cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Experimental Evidence Concerning the Law of Rectilinear Diameter

The critical density ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}$ of Xe has been determined by two independent methods. The first value, 1.1128 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.0003 g/${\mathrm{cm}}^{3}$, is based on coexistence-curve data and extrapolation to the critical temperature using the "law of rectilinear diameter." The second method, based on critical-isotherm data and an analysis of gravitational effects, reveals no deviation of the diameter from linearity within the limits of error. If ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}$ differs from the extrapolated value, the difference is less than 0.5%.
Toboggan contrast enhancement

Toboggan contrast enhancement is a noniterative, no-parameter, linear execution time method for selectively augmenting the contrast of multispectral images of arbitrary dimensionality. It can be adapted to enhance images given any image function embodying one's notion of what constitutes an edge, provided the function monotonically decreases with distance from edges.
Inhibitory effects of diltiazem, an L-type Ca2+ channel blocker, on naloxone-increased glutamate levels in the locus coeruleus of opioid-dependent rats.

Abstract To investigate the effects of diltiazem, an L-type Cat 2+ channel blocker, on naloxone-precipitated withdrawal and elevations of glutamate levels in the locus coeruleus (LC) of opioid-dependent rats, animals were continuously infused with 26 nmol/μl/h of morphine or butorphanol intracerebroventricularly (i.c.v.) via osmotic minipumps for 3 days. l.c.v. injection of naloxone (an opioid-receptor antagonist, 48 nmol/5 μl) precipitated withdrawal signs and increased extracellular fluid levels of glutamate in the LC of morphineor butorphanol-dependent rats measured by in vivo microdialysis. Meanwhile, concomitant infusion of opioids with diltiazem (10 or 100 nmol/μl/h) inhibited the withdrawal signs and prevented the elevations of glutamate levels in the LC. These results suggest that an expeditious release of glutamate in the LC region regulated by L-type Ca 2+ channels mediated system plays a role in the expression of withdrawal signs from opioids.
Property Delisting, Housing Cycle and Pricing Bias

This paper provides a formal analysis on a well-known issue of the housing market observable transaction prices are a biased indication of the true market condition if significant numbers of listed properties are delisted without sale. We provide a closed-form formula to identify and correct such price bias. The model can help market participants and policy makers to form less biased views of the true state of the housing market, especially during the down cycles.
Toward Low Cost Imaging: A Laser Scanning Digital Camera

The laser scanning digital camera is a hybrid confocal imager, designed with simplified optics and electronics to reduce the costs of diagnostic imaging, presentation of visual stimuli, and measurement of refractive error.
Biochemical Characterization of Interactions between DNA Polymerase and Single-stranded DNA-binding Protein in Bacteriophage RB69

The organization and proper assembly of proteins to the primer-template junction during DNA replication is essential for accurate and processive DNA synthesis. DNA replication in RB69 (a T4-like bacteriophage) is similar to those of eukaryotes and archaea and has been a prototype for studies on DNA replication and assembly of the functional replisome. To examine protein-protein interactions at the DNA replication fork, we have established solution conditions for the formation of a discrete and homogeneous complex of RB69 DNA polymerase (gp43), primer-template DNA, and RB69 single-stranded DNA-binding protein (gp32) using equilibrium fluorescence and light scattering. We have characterized the interaction between DNA polymerase and single-stranded DNA-binding protein and measured a 60-fold increase in the overall affinity of RB69 single-stranded DNA-binding protein (SSB) for template strand DNA in the presence of DNA polymerase that is the result of specific protein-protein interactions. Our data further suggest that the cooperative binding of the RB69 DNA polymerase and SSB to the primer-template junction is a simple but functionally important means of regulatory assembly of replication proteins at the site of action. We have also shown that a functional domain of RB69 single-stranded DNA-binding protein suggested previously to be the site of RB69 DNA polymerase-SSB interactions is dispensable. The data from these studies have been used to model the RB69 DNA polymerase-SSB interaction at the primer-template junction.
The renal artery ostium flow diverter: Structure and potential role in atherosclerosis

Initiation of renal atherosclerosis occurs primarily at the caudal region of the renal artery ostium. To date, no mechanism for initiation of atherosclerosis at this site has been substantiated. Herein, we identify a renal artery flow diverter on the caudal wall of the renal artery ostium that directs flow into the renal artery and selectively retains LDL, an initial step in atherosclerosis. High-resolution ultrasound revealed the generation of flow eddies by the caudal diverter in vivo, consistent with a role in directing aortic flow to the renal artery. Two-photon excitation en face microscopy of the diverter revealed a substantial reduction in the elastic lamina exposing potential retention sites for LDL. Fluorescent LDL was selectively retained by the renal artery diverter, consistent with its molecular structure. We propose that the rigid macromolecular structure of the renal artery ostium diverter is required for its vascular function and contributes to the initiation of renal atherosclerosis by the retention of LDL.
Superposition of renewal processes in a random environment

Abstract A random environment is modeled by an arbitrary stochastic process, the future of which is described by a σ-algebra. Baxter and Li (1994) discussed generalizations of standard limit theorems of renewal theory to the case where a random environment is involved. In this paper, we consider superposition of renewal processes in a random environment. In particular, the central limit theorem and other limiting properties of superposition of renewal processes in a random environment are derived.
Comparison of myocardial motion estimation methods based on simulated echocardiographic B-mode and RF data

In this paper, we combine a ventricular kinematic model and an ultrasound simulation model in order to simulate the echocardiographic imaging process. In addition to its capability to generate raw RF data, when compared to previous echocardiography simulation models, the result achieves more realistic B-Mode images. Several echocardiography parameters were taken into account including central frequency, apodization, number of elements in the array, speed of sound, and number of scatterers. The proposed improvements are due to the use of a shift-variant Point Spread Function (PSF) and more accurate cardiac motion assumptions. One attribute of the simulator is also that it provides the groundtruth vector field of actual "ventricular deformations'' which may be used to strictly validate motion estimation and myocardial elastography algorithms. The paper presents the first application of optical flow to normalized data in piece-wise segments of RF images. Different optical flow motion estimation techniques such as Lucas-Kanade, Horn-Schunck, Brox et al., Black and Anandan, and Block Matching (BM) were applied to the simulated B-mode images and RF data. The estimated motion fields from the RF data as well as the B-mode images were validated with the ground-truth motion fields derived from the simulator. The validation results show that the Brox et al. method performs better than other motion estimation techniques when applied to B-Mode and RF data. Also, as intuitively expected, use of RF data results in more accurate displacement fields than when B-mode images alone are used.
Separation of mannosylretinylphosphate from dolichylmannosylphosphate by chromatography on columns of DEAE-Sephacel

Abstract A one-step column chromatographic procedure on DEAE-Sephacel allows the separation of mannosylretinylphosphate from dolichylmannosylphosphate with minimal breakdown of the mannosylretinylphosphate. Using this procedure, subcellular fractions of rat liver were shown to be active in synthesizing both mannolipids from GDP-[ 14 C]mannose in the absence or presence of exogenous retinylphosphate.
Renal ischemia–reperfusion injury: Renal dendritic cells loudly sound the alarm

Renal ischemia–reperfusion injury is a major cause of acute renal failure and kidney allograft dysfunction. Dong and colleagues now identify the surveying renal dendritic cell network as the predominant source of tumor necrosis factor-α during the early stages of renal ischemia–reperfusion injury, raising the possibility for direct targeting of renal dendritic cells to help ameliorate this common form of renal injury and its sequelae.
The structure of compact rings

Abstract In 1947 Kaplansky proved that if A is a compact ring with Jacobson radical J, then A⧸J is isomorphic and homeomorphic to a Cartesian product of matrix rings over finite fields. That result is used to give additional structure theorems for compact rings. In particular those commutative compact rings with identity for which 2 is a unit are characterized. Moreover, an analogue of a result of Andrunakievic and Rjabuhin is obtained, namely, that if A is a compact ring with identity such that A satisfies the ascending chain condition on closed ideals, then A is isomorphic and homeomorphic to a subdirect sum of compact local rings without zero divisors if and only if A has no nonzero algebraic nilpotent elements.
Detection of mitochondrial DNA from domestic cattle in bison on Santa Catalina Island.

Summary In 1924, 14 American bison (Bison bison) were introduced to Santa Catalina Island, California and sporadically supplemented thereafter with additional animals. To reduce the herd and its impact on native vegetation, over 2000 animals have been exported during the past four decades. Today, the herd is estimated to contain around 250 individuals. Genetic analysis was performed on 98 animals removed from the island in 2004. Forty-four samples (45%) had domestic cattle mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), 12 (12%) had previously reported bison haplotypes and 42 (43%) had a new haplotype differing by one base pair from a previously reported bison haplotype. A complement of five restriction enzymes was found to be useful in identifying bison with domestic cattle mtDNA.
Quantification of wall shear stress in large blood vessels using Lagrangian interpolation functions with cine phase-contrast magnetic resonance imaging.

Arterial wall shear stress is hypothesized to be an important factor in the localization of atherosclerosis. Current methods to compute wall shear stress from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data do not account for flow profiles characteristic of pulsatile flow in noncircular vessel lumens. We describe a method to quantify wall shear stress in large blood vessels by differentiating velocity interpolation functions defined using cine phase-contrast MRI data on a band of elements in the neighborhood of the vessel wall. Validation was performed with software phantoms and an in vitro flow phantom. At an image resolution corresponding to in vivo imaging data of the human abdominal aorta, time-averaged, spatially averaged wall shear stress for steady and pulsatile flow were determined to be within 16% and 23% of the analytic solution, respectively. These errors were reduced to 5% and 8% with doubling in image resolution. For the pulsatile software phantom, the oscillation in shear stress was predicted to within 5%. The mean absolute error of circumferentially resolved shear stress for the nonaxisymmetric phantom decreased from 28% to 15% with a doubling in image resolution. The irregularly shaped phantom and in vitro investigation demonstrated convergence of the calculated values with increased image resolution. We quantified the shear stress at the supraceliac and infrarenal regions of a human abdominal aorta to be 3.4 and 2.3 dyn/cm2, respectively. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society.
Optimal hematocrit in patients on dialysis therapy

Although recombinant erythropoietin (rHuEPO) has been available for use in dialysis patients since 1989, there is little information available on the optimal hematocrit to target in this patient population. The optimal hematocrit is the value that supplies the amount of oxygen to specific tissues and organs that maximizes the efficiency and effectiveness of organ function. Very few prospective studies have been published on this issue, and the retrospective review of clinical practice data is inadequate because of the small number of patients maintained with a hematocrit greater than 36%. Several recent abstracts shed light on this issue, however, and additional publications are likely soon. The available data indicate that brain and cognitive function are better at a normal hematocrit compared with the currently achieved values (31% to 32%). In addition, quality of life and exercise capacity improve as hematocrit is normalized. The AMGEN Normal Hematocrit Cardiac Trial (NHCT), studying the effects of normalizing the hematocrit in dialysis patients with heart disease, does not clearly show the benefit or harm of a normal hematocrit in this patient setting, although within both study groups (hematocrit of 30% v 42%), survival was better in patients with higher hematocrits. The challenge for clinicians is to determine the optimal hematocrit for a specific patient that maximizes organ function but does not cause adverse effects. Over the next few years, several studies should be published based on current abstracts, and if the results remain as reported, the evidence will be accumulating that normal hematocrits are beneficial in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients.
Expression of c‐myc in altered hepatic foci induced in rats by various single doses of diethylnitrosamine and promotion by 0.05% phenobarbital

Among the proto-oncogenes examined by northern blot analysis, c-myc, c-Ha-ras, c-fos, and c-raf-1 have been reported to be activated in rat liver cell carcinomas. However, there are relatively few reports on protooncogene expression in altered hepatic foci (AHF) early during hepatocarcinogenesis in the rat. In this study, diethylnitrosamine (DEN) at doses ranging from 10 to 200 mg/kg was used to initiate and phenobarbital (0.05%) to promote AHF in rats. AHF were detected by the presence of the marker enzymes glutathione s-transferase, placental form (GST-P); gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (GGT); glucose-6-phosphatase (G6Pase); and canalicular adenosine triphosphatase (ATPase). Proto-oncogene expression in individual AHF was investigated by in situ hybridization (ISH). ISH for the mRNAs of c-Ha-ras, c-fos, and c-raf-1 revealed little or no expression in AHF. However, the levels of c-myc mRNA were increased in about 10% of the AHF initiated by the highest dose of DEN (200 mg/kg). Thus, altered expression of proto-oncogenes was not seen in AHF initiated by nonnecrogenic doses of DEN and promoted by phenobarbital. However, at the necrogenic dose of 200 mg/kg DEN, c-myc expression was found mostly in AHF in which abnormal expression of GST-P, GGT, G6Pase, and ATPase was also present, indicating that c-myc expression is correlated with phenotypically greater complexity of the AHF, a characteristic of malignant hepatic neoplasms in the rat.
Truth in Crowdsourcing

Crowdsourcing provides un precedented new opportunities for people to share their knowledge and observations with the rest of the world. And because of their relatively high cost and low scale, more conventional, centralized means of data collection are being displaced by crowdsourced alternatives. To this point, attempts to pollute user contributed data have been rare, but this seems unlikely to remain true for long. Thus, security re searchers and practitioners alike must strive to develop better techniques and tools to help verify the authenticity of the data on which we increasingly rely.
Increased plasma norepinephrine concentration in cats with interstitial cystitis.

Purpose: Interstitial cystitis is a chronic urological syndrome affecting humans and domestic animals, including cats (feline interstitial cystitis). The symptoms of interstitial cystitis seem to be exacerbated by stress, suggesting involvement of the sympathetic nervous system and/or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Others have described sympathetic nervous system abnormalities in patients with interstitial cystitis but to our knowledge no data on plasma catecholamine concentrations or hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in such patients have been reported. To evaluate the role of these systems in cats with feline interstitial cystitis we simultaneously measured baseline plasma concentrations of catecholamines and their metabolites to assess sympathetic activity, and the response of plasma adenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol concentrations to the infusion of corticotropin-releasing factor.Materials and Methods: Eight healthy cats and 8 with feline interstitial cystitis were anesthetized ...
Allelic and Ectopic Interactions in Recombination-Defective Yeast Strains

Ectopic recombination in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been investigated by examining the effects of mutations known to alter allelic recombination frequencies. A haploid yeast strain disomic for chromosome III was constructed in which allelic recombination can be monitored using leu2 heteroalleles on chromosome III and ectopic recombination can be monitored using ura3 heteroalleles on chromosomes V and II. This strain contains the spo13-1 mutation which permits haploid strains to successfully complete meiosis and which rescues many recombination-defective mutants from the associated meiotic lethality. Mutations in the genes RAD50, SPO11 and HOP1 were introduced individually into this disomic strain using transformation procedures. Mitotic and meiotic comparisons of each mutant strain with the wild-type parental strain has shown that the mutation in question has comparable effects on ectopic and allelic recombination. Similar results have been obtained using diploid strains constructed by mating MATa and MAT alpha haploid derivatives of each of the disomic strains. These data demonstrate that ectopic and allelic recombination are affected by the same gene products and suggest that the two types of recombination are mechanistically similar. In addition, the comparison of disomic and diploid strains indicates that the presence of a chromosome pairing partner during meiosis does not affect the frequency of ectopic recombination events involving nonhomologous chromosomes.
The Biology of Morality

. The morality of human beings, defined here as our ability to determine whether our actions are right or wrong, depends not just on following rules but also on understanding the impact of our actions on another person. How we understand the impact of our actions on another person depends on our state of consciousness, which is mediated by our brain and nervous system. We describe how we understand our morality to flow naturally from the biological state we are living in and how we see our biology and our morality as mutually interactive. A change in one changes the other. Another way of saying this is that changing either our morality or our biology changes both—changes who we are and what we do.
Negotiated revealing of traders' credentials in e-marketplaces: dealing with trust and privacy issues

The rise of e-marketplaces on the Internet is going to bring a broad new set of business opportunities to enterprises and customers at a fraction of the physical-world costs. However, to be really successful, these e-marketplaces must be open, trusted, fair and transparent. They must be able to convey on-line the same feeling of trust, security and privacy that traditional marketplaces do. This has implication on three critical aspects: the decisions to be made about membership of traders; their admissibility to negotiations; the controls over the negotiation processes. In this paper we discuss trust and privacy problems related to admittance to negotiation within e-marketplaces and we introduce a novel method for automating the process consistently with traders' privacy requirements.
Production and characterization of an Mls-1-specific monoclonal antibody.

Superantigens (SAGs) represent a new class of antigens, characterized as T cell receptor (TCR) V beta-reactive elements. Bacterial toxins constitute the major group of exogenous SAGs, while the mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV)-encoded Mls molecules represent the endogenous SAGs. Mls-1 is the prototype of the latter SAGs, because it elicits a very potent T cell stimulatory response in vitro in unprimed T cells expressing the TCR V beta 6 or 8.1 chains. In vivo, Mls-1 causes deletion of immature T cells bearing the V beta 6, 7, 8.1, or 9 chains. Although Mls-1 was functionally discovered > 20 yr ago, it has not been possible to raise antibodies against this molecule. We have previously cloned and sequenced the Mtv-7 sag gene, which encodes Mls-1. Sequence comparisons with other MMTV sag genes suggested that the polymorphic 3' end encodes the TCR V beta specificity of these SAGs. We have, therefore, immunized hamsters with a 14-amino acid peptide from the deduced COOH-terminal sequence of the Mtv-7 sag gene. We describe here the production of a monoclonal antibody (mAb), 3B12, which is peptide specific and reacts with a recombinant baculovirus product of Mtv-7 sag. This mAb blocks Mls-1-specific T cell recognition and detects the Mls-1 protein on the surface of the B cell hybridoma LBB.A, but not on LBB.11, which is an Mtv-7 loss variant of LBB.A. Transfection of the Mtv-7 sag gene into LBB.11 renders this cell functionally Mls-1+ as well as positive for 3B12 binding, confirming the specificity of this mAb. It is well documented that B cells and CD8+ T cells express T cell stimulatory Mls-1 determinants, and we show here that this functional profile correlates with the expression of MMTV-specific mRNA. However, primary lymphocytes derived from Mls-1+ mice do not stain with 3B12, even after in vitro activation with mitogens or phorbol ester.
The RNA Subunit of Ribonuclease P from the Zebrafish, Danio rerio*

A simple strategy has been devised to identify the gene encoding the RNA subunit of RNase P from the zebrafish, Danio rerio. The sequence obtained by amplification of genomic DNA with primers based on sequences common to two other vertebrates was confirmed by reverse transcription and amplification of RNA from a partially purified preparation of the holoenzyme. The 5′ and 3′ ends were determined by cyclizing the RNA, followed by reverse transcription and sequencing across the ligated RNA junction. The zebrafish sequence is 63% identical to that of Xenopus laevis nuclear RNase P RNA and 69% identical to the human RNase P RNA. A consensus secondary structure was constructed based on these nucleotide identities and on the many compensatory base changes in several regions among these three RNAs. The strategy used to obtain the zebrafish sequence should be useful in deriving analogous gene sequences from diverse classes of eukaryotes.
Update on the Morning Glory Disc Anomaly

The morning glory disc anomaly has distinctive clinical characteristics and is important to diagnose correctly so that associated central nervous system and vascular abnormalities are promptly identified and treated. This review covers the ophthalmic findings, clinical features, and histopathologic findings in patients with this rare developmental abnormality. The most common systemic associations are described and reviewed.
The Role of Long-Term Trends in Seasonal Predictions: Implication of Global Warming in the NCEP CFS

Abstract This paper analyzes long-term surface air temperature trends in a 25-yr (1982–2006) dataset of retrospective seasonal climate predictions made by the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFS), a model that has its atmospheric greenhouse gases fixed at the 1988 concentration level. Although the CFS seasonal forecasts tend to follow the observed interannual variability very closely, there exists a noticeable time-dependent discrepancy between the CFS forecasts and observations, with a warm model bias before 1988 and a cold bias afterward except for a short-lived warm bias during 1992–94. The trend from warm to cold biases is likely caused by not including the observed increase in the anthropogenic greenhouse gases in the CFS, whereas the warm bias in 1992–94 reflects the absence of the anomalous aerosols released by the 1991 Mount Pinatubo eruption. Skill analysis of the CFS seasonal climate predictions with and without the warming trend suggests that the 1997–98 El Nino event contributes significantly to...
A high speed programmable digital FIR filter

The implementation of a high-speed, programmable finite impulse response (FIR) filter using coefficients consisting of two power-of-two terms is presented. The area and speed performance figures for this application-specific IC (ASIC) demonstrate the superiority of this architecture for high-speed and high-density implementation. This implementation was developed using a relatively primitive CMOS process. Simple lambda -rule scaling suggests that by using a 1.25- mu m and double-level metal process of the same die size, this architecture will allow the implementation of a filter of approximately 200 taps operating at a 10-MHz sampling rate. >
The effect of intravertebral heterogeneity in microstructure on vertebral strength and failure patterns.

The goal of this study was to determine the influence of intravertebral heterogeneity in microstructure on vertebral failure. Results show that noninvasive assessments of the intravertebral heterogeneity in density improve predictions of vertebral strength and that local variations in microstructure are associated with locations of failure in the vertebral body. The overall goal of this study was to determine the influence of intravertebral heterogeneity in microstructure on vertebral failure. Trabecular density and microarchitecture were quantified for 32 thoracic vertebrae using micro-computed tomography (μCT)-based analyses of 4.81 mm, contiguous cubes throughout the centrum. Intravertebral heterogeneity in density was defined as the interquartile range and quartile coefficient of variation of the cube densities. The vertebrae were compressed to failure to measure stiffness, strength, and toughness. Pre- and post-compression μCT images were analyzed using digital volume correlation to quantify failure patterns in the vertebrae, as defined by the distributions of residual strain. Failure patterns consisted of large deformations in the midtransverse plane with concomitant endplate biconcavity and were linked to the intravertebral distribution of bone tissue. Low values of connectivity density and trabecular number, and high values of trabecular separation, were associated with high strains. However, local microstructural properties were not the sole determinants of failure. For instance, the midtransverse plane experienced the highest strain (p < 0.008) yet had the highest density, lowest structure model index, and lowest anisotropy (p < 0.013). Accounting for the intravertebral heterogeneity in density improved predictions of strength and stiffness as compared to predictions based only on mean density (strength: R 2 = 0.75 vs. 0.61, p < 0.001; stiffness: R 2 = 0.44 vs. 0.26, p = 0.001). Local variations in microstructure are associated with failure patterns in the vertebra. Noninvasive assessments of the intravertebral heterogeneity in density—which are feasible in clinical settings—can improve predictions of vertebral strength and stiffness.
X-Ray Fan-Beam Luminescence Tomography

Nanophosphors emit near-infrared (NIR) light upon x-ray excitation, and can be functionalized as probes for in vivo molecular imaging. X-ray luminescence imaging maps a distribution of nanophosphors for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. In this paper, we propose an x-ray fan-beam luminescence tomography approach to quantify a spatial distribution of molecular probes. A practical system is designed for x-ray fan-beam luminescence imaging in which an x-ray tube is collimated into a fan-beam of x-rays to excite nanophosphors on a cross-section through an object. The excited nanophosphors emit NIR light to be detected on the external surface of the object. The measured NIR light signal (2D) is used to reconstruct nanophosphors distribution on the cross-section (2D) of the object. In this imaging mode, the dimensionality of measurable data matches to that of the distribution of nanophosphors being excited, allowing an accurate and reliable image reconstruction. Numerical experiments are performed to demonstrate the feasibility and merits of the proposed approach. Keyword: Optical molecular imaging; Nanophosphor imaging; Image reconstruction; Compressive sensing
Patient Autonomy and Provider Beneficence Are Compatible

A commentary on “What's Not Being Shared in Shared Decision-Making?” from the July-August 2013.
Involvement of PCH family proteins in cytokinesis and actin distribution.

Pombe Cdc15 homology (PCH) proteins constitute an extensive protein family whose members have been found in diverse eukaryotic organisms. These proteins are characterized by the presence of several conserved sequence and structural motifs. Recent studies in yeast and mammalian cultured cells have implicated these proteins in actin-based processes, in particular, cytokinesis. Here we review the recent findings on the in vivo localization, function, and binding partners of PCH family members. We also provide new microscopy data regarding the in vivo dynamics of a budding yeast PCH protein involved in cytokinesis.
Local order in polycarbonate glasses by 13C{19F} rotational‐echo double‐resonance NMR

Nearest-neighbor chain packing in a homogeneous blend of carbonate 13C-labeled bisphenol A polycarbonate and CF3-labeled bisphenol A polycarbonate has been characterized using a shifted-pulse version of magic-angle spinning 13C{19F} rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) NMR. Complementary NMR experiments have also been performed on a polycarbonate homopolymer containing the same 13C and 19F labels. In the blend, the 13C observed spin was at high concentration, and the 19F dephasing or probe spin was at low concentration. In this situation, an analysis in terms of a distribution of isolated heteronuclear pairs of spins is valid. A comparison of the results for the blend and homopolymer defines the NMR conditions under which higher concentrations of probe labels can be used and a simple analysis of the REDOR results is still valid. The nearest neighbors of a CF3 on one chain generally include a carbonate group on an adjacent chain. A direct interpretation of the REDOR total dephasing for the polycarbonate blend indicates that at least 75% of carbonate-carbon 13C···F3 nearest neighbors are separated by a narrow distribution of distances 4.7 ± 0.3 A. In addition, analysis of the variations in REDOR spinning-sideband dephasing shows that most of the 13C···F3 dipolar vectors have a preferred orientation relative to the polycarbonate mainchain axis. This combination of distance and orientational constraints is interpreted in terms of local order in the packing of the carbonate group of one polycarbonate chain relative to the isopropylidene moiety in a neighboring chain. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 44: 2760–2775, 2006
Failure analysis and surety design of composite patching systems.

This work presents an experimental evaluation of patch repair of solid laminated composites. The study was focused on destructive and nondestructive tests of full-scale repaired panels under static tension loading conditions. The testing program consisted of ten panels: three pristine, three damaged, three repaired and one repaired with mismatched fiber orientation patch. The evaluated panels were (300 mm x 675 mm) in size and consisted of 6-ply ((-60 /60/0){sub s}) quasi-isotropic laminates. The destructive tests were performed by North Carolina A&T State University and the nondestructive tests were performed by Iowa State University using Pulse-echo C-scan, Air coupled TTU and Auto-Tap. Sandia National Laboratories validated the NDT tests by implementing NDE field methods. Based on the evaluation performed in this study, it appears that the patch repair is an effective means in retrofitting damaged solid composite laminates.
Maxillomandibular advancement for obstructive sleep apnea

Surgical technique for maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) to improve obstructive sleep apnea is discussed in this article. Surgically advancing the maxillomandibular complex by at least 1 cm provides tension on the soft tissues in the airway from the soft palate to the base of the tongue, widening the pharynx in the anteroposterior dimension, but most importantly laterally. The tissues would no longer be able to collapse and obstruct the pharynx. Postoperative polysomnography in patients who have MMA is comparable to that of patients using continuous positive airway pressure therapy appropriately. Primary surgical MMA is highly efficacious. More long-term studies are needed for validating this valuable surgical alternative to continuous positive airway pressure therapy.
Effect of Hybrid stage 1 procedure on ventricular function in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome.

OBJECTIVE The effect of Hybrid stage 1 palliation for hypoplastic left heart syndrome on right ventricular function is unknown. We sought to compare right ventricular function in normal neonates and those with hypoplastic left heart syndrome before Hybrid palliation and to assess the effect of Hybrid palliation on right ventricular function, using the right ventricular myocardial performance index and the ratio of systolic and diastolic durations. METHODS We carried out a retrospective review of echocardiographic data on 23 infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome who underwent Hybrid palliation and 35 normal controls. Data were acquired before Hybrid and after Hybrid palliation - post 1, 0-4 days; post 2, 1 week; post 3, 2-3 weeks; post 4, 1-1.5 months following Hybrid palliation. RESULTS Myocardial performance index and ratio of systolic and diastolic durations were higher in the pre-Hybrid hypoplastic left heart syndrome group (n=23) - 0.47±0.16 versus 0.25±0.07, p<0.001; 1.59±0.44 versus 1.09±0.14, p<0.0001 - compared with controls (n=35). There was no significant change in the myocardial performance index at any of the post-Hybrid time points. Ratio of systolic and diastolic durations increased significantly 2 weeks after Hybrid - post 3: 2.08±0.62 and post 4: 2.21±0.45 versus pre: 1.59±0.44, p=0.043 and 0.003. There were no significant differences in parameters between sub-groups of infants who died (n=10) and survivors (n=13). CONCLUSIONS Right ventricular myocardial performance index and ratio of systolic and diastolic durations were significantly higher in infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome before intervention compared with controls. The ratio of systolic and diastolic durations increased significantly 2 weeks after Hybrid palliation. Our data suggest that infants with hypoplastic left heart syndrome have right ventricular dysfunction before intervention, which worsens over 2 weeks after Hybrid palliation.
Phasing electron diffraction data by molecular replacement: strategy for structure determination and refinement.

Electron crystallography is arguably the only electron cryomicroscopy (cryo EM) technique able to deliver atomic resolution data (better then 3 A) for membrane proteins embedded in a membrane. The progress in hardware improvements and sample preparation for diffraction analysis resulted in a number of recent examples where increasingly higher resolutions were achieved. Other chapters in this book detail the improvements in hardware and delve into the intricate art of sample preparation for microscopy and electron diffraction data collection and processing. In this chapter, we describe in detail the protocols for molecular replacement for electron diffraction studies. The use of a search model for phasing electron diffraction data essentially eliminates the need of acquiring image data rendering it immune to aberrations from drift and charging effects that effectively lower the attainable resolution.
Who’s Who in Introductory Psychology Textbooks A Citation Analysis Redux

It is important to assess periodically how introductory textbooks portray our discipline because introductory psychology is the most popular psychology course, almost all teachers use textbooks for it, and textbooks play a major role in defining the course for students. To do so, past studies have used textbook citation analyses. We analyzed current textbooks to update the citation findings of these studies for the most cited articles, books, and psychologists. Many highly cited articles and books have decreased in citation frequency, likely due to a currency bias and authors’ citation preferences. Freud had the highest citation page count, reinforcing students’ misconception of his importance in contemporary scientific psychology. Our findings should help teachers in making choices about course content and emphases.
Oxygen and CO Adsorption on Au/SiO2 Catalysts Prepared by Magnetron Sputtering: The Role of Oxygen Storage

Temporal Analysis of Products (TAP) reactor system was used to investigate CO oxidation behavior on Au/SiO2 catalysts prepared via the physical vapor deposition method of magnetron sputtering. Au/SiO2 catalysts are a valuable model system for studying the reactivity of Au nanoparticles, as the SiO2 support plays little role in the reaction. The adsorption of CO on the catalyst was studied at different temperatures under TAP vacuum conditions. The heat of CO adsorption estimated from TAP results by moment analysis is −24.39 ± 3.70 kJ/mol. Multipulse TAP experiments showed the important dependency between the oxygen pretreatment pressure (UHV to 33.66 psia) and catalytic activity for CO oxidation. The observed kinetic behavior indicates that oxygen consumed by CO can be replenished by oxygen stored in a reservoir, which is filled during pretreatment. The oxygen pretreatment pressure determines the amount of oxygen stored in the reservoir. The kinetic behavior indicates that oxygen is stored in the gold subs...
Short commentary on empagliflozin and its potential clinical impact

Sodium glucose cotransporter type 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new class of drug developed to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). They target the kidney by reducing renal glucose reabsorption and promoting urinary glucose excretion, which reduces hyperglycemia in individuals with T2DM. The SGLT2 inhibitor empagliflozin has gained approval in the EU and in the USA for the treatment of adults with T2DM (there is no current indication in type 1 diabetes). Empagliflozin has shown a good efficacy and safety profile from clinical trials when given as monotherapy, and as an add-on therapy to other glucose-lowering agents. This short commentary reviews the key efficacy and safety data from empagliflozin phase III trials and examines the potential role this agent may have in the management of T2DM.
Heterochromatin Variation and DNA Content Conservatism in Geomys attwateri and G. breviceps (Rodentia: Geomyidae)

Pocket gophers from two chromosomal races (F and G) of Geomys attwateri , G. breviceps (race E), F × G hybrids, and an E × G hybrid were karyotyped and examined for variation in heterochromatin and DNA content. Most specimens were collected from a hybrid zone in East Texas described in detail by Tucker and Schmidly (1981) and Dowler (1989). C-bands and fluorescent dyes (chromomycin A3 and Hoechst 33258) revealed two types of heterochromatin in C-band regions. Distribution of heterochromatin and amount of chromomycin-bright (guanine-cytosine rich) heterochromatin differed markedly between the species, but the mean nuclear DNA content did not differ significantly. This may have resulted from selection for maintenance of a restricted range in genome size, whereas the distribution and base composition of heterochromatin was free to change.
Plasmonic Trace Sensing below the Photon Shot Noise Limit

Plasmonic sensors are important detectors of biochemical trace compounds, but those that utilize optical readout are approaching their absolute limits of detection as defined by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in both differential intensity and phase readout. However, the use of more general minimum uncertainty states in the form of squeezed light can push the noise floor in these sensors below the shot noise limit (SNL) in one analysis variable at the expense of another. Here, we demonstrate a quantum plasmonic sensor whose noise floor is reduced below the SNL in order to perform index of refraction measurements with sensitivities unobtainable with classical plasmonic sensors. The increased signal-to-noise ratio can result in faster detection of analyte concentrations that were previously lost in the noise. These benefits are the hallmarks of a sensor exploiting quantum readout fields in order to manipulate the limits of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.
Neurocognition in Schizophrenia

Neuropsychological deficits among schizophrenia patients have been consistently documented in research over the past 20 years and are reviewed in this chapter. Discussion of general abilities is presented as a background and is followed by analysis of functioning in specific cognitive domains. Overall intellectual deficits are indicated by results from both general intelligence tests and composite test battery scores. Within specific cognitive domains, effect size differences are noted in numerous areas, including attention, with indications that working memory is affected more severely than simple attention, likely due to inclusion of an executive component in such tasks. There is also evidence of slowed processing speed among schizophrenia patients, likely contributing to deficits in other domains which rely on rapid and efficient assimilation of information. Executive impairments have been found on tests assessing set-shifting abilities, selective attention, and inhibition of inappropriate responses. Learning and memory deficits have been demonstrated extensively, with some evidence that recall of verbal material is more affected than recall of visual information, and that recognition abilities are comparatively less impaired than recall for both modalities. Receptive and expressive language abilities are compromised in schizophrenia patients, as well as visual perceptual, constructional, and fine motor skills. Social cognition is an area of particular importance due to its relevance to functional outcome. Deficits in expression and recognition of facial and prosodic affect have been demonstrated, although subjective experience of emotion appears to be relatively well preserved. Neuropsychological deficits described in this review appear to generally remain stable throughout adulthood, supporting neurodevelopmental, rather than neurodegenerative, models of the illness. Finally, cognitive deficits are increasingly used as endophenotypes, which is likely an important direction of future research.
A Broken Dream: Homelessness & Immigrants

The United States’ foreign-born population is estimated to be approximately 42.1 million and growing. This brief examines barriers that render this significant population particularly vulnerable to poverty and homelessness. This brief confronts a dearth of statistical and empirical data and offers the first attempt to weave a clearer picture of these barriers, both nationally and statewide. The brief also offers some recommendations to better support immigrant and refugee communities and to better insulate them from homelessness.
Early Sonographic Diagnosis of Emphysematous Cholecystitis Successfully Treated with Antibiotics A Case Study

Emphysematous cholecystitis (EC) is an uncommon form of acute cholecystitis, caused by secondary infection of the gallbladder wall with gas-forming organisms. The mortality rate of EC is as high as...
Identifying Female in the Halaf: Prehistoric Agency and Modern Interpretations

This article considers ways that representations of anthropomorphic imagery in the form of figurines from prehistoric village communities have been interpreted and provides a new framework for analyzing figurines. It has been long suggested that prehistoric figurines should be interpreted as representations of female gendered qualities related to ritual, fertility, and motherhood combined into a concept called “mother goddess.” The impetus for the adoption of this interpretation and evidential association with prehistoric figurine assemblages and bound to binary gender is briefly critiqued. The methodology for studying figurine assemblages presented here utilizes typological, archaeological, and comparative analysis and is cognizant of inherent ambiguities in the object biographies of the full assemblage. This study applies this methodology to a corpus of figurines excavated from sixth millennium settlements associated with the Halaf material culture. This approach is then operationalized with case studies of figurines excavated from Domuztepe (Turkey) and Chagar Bazar (Syria) as examples of engagement with those who conceived, made, used, and discarded them. The Halaf figurine corpus is shown as nuanced, displaying sexual difference and humanness on a spectrum from overt to ambiguous. Considered as a whole, the Halaf corpus is shown to have had mundane and mutable use lives related to embodied identities entangled with culture and community, unconnected to gender binaries, ritual, fertility, or motherhood.
Community-Level Approaches to Prevent Sexual Violence

Sexual violence is a multifaceted problem nested within multiple interacting domains of the social ecology. Decades of research have resulted in better understanding of the etiology and scope of sexual violence–and the need for effective prevention efforts has never been clearer. However, most prevention efforts to date have focused only on changing individual- and relationship-level risk—and very few have demonstrated any lasting effectiveness. Social and cultural norms, environmental factors, and other contextual factors can exacerbate or mitigate risk for sexual violence. To achieve population-level change, we must also address aspects of our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and broader culture that promote or condone this violence. Little has been done on this front—and the lack of rigorous, evidence-based research on comprehensive primary prevention approaches poses a challenge. A critical next step for the field is to identify and rigorously evaluate strategies that modify characteristics of the community itself—through programs, policies, or practices—to reduce the risk for sexual violence at the population level. This chapter describes three potential steps, based on the current state of the research literature, which can be used to begin identifying promising community-level strategies for implementation and evaluation. It also describes five promising approaches with strong potential for preventing sexual violence based on the best available research evidence: economic support for women and families, leadership and empowerment of girls, safety and monitoring in schools, protective workplace policies, and environmental approaches to mitigate community-level risk for sexual violence. Additionally, this chapter describes methodological issues in community-level prevention research, data sources for this work, and research designs to begin establishing the evidence base necessary to achieve population-level change and eliminate sexual violence.