cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
HALL-EFFECT MEASUREMENTS ON SUPERCONDUCTING AND NONSUPERCONDUCTING COPPER-OXIDE-BASED METALS

The temperature dependence of the Hall effect was studied on single crystals of the layered copper oxide compounds ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{8}$ (2:2:1:2) and ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{6}$ (2:2:0:1) with magnetic field perpendicular to and parallel to the CuO layers. dc-resistivity measurements indicated that the 2:2:1:2 samples have a superconducting transition temperature of 82--84 K; the 2:2:0:1 samples are metallic, but they did not show superconductivity down to 3.0 K. The Hall effect was found to be strongly anisotropic, and the interplane electronic transport is determined by electron hopping between the layers. For magnetic fields perpendicular to the layers, the superconducting compound shows a strongly-temperature-dependent anomalous increase in the Hall coefficient; the nonsuperconducting material has a much smaller, weakly-temperature-dependent Hall effect.
A Geometric Interpretation of the Solution of the General Quartic Polynomial

(1996). A Geometric Interpretation of the Solution of the General Quartic Polynomial. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 103, No. 1, pp. 51-57.
Ultrasound-enhanced delivery of antibiotics and anti-inflammatory drugs into the eye

Abstract Delivery of sufficient amounts of therapeutic drugs into the eye is often a challenging task. In this study, ultrasound application (frequencies of 400 KHz to 1 MHz, intensities of 0.3–1.0 W/cm2 and exposure duration of 5 min) was investigated to overcome the barrier properties of cornea, which is a typical route for topical administration of ophthalmic drugs. Permeability of ophthalmic drugs, tobramycin and dexamethasone and sodium fluorescein, a drug-mimicking compound, was studied in ultrasound- and sham-treated rabbit corneas in vitro using a standard diffusion cell setup. Light microscopy observations were used to determine ultrasound-induced structural changes in the cornea. For tobramycin, an increase in permeability for ultrasound- and sham-treated corneas was not statistically significant. Increase of 46%–126% and 32%–109% in corneal permeability was observed for sodium fluorescein and dexamethasone, respectively, with statistical significance (p
Distributional impacts of a local living wage increase with ability sorting

Abstract I develop a model of ability sorting of low-wage workers across multiple markets when one market substantially increases its wage floor using a living wage. The wage floor increase can increase or decrease employment probabilities in both covered and uncovered markets.
Covariance Tapering for Interpolation of Large Spatial Datasets

Interpolation of a spatially correlated random process is used in many scientific areas. The best unbiased linear predictor, often called a kriging predictor in geostatistical science, requires the solution of a (possibly large) linear system based on the covariance matrix of the observations. In this article, we show that tapering the correct covariance matrix with an appropriate compactly supported positive definite function reduces the computational burden significantly and still leads to an asymptotically optimal mean squared error. The effect of tapering is to create a sparse approximate linear system that can then be solved using sparse matrix algorithms. Monte Carlo simulations support the theoretical results. An application to a large climatological precipitation dataset is presented as a concrete and practical illustration.
Improving Writing Skills of Construction Management Undergraduates: Developing Tools for Empirical Analysis of Writing to Create Writing-Enriched Construction Management Curriculum

In 2011, the University of Minnesota’s Construction Management (CM) program received funding from the Writing Enriched Curriculum (WEC) project. WEC operationalizes the University’s commitment supporting integration of effective discipline-relevant writing instruction. Funding, collaboration with members of the WEC team, and technical support enabled the assembly of a comprehensive, multi-year plan to examine and improve CM student writing. Because many, if not all, elements of the WEC process may prove portable to other institutional contexts, this article describes the process of creating, implementing, and assessing the faculty-authored CM Writing Plan. Specifically discussed are the initial stages of a multi-year process including the development of a Writing Plan; the first year course mapping; analysis of writing assigned in CM courses; and work the department will do going forward with WEC.
Titins in C.elegans with unusual features: coiled-coil domains, novel regulation of kinase activity and two new possible elastic regions.

We report that there are previously unrecognized proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans that are similar to the giant muscle proteins called titins, and these are encoded by a single approximately 90kb gene. The gene structure was predicted by GeneMark.hmm and then experimentally verified. The Ce titin gene encodes polypeptides of 2.2MDa, 1.2MDa and 301kDa. The 2.2MDa isoform resembles twitchin and UNC-89 in that it contains multiple Ig (56) and FnIII (11) domains, and a single protein kinase domain. In addition, however, the 2.2MDa isoform contains four classes of short, 14-51 residue, repeat motifs arranged mostly in many tandem copies. One of these tandem repeat regions is similar to the PEVK regions of vertebrate and fly titins. As the PEVK region is one of the main elastic elements of the titins and is also composed of short tandem repeats, this suggests that the repeat motifs in the Ce titins may have a similar elastic function. An interesting aspect of the two largest Ce titin isoforms, is that in contrast to other members of the twitchin/titin family, there are multiple regions which are likely to form coiled-coil structure. In transgenic animals, the first approximately 100 residues of the largest isoforms targets to dense bodies, the worm analogs of Z-discs. Anti-Ce titin antibodies show localization to muscle I-bands beginning at the L2-L3 larval stages and this pattern continues into adult muscle. Ce titins may not have a role in early myofibril assembly: (1) Ce titins are too short to span half a sarcomere, and the onset of their expression is well after the initial assembly of thick filaments. (2) Ce titins are not localized to I-bands in embryonic or L1 larval muscle. The Ce titin protein kinase domain is most similar to the kinase domains of the twitchins and projectin. The Ce titin kinase has protein kinase activity in vitro, and this activity is regulated by a novel mechanism.
Refractories for vacuum degassing of steel

New equipment for outside-the-furnace vacuum degassing of steel includes argon-oxygen refining units, circulation flow vacuum degassing units, and units for steel degassing in the ladle with electric arc heating. The refractories developed for use in this equipment include magnesia, periclase-carbon, corundum, alumina, periclase-lime, magnesia-dolomite, forsterite, and unformed and vibrocompacted refractories. The refractories were selected for heat resisting and thermal insulation applications. This paper reviews at length the raw material base, production processes, and applicable properties of these refractories under degassing conditions, including slag and silicate resistance, temperature and phase behavior, permeability, compression strength, service life, and wear behavior. In addition, specifications are given for a wide range of refractories and their applications in specific pieces of equipment. Savings in refractory and power consumption are discussed.
La Quintrala: The Rejection of History as a Patriarchal Legitimizing Discourse in Mercedes Valdivieso's Maldita yo Entre las mujeres

(1994). La Quintrala: The Rejection of History as a Patriarchal Legitimizing Discourse in Mercedes Valdivieso's Maldita yo Entre las mujeres. Symposium: A Quarterly Journal in Modern Literatures: Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 277-284.
A Holistic Approach for Understanding Project Management

Companies invest significant sums of money in major Information Technology IT projects, yet success remains limited. Despite an abundance of IT Project Management ITPM resources available to project teams, such as the Project Management Institute PMI Body of Knowledge, IT standards and IT governance, a large percentage of IT projects continue to fail and ultimately get scrapped. Recent studies have shown an average of 66% IT project failure rate, with 52% of the projects being cancelled, and 82% being delivered late. The purpose of this research was to provide a way for uncovering potential causes of IT project failures by utilizing a systemic and holistic approach to identify critical success factors for project management. The holistic approach has enabled the development of an ITPM conceptual model, which provides a method to evaluate the critical success factors of a given project, and their alignment with each other. The adoption of the systemic methodology and its implementation increase the potential for IT project success, and alert project leaders of potential problems throughout the life of the project.
Role of radiation in the management of adult patients with sarcoma of soft tissue

Radiation in moderate dose levels, viz. 60-65 Gy at 2 Gy/fraction, administered in combination with conservative surgery, yields local control frequencies at least comparable to those achieved by radical resectional surgery alone. The clinical interest in this management strategy is the reduction in the scope of the resection and a consequent gain in cosmetic and functional status. This combined approach is favored for sarcomas so situated that resection with wide margin, > or = 2 cm at the most narrow, cannot be realized unless there is a clinically important loss in function. Where radical surgery is planned, there must be great care in assessment of the probability of achieving good margins. The patient is ill served if there is radical surgery and then, because of close margins, postoperative radiation is required. There appears to be clinical gain for the patient with a large sarcoma by administering the radiation preoperatively. Advantages include smaller treatment volume and higher local control rates. The management of the surgical wound in the irradiated patient is discussed. Also, brief consideration is given to current use of brachytherapy, high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, and combination of radiation and chemotherapy.
Palladium-catalyzed aqueous hydrodehalogenation in column reactors: Modeling of deactivation kinetics with sulfide and comparison of regenerants

Abstract Palladium (Pd) based catalysts are increasingly important in environmental applications; however, sulfide, a known poison, has been identified as a potential issue in laboratory and field studies. This paper develops a quantitative model for deactivation kinetics with aqueous sulfide; investigates the effects of pH on a catalyzed dehalogenation reaction and sulfide deactivation; and characterizes regeneration with acids, bases, and oxidizing agents. Results obtained with trichloroethylene show no inherent catalyst deactivation in deionized water. Deactivation increased with sulfide concentration and exposure time. Deactivation was slowly reversible by flushing the catalyst with deionized water at pH 10.4. Treatment with 20 mM sodium hypochlorite quickly and completely regenerated the catalyst, and was significantly more effective than hydroxide, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen peroxide, and air-saturated water. The time required for regeneration increased with increasing sulfide concentrations and exposure times. These results have important implications for maintaining catalyst activity with Pd or bimetallic catalyst systems.
The role of radiative transfer in pulsed laser plasma-target interactions

Abstract The plasma generated when a 2024 aluminum target was irradiated with the beam from a cold cathode electron beam laser (CCEBL) has been investigated with spectroscopic techniques. The target was designed to form the end plate of a differentially pumped slit assembly attached to a McPherson Model 225 visible-u.v.-v.u.v. monochromator. A pinhole in the center of the plate permitted plasma radiation to enter the monochromator from the back side of the target. Calibration with tungsten, deuterium and argon standards permitted quantitative plasma radiance measurements to be made in the region 115–600 nm using a range of diffraction gratings and photomultiplier tubes. The total radiant fluence observed (1 J/cm 2 ) was in reasonable agreement with the 1-1.2J/cm 2 of absorbed thermal fluence determined by independent thermal coupling measurements. Photographic spectra of the plasma (100–620 nm) were recorded and many features identified.
Inducibility of cytochromes P-4502E1 and P-4501A1 in the rat pancreas.

Cytochrome P-450 (CYP) isoenzymes have been incriminated in the toxicity and carcinogenicity of various xenobiotics in different tissues, but prior measurements of their activity in pancreatic microsomes have been disappointing. We now applied new isolation methods and a highly sensitive procedure to assay for the metabolism of p-nitrophenol and 7-ethoxyresorufin, specific substrates for CYP2E1 (2E1) and CYP1A1 (1A1), respectively. 2E1 and 1A1 content was estimated with high-resolution chemiluminescent Westem blots using recombinant 2E1 and 1A1 as standards. We found that p-nitrophenol hydroxylase activity was 5.07 ± 0.66 and 1.50 ± 0.26 pmol/ min/mg of protein in pancreatic microsomes of ethanol-fed and control rats, respectively. Chronic ethanol treatment increased 2E1 content in pancreatic microsomes 3.6-fold. Activity and content of 2E1 were also assessed in hepatic microsomes: specific activity (expressed per 2E1 content) was similar in pancreatic and hepatic microsomes. There was also an inductive effect of 3-methylcholanthrene (MC) on 1A1 in pancreatic microsomes. Pancreatic microsomal 7-ethoxyresorufin-O-dealkylation activity in MC-treated rats was 19.6 ± 1.7 pmol/min/mg of protein, 61-fold higher than in controls. MC treatment increased the 1A1 content in pancreatic microsomes 42-fold. These results demonstrate that, in pancreatic microsomes, ethanol and MC exert striking inductive effects on 2E1 and 1A1 activities, which could play a role in the pathogenesis of pancreatitis and/or pancreatic cancer.
The Role of a Radiology Electronic Notification System in the Emergency Department Setting and Its Impact on Patient Care

Background: To determine the impact of a radiology electronic notification system (ENS) on emergency department (ED) patient care. Materials and Methods: A retrospective review of de-identified patient data for a 2-year period (1 year prior to and 1 year following ENS implementation) was approved by the hospital’s institutional review board. The effect of a radiology ENS on ED patient care was investigated by analyzing the intervals between completion of a chest radiograph and the times antibiotics were ordered/administered on patients presenting with symptoms of community acquired pneumonia (CAP). The square root transformation of the means was analyzed with an ANOVA model to determine statistical significance. Results: During the 24-month study protocol, 1,341 patients who were evaluated in the ED met the study eligibility criteria. The least square estimates of the mean times from when the chest radiograph was completed to when antibiotics were ordered prior to and after the implementation of the ENS were 89 and 107 minutes, respectively (P < 0.01). The least square estimates of the mean times from when the chest radiograph was completed to when antibiotics were administered prior to and after the implementation of the ENS were 115 and 132 minutes, respectively (P = 0.02). Conclusion: The implementation of a radiology ENS does have advantages for the radiologist in streamlining the communication and documentation processes but may negatively impact time to treatment and thus patient care. J Clin Med Res. 2014;6(4):267-271 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.14740/jocmr1821w
Measuring sleep: accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of wrist actigraphy compared to polysomnography.

OBJECTIVES We validated actigraphy for detecting sleep and wakefulness versus polysomnography (PSG). DESIGN Actigraphy and polysomnography were simultaneously collected during sleep laboratory admissions. All studies involved 8.5 h time in bed, except for sleep restriction studies. Epochs (30-sec; n = 232,849) were characterized for sensitivity (actigraphy = sleep when PSG = sleep), specificity (actigraphy = wake when PSG = wake), and accuracy (total proportion correct); the amount of wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO) was also assessed. A generalized estimating equation (GEE) model included age, gender, insomnia diagnosis, and daytime/nighttime sleep timing factors. SETTING Controlled sleep laboratory conditions. PARTICIPANTS Young and older adults, healthy or chronic primary insomniac (PI) patients, and daytime sleep of 23 night-workers (n = 77, age 35.0 ± 12.5, 30F, mean nights = 3.2). INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Overall, sensitivity (0.965) and accuracy (0.863) were high, whereas specificity (0.329) was low; each was only slightly modified by gender, insomnia, day/night sleep timing (magnitude of change 30 min/night. CONCLUSIONS This validation quantifies strengths and weaknesses of actigraphy as a tool measuring sleep in clinical and population studies. Overall, the participant-specific accuracy is relatively high, and for most participants, above 80%. We validate this finding across multiple nights and a variety of adults across much of the young to midlife years, in both men and women, in those with and without insomnia, and in 77 participants. We conclude that actigraphy is overall a useful and valid means for estimating total sleep time and wakefulness after sleep onset in field and workplace studies, with some limitations in specificity.
Laser Ignition of Nano‐Composite Energetic Loose Powders

Laser ignition experiments were conducted to better understand parameters that influence ignition of energetic materials. A Nd:YAG laser (10 ms, 1.5 J, 3 mm spot diameter) was used to heat the top surface of an energetic powder composed of nanometric aluminum (Al) combined stoichiometrically with an oxidizer (copper oxide (CuO), iodine pentoxide (I2O5), polytetrafluoroethylene (C2F4), molybdenum trioxide (MoO3) or iron oxide (Fe2O3)). Ignition delay time was calculated as the difference between first light of the laser’s flash lamp and the energetic material. Results show that laser energy required for ignition is dependent on pre-ignition reactions, phase change/decomposition temperatures, confinement, and laser absorbance.
Determination of elasticity of gels by successive compression- decompression cycles

Abstract Cylindrical specimens of agar, alginate and kappa carrageenan gels (1 and 2.5%) were subjected to five successive compression-decompression cycles to pre-determined strains. The total and irrecoverable work in these cycles, and their dependence on the strain level and concentration, were characteristic of the gel type. The portion of the irrecoverable work, which served as a measure of deviation from ideal elasticity, could not be correlated with the strength of the gels or their deformability (failure strain) or stiffness, indicating that the ‘degree of elasticity’ is an independent property of these gels.
Energy-efficient storage in virtual machine environments

Current trends in increasing storage capacity and virtualization of resources combined with the need for energy efficiency put a challenging task in front of system designers. Previous studies have suggested many approaches to reduce hard disk energy dissipation in native OS environments; however, those mechanisms do not perform well in virtual machine environments because a virtual machine (VM) and the virtual machine monitor (VMM) that runs it have different semantic contexts. This paper explores the disk I/O activities between VMM and VMs using trace driven simulation to understand the I/O behavior of the VM system. Subsequently, this paper proposes three mechanisms to address the isolation between VMM and VMs, and increase the burstiness of hard disk accesses to increase energy efficiency of a hard disk. Compared to standard shutdown mechanisms, with eight VMs the proposed mechanisms reduce disk spin-ups, increase the disk sleep time, and reduce energy consumption by 14.8% with only 0.5% increase in execution time. We implemented the proposed mechanisms in Xen and validated our simulation results.
Mobile Speed Estimation for Broadband Wireless Communications

In this paper, a new algorithm is proposed to estimate mobile speed for broadband wireless communications, which often encounter large number of fading channel taps causing severe intersymbol interference. Theoretical analysis is first derived and practical algorithm is proposed based on the analytical results. The algorithm employs a modified auto-covariance of received signal power to estimate the speed of mobiles. The algorithm is based on the received signals which contain unknown transmitted data, unknown frequency selective multipaths possibly including line-of-sight (LOS) component, and random receiver noise. The algorithm works well for frequency selective Rayleigh and Rician channels. The algorithm is very resistant to noise, it provides accurate speed estimation even if the signal-to-noise (SNR) is as low as 0dB. Simulation results indicate that the new algorithm is very reliable and effective to estimation mobile speed corresponding maximum Doppler up to 500Hz. The algorithm has high computational efficiency and low estimation latency, with results being available within one second after communication is established.
Resistance and Compliance in the Age of Globalization: Indian Women and Labor Organizations

This article summarizes findings obtained through ethnographic research conducted in three states in India between 2002 and 2004. On the basis of interviews with more than three hundred labor leaders, government officials, and working women, the author reports on the efforts of informal workers in construction and tobacco manufacturing to organize and improve their conditions of life. Contrary to mobilizations in the formal sector, those workers do not make direct demands on their employers. Instead they appeal to the state to obtain welfare benefits. The study shows that neoliberal reform has surprisingly opened up new channels for informal workers to constitute themselves as a class. This represents an amendment to earlier analyses that focused exclusively on the mobilizing capacity of workers in the formal sector. The author concludes by highlighting the importance of this work for the study of social movements and labor's relationship with the state.
A Simple Mechanism for Improving the Accuracy and Efficiency of Instruction-Level Disambiguation

Compilers typically treat source-level and instruction-level issues as independent phases of compilation so that much of the information that might be available to source-level systems of transformations about the semantics of the high-level language and its implementation, as well as the algorithm in some cases, is generally “lost in the translation”, making it unavailable to instruction-level systems of transformations. While this separation of concerns reduces the complexity of the compiler and facilitates porting the compiler to different source/target combinations, it also forces the costly recomputation at the instruction-level of much of the information that was already available to the higher level, and in many cases introduces spurious dependencies that can not be eliminated by instruction-level analysis alone.
Separate and Combined Effects of Anxiety, Depression and Problem Drinking on Subjective Health among Black, Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Men

Background: The current study examined race and ethnic differences in the separate and combined (additive) effects of anxiety, depression and problem drinking on the baseline and trajectory of subjective health among adult men in the United States. Methods: This longitudinal study used data from the Fragile Families and Child Well‑being Study. We included 4,655 men, composed of 2,407 Blacks, 1,354 Hispanic Whites and 894 non‑Hispanic Whites. The dependent variable was subjective health, measured four times (i.e., baseline, year 1, year 3 and year 5). Latent growth curve modeling was used for data analysis. When controlling for socio‑economics, we tested separate effects of anxiety and depression. Then we tested combined effects of anxiety, depression and problem drinking. Results: Among all race and ethnic groups, anxiety and problem drinking were associated with baseline and trajectory of subjective health. Combined (additive) effects of anxiety and depression, however, varied based on race and ethnicity. Among Blacks, depression and anxiety were associated with a worse trajectory of subjective health. Among non‑Hispanic Whites, anxiety was associated with a better baseline and worse trajectory of subjective health, while depression was associated with worse baseline subjective health. Among Hispanic Whites, anxiety was associated with a worse trajectory of subjective health, while depression was not associated with subjective health. Conclusions: Although separate effects of anxiety and problem
Do More Risk‐Averse Investors Have Lower Net Worth and Income?

This study examines the relationship between attitude toward risk and both net worth and income. The data are obtained from a financial diary kept by a national, scientifically selected sample of more than 3000 households. Results show that both net worth and income are negatively related to risk aversion.
Familial Late Complement Component (C6, C7) Deficiency With Chronic Meningococcemia

Two patients with chronic meningococcemia were found to lack hemolytic complement, one because of C6 deficiency, the other because of C7 deficiency. In both cases family studies were consistent with inheritance of the deficiencies as non-HLA-linked, autosomal co-dominant traits. Functional studies showed the deficient sera to support monocyte chemotaxis but not phagocytosis or lysis of meningococci. Both patients have remained well following antibiotic treatment. ( Arch Intern Med 140:929-933, 1980)
Comparison of IMS Platforms for Detecting and Recovering Escherichia coli O157 and Shigella flexneri in Foods

Two automated platforms using immunomagnetic separation technology were compared for detecting and recovering Escherichia coli O157 in ground beef and sprouts and Shigella flexneri in green onions. The foods were inoculated with <20 CFU/25 g and tested at 5 and 24 h postincubation. Immunomagnetic beads were mixed with food enrichments, processed through the Pathatrix Auto or KingFisher Flex, and tested by real-time PCR (qPCR) and recovery on selective agars. At 5 h, the Pathatrix Auto detected E. coli O157 in 90% and 60% of the ground beef and sprouts samples and S. flexneri in all of the green onion samples. It also recovered E. coli O157 in all the samples but could not recover S. flexneri in any of the green onion samples. In comparison, the KingFisher Flex detected E. coli O157 in 80% and 30% of the ground beef and sprouts samples and S. flexneri in all of the green onion samples. It also recovered E. coli O157 in 90% of the ground beef samples but none of the sprouts samples and S. flexneri in 20% of...
Visual Field Notes: Drawing Insights in the Yucatan

This article considers the creation of visual field notes as part of the process of conducting fieldwork. By means of drawing and related activities, anthropologists immerse themselves in a field-based, generative process that engages them, simultaneously, in the acts of thinking, seeing, and doing. Insight and understanding emerge in the course of producing marks on a page that have iconic and indexical dimensions. The indexical potential of drawing(s), in particular, is noteworthy as visual signs stimulate connections between the world ‘‘out there’’ and issues in anthropology and other disciplines via culturally recognized signifiers. This path to understanding by visual means is never entirely predictable but nonetheless vital and creative. With theoretical inspiration drawn from the fields of anthropology, art, and education, this article is based on the experience of producing a set of visual and verbal field notes as part of a college field study trip to the Yucatan. [Key words: art, drawing, field notes, fieldwork, iconicity, indexicality, knowledge production]
The mechanism of sputter-induced orientation change in YBCO films on MgO (001)

The mechanisms of the sputter-induced orientation change in YBa{sub 2}Cu{sub 3}O{sub 7{minus}x}(YBCO) films grown on MgO (001) substrates by pulsed organometallic beam epitaxy (POMBE) are investigated by x-ray diffraction. Rutherford backscatter spectroscopy (RBS), cross-section TEM (XTEM) and microanalysis. It is found that the W atom implantation concurring with the ion sputtering plays an important role in effecting the orientation change. This implantation changes the surface structure of the substrate and induces an intermediate layer in the initial growth of the YBCO film, which in turn acts as a template that induces the orientation change. It seems that the surface morphology change caused by ion sputtering has only a minor effect on the orientation change.
Deuteration of the racemate and the (2S)-(+)-enantiomer of the antiarrhythmic agent disopyramide, 4-diisopropylamino-2-(2-pyridyl)-2-phenylbutyramide

Deuteration of disopyramide, 4-diisopropylamino-2-(2-pyridyl)-2-phenylbutyramide, was accomplished in an excess of 2H2SO4 at 125–135°C. Incorporation of 2-4 atoms of deuterium occurs with 65% recovery of disopyramide. At higher temperatures (150°C) greater incorporation of deuterium occurs, but substantial decomposition reduces the recovery of disopyramide to 25%.
Miscleavage at the presequence of rat preprolactin synthesized in pituitary cells incubated with a threonine analog

Abstract We have shown previously that processing of preprolactin to prolactin in isolated rat pituitaries is inhibited by the threonine analog, β-hydroxynorvaline (Hnv), presumably because of its substitution for the threonine at the cleavage site. Here, we show by amino-terminal sequence analyses that Hnv altered the site at which preprolactin was processed such that about half of the prolactin produced had three extra amino acids at the amino terminus. The miscleaved prolactin was secreted into the medium, and there was a delay of approximately 5 min between the initial appearance of prolactin and the formation of miscleaved prolactin. This lag period suggests that miscleaved prolactin did not represent an intermediate in the normal processing of preprolactin but resulted from cleavage of completed preprolactin chains containing Hnv. These results show that modification of the structure of a preprotein can alter the site of its cleavage. One site that appears to be critical for correct cleavage is the final amino acid residue in the prepeptide. The data also indicate that complete removal of the presequence is not required for secretion of a protein.
Costumbrista Description, Romantic Gaze: The Insufficiencies of Literary Discourse in Sab

AbstractPublished in Madrid in 1841, Gertrudis Gomez de Avellaneda’s Sab is a remarkable novel often read for its anti-slavery and proto-feminist messages. Indeed, it allows us to glimpse the genesis of ideas regarding both the emancipation of slaves and women in nineteenth-century Cuba. However, I argue that, despite the novelty of its subject matter, the combination of the literary languages of costumbrismo and romanticism, particularly in its sentimentalist form, are insufficient for mounting a critique of either slavery or patriarchy in this novel. Though these languages do indeed advance these positions in the novel, my analysis shows that the mixture of these two literary styles, one that requires a superficial reading through character types and another that needs a deep reading of surface phenomena, only exacerbates Cuba’s condition as a colony. In this way, Gomez de Avellaneda points out that the emancipation of slaves and women could be imagined at the time of the novel’s publication, but a lite...
ATSC data broadcast services: protocols, application signaling, buffer models, profiles and levels

The ATSC T3 S13 Working Group on Data Broadcast Services is about to release its Version 1.0 specification. The purpose of the paper is to provide a description of the most important principles making up the specification. More specifically, four components are presented: a collection of uni-directional delivery protocols; a DSM-CC-based application signaling framework; an MPEG-2 transport buffer model and finally; a profile and level-based classification of data services. The functionality provided by each of these components is reviewed.
Gender Differences in the Performance of Household Tasks by Adults and Children in Single-Parent and Two-Parent, Two-Earner Families

This study was conducted to determine gender role differences between adults in two-parent, two-earner families; their children; and children from single-parent families in time spent on household work. Stepwise discriminant analyses were used to assess data from 47 single-parent and 47 two-parent families. Conclusions drawn from these analyses were that parents were highly sex segregated in their household task behavior, that household tasks were sex related for the female parent, and that children were less sex segregated in their household task behavior than were parents. Boys in two-parent families were the least sex segregated of the males in the sample, and girls in single-parent families were less sex segregated in their household task behaviors than all other adults and children in the study.
Systemic analgesics in children – update

Abstract A multimodal analgesic approach is key to providing safe and effective analgesia in children. The use of age-appropriate pain scoring systems with regular monitoring and pain assessment is essential to guide treatment and to achieve optimal pain control, while ensuring safety and minimizing unwanted effects. Due to neuroplasticity of immature pain pathways, pain in early life has been shown to lead to heightened sensitivity to pain on future exposure. Effective pain control has therefore the dual benefit of good analgesic control during an episode of pain, as well as reducing the potential for longer term pain pathway neurodevelopmental changes. An understanding of the developmental changes in pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of analgesic drugs in neonates, infants and children is key to safe and effective dosing of analgesic agents across this age range. Considerations for safe and effective use of paracetamol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs opioids and adjuvant analgesics in children will be discussed.
Increased Plasma Norepinephrine Response to Yohimbine in Elderly Men

Background. The effects of aging on sympathetic nervous system and adrenomedullary outflow were estimated by the measurement of plasma norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (EPI) responses to yohimbine and clonidine in healthy young and healthy older subjects. Methods. Yohimbine (0.65 mg/kg), clonidine (5 m g/kg), and placebo were administered on separate days in random order to 5 healthy older men (age 74 6 1 years) and 18 healthy young men (age 26 6 1 years). NE and EPI were measured by radioenzymatic assay in plasma samples obtained before and 30, 60, and 90 minutes after drug administration. Results. Plasma NE increases after yohimbine were greater in older men than in young men, but plasma NE decreases following clonidine did not differ between groups. Plasma NE and systolic blood pressure were higher in older men than in young men at baseline but no longer differed 90 minutes after clonidine. Plasma EPI increases after yohimbine and decreases after clonidine did not differ between groups. Conclusions. These results suggest increased sympathetic nervous system outflow in human aging that is not a function of reduced responsiveness of alpha-2 adrenoreceptor-mediated feedback inhibition.
Use of a random coefficient regression (RCR) model to estimate growth parameters

We used a random coefficient regression (RCR) model to estimate growth parameters for the time series of observed serum glucose levels in the Replicate 1 of the Genetic Analysis Workshop 13 simulated data. For comparison, a two time-point interval was also selected and the slope between these two observations was calculated. This process yielded four phenotypes: the RCR growth phenotype, a two time-point slope phenotype, and Time 1 and Time 2 serum glucose level phenotypes. These four phenotypes were used for linkage analyses on simulated chromosomes 5, 7, 9, and 21, those chromosomes that contained loci affecting the growth course for serum glucose levels. The linkage analysis of the RCR-derived phenotype showed overwhelming evidence for linkage at one locus (LOD 65.78 on chromosome 5), while showing elevated but nonsignificant LOD scores for two other loci (LOD 1.25 on chromosome 7, LOD 1.10 on chromosome 9), and no evidence of linkage for the final locus. The two time-point slope phenotype showed evidence for linkage at one locus (LOD 4.16 on chromosome 5) but no evidence for linkage at any of the other loci. A parallel cross-sectional approach, using as input phenotypes the endpoints of the two-point slope phenotype, gave strong linkage results for the major locus on chromosome 5 (maximal LOD scores of 17.90 and 27.24 for Time 1 and Time 2, respectively) while showing elevated but nonsignificant linkage results on chromosome 7 (maximal LOD scores of 1.71 and 1.48) and no evidence for linkage at the two remaining loci. The RCR growth parameter showed more power to detect linkage to the major locus than either the cross-sectional or two-point slope approach, but the cross-sectional approach gave a higher maximal LOD score for one of the minor loci.
Ethnic differences in dietary intakes, physical activity, and energy expenditure in middle-aged, premenopausal women: the Healthy Transitions Study.

BACKGROUND Menopause is a time of increased risk of obesity in women. The effect of menopause in African American women, in whom obesity is already highly prevalent, is unknown. OBJECTIVE We compared dietary intakes and energy expenditure (EE) between middle-aged, premenopausal African American and white women participating in a longitudinal study of the menopausal transition. DESIGN Dietary intakes by food record, EE by triaxial accelerometer, physical activity by self-report, and body composition by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were compared in 97 white and 52 African American women. Twenty-four-hour and sleeping EE were measured by whole-room indirect calorimetry in 56 women. RESULTS Sleeping EE (adjusted for lean and fat mass) was lower in African American than in white women (5749 +/- 155 compared with 6176 +/- 75 kJ/d; P = 0.02); however, there was no significant difference in 24-h EE between groups. Reported leisure activity over the course of a week was less in African American than in white women (556 +/- 155 compared with 1079 +/- 100 kJ/d; P = 0.02), as were the daily hours spent standing and climbing stairs. Dietary intakes of protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, and several fatty acids were significantly less in African Americans, whereas there were no observed ethnic differences in intakes of fat or carbohydrate. Body fat within the whole group was positively correlated with total, saturated, and monounsaturated fat intakes and inversely associated with fiber and calcium intakes. Fiber was the strongest single predictor of fatness. CONCLUSION Ethnic differences in EE and the intake of certain nutrients may influence the effect of menopausal transition on obesity in African American women.
Low‐energy plasma observations at synchronous orbit

The University of California at San Diego Auroral Particles Experiment on the ATS 6 satellite in synchronous orbit has detected a low-energy plasma population which is separate and distinct from both the ring current and the plasma sheet populations. The density and temperature of this low-energy population are highly variable, with temperatures in the range kT = 1-30 eV and densities ranging from less than 1 per cu cm to more than 10 per cu cm. The occurrence of a dense low-energy plasma is most likely in the afternoon and dusk local time sectors, whereas n greater than 1 per cu cm is seen in the local night sector only during magnetically quiet periods. These observations suggest that this plasma is the outer zone of the plasmasphere. During magnetically active periods this low-energy plasma is often observed flowing sunward. In the dusk sector, strong sunward plasma flow is often observed for 1-2 hours prior to the onset of a substorm-associated particle injection.
Claudins, dietary milk proteins, and intestinal barrier regulation

The family of claudin proteins plays an important role in regulating the intestinal barrier by modulating the permeability of tight junctions. The impact of dietary protein on claudin biology has not been studied extensively. Whey proteins have been reported to improve intestinal barrier function, but their mechanism of action is not clear. Recent studies, however, have demonstrated increased intestinal claudin expression in response to milk protein components. Reviewed here are new findings suggesting that whey-protein-derived transforming growth factor β transcriptionally upregulates claudin-4 expression via a Smad-4-dependent pathway. These and other data, including limited clinical studies, are summarized below and, in the aggregate, suggest a therapeutic role for whey protein in diseases of intestinal barrier dysfunction, perhaps, in part, by regulating claudin expression.
An ultra low phase noise GSM local oscillator in a 0.09 /spl mu/m standard digital CMOS process with no high-Q inductors

A design approach is presented for realizing a fully integrated local oscillator, covering all 4 GSM bands, and fulfilling the stringent phase noise requirement of -162 dBc/Hz at a 20-MHz offset from a 915-MHz carrier in a 1.4-V 0.09-/spl mu/m digital CMOS process. By operating a digitally-controlled oscillator at a 4/spl times/ frequency followed by /spl divide/ 4 frequency dividers, the requirements of on-chip inductor Q and the amount of gate oxide stress are relaxed. Both dynamic and SCL dividers are also studied for their phase noise performance. It was found that a dynamic divider is needed for stringent TX outputs while an SCL divider can be used for RX to save power. Both dividers are capable of producing a tight relation between 4 quadrature output phases at low voltage and low power.
KelpIO: a telescope-ready domain-specific I/O library for irregular block-structured applications

To ameliorate the need to spend significant programmer time modifying parallel programs to achieve high-performance, while maintaining compact, comprehensible source codes, the paper advocates the use of telescoping language technology to automatically apply, during the normal compilation process, high-level performance enhancing transformations to applications using a high-level domain-specific I/O library. We believe that this approach will be more acceptable to application developers than new language extensions, but will be just as amenable to optimization by advanced compilers, effectively making it a domain-specific language extension for I/O. The paper describes a domain-specific I/O library for irregular block-structured applications based on the KeLP library, describes high-level transformations of the library primitives for improving performance, and describes how a high-level domain-specific optimizer for applying these transformations could be constructed rising the telescoping languages framework.
Effect of intervalley interaction on band topology of commensurate graphene/EuO heterostructures

Recent experiments demonstrating proximity induced ferromagnetism in graphene motivate this study of commensurate graphene/EuO heterostructures. Due to the commensurability of graphene with the (111)-EuO layer, graphene's Dirac points are mapped to the $\mathbf{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ point of the commensurate Brillouin zone. The Eu atoms not only induce proximity exchange on the graphene layer, but they also introduce intervalley interactions resulting in a nonlinear dispersion at $\mathbf{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$. We develop a model Hamiltonian, consistent with the lattice symmetries, that includes proximity induced exchange splitting, spin-orbit coupling, and intervalley interactions with parameters fitted to ab initio calculations. The intervalley interaction opens up a trivial gap preventing the system from crossing into a nontrivial state. The model Hamiltonian is analyzed to determine the conditions under which the heterostructures can exhibit topologically nontrivial bands.
Chain Conformation in Elastomeric Multiblock Copolymers as Measured by Small-Angle Neutron Scattering

Abstract Small-angle neutron scattering has been shown to be an effective technique for investigating segment conformation in two-phase multiblock copolymer systems. By choosing the appropriate isotopic compositions, either segment can be investigated, as can the whole chain. The best approach to the experiment is to use a phase-contrast matched sample, one where no interphase scattering occurs. This allows the experiments to be carried out on a single sample, simplifying the experiment, and reducing the beam time requirements. Equations (2) and (3) describe the phase-contrast matched criterion. At room temperature, the polyether soft segments in the polyurethane elastomer-and in the polyether-polyester block copolymers are somewhat extended on the average relative to the bulk oligomer conformation. In the polyether-polyester with a lower hard-segment content, the soft segments are less extended than in the higher ester content material. A distribution of conformations occurs in these materials, with a ma...
Mechanical Properties of a Series of Macro- and Nanodimensional Organic Cocrystals Correlate with Atomic Polarizability.

A correlation between Young’s modulus, as determined by using nanoindentation atomic force microscopy (AFM), and atomic polarizability is observed for members of a series of cocrystals based on systematic changes to one cocrystal component. Time domain spectroscopy over terahertz frequencies (THz-TDS) is used for the first time to directly measure the polarizability of macro- and nanosized organic solids. Cocrystals of both macro- and nanodimensions with highly polarizable atoms result in softer solids and correspondingly higher polarizabilities.
Brachytherapy improves survival in primary vaginal cancer

Abstract Purpose Prospective, randomized data does not exist to guide treatment in primary vaginal cancer (PVC). We evaluated the impact of brachytherapy on survival in women with PVC. Methods and materials Women who received radiotherapy for PVC were identified using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Result database. Two retrospective cohorts were created; women who received external beam radiotherapy (EBRT) alone and those who received brachytherapy (alone or in combination of EBRT). Nearest-neighbor propensity score matching was used to balance the groups according to measured covariates. Cox proportional hazard regression modeling was used to estimate the effect of receipt of brachytherapy on survival. Results Two thousand five hundred seventeen vaginal cancer patients were identified. Squamous cell carcinoma made up 75% of tumors. Median overall survival (OS) for patients receiving EBRT alone was 3.6years (95% CI, 3.0–4.2years) versus 6.1years (95% CI 5.2–7.2years) for patients receiving brachytherapy (p= Conclusions Brachytherapy should be encouraged for all suitable patients with PVC.
Divine Attributes in the Book of Joel

Disagreement about the substance of the book of Joel is due, in part, to the complexity of and inconsistency in the book's portrait of the deity. This article seeks to unpack four divine attributes...