by studies in bulls Ballachey et al., 1987 , Ballachey et al., 1988 and boars [Evenson, D.P., Thompson, L., Jost, L., 1994. Flow cytometric evaluation of boar semen by the sperm chromatin structure assay as related to cryopreservation and fertility. Theriogenology 41, 637–651] . This assay was one of the first to introduce the technique of flow cytometry, which has the ability to evaluate specific sperm compartments of large numbers of sperm in a short time, as a methodology to evaluate sperm quality and further define the relationship of sperm quality to fertility. For any assay to be of use clinically, it must not only be validated and adapted for the species of interest, but guidelines that associate specific levels of fertility with assay results must be defined. This review will describe how our laboratory uses the SCSA for clinical diagnosis of reduced fertility in the stallion.
Reduction of manganese micronodule distribution in the South Pacific during the last three million years

Abstract Analysis of the accumulation rate of manganese micronodules in twenty-three cores from the Bellinghausen Basin in the South Pacific reveals an increase in rates in successively older time periods. The lowest mean accumulation rate occurs in the Brunhes (0−0.7 m.y.) with a narrow zone of highest rates which is restricted to an area previously described as a zone of high bottom current activity. Accumulation rates increased during the Matuyama (0.7−2.43 m.y.) and the zone of highest rates at approximately 62°S widened along an east—west axis. Highest manganese micronodule accumulation rates occurred during the Gauss (2.43−3.32 m.y.) when the entire Bellinghausen Basin was within the zone of highest rates. We interpret the reduction of this zone of high manganese micronodule rates as evidence of waning bottom current activity during the last three million years. Alternative explanations of the down-core increase in manganese micronodule concentration may be a remobilization of manganese during diagenesis in a reducing environment below the seafloor or a change in manganese availability. Our results, however, are inconsistent with these mechanisms since we observe synchronous marked decreases in accumulation rates in widely spaced cores with widely different sedimentation rates suggesting a time control rather than depth of burial, or diagenic, control. These synchronous decreases occur in the mid-Matuyama and the Early Brunhes which are interpreted as times of major decreases in bottom current activity superimposed on a trend of decreasing currents over the past three million years.
Angular momentum in molecular quantum mechanical integral evaluation

Abstract Solid-harmonic derivatives of quantum-mechanical integrals over Gaussian transforms of scalar, or radial, atomic basis functions create angular momentum about each center. Generalized Gaunt coefficients limit the amount of cross differentiation for multi-center integrals to ensure that cross differentiation does not affect the total angular momentum. The generalized Gaunt coefficients satisfy a number of other selection rules, which are exploited in a new computer code for computing forces in analytic density-functional theory based on robust and variational fitting of the Kohn–Sham potential. Two-center exponents are defined for four or more solid-harmonic differentiations of matrix elements. Those differentiations can either build up angular momentum about the centers or give forces on molecular potential-energy surfaces, thus generalized Gaunt coefficients of order greater than the number of centers are considered. These 4- j generalized Gaunt coefficients and two-center exponents are used to compute the first derivatives of all integrals involving all the Gaussian exponents on a triplet of centers at once. First all angular factors are contracted with the corresponding part of the linear-combination-of-atomic-orbitals density matrix. This intermediate quantity is then reused for the nuclear attraction integral and the integrals corresponding to each basis function in the analytic fit of the Kohn–Sham potential in the muffin-tin-like, but analytic, Slater–Roothaan method that allows molecules to dissociate into atoms having any desired energy, including the experimental electronic energy. The energy is stationary in all respects and all forces precisely agree with a previous code in tests on small molecules. During geometry optimization of an icosahedral C 720 fullerene computing these angular factors and transforming them via the 4- j generalized Gaunt coefficient takes more than sixty percent of the total computer time. These same angular factors could be used in identical fashion with Gaussian transforms of Slater-type and numerical radial atomic orbitals.
Concurrent learning adaptive control for linear switched systems

A concurrent learning adaptive control architecture for uncertain linear switched dynamical systems is presented. Like other concurrent learning adaptive control architectures, the adaptive weight update law uses both recorded and current data concurrently for adaptation. In addition, a verifiable condition on the linear independence of the recorded data is shown to be sufficient to guarantee global exponential stability and adaptive weight convergence. Furthermore, it is shown that the recorded data eventually meets this condition after a system switch without any additional excitation from the exogenous reference input or knowledge of the switching signal if there is sufficient time in between switches. That is, after a switch, the system will be automatically excited and sufficiently rich data will be recorded. As a result, data that is irrelevant to the current subsystem will be overwritten. Thus, reference model tracking error and adaptive weight error will eventually become globally exponential stable for all switched subsystems. Numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed architecture.
Two-dimensional fluid-structure impact computations with regularization

Abstract A regularization procedure is developed for treating impact of a deformable structure with an incompressible fluid. This procedure ameliorates the spurious noise which accompany the discrete impacts of nodes associated with the continuous growth of the wetted surface. The regularization procedure has been implemented in a coupled form of two programs: WHAMS, a two-dimensional, nonlinear finite element program and SOLA, an incompressible, finite difference program. Results are presented for impact of a cylindrical shell into a quiescent pool of water and compared to experiments for various impact velocities.
Analysis of ball indentation

Abstract Computation of the elastic-plastic solution of ball indentation was carried out by the finite-element method. The computed load-displacement curve, plastic zone development and indentation pressures were in good agreement with those obtained experimentally with heat-treated steel SAE4340. Furthermore, Tabor's relationship for representative strains was examined, and the contact pressure distributions was found to resemble closely that obtained by Ishlinsky with the slip-line method.
Murine retroviral disease-enhancing effects of a pyrimidinone immunomodulator.

Abstract (B10.A × A/WySn)F1 mice, infected with the Friend virus (FV) complex, were used as a predictive therapeutic model for AIDS. These infected mice exhibit many of the viral and immunologic manifestations of AIDS. Bropirimine (2-amino-5-bromo-6-phenyl-4[3H]pyrimidinone, ABPP) is an immunomodulating compound which has been shown to inhibit other viral infections. Oral (per os treatment) dosages of ABPP ranging from 50 to 400 mg/kg/day for 3 days resulted in increased numbers of infectious centers in the infected mice and increased splenomegaly and percentage of Ig+ (B cells) in spleens of infected and uninfected mice. Decreased percentages of total Thy-1.2+ (total T) cells and L3T4+ (T-helper) cells were seen in both uninfected and infected mice and a slightly decreased percentage of Ly-2+ (T-suppressor/cytotoxic) cells was observed in spleens of the infected mice. No effect on Ly2+ cells in spleens of uninfected mice was found. Intraperitoneal injection, single or multiple, of 20–200 mg/kg ABPP prior to FV injection resulted in increased spleen weights but had no effect on numbers of infectious centers in the spleens or on FV antibody titers in the plasma. Intraperitoneal treatment of uninfected mice with ABPP resulted in slight or no changes in percentages of Thy-1.2+, L3T4+ and Ly-2+ cells. Mice receiving multiple exposures of ABPP had an increase in percentage of splenic B cells and a depressed response to the T cell mitogen PHA. Treatment with ABPP induced the production of interferon (IFN); however, a state of hyporesponsive IFN production was seen following multiple administrations of ABPP. These data suggest that the immunomodulator ABPP may have an enhancing effect on this retroviral disease.
Subnanometer Palladium Particles Synthesized by Atomic Layer Deposition

Monodispersed palladium nanoparticle catalysts were synthesized by atomic layer deposition (ALD) using alternating exposures of Pd hexafluoroacetylacetonate (Pd(hfac)2) and formalin on an alumina s...
Design of a high temperature cavity receiver for residential scale concentrated solar power

Abstract A scalable and modular solar thermal dish-Brayton system is proposed in response to growing demand for renewable energy and distributed power generation. The operating temperature of materials limits the conversion efficiency of existing Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) systems, rendering small-scale systems for residential use too expensive to be marketed. This work proposes a low cost, high efficiency solar receiver as the core of a dish-Brayton CSP system with the capability to achieve much higher operating temperatures than existing receivers. The proposed receiver is fabricated from silicon carbide for its high absorptivity and thermal conductivity. The manufacturing process consists of a simple casting and sintering procedure called co-firing. A heat exchanger is integrated into the walls of the receiver, taking advantage of the high thermal conductivity of silicon carbide. The entire solar energy receiver is designed to heat air up to 1500 K, which is found to be the optimal operating temperature for the proposed output and practical component selection. This operating temperature improves energy conversion efficiency over concentrated solar power generation based on 1270 K by 20%. The optimization of the operating temperature for residential scale, along with experimental test results on a scaled device, is presented.
EEG sleep in young depressives: First and second night effects

Abstract The sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) of young, drug-free, recurrently depressed outpatients was analyzed for 2 nights and was compared to age-matched controls using a variety of standard and computerizedmeasures of sleep activity. On the first night, young depressives showed significantly greater difficulty in falling asleep and decreased sleep efficiency. Sleep architecture differences between the young depressives and controls were highlighted by increased percentages of Stage 2 sleep and major decreases in Stages 3 and 4 (delta wave) sleep among the depressives, as indicated by either period analyses or spectral analysis. The greatest differences in delta wave activity during night I were found in the first two (non-rapid eye movement (NREM) periods as measured by period analysis (NREM period 1 , p NREM period 2 , p taverage delta wave count) or by spectral analysis for the first 100 min of sleep (0.5–2.0 Hz). In contrast to the NREM sleep findings, various REM variables, including REM latency did not significantly distinguish the two subject groups for either night 1 or 2. Stepwise discriminant analysis demonstrated that night 1 sleep latency and delta wave counts during the second NREM period correctly classified 100% of all 16 individuals studied. The only differences between the young depressed patients and controls that remained on night 2 were significant reductions in slow-wave sleep as quantified by the computerized methods. Taken together, these findings suggest that the EEG response of young outpatients to the first night's stay in a sleep laboratory may be a useful tool for the diagnosis of depression in this age group. In addition, the use of computerized methods in this study point to an underlying deficit in delta sleep waveforms as being a prominent feature of the sleep of young depressed subjects .
Comparison of the performance of flow‐routing algorithms used in GIS‐based hydrologic analysis

Flow direction and specific catchment area were calculated for different flow-routing algorithms using TAPES-G and TauDEM. A fuzzy classification was used along with eight topo–climatic attributes to delineate six landscape classes from a 10-m USGS DEM. A series of maps and tabular outputs were produced to compare flow-routing predictions in different parts of the study area in the Santa Monica Mountains of southern California. The matched pair t-test was used to compare the performance of pairs of specific catchment area grids across six user-defined fuzzy landscape classes. The results show that (1) the ‘source’ cells predicted with the D∞, DEMON, and FD8 algorithms were confined to hilltops; (2) two single flow-routing algorithms (Rho8, D8) produced poor results; and (3) the choice of flow-routing algorithm has potentially important consequences for the calculation of upslope contributing areas, sediment transport capacity, topographic wetness, and several other topographic indices. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Nonisothermal polymeric fluids

The phase-space kinetic theory for polymeric liquid mixtures has been further developed for molecular models without internal constraints. The theory provides expressions for the mass, momentum, and energy fluxes, each of which may in general be influenced by concentration, velocity, and temperature gradients. To illustrate the use of these results, the thermal conductivity for a dilute polymer solution is derived; the FENE dumbbell model is used to describe the mechanical behavior of the polymer chains. The Hookean dumbbell results can be obtained by letting the “finite extensibility parameter” b tend to infinity.
Location of the maize plant with machine vision

An investigation of the feasibility of using machine vision to locate maize plants is reported. This paper presents an approach which was developed to locate the centre of the maize plant using a camera from a top view of plants. The centre of a plant was located by executing sequentially two image processing algorithms. Maize plants were first identified using an algorithm which detected a local feature of maize leaves, namely main veins of the leaf. Detection was based on the difference of reflectance properties between main veins and leaves. The centres of the plants were located using a centre locating algorithm by tracing and extending each detected vein line and evaluating the centre of the plant from intersection points of those lines. Two approaches to locate the height of the maize plant using a camera from top and side views of plants respectively are proposed and discussed briefly.
Reaction of cyanide with hydroxamic acid iron complexes to distinguish trihydroxamates from simple monohydroxamates

Abstract At high pH primary hydroxamic acid-iron complexes react rapidly with potassium cyanide to yield a deep blue iron complex. Secondary, or N-substituted, monohydroxamic acid-iron complexes also react with loss of the red color typical of these complexes but with no formation of the blue product. Under the same conditions, trihydroxamates do not react at a significant rate. The blue complex is similar in many respects to the previously described Fe(CN)5NO3− but is noteworthy in its stability to oxidation and extremely high pH. Lack of formation of the blue complex with secondary hydroxamates is attributed to the absence of inorganic hydroxylamine so that the nitrosyl group cannot be formed. Lack of reactivity of siderophore trihydroxamates is due to the much greater stability of their iron complexes. The reaction is a simple, convenient method of distinguishing primary, secondary, and siderophore trihydroxamic acids.
Internal Evidence of Bias in the PPVT-R for Anglo-American and Mexican-American Children.

Abstract This study examines item bias on Forms L and M of the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-Revised(PPVT-R) for a sample of Anglo-American and Mexican-American children. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) were employed to assess item bias as defined by items X ethnicity interactions. Follow-up analyses were performed using a Bonferroni-type procedure on individual item contrasts. Bias as measured by differences in item difficulty was found in both groups; however, there was no clear pattern of items that were more difficult for either group. The small number of items that were more difficult for one ethnic group than for the other, coupled with the high reliability of performance overall for both groups, suggest that bias in content of the PPVT-R is minimal.