cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cryoelectron Microscopy Analysis of Small Heat Shock Protein 16.5 (Hsp16.5) Complexes with T4 Lysozyme Reveals the Structural Basis of Multimode Binding

Small heat shock proteins (sHSPs) are ubiquitous chaperones that bind and sequester non-native proteins preventing their aggregation. Despite extensive studies of sHSPs chaperone activity, the location of the bound substrate within the sHSP oligomer has not been determined. In this paper, we used cryoelectron microscopy (cryoEM) to visualize destabilized mutants of T4 lysozyme (T4L) bound to engineered variants of the small heat shock protein Hsp16.5. In contrast to wild type Hsp16.5, binding of T4L to these variants does not induce oligomer heterogeneity enabling cryoEM analysis of the complexes. CryoEM image reconstruction reveals the sequestration of T4L in the interior of the Hsp16.5 oligomer primarily interacting with the buried N-terminal domain but also tethered by contacts with the α-crystallin domain shell. Analysis of Hsp16.5-WT/T4L complexes uncovers oligomer expansion as a requirement for high affinity binding. In contrast, a low affinity mode of binding is found to involve T4L binding on the outer surface of the oligomer bridging the formation of large complexes of Hsp16.5. These mechanistic principles were validated by cryoEM analysis of an expanded variant of Hsp16.5 in complex with T4L and Hsp16.5-R107G, which is equivalent to a mutant of human αB-crystallin linked to cardiomyopathy. In both cases, high affinity binding is found to involve conformational changes in the N-terminal region consistent with a central role of this region in substrate recognition.
Evolution of multi-well pad development and influence of well pads on environmental violations and wastewater volumes in the Marcellus shale (USA).

A majority of well pads for unconventional gas wells that are drilled into the Marcellus shale (northeastern USA) consist of multiple wells (in some cases as many as 12 wells per pad), yet the influence of the evolution of well pad development on the extent of environmental violations and wastewater production is unknown. Although the development of multi-well pads (MWP) at the expense of single well pads (SWP) has been mostly driven by economic factors, the concentrated nature of drilling activities from hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling operations on MWP suggests that MWP may create less surface disturbance, produce more volumes of wastewater, and generate more environmental violations than SWP. To explore these hypotheses, we use geospatial techniques and statistical analyses (i.e., regression and Mann–Whitney tests) to assess development of unconventional shale gas wells, and quantify environmental violations and wastewater volumes on SWP and MWP in Pennsylvania. The analyses include assessments of the influence of different types of well pads on potential, minor and major environmental events. Results reveal that (a) in recent years, a majority of pads on which new wells for unconventional gas were drilled are MWP, (b) on average, MWP have about five wells located on each pad and thus, had the transition to MWP not occurred, between two and four times as much land surface disturbance would have occurred per year if drilling was relegated to SWP, (c) there were more environmental violations on MWP than SWP, but when the number of wells were taken into account, fewer environmental violations per well were observed on MWP than on SWP, (d) there were more wastewater and recycled wastewater volumes per pad and per well produced on MWP than on SWP, and (e) the proportion of wastewater that was recycled was higher on MWP than SWP. This study sheds light on how the evolution from SWP to MWP has influenced environmental violations and wastewater production in a field that has undergone rapid development in recent years.
Bioparticle separation in non-Newtonian fluid using pulsed flow in micro-channels

Micro total analysis system (μTAS) devices frequently need to deal with bio-particle suspensions in solution and separation of certain bio-particles is often desirable. Separation of plasma from the whole blood has become increasingly popular in clinical diagnostics. Using the coupled volume of fluid (VOF) and the discrete phase (DP) governing equations for multiphase flow, the effect of Newtonian viscosity of water and the non-Newtonian shear-thinning viscosity of blood on particle separation under pulsed pressure condition is determined. It is observed that the red blood cells (RBC) accumulate at the front of the blood column while the opposite is observed in water. For the selected parameters, 20% of the plasma observed is to be separated from the whole blood, while in contrast, for a 98% diluted blood, 45% of the plasma can be separated. The present calculations can be adopted to design the flow parameters necessary for the instantaneous separation of plasma from the whole and the diluted blood for μTAS; thus reducing the number of experimental studies.
PEG hydrogels formed by thiol-ene photo-click chemistry and their effect on the formation and recovery of insulin-secreting cell spheroids

Hydrogels provide three-dimensional frameworks with tissue-like elasticity and high permeability for culturing therapeutically relevant cells or tissues. While recent research efforts have created diverse macromer chemistry to form hydrogels, the mechanisms of hydrogel polymerization for in situ cell encapsulation remain limited. Hydrogels prepared from chain-growth photopolymerization of poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) are commonly used to encapsulate cells. However, free radical associated cell damage poses significant limitation for this gel platform. More recently, PEG hydrogels formed by thiol-ene photo-click chemistry have been developed for cell encapsulation. While both chain-growth and step-growth photopolymerizations offer spatial-temporal control over polymerization kinetics, step-growth thiol-ene hydrogels offer more diverse and preferential properties. Here, we report the superior properties of step-growth thiol-ene click hydrogels, including cytocompatibility of the reactions, improved hydrogel physical properties, and the ability for 3D culture of pancreatic β-cells. Cells encapsulated in thiol-ene hydrogels formed spherical clusters naturally and were retrieved via rapid chymotrypsin-mediated gel erosion. The recovered cell spheroids released insulin in response to glucose treatment, demonstrating the cytocompatibility of thiol-ene hydrogels and the enzymatic mechanism of cell spheroids recovery. Thiol-ene click reactions provide an attractive means to fabricate PEG hydrogels with superior gel properties for in situ cell encapsulation, as well as to generate and recover 3D cellular structures for regenerative medicine applications.
Reconstructing a 180 yr record of natural and anthropogenic induced low-oxygen conditions from Louisiana continental shelf sediments

Hypoxia on the Louisiana continental shelf is tied to nutrient loading and freshwater stratification from the Mississippi River. Variations in the relative abundance of low-oxygen-tolerant benthic foraminifers in four sediment cores from the Louisiana shelf provide a proxy record of low-oxygen events. Core chronologies are obtained using 2 1 0 Pb dating techniques. The foraminiferal data are consistent with previous studies indicating that the intensity of hypoxic events (oxygen <2 mg/L) has increased over the past 50 yr owing to the higher nutrient loading associated with the use of commercial fertilizer, and also reveal several low-oxygen events between A.D. 1817 and 1910, prior to the widespread use of fertilizer. The pre-1910 low-oxygen events are associated with high Mississippi River discharge rates, indicating that these low-oxygen episodes are related to natural variations in river drainage that enhance transport of nutrients and freshwater to the continental shelf. Our data show that the low-oxygen events of the past few decades were more extreme than any that occurred in the previous ∼180 yr, and support the interpretation that the increased use of fertilizer has amplified an otherwise naturally occurring process.
Effects of interferon‐gamma and tumour necrosis factor‐alpha on the development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes in autologous mixed lymphocyte tumour cultures with human melanoma

We have studied the influence of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on the development of cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) against melanoma in mixed lymphocyte tumour cultures (MLTC). In these MLTC, TNF-alpha at 10(4) U/ml increased the expansion of the CTL up to 10(4)-fold over recombinant IL-2 (rIL-2) alone. IFN-gamma at 10(4) U/ml and combinations of TNF-alpha plus IFN-gamma at 10(2)-10(3) U/ml promoted the proliferation more variably. MLTC generated with rIL-2 showed a predominance of CD8+ cells, while 2 weeks of culture in the presence of IFN-gamma at 10(4) U/ml, or with IFN-gamma and TNF alpha at 1 x 10(2)-10(3) U/ml, favoured the emergence of CD4+ cell populations. The cytotoxic activity of the lymphocytes generated in these MLTC showed a consistent decline of K562 cytotoxic activity following exposure to the combination of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha. Despite the altered T cell subset distribution with different combinations of cytokines, no consistent alteration in the specific anti-tumour cytotoxicity against melanoma was detected. These results suggest that TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma influence the activation, phenotypic, and functional outcome of MLTC-generated CTL, and may account for the phenotypic variations observed in T cell populations generated in vitro.
cyclic deformation of Ni3(Al,Nb) single crystals at ambient and elevated temperatures

Abstract In order to study the cyclic deformation of an alloy crystal and the asymmetry in the flow stress of the γ′ phase, Ni3(Al, Nb) crystals have been cycled in strain control at room temperature, 400 and 700°C. The orientation of the crystals has been a major variable studied. At all temperatures, cyclic hardening has been found considerable and at the two lower temperatures, the asymmetry has been found to follow the predictions of the model by Paidar et al. [Acta metall. 32, 435 (1984)] which is based on the increase of the dislocation friction stress by thermally activated cross slip onto [001] planes. Moreover, TEM observations of the dislocation structures are consistent with the model. At 700°C, a dominance of the tensile stress in the asymmetry was observed rather surprisingly. The model of Paidar et al. does not apply at this high temperature because dislocation climb and cube slip occurs, and no asymmetry is expected. Cracking and life behavior are also reported.
A convergent frequency estimator

Online identification of sinusoidal components is an important problem that occurs in active noise control, vibration suppression, online health monitoring, and radar, sonar, and seismic applications. We adopt an approach to this identification problem which consists of the utilization of the underlying nonlinearity and an algorithm that is based on the nonlinear parameterization. The algorithm is shown to result in global convergence in the presence of two unknown frequencies. Extensions to n unknown frequencies for n/spl ges/2 that have unknown amplitudes are also discussed.
Xylazine-induced ex copula ejaculation in stallions.

Abstract This study is a part of ongoing work toward developing pharmacological methods of enhancing and inducing ejaculation in stallions with ejaculatory dysfunction. We evaluated ex copula ejaculatory response to treatment with the alpha-adrenergic agonist xylazine hydrochloride, with and without preliminary sexual stimulation. Twenty-eight mature stallions each reveived, in random order, one xylazine trial (0.3 mg/lb, i.v.) without preliminary sexual stimulation, one xylazine trial with 5 to 10 min of sexual prestimulation, and one control trial (equivalent volume sterile water injection). Trials were conducted in the animal stalls. Ejaculation occurred in 15 of 56 (27%) xylazine trials. No ejaculations occurred in the sterile water control trials. In trials with sexual prestimulation, ejaculation occurred in 39% compared with 14% in trials without prestimulation. This difference was significant ( P
Smells Like Safe Sex Olfactory Pathogen Primes Increase Intentions to Use Condoms

This report discusses a study which aimed to test a hypothesis related to condom use - that ecological cues for the presence of pathogens would increase intentions to use condoms. It describes the method and the results of this experiment which included 99 undergraduate psychology students. It states that this study suggests that motivational systems influencing condom use may respond to cues for general pathogen threats and that sensory systems evolved to detect pathogen threats may influence intentions to use condoms in a different manner than do verbal communications of sexually transmitted disease threat.
On substituted arguments

In their essay, “ Clarifying Substituted Judgment: the Endorsed Life Approach ,”1 Wendler and Phillips add to a growing body of literature that acknowledges what has been apparent to many clinicians and commentators for a long time: something is seriously wrong with the contemporary US approach to surrogate decision making. Their essay summarises background that has been more extensively reviewed elsewhere: the history of how we came to this impasse, and the many theoretical and empirical critiques of substituted judgement.2 Drawing on this background, they propose an alternative to substituted judgement that differs little from the Substituted Interests Model that we proposed in 2010,3 doing so, in part, by misrepresenting our published views. The overlap between their model and ours is befuddling, but by calling their approach an attempt to ‘clarify’ rather than replace the substituted judgement standard, they only further muddy the waters. The approach they advocate is so similar to our Substituted Interests Model that giving it a different name and calling it an ‘interpretation’ of substituted judgement will only wind up being confusing for surrogates, clinicians and policy makers. Their primary motivation seems to be to ‘save’ substituted judgement since it is so well established in law and bioethical education. After noting some of the many problems with substituted judgement, they nonetheless both propose retaining the name and advise asking the surrogate to provide ‘the decision the patient would make for herself, if competent.’ They give two reasons for this: (1) they believe this directive is a useful approximation of the standard they think is really the correct one, namely, to provide the decision most consistent with the life the patient seems to have endorsed for herself, and (2) they think substituted judgement has become so ensconced in policy and practice that it would …
Optimal limb salvage in penetrating civilian vascular trauma

To evaluate current treatment of peripheral vascular trauma, we reviewed our recent experience with noniatrogenic penetrating vascular injuries of the extremities. Between 1979 and 1984, 139 patients sustained 204 vascular injuries inflicted by single gunshots (64%), stabbings (24%), and shotguns (12%). Eighty-four percent of patients underwent preoperative arteriography, which revealed occult arterial injury in 13 patients (9%). Compartmental hypertension necessitated fasciotomy in 19% of patients and was required more often after combined arterial and venous injuries (29%) than after isolated arterial injury (14%). Arterial continuity was restored by interposition grafting with reversed saphenous vein (62%), end-to-end anastomosis (19%), vein patch angioplasty (8%), or primary repair (4%). After arterial repair, completion angiography detected the need for revision in 8% of patients. Arterial ligation was performed in 7% of injuries and was only used in the treatment of tibial and distal profunda femoris injuries. Forty-five percent of patients sustained concomitant venous injury; 64% of all venous injuries and 90% of femoropopliteal venous injuries were repaired. No deaths occurred, and a single patient required amputation. We conclude that a protocol of preoperative arteriography, liberal. use of fasciotomy, frequent use of autologous interposition grafts, repair of major venous injuries, and routine use of completion arteriography can result in limb salvage rates that approach 100% after penetrating vascular trauma to the extremities.
Optimal carbon source switching strategy for the production of PHA copolymers

During polymerization in a nongrowing cell population of Ralstonia eutropha, alternating between two different carbon sources (fructose and fructose/valeric acid) could lead to the production of block copolymers consisting of blocks of homo-poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (PHB) and polyhydroxybutyrate-co-valerate (PHBV) copolymer. The problem of finding the optimal number of carbon source switches and corresponding switching times that maximize the final concentration of diblock copolymers (PHB-PHBV and PHBV-PHB) was addressed. It was mathematically formulated in the mixed-integer nonlinear programming (MINLP) framework, which allows the decomposition of the original problem into the primal and master problems. The primal problem corresponds to the original problem for a fixed number of carbon source switches, whereas the master problem consists of finding the number of carbon source switches that maximizes the optimum solutions of all possible primal problems. The global optimum was obtained for 39 carbon source switches. It corresponds to a mass fraction of 50.6% of final diblock copolymer concentration over the final total polymer concentration.
Selective Memory Generalization by Spatial Patterning of Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is crucial for both persistent synaptic plasticity and long-term memory. De novo protein expression can be restricted to specific neurons within a population, and to specific dendrites within a single neuron. Despite its ubiquity, the functional benefits of spatial protein regulation for learning are unknown. We used computational modeling to study this problem. We found that spatially patterned protein synthesis can enable selective consolidation of some memories but forgetting of others, even for simultaneous events that are represented by the same neural population. Key factors regulating selectivity include the functional clustering of synapses on dendrites, and the sparsity and overlap of neural activity patterns at the circuit level. Based on these findings, we proposed a two-step model for selective memory generalization during REM and slow-wave sleep. The pattern-matching framework we propose may be broadly applicable to spatial protein signaling throughout cortex and hippocampus.
Brain insulin infusion does not augment the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia or glucoprivation

Although high dosages of insulin can cause hypoglycemia, several studies suggest that increased insulin action in the head may paradoxically protect against severe hypoglycemia by augmenting the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia. We hypothesized that a direct infusion of insulin into the third ventricle and/or the mediobasal hypothalamus (MBH) would amplify the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia. Nine-week-old male rats had insulin (15 mU) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF, control) infused bilaterally into the MBH or directly into the third ventricle. During the final 2 hours of the brain insulin or aCSF infusions, the counterregulatory response to either a hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemic (approximately 50 mg/dL) clamp or a 600-mg/kg intravenous bolus of 2-deoxyglucose (2DG) was measured. 2-Deoxyglucose was used to induce a glucoprivic response without peripheral insulin infusion. In response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia, epinephrine rose more than 60-fold, norepinephrine rose more than 4-fold, glucagon rose 8-fold, and corticosterone rose almost 2-fold; but these increments were not different in aCSF vs insulin treatment groups with either intracerebroventricular or bilateral MBH insulin protocols. Intracerebroventricular insulin infusion stimulated insulin signaling as noted by a 5-fold increase in AKT phosphorylation. In the absence of systemic insulin infusion, 2DG-induced glucopenia resulted in an equal counterregulatory response with brain aCSF and insulin infusions. Under the conditions studied, although insulin infusion acted to stimulate hypothalamic insulin signaling, neither intrahypothalamic nor intracerebroventricular insulin infusion augmented the counterregulatory response to hypoglycemia or to 2DG-induced glucoprivation. Therefore, it is proposed that the previously noted acute actions of insulin to augment the sympathoadrenal response to hypoglycemia are likely mediated via mechanisms exterior to the central nervous system.
Calcium channel blockers in heart failure

The rationale for the use of calcium channel blockers in patients with chronic heart failure lies in their vasodilator action, antiischemic effect, ability to lessen left ventricular diastolic dysfunction and data showing their effect in preventing progression of myocardial dysfunction in animals with cardiomyopathy. Despite initial studies reporting improvement of the hemodynamic profile with nifedipine, further evaluation showed variable results, with hemodynamic worsening seen in up to 29% of patients. Longer-term controlled studies evaluating symptoms and clinical status demonstrated worsening chronic heart failure in approximately 25% of patients within 8 weeks of nifedipine therapy. Although diltiazem has a lesser myocardial depressant effect and its short-term use was associated with less frequent hemodynamic and clinical worsening, long-term exposure to the drug in a large group of patients with chronic heart failure due to left ventricular systolic dysfunction after myocardial infarction resulted in an increased incidence of cardiac events, with worsening heart failure and death. The use of verapamil in a similar patient cohort showed the loss of its demonstrated protective effect in patients with clinical evidence of heart failure. In an attempt to improve the safety of calcium channel blockers, the following approaches were suggested: 1) use of second-generation drugs with less myocardial depressant effect; 2) concomitant use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors to prevent reported neurohormonal activation; and 3) development of drugs with favorable neurohormonal effects. These approaches led to mixed results.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
On the relativized power of additional accepting paths

The author defines U/sub k(n)/P as the class of languages in NP that are accepted by machines with at most k(n) accepting paths on each input of length n. Then P contained in UP contained in U/sub k(n)/P contained in U/sub k(n)+1/P contained in FewP $4 for every polynomial k(n)>or=2, where FewP is the class of languages in NP that are accepted by machines with a polynomial-bounded number of accepting paths on each input. The author considers whether any of the containments is proper. >
The Impact of Yield-Dependent Trading Costs on Pricing and Production Planning Under Supply Uncertainty

This paper studies the role of the yield-dependent trading cost structure influencing the optimal choice of the selling price and production quantity for a firm that operates under supply uncertainty in the agricultural industry. The firm initially leases farm space, but its realized amount of fruit supply fluctuates because of weather conditions, diseases, etc. At the end of the growing season, the firm has three options: convert its crop supply to the final product, purchase additional supplies from other growers, and sell some (or all) of its crop supply in the open market without converting to the finished product. We consider the problem both from a risk-neutral and a risk-averse perspective with varying degrees of risk aversion. The paper offers three sets of contributions: (1) It shows that the use of a static cost exaggerates the initial investment in the farm space and the expected profit significantly, and the actual value gained from a secondary (emergency) option for an agricultural firm is lower under the yield-dependent cost structure. (2) It proves that although the risk-neutral firm does not benefit from fruit futures, a sufficiently risk-averse firm can benefit from the presence of a fruit futures market. The same risk-averse firm does not purchase fruit futures when it operates under static costs. Thus, fruit futures can only add value under yield-dependent trading costs. (3) Contrary to the results presented for the newsvendor problem under demand uncertainty, the firm does not always commit to a lower initial quantity (leased farm space) under risk aversion. Rather, the firm might lease a larger farm space under risk aversion.
Microdesigning of Ceramic-Metal Composites

Microdesigning of ceramic-metal composites is described in chemically compatible and incompatible systems. The problems associated with microstructural design are addressed with respect to capillarity and reaction thermodynamics. The B4C−Al system is used to illustrate the formation of tailored microstructures which exhibited average fracture strength of 621 MPa and fracture toughness of 9.7 MPa·m1/2 at 36 v/o Al content.
Effects of predicted future and current atmospheric temperature and [CO2] and high and low soil moisture on gas exchange and growth of Pinus taeda seedlings at cool and warm sites in the species range

Predicted future changes in air temperature and atmospheric CO2 concentration ([CO2]), coupled with altered precipitation, are expected to substantially affect tree growth. Effects on growth may vary considerably across a species range, as temperatures vary from sub-optimal to supra-optimal for growth. We performed an experiment simultaneously at two locations in the current range of loblolly pine, a cool site and a warm site, to examine the effect of future climate conditions on growth of loblolly pine seedlings in contrasting regions of the species range. At both sites 1-year-old loblolly pine seedlings were grown in current (local ambient temperature and [CO2]) and predicted future atmospheric conditions (ambient +2 °C temperature and 700 µmol mol −1 [CO2]). Additionally, high and low soil moisture treatments were applied within each atmospheric treatment at each site by altering the amount of water provided to the seedlings. Averaged across water treatments, photosynthesis (Anet) was 31% greater at the cool site and 34% greater at the warm site in elevated temperature and [CO2] compared with ambient temperature. Biomass accumulation was also stimulated by 38% at the cool site and by 24% at the warm site in that treatment. These results suggest that a temperature increase of 2 °C coupled with an increase in [CO2] (predicted future climate) will create conditions favorable for growth of this species. Reduced soil moisture decreased growth in both current and predicted atmospheric conditions. Biomass accumulation and Anet were reduced by ~39 and 17%, respectively, in the low water treatment. These results suggest that any benefit of future atmospheric conditions may be negated if soil moisture is reduced by altered precipitation patterns.
In-line holographic imaging and electron density extraction of ultrafast ionized air filaments

In-line spatial holographic methods are used to image the optical diffraction patterns of ultrafast laser produced plasma filaments in air. Using femtosecond laser pump-probe methods the plasma filament is produced and subsequently probed by a time-delayed probe beam traversing the filament at a right angle. The resulting probe beam image is recorded as a holographic diffraction pattern on a charge coupled device camera as the probe beam is diffracted due to the optical index change caused by the plasma filament. Extraction of the electron density in the filament down to 1016 cm−3 is obtained by using the Helmholtz wave equation beam propagation model to simulate the data. By varying the pump-probe optical time delay, a plasma electron recombination time of approximately 250 ps is measured and agrees with our rate equation population kinetics model.
Simulating fire frequency and urban growth in southern California coastal shrublands, USA

Fire is an important natural disturbance in the Mediterranean-climate coastal shrublands of southern California. However, anthropogenic ignitions have increased fire frequency to the point that it threatens the persistence of some shrub species and favors the expansion of exotic annual grasses. Because human settlement is a primary driver of increased ignitions, we integrated a landscape model of disturbance and succession (LANDIS) with an urban growth model (UGM) to simulate the combined effects of urban development and high fire frequency on the distribution of coastal shrublands. We tested whether urban development would contribute to an expansion of the wildland-urban interface (WUI) and/or change in average fire return intervals and compared the relative impacts of direct habitat loss and altered fire regimes on functional vegetation types. We also evaluated two methods of integrating the simulation models. The development pattern predicted by the UGM was predominantly aggregated, which minimized the expansion of the WUI and increase in fire frequency, suggesting that fire risk may be higher at intermediate levels of urbanization due to the spatial arrangement of ignition sources and fuel. The comparison of model coupling methods illustrated how cumulative effects of repeated fires may occur gradually as urban development expands across the landscape. Coastal sage scrub species and resprouting chaparral were more susceptible to direct habitat loss, but increased fire frequency was more of a concern to obligate seeder species that germinate from a persistent seed bank. Simulating different scenarios of fire frequency and urban growth within one modeling framework can help managers locate areas of highest risk and determine which vegetation types are most vulnerable to direct habitat loss, altered fire regimes, or both.
Information rates of Wiener processes

Rate distortion functions are calculated for time discrete and time continuous Wiener processes with respect to the mean squared error criterion. In the time discrete case, we find the interesting result that, for 0 \leq D \leq \sigma^2 /4 , R(D) for the Wiener process is identical to R(D) for the sequence of zero mean independent normally distributed increments of variance \sigma^2 whose partial sums form the Wiener process. In the time continuous case, we derive the explicit formula R(D) = 2 \sigma^2 / ( \pi^2 D) , where \sigma^2 is the variance of the increment daring a one-second interval. The resuiting R(D) curves are compared with the performance of an optimum integrating delta modulation system. Finally, by incorporating a delta modulation scheme in the random coding argument, we prove a source coding theorem that guarantees our R(D) curves are physically significant for information transmission purposes even though Wiener processes are nonstationary.
Stances of Whiteness and Hegemony in Fraternity Men's Discourse

In this article I explore how a group of White men display and reaffirm their hegemonic social position through in-group discourse. The men do not baldly assert such positions; rather, they create local relationships by indexing elements of wider racial ideologies and cultural models, thus reinforcing these ideologies and models. This view of "doing Whiteness" suggests that identities of all types are performed less directly (both ideologically and indexically) than often thought.
Endoscopic and Histologic Findings in a Cohort of Uric Acid and Calcium Oxalate Stone Formers

Objective To characterize the endoscopic and histologic renal papillary lesions in a cohort of uric acid (UA) stone formers (SF). Methods Data were prospectively obtained during percutaneous nephrolithotomy between 2009 and 2013. Renal papillae were endoscopically analyzed to quantitate surface area occupied by plaque or plug, and biopsies were obtained. UA SF were compared with non-SF controls and patients with >50% calcium oxalate (CaOx) in the absence of UA. Results There were 23 UA SF; of which 19 stones (83%) were admixed with CaOx and 4 (17%) were pure. Compared with CaOx SF and controls, UA SF had a higher prevalence of diabetes and obesity, greater serum creatinine and UA levels, lower estimated glomerular filtration rate and urine pH, and elevated UA supersaturation. Characteristics of UA SF were compared with 95 CaOx SF and 19 controls. Overall, 23 (100%) UA SF had endoscopic plaque and 13 (57%) plugs. Endoscopically, UA SF displayed a greater incidence of plugging (57% vs 45% vs 11%; P = .006) relative to CaOx SF and controls. Likewise, UA SF had a greater percentage surface area of plugging (0.1 vs 0.0; P = .002) and plaque (2.0 vs 0.9; P = .006) than controls but similar amounts to CaOx SF. Histologic plugs were similar in UA and CaOx SF, although CaOx SF demonstrated greater interstitial inflammation on endoscopic biopsy. Conclusion UA and CaOx SF have similar amounts of plaque, whereas UA SF have more endoscopic but not histologic collecting duct plugs. These data suggest an overlap between the pathogenesis of UA and CaOx stones. The anchoring site for UA stones remains uncertain.
Trace Elements in Recent and Fossil Mollusk Shells: ABSTRACT

Analyses were performed for iron, magnesium, manganese, strontium, barium, and mineralogy in the shells of seven species of mollusks collected over much of their present-day environmental range. Correlations between the shell composition and water temperature and salinity were determined in order to evaluate the feasibility of a paleoecological tool using these elements. Significant relationships were observed, but they are generally too weak to be used for paleoecological determinations and are not consistent between species. Differences in salinity cause greater changes in shell composition than differences in temperature, but salinities above 25 ppt. do not greatly affect the shell composition. Unrecrystallized Miocene and Pleistocene shells of five of the same species were analyzed for comparison with the Recent shells. The average magnesium and manganese contents of the aragonitic fossil shells are lower, whereas the strontium, barium, and iron contents are higher than in Recent shells of the same species. The mean strontium and magnesium contents are lower in the fossil shells of the single calcitic species studied, and the remainder of the elements do not differ significantly. The difference in composition of fossil and Recent shells are attributed to post-depositional effects. Paleoecological studies based on the composition of carbonate skeletons, radioactive disequilibrium age dating, and the oxygen isotope paleotemperature method should be used with the realization that changes in the trace element content of both aragonite and calcite can occur without recrystallization. End_of_Article - Last_Page 366------------
Immune Receptors: Targets for Therapy of Leukemia/Lymphoma, Autoimmune Diseases and for the Prevention of Allograft Rejection

Immune receptor-directed therapy has been applied clinically to an array of human disorders. However, effective therapy using unmodified murine monoclonal antibodies was elusive because these antibodies are immunogenic and elicit a human immune response, are not cytocidal against human cells, and in most cases are not directed against a cell surface structure required for proliferation and survival. Recently therapy mediated by monoclonal antibodies has been revolutionized by the definition of cell surface structures as targets for effective monoclonal antibody action, the creation by genetic engineering of less immunogenic and more effective monoclonal antibodies, and by the arming of such antibodies with toxins and radionuclides. Furthermore, other therapeutic agents directed toward immune receptors have been developed, including cytokine-toxin fusion proteins as alternative vehicles to address abnormal receptor-expressing cells, soluble immune receptors and naturally occurring receptor antagonists as immunomodulators, and T cell antigen receptor peptides as immunogens to provide protection against autoimmune diseases. Thus, the new insights concerning the structure and function of lymphocyte cell surface receptors and the development of different modalities of receptor-specific therapy are providing new perspectives for the treatment of human leukemia/lymphoma, autoimmune and graft-vs-host diseases, and for the prevention of allograft rejection.
Notes on hydrostatic pressure

Hydrostatic pressure is one of the most elementary notions encountered in the fields of naval architecture and marine engineering. Its presentation in textbooks is not always clear, however, especially for floating bodies in the presence of waves. This brief article aims to clarify potential elements of confusion about hydrostatic pressure. Atmospheric pressure is duly considered at the air–water interface, and in the presence of waves, a consistent definition is possible that reconciles the points of view of naval architects performing hydrostatic calculations and of hydrodynamicists using, for example, potential theory.
The patient's real doctor.

The foregoing article is noteworthy for several reasons. First, its author is a 90-year-old pioneer vascular surgeon who continues to see patients in his office one day a week. Second, its writing is exemplary—clear, precise, succinct, and easy to read. Third, and perhaps most important, it offers insight into why junior medical students once were, and still ought to be, the patient's “real doctor” (at least in the eyes of the patient). Older readers, especially those who were medical students in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s, can readily identify with the narrator and completely understand the nature of his story—then savor the nostalgia that it creates. Today's third-year medical students, however, might not deduce that the story is all about creating a strong patient–doctor bond, something that they are rarely exposed to, or held responsible for establishing. But that failure to understand isn't necessarily their fault. Elements of our current medical education system, such as the lack of sufficient role models, rapid patient turnover, frequent patient handoffs, rigid work-hour limits, and the dissolution of student laboratories, have gravely reduced the frequency and duration of patient–doctor contact, thereby diminishing or eliminating the development of a meaningful patient–doctor relationship. As a consequence, patients in teaching hospitals these days frequently don't know who their real doctors are. Herbert L. Fred, MD, MACP Associate Editor, Texas Heart Institute Journal
The structural characterization of Re2Cl4(μ-dcpm)2 (dcpm=Cy2PCH2PCy2) and a new crystallographic form of Re2Cl4(μ-dppm)2 (dppm=Ph2PCH2PPh2)

Abstract The single crystal X-ray structures of the triply bonded complexes Re 2 Cl 4 (μ-dcpm) 2 ( 1 ) (dcpm=Cy 2 PCH 2 PCy 2 ) and a new crystal form of Re 2 Cl 4 (μ-dppm) 2 ( 2 ) (dppm=Ph 2 PCH 2 PPh 2 ) have been determined and are compared with literature data for other complexes of this type. Complexes 1 and 2 both possess staggered rotational geometries. Complex 1 has ReRe distances of 2.2256(4) and 2.2267(4) A for two crystallographically independent molecules. Complex 2 also has two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit, one of which is normal with ReRe=2.2497(4) A, whereas the other exhibits a twofold orientational disorder for the ReRe unit (distances 2.2368(5) A and 2.231(4) A for the major (90%) and minor (10%) forms respectively).
An interpolation method using signal recovery and discrete Fourier transform

In this work, we develop a DFT-based method for the interpolation of a real sequence that does not necessarily satisfy the Shannon-Whittaker sampling condition. Our derivation provides an insightful perspective to the interpolation problem and inspires us to formulate the interpolation as a signal recovery problem in the discrete frequency space. In combination with the downsampling operation and the Fourier shift theorem, the proposed interpolation scheme can be used to obtained regular samples of the function in question with arbitrary starting position and sampling density. All computations involved, in addition to FFT, are simple arithmetical operations; consequently, the proposed method is computationally efficient. Our computer experiments demonstrate that the proposed method can produce good interpolation results even when the functions are severely undersampled.
Simplified Spin Cutoff Factors for Particle-Hole Level Densities in Precompound Nuclear Reaction Theory

A logical first step toward incorporating a precompound nuclear reaction theory in the Hauser-Feshbach formalism, widely used for compound reaction cross-section calculations, is to develop unified level density formulas needed for the two parts of the calculation. An advanced, simplified formulation of the spin cutoff factors for particle-hole level densities, based on the uniform pairing model, is presented. This simplified formula, explicitly dependent on the excitation energy and the exciton number, is easy to use for the precompound part of the calculation and is shown to be consistent with the formula used for the Hauser-Feshbach part of the calculation. Differences between the present approach and a previous one are analyzed.
The Case for Telemental Health for Improving the Accessibility and Quality of Children's Mental Health Services.

Abstract Objective: Children's mental health problems collectively impose a staggering public health burden. However, the quality of regionally accessible children's mental healthcare varies greatly, with youth in rural and other remote communities particularly underserved. Promoting knowledge and skill in telemental health (TMH) is critical to meaningfully overcoming traditional geographic barriers to children's mental healthcare. Methods: To introduce this special section, we review the increasing need for child and adolescent mental health services, the decreasing child mental health workforce, and the role that TMH can play in new models of care. Results: Authors in this special edition are experienced TMH innovators and providers, and offer expert perspectives on the current and evolving status of TMH practice in child and adolescent mental health. The articles in this collection draw on leading TMH examples, using a range of interventions implemented across diverse TMH settings, to systematically ad...
Mechanistic Analysis of the Effect of Deamidation on the Immunogenicity of Anthrax Protective Antigen

The spontaneous modification of proteins, such as deamidation of asparagine residues, can significantly affect the immunogenicity of protein-based vaccines. Using a "genetically deamidated" form of recombinant protective antigen (rPA), we have previously shown that deamidation can decrease the immunogenicity of rPA, the primary component of new-generation anthrax vaccines. In this study, we investigated the biochemical and immunological mechanisms by which deamidation of rPA might decrease the immunogenicity of the protein. We found that loss of the immunogenicity of rPA vaccine was independent of the presence of adjuvant. We assessed the effect of deamidation on the immunodominant neutralizing B-cell epitopes of rPA and found that these epitopes were not significantly affected by deamidation. In order to assess the effect of deamidation on T-cell help for antibody production elicited by rPA vaccine, we examined the ability of the wild-type and genetically deamidated forms of rPA to serve as hapten carriers. We found that when wild-type and genetically deamidated rPA were modified to similar extents with 2,4-dinitrophenyl hapten (DNP) and then used to immunize mice, higher levels of anti-DNP antibodies were elicited by wild-type DNP-rPA than those elicited by the genetically deamidated DNP-rPA, indicating that wild-type rPA elicits more T-cell help than the genetically deamidated form of the protein. These results suggest that a decrease in the ability of deamidated rPA to elicit T-cell help for antibody production is a possible contributor to its lower immunogenicity.
Windows into Teaching and Learning Through Social Annotation Practices

Several applications of the HyLighter online social annotation system in undergraduate and graduate teacher education broaden and deepen instructional experiences for both students and the professor. Interactive reading and commentary on articles and case studies facilitate comprehension, memory and transfer as students learn from and with each other and the instructor. Collaborative concept mapping integrated with social annotation enables students to synthesize and link course concepts and materials reflecting the big picture of the course. Hypermedia-enhanced and collaboratively developed lesson plans provide an enriching, culminating, collaborative experience which integrates social annotation with course theories, online video and print resources and technology-enhanced, pedagogically sound lessons across the curriculum. These applications are conceptualized using several complementary theoretical frameworks, including Vygotsky’s concept of the Zone of Proximal Development where an online collaborative environment creates a virtual learning community which provides scaffolding so that learners reach higher levels of performance. These social annotation practices promote student and teacher metacognition in addition to meaningful learning and transfer. They also enable authentic assessments of student achievement. Students’ and teachers’ reflections on their own and others’ perspectives provide insights which improve both learning and instruction.
The Biology and Immature Stages of Taphrocerus schaefferi, a Leaf-Miner of Yellow Nutsedge

Taphrocerus schaefferi Nicolay and Weiss is a buprestid which, in North America, mines the leaves of yellow nutsedge, Cyperus esculentus , an important weed. The life cycle of the beetle is closely synchronized with that of the host plant. The latter emerges in mid-May and T. schaefferi begins oviposition early in June. Eggs are placed singly on the upper leaf surface; the incubation period is ca. 16 days. There are 3 instars. The 1st 2 instars consume only the leaf chlorenchyma and upper epidermal cells. The 3rd instar consumes the upper epidermal and chlorenchymal cells and about half the vascular bundles. Larvae are cannibalistic and only one larva/leaf develops. The 1st, 2nd, and 3rd larval stadia are 4, 7, and 12 days, respectively, at 27°C and 14 L:16 D. Pupation occurs inside the mine; the pupal stadium is about 11 days. Adults emerge in late July and August. T. schaefferi is univoltine, overwintering as an adult.
The Perfect Shape for a Rotating Rigid Body

(2002). The Perfect Shape for a Rotating Rigid Body. Mathematics Magazine: Vol. 75, No. 1, pp. 30-32.
Reply to Stoet and Geary: Effects of gendered behavior on testosterone, not sex differences, as research focus.

In our report, we experimentally assessed gender-related modulation of testosterone (T) (1). Our focus—unlike the focus and basis for Stoet and Geary’s letter (2)—was not on sex difference. Stoet and Geary conflate sex with gender and with sex difference in their misread of our paper (1), resulting in confusion about the phenomena and the goal of the study. Indeed, scholars have repeatedly identified how commonly researchers and pundits assume all research on “sex” is on “sex difference,” and exclude gender and other valuable ways sex might be studied (3, 4).
Protease changes in transplanted skin.

SummaryProtease activity of rat skin homografts and autografts was estimated at varying intervals for 16 days after transplantation. An enzyme hydrolyzing ATyEe was considerably decreased throughout the period in the autografts as well as in the homografts. Another enzyme, acting on TAMe, showed a marked increase in the homografts beginning on the 5th or 6th day; it was slightly elevated in the autografts. The possibility of this enzyme taking part in homograft rejection is being further investigated.