cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of myosin ATPase by metal fluoride complexes

Magnesium (Mg2+) is the physiological divalent cation stabilizing nucleotide or nucleotide analog in the active site of myosin subfragment 1 (S1). In the presence of fluoride, Mg2+ and MgADP form a complex that traps the active site of S1 and inhibits myosin ATPase. The ATPase inactivation rate of the magnesium trapped S1 is comparable but smaller than the other known gamma-phosphate analogs at 1.2 M-1 s-1 with 1 mM MgCl2. The observed molar ratio of Mg/S1 in this complex of 1.58 suggests that magnesium occupies the gamma-phosphate position in the ATP binding site of S1 (S1-MgADP-MgFx). The stability of S1-MgADP-MgFx at 4 degrees C was studied by EDTA chase experiments but decomposition was not observed. However, removal of excess fluoride causes full recovery of the K+-EDTA ATPase activity indicating that free fluoride is necessary for maintaining a stable trap and suggesting that the magnesium fluoride complex is bonded to the bridging oxygen of beta-phosphate more loosely than the other known phosphate analogs. The structure of S1 in S1-MgADP-MgFx was studied with near ultraviolet circular dichroism, total tryptophan fluorescence, and tryptophan residue 510 quenching measurements. These data suggest that S1-MgADP-MgFx resembles the M**.ADP.Pi steady-state intermediate of myosin ATPase. Gallium fluoride was found to compete with MgFx for the gamma-phosphate site in S1-MgADP-MgFx. The ionic radius and coordination geometry of magnesium, gallium and other known gamma-phosphate analogs were compared and identified as important in determining which myosin ATPase intermediate the analog mimics.
Palau’amine and Related Oroidin Alkaloids Dibromophakellin and Dibromophakellstatin Inhibit the Human 20S Proteasome

We report herein that the oroidin-derived alkaloids palau’amine (1), dibromophakellin (2), and dibromophakellstatin (3) inhibit the proteolytic activity of the human 20S proteasome as well as the i20S immunoproteasome catalytic core. Palau’amine is found to prevent the degradation of ubiquitinylated proteins, including IκBα, in cell culture, which may be indicative of the potential mechanism by which these agents exhibit their exciting cytotoxic and immunosuppressive properties.
When Do “Relative Gains” Impede Trade?:

Neorealists argue that states may refuse mutually profitable trade because of concern about “relative gains.” If one state profits more than another, the latter may fear the former will use its adv...
Reaction of the antitumor antibiotic CC-1065 with DNA. Location of the site of thermally induced strand breakage and analysis of DNA sequence specificity.

CC-1065 is a unique antitumor antibiotic produced by Streptomyces zelensis. The potent cytotoxic effects of this drug are thought to be due to its ability to form a covalent adduct with DNA through N3 of adenine. Thermal treatment of CC-1065-DNA adducts leads to DNA strand breakage. We have shown that the CC-1065 structural modification of DNA that leads to DNA strand breakage is related to the primary alkylation site on DNA. The thermally induced DNA strand breakage occurs between the deoxyribose at the adenine covalent binding site and the phosphate on the 3' side. No residual modification of DNA is detected on the opposite strand around the CC-1065 lesion. Using the early promoter element of SV40 DNA as a target, we have examined the DNA sequence specificity of CC-1065. A consensus sequence analysis of CC-1065 binding sites on DNA reveals two distinct classes of sequences for which CC-1065 is highly specific, i.e., 5'PuNTTA and 5'AAAAA. The orientation of the DNA sequence specificity relative to the covalent binding site provides a basis for predicting the polarity of drug binding in the minor groove. Stereo drawings of the CC-1065-DNA adduct are proposed that are predictive of features of the CC-1065-DNA adduct elucidated in this investigation.
Pairwise velocities of dark matter haloes: a test for the Λ cold dark matter model using the bullet cluster

The existence of a bullet cluster (such as 1E 0657−56) poses a challenge to the concordance Λ cold dark matter (ΛCDM) model. Here we investigate the velocity distribution of dark matter (DM) halo pairs in large N-body simulations with differing box sizes (250 h−1 Mpc Gpc) and resolutions. We examine various basic statistics such as the halo masses, pairwise halo velocities (v12), collisional angles and pair separation distances. We then compare our results to the initial conditions required to reproduce the observational properties of 1E 0657−56 in non-cosmological hydrodynamical simulations. We find that the high-velocity tail of the v12 distribution extends to greater velocities as we increase the simulation box size. We also find that the number of high v12 pairs increases as we increase the particle count and resolution with a fixed box size; however, this increase is mostly due to lower mass haloes which do not match the observed masses of 1E 0657−56. We find that the redshift evolution effect is not very strong for the v12 distribution function between z= 0.0 and z∼ 0.5. We identify some pairs whose v12 resemble the required initial conditions, however, even the best candidates have either wrong halo mass ratios or too large separations. Our simulations suggest that it is very difficult to produce such initial conditions at z= 0.0, 0.296 and 0.489 in comoving volumes as large as (2 h−1 Gpc)3. Based on the extrapolation of our cumulative v12 function, we find that one needs a simulation with a comoving box size of (4.48 h−1 Gpc)3 and 22403 DM particles in order to produce at least one pair of haloes that resembles the required v12 and observed masses of 1E 0657−56. From our simulated v12 probability distribution function, we find that the probability of finding a halo pair with v12≥ 3000 km s−1 and masses to be 2.76 × 10−8 at z= 0.489. We conclude that either 1E 0657−56 is incompatible with the concordance ΛCDM universe or the initial conditions suggested by the non-cosmological simulations must be revised to give a lower value of v12.
Measurement of nonlinear constants in photosensitive glass optical fibers

The importance of measuring multiphoton processes in photosensitive glasses is discussed.© (1991) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Lack of autologous neutralizing antibody to human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) and macrophage tropism are associated with mother-to-infant transmission

To investigate factors that affect mother-to-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), autologous neutralizing antibody, viral load, and viral tropism were evaluated in 28 pregnant women infected with HIV-1, of whom 8 were transmitters and 20 nontransmitters. One (12%) of 8 transmitters versus 11 (55%) of 20 nontransmitters had autologous neutralizing antibody (P=.04). Plasma levels of HIV-1 RNA and infectious HIV-1 titers (mean+/-SD) in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) at delivery did not differ significantly between transmitters and nontransmitters (24, 266+/-10,101 vs. 31,589+/-9128 copies/mL and 29+/-12 vs. 42+/-17 infected cells per 106 PBMC, respectively). However, only transmitters (4 [50%] of 8) were HIV p24 antigen positive. The ability of HIV-1 strains to induce syncytium did not differ between groups (P=.6); however, only non-syncytium-inducing isolates were transmitted. Isolates from 4 (80%) of 5 transmitters versus 2 (18%) of 12 nontransmitters (P=.03) demonstrated increasing replication in macrophages. Thus, lack of autologous neutralizing antibody and increased replication in macrophages were significantly associated with mother-to-infant transmission. In addition, autologous neutralizing antibody was associated with reduced viral load.
Hepatocytes express functional NOD1 and NOD2 receptors: A role for NOD1 in hepatocyte CC and CXC chemokine production

Background & Aims NOD-like receptors are recently described cytosolic pattern recognition receptors. NOD1 and NOD2 are members of this family that recognize bacterial cell wall components, diaminopimelic acid and muramyl dipeptide, respectively. Both NOD1 and NOD2 have been associated with many inflammatory diseases, although their role in liver inflammation and infection has not been well studied. Methods We investigated the role of NOD receptors in mouse liver by assessing expression and activation of NOD1 and NOD2 in liver and primary isolated hepatocytes from C57BL/6 mice. Results Both NOD1 and NOD2 mRNA and protein were highly expressed in hepatocytes and liver. RIP2, the main signaling partner for NODs, was also expressed. Stimulation of hepatocytes with NOD1 ligand (C12-iEDAP) induced NFκB activation, activation of MAP kinases and expression of chemokines CCL5 (RANTES) and CXCL1 (KC). C12-iEDAP also synergized with interferon (IFN)γ to increase iNOS expression and production of nitric oxide. Despite activating NFκB, NOD1 ligand did not upregulate hepatocyte production of the acute phase proteins lipopolysaccharide binding protein, serum amyloid A, or soluble CD14 in cell culture supernatants, or upregulate mRNA expression of lipopolysaccharide binding protein, serum amyloid A, C-reactive protein, or serum amyloid P. NOD2 ligand (MDP) did not activate hepatocytes when given alone, but did synergize with Toll-like receptor ligands, lipopolysaccharide (LPS), and polyI:C to activate NFκB and MAPK. Conclusions All together these data suggest an important role for hepatocyte NOD1 in attracting leukocytes to the liver during infection and for hepatic NLRs to augment innate immune responses to pathogens.
Interdependence of nonoverlapping cortical systems in dual cognitive tasks.

One of the classic questions about human thinking concerns the limited ability to perform two cognitive tasks concurrently, such as a novice driver's difficulty in simultaneously driving and conversing. Limitations on the concurrent performance of two unrelated tasks challenge the tacitly assumed independence of two brain systems that seemingly have little overlap. The current study used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) to measure cortical activation during the concurrent performance of two high-level cognitive tasks that involve different sensory modalities and activate largely nonoverlapping areas of sensory and association cortex. One task was auditory sentence comprehension, and the other was the mental rotation of visually depicted 3-D objects. If the neural systems underlying the two tasks functioned independently, then in the dual task the brain activation in the main areas supporting the cognitive processing should be approximately the conjunction of the activation for each of the two tasks performed alone. We found instead that in the dual task, the activation in association areas (primarily temporal and parietal areas of cortex) was substantially less than the sum of the activation when the two tasks were performed alone, suggesting some mutual constraint among association areas. A similar result was obtained for sensory areas as well.
Perinatal Risk Factors for Infant Hospitalization With Viral Gastroenteritis

Context. A tetravalent vaccine against rotavirus, the most commonly identified etiologic agent of viral gastroenteritis (GE), has recently been licensed for use in the United States. Objective. To evaluate whether specific groups of infants might be at sufficiently high risk to warrant a focused rotavirus vaccine policy, we investigated perinatal risk factors for hospitalization with viral GE and rotavirus in the first year of life. Design. Population-based, case–control study. Setting. Washington State linked birth certificate and hospital discharge abstracts from 1987 through 1995. Patients. Infants, 1 through 11 months of age, hospitalized for viral GE ( N = 1606) were patients in this study. Control subjects were 8084 nonhospitalized infants, frequency-matched to patients on year of birth. Primary Outcome Measure. Maternal and infant characteristics associated with infant hospitalization for viral GE. Results. We found a significant association between birth weight and the risk for hospitalization. Very low birth weight infants ( 4000 g), at reduced risk (OR 0.8; 95% CI: 0.6,0.9). Other characteristics associated with GE hospitalization were male gender (OR 1.4; 95% CI: 1.3,1.6); maternal smoking (OR 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1,1.4); unmarried mother (OR 1.2; 95% CI: 1.1,1.4); Medicaid insurance (OR 1.4; 95% CI: 1.3,1.7); and maternal age 34 years of age (OR 0.7; 95% CI: 0.6,0.9). Using these factors, the area under a receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.63. Therefore, to achieve a sensitivity of 90% in identifying high-risk infants, specificity would fall to 10%. Subanalyses of children admitted for viral GE during the peak of the Northwest rotavirus season (January to March) and children with confirmed rotavirus infection demonstrated similar risk factors and receiver operating characteristic curves. Conclusion. We conclude that a focused rotavirus vaccination policy using readily identifiable potential high-risk groups would be unlikely to prevent most infant hospitalizations associated with rotavirus infection. However, the safety of rotavirus vaccine in low birth weight and premature infants must be established, because these children appear to be at greater risk for hospitalization with viral GE and rotavirus.
Contradictory and Complementary Identities of U.S. Army Reservists: A Historical Perspective

Over the past three decades, evolving threats to U.S. national security have necessitated changes in the missions, structure, and organization of reserve forces. These changes, while intended to redefine the purposes and functions of the U.S. reserve force, at times had unanticipated effects on the individual reservist’s experience of and identity with reserve military service. Emergent identities include the obliged-conscripted citizen soldier, weekend warrior, instrumental volunteer, identity seeker, soldier warrior, and conservative ideologue. The author elaborates on these identities and their association with geopolitical events and corresponding responses in the U.S. national defense strategy and concludes by discussing the implications of more recent identities for adequately staffing and readying the U.S. reserve force.
Primary aldosteronism. Issues in diagnosis and management.

Surgically correctable forms of primary aldosteronism can now be more precisely distinguished from other forms that are best treated medically. Primary aldosteronism can be associated with severe and resistant hypertension, and persistent hypervolemia is the reason for resistance to therapy. Nevertheless, cure can be achieved despite prolonged and severe hypertension.
Injection, ligation and transplantation: the search for the glandular fountain of youth.

Purpose: During the 19th and early 20th centuries there was great interest in antiaging remedies. This search for the eternal fountain of youth stemmed from the concept of aging as a pathological condition that destroyed the body and mind. In addition, great emphasis was placed on the economic challenge that the elderly presented to society. We examine the history of antiaging therapies from the perfection of cell nutrition to glandular transplants.Materials and Methods: A literature review was performed including direct first person sources such as historical documents, letters of correspondence, newspaper articles and journal publications. Historical texts were also consulted for accuracy.Results: The history of antiaging medicine includes a variety of remedies. E. Metchnikoff advocated a diet rich in lactic acid which he thought would eradicate the body of intestinal putrefaction and decay. Others believed the fountain of youth lay within the endocrine system. C. E. Brown-Sequard linked the decrease in...
Dynamic and tensile properties of epoxy resins

The dynamic mechanical and tensile deformation and ultimate properties are reported for two epoxy resins in the temperature range, from the glass transition Tg to Tg + 100°C. The epoxy resins are stoichiometrically reacted diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with an aromatic (Tg = 115°C.) and an aliphatic (Tg = 47°C.) diamine curing agent. Dynamic measurements were conducted on a rotating cantilever beam instrument over the frequency range from 0.01–100 cycles/sec. Tensile deformation and fracture characterization were obtained by constant rate of strain measurement at strain rates of 0.000445–0.445 sec. −1. Both dynamic and tensile modulus data as well as ultimate stress and strain response superimpose by time and temperature reduction to form unified “master curves.” The time or frequency shift factor aT for both dynamic and tensile deformation and fracture properties follow the predictions of the familiar Williams-Landel-Ferry equation. The rheological and fracture master curves are discussed in terms of both monomer composition and equilibrium response of the crosslinked network. The regions of maximum dynamic dispersion are associated with rubbery state high elasticity tensile response for these epoxies and the magnitude of responses correlated.
Some New Insights on the Classical Beam and Ball Balancing Experiment

A complete set of nonlinear differential equations of motion is derived for a beam and ball setup. The system obviously has unstable dynamics and may exhibit minimum phase (MP) or non-minimum phase (NMP) behavior depending on the ball radius. The system's linearized equations are contrasted with different levels of approximations that are often assumed. A transparent interpretation of the NMP behavior is also made in light of the physical setup. Also included is a frequency domain controller design for the NMP unstable case. In particular, a controller is synthesized for keeping the linear and angular position of the ball and the beam within given tolerances under the limited control effort of the actuator.
Real Time Simulations in Distributed Control Systems for Training and Engineering

Real time simulations that use first principle energy and material balances have been developed for most of the unit operations in the chemical industry. These process simulations are designed to reside in standard controllers available in a distributed control system. Thus, spare controllers can be used that interface directly with the configured displays and control systems. This scheme significantly reduces the cost of implementation and greatly improves the capability for training and engineering.
Is the distribution of tissue pO(2) homogeneous

Oxygen transport from blood to the mitochondria is dependent on oxygen gradients. The interstitial or extracellular pO2, measured by the phosphorescence-decay method, is indicative of these driving forces and the amount of oxygen available to the mitochondria. Diverse protocols for sampling tissue pO2 show that measurements sampling only interstitial pO2 levels provide a reliable measurement of the tissue pO2 level. Present findings lead to the hypothesis that tissue has a fairly uniform interstitial fluid pO2 level and that local inhomogeneity due to the presence arteriolar and venular vessels is smoothed out by the steep gradients at the microvascular walls.
Sea surface temperatures of southern midlatitudes 0–160 kyr B.P.

[1] Late Quaternary climate fluctuated between extremes of glaciations, lasting ∼90 kyr on average, and interglacial episodes, lasting ∼10 kyr. Still largely unknown are the spatial and temporal evolution of these global climate states, with vigorous debate still underway on the mechanisms responsible for glacial inceptions and terminations. Though it is widely believed that the Southern Hemisphere oceans play a central role in global climate changes, few paleoclimate records exist from there. Here we present three new alkenone-derived SST records from the midlatitude Southern Hemisphere spanning the last 160 kyr, a full glacial-interglacial cycle. Our subtropical SST records from the last glacial period are characterized by (1) warming 47–23 kyr B.P., when high latitudes in both hemispheres cooled, and (2) milder temperatures during the penultimate glacial period than during the last glacial interval. These SST features are found to be of tropical- to subtropical-wide extent, implying increased thermal gradients at times of high-latitude ice sheet growth. This has implications for the vigor of atmospheric and upper ocean circulation and the transport of heat and moisture to the poles that may have been instrumental in the growth and maintenance of polar ice sheets during glacial periods.
Recent trends in image restoration and enhancement techniques

Many digital consumer products which utilize digital images and video are on the horizon today. Items such as personal communication systems (PCS) which utilize video may provide a great deal of opportunity for the application of restoration ideas to coded images. It is important to obtain a perspective on the future of image restoration which considers the driving importance of consumer applications. Specific restoration techniques are described and various experimental restoration results with video and still images are demonstrated.
Time-resolved second harmonic generation near-field scanning optical microscopy.

Novel scanning probe microscopy (SPM) spectroscopic tech-niques are currently receiving much attention. The increasingnumberofspectroscopictechniques,whencombinedwiththehigh spatial resolution that is attainable with SPM, makes itpossibletoprobealargerangeofmaterialcharacteristicsonthenanoscopicscale.Theabilitytoprobesamplesonthenanoscalewith femtosecond time resolution promises to increase ourknowledgeofnanoscaleelectronicdevicesandtheirdynamics.Several time-resolved spectroscopic probes have recentlybeen demonstrated in combination with SPM techniques.Ambrose etal.
Are light sterile neutrinos preferred or disfavored by cosmology

We find that the viability of a cosmological model that incorporates two sterile neutrinos with masses around 1 eV each, as favored by global neutrino oscillation analyses including short baseline results, is significantly dependent on the choice of data sets included in the analysis and the ability to control the systematic uncertainties associated with these data sets. Our analysis includes a variety of cosmological probes including the cosmic microwave background ($\mathrm{WMAP}7+\mathrm{SPT}$), Hubble constant (HST), galaxy power spectrum (SDSS-DR7), and supernova distances (SDSS and Union2 compilations). In the joint observational analysis, our sterile neutrino model is equally favored as a $\ensuremath{\Lambda}\mathrm{CDM}$ model when using the MLCS light curve fitter for the supernova measurements, and strongly disfavored by the data at $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{2}\ensuremath{\approx}18$ when using the SALT2 fitter. When excluding the supernova measurements, the sterile neutrino model is disfavored by the other data sets at $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{2}\ensuremath{\approx}12$, and at best becomes mildly disfavored at $\ensuremath{\Delta}{\ensuremath{\chi}}_{\mathrm{eff}}^{2}\ensuremath{\approx}3$ when allowing for curvature, evolving dark energy, additional relativistic species, running of the spectral index, and freedom in the primordial helium abundance. No single additional parameter accounts for most of this effect. Therefore, if laboratory experiments continue to favor a scenario with roughly eV mass sterile neutrinos, and if this becomes decisively disfavored by cosmology, then a more exotic cosmological model than explored here may become necessary.
Hypocretin (orexin) cell loss in Parkinson's disease

It has recently been reported that Parkinson's disease (PD) is preceded and accompanied by daytime sleep attacks, nocturnal insomnia, REM sleep behaviour disorder, hallucinations and depression, symptoms which are frequently as troublesome as the motor symptoms of PD. All these symptoms are present in narcolepsy, which is linked to a selective loss of hypocretin (Hcrt) neurons. In this study, the Hcrt system was examined to determine if Hcrt cells are damaged in PD. The hypothalamus of 11 PD (mean age 79 +/- 4) and 5 normal (mean age 77 +/- 3) brains was examined. Sections were immunostained for Hcrt-1, melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) and alpha synuclein and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP). The substantia nigra of 10 PD brains and 7 normal brains were used for a study of neuromelanin pigmented cell loss. The severity of PD was assessed using the Hoehn and Yahr scale and the level of neuropathology was assessed using the Braak staging criteria. Cell number, distribution and size were determined with stereologic techniques on a one in eight series. We found an increasing loss of hypocretin cells with disease progression. Similarly, there was an increased loss of MCH cells with disease severity. Hcrt and MCH cells were lost throughout the anterior to posterior extent of their hypothalamic distributions. The percentage loss of Hcrt cells was minimal in stage I (23%) and was maximal in stage V (62%). Similarly, the percentage loss of MCH cells was lowest in stage I (12%) and was highest in stage V (74%). There was a significant increase (P = 0.0006, t = 4.25, df = 15) in the size of neuromelanin containing cells in PD patients, but no difference in the size of surviving Hcrt (P = 0.18, t = 1.39, df = 14) and MCH (P = 0.28, t = 1.39, df = 14) cells relative to controls. In summary, we found that PD is characterized by a massive loss of Hcrt neurons. Thus, the loss of Hcrt cells may be a cause of the narcolepsy-like symptoms of PD and may be ameliorated by treatments aimed at reversing the Hcrt deficit. We also saw a substantial loss of hypothalamic MCH neurons. The losses of Hcrt and MCH neurons are significantly correlated with the clinical stage of PD, not disease duration, whereas the loss of neuromelanin cells is significantly correlated only with disease duration. The significant correlations that we found between the loss of Hcrt and MCH neurons and the clinical stage of PD, in contrast to the lack of a relationship of similar strength between loss of neuromelanin containing cells and the clinical symptoms of PD, suggests a previously unappreciated relationship between hypothalamic dysfunction and the time course of the overall clinical picture of PD.
Understanding the Development of Online Newspapers Using Computer-Mediated Communication Theorizing to Study Internet Publishing

The central argument of this article is that the social study of computer-mediated communication (CMC) has generated knowledge about at least four issues that have figured prominently in the development of online newspapers. Thus, CMC scholarship becomes relevant to analyzing the electronic version of a medium that has traditionally been the almost exclusive province of mass communication theorizing. Four issues are identified: (1) the social consequences of the increased anonymity of interlocutors; (2) the reconfiguration of territorially- and interest-based associations; (3) the processes that mediate between the introduction of new artifacts and their social outcomes; and (4) the mutual shaping of consumers and technologies. The role each has had in the construction of online newspapers is explicated and potential avenues for further research are suggested. Finally, Boczkowski maintains that the work outlined in this article fosters two dialogues crucial to the future of communication in increasingly n...
Ester production in E. coli and C. acetobutylicum

Genetic engineering has improved the product yield of a variety of compounds by overexpressing, inactivating, or introducing new genes in microbial systems. The production of flavor-enhancing ester compounds is an emerging area of heterologous gene expression for desired product yield in Escherichia coli. Isoamyl acetate, butyl acetate, ethyl acetate, and butyl butyrate are reported here to be produced by expressing Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes ATF1 or ATF2 and the strawberry gene SAAT in E. coli when the appropriate substrates are provided. Increasing the concentration of alcohol added to the reaction generally resulted in increased ester production. ATF1 expression was found to produce more isoamyl acetate and butyl acetate than ATF2 expression or SAAT expression in the strains and culture conditions examined. Additionally, SAAT expression resulted in greater isoamyl acetate and butyl acetate production than ATF2 expression. Butyl butyrate is produced by cell-free extracts of E. coli harboring SAAT but not ATF1 or ATF2.
The cylindrical antenna as a probe for studying the electrical properties of media

When a base-driven cylindrical monopole (or center-driven dipole) is immersed in an arbitrary medium, the electric and magnetic fields on its surface depend not only on its length and radius but also on the effective conductivity and permittivity of the medium. These fields can be explored and measured with small probes designed to travel along the cylindrical surface of the antenna. The interpretation of the observations depends on the availability of a general theory that correctly describes the distributions of current and charge on the conductor. The results of a new theory that is valid for electrically thin monopoles up to 5\lambda/8 (dipoles up to 5\lambda/4) in length over all practical ranges of conductivity and permittivity of the ambient medium, including those characteristics of under- and overdense cold plasmas, are described together with their experimental verification.
Behind the Scenes of St. Cyr and Zadvydas: Making Policy in the Midst of Litigation

In 2001, the Supreme Court decided INS v. St. Cyr and Zadvydas v. Davis. In this paper, I look behind the scenes of St. Cyr and Zadvydas at the executive branch activity that shaped key policy decisions. This account adds a new perspective to the scholarship that considers the relationship between DOJ litigators and their client agencies. The usual assumption is that Justice Department lawyers are divorced from the process of policy formation, and that they enter the picture long after the basic policy decisions have been made. But as DOJ was litigating St. Cyr and Zadvydas, it was also implementing some important statutory amendments enacted in 1996. Executive branch implementation of the 1996 statutes provides a glimpse of policy deliberations that were thoroughly enmeshed with contemporaneous litigation, a situation that expands the institutional role and enhances the influence of DOJ.Policy development and litigation strategy intertwine to an unusual degree in the immigration context for two reasons. First, the DOJ "owns" immigration policy and exercises supervisory authority over the INS and the Executive Office for Immigration Review. These agencies must solicit input and secure approval from various DOJ components before they act. Control over immigration policy and the litigation defending it converges at the upper echelons of the Department. Second, habeas corpus jurisdiction brings DOJ litigators to the table early on and enlarges their role.There are risks of an overlap between policymaking and litigation. Litigation tends to heighten the adversarial nature of a policy dispute and cement an agency's stance. Litigation-oriented counseling also imbues a court-centered focus on policy deliberations.
Nostalgia as a practice of the self in post-socialist Serbia

This article analyzes nostalgic narratives of railway workers in a provincial town in Serbia. It grounds its analysis in a particular theoretical understanding of neoliberalization, focusing on dispossession and its consequences in post-socialism. It provides an account of the specific historical context of socialist Yugoslavia and Serbia after the breakup of Yugoslavia within the wider capitalist system. It views this context as a field of force in which the hegemonic process takes place, and which circumscribes the possibilities for contestation and consent. Finally, it develops a conceptual distinction between the nostalgia of the aspiring middle class on the one hand, and working-class nostalgia on the other, and presents the interlocutors’ narratives as part of the latter. The author argues that nostalgia should be seen as a protean form that should always be studied in connection with the material and social location from which it is uttered. He aims to show that nostalgic narratives in present-day ...
Prostatic fraction of acid phosphatase in human serum.

SummarySerum acid phosphatase represents a mixture of different molecular forms of the enzyme which can be separated and characterized. At least 2 major components can be separated by column chromatography with high recovery of the enzyme activity. The prostatic fraction of acid phosphatase appears, on the basis of its chromatographic behavior and its sensitivity to tartrate inhibition, to be localized in the second chromatographic peak.
Effects of Water Management Practices on Economics of Insect Control on Cotton, Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas

Data from a pest management program on cotton in dryland and irrigated conditions was used to develop an economic evaluation of insect control in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas during 1973-75. A strong economic advantage was shown for dryland production. Dryland cotton had 89% of its harvested bolls set by June 19 while irrigated cotton had 88% set by July 17; thus, irrigation delayed maturity. Dryland cotton required 5.5 kg/ha (4.91 lb/acre) less insecticide AI than irrigated cotton. Lint yields for dryland cotton were 541 kg/ha (483 lb/acre) vs. 615 kg/ha (549 lb/acre) for irrigated cotton and were equal by statistical analysis. However, production costs for dryland cotton were $266.88/ha ($108.05/acre) less than irrigated cotton and dryland cotton returned net profits of $142.99/ha ($57.89/acre) above those of irrigated cotton.
Development of a Bench Test Stand for High Speed Turbochargers

The design of a turbocharger test stand using high pressure compressed air is discussed in this paper. The turbocharger test stand will be used mainly for bearing testing and turbocharger shaft vibration measurement. The purpose of these measurements is to discover a bearing design that will increase the vibration stability of the turbocharger and reduce the amount of oil leakage past the shaft seals. This will ultimately reduce emissions and upkeep cost. This paper summarizes the details of the design and describes the calculations performed that assure the test stand will successfully power the turbo. The initial operation of the test stand indicates the desired operating speed can be achieved for future vibration testing.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
CHAPTER 24 – Protection from Antifolate Toxicity by Expression of Drug-Resistant Dihydrofolate Reductase

This chapter describes the generation and characteristics of drug-resistant dihydrofolate reductases (DHFRs), their use to render experimental animals resistant to antifolate toxicity, and the potential of this system for improved anti-tumor chemotherapy using antifolates. Also discussed is the possibility of using drug-resistant DHFR expression to allow for in vivo selection and expansion of rare, genetically modified cells in a therapeutic setting. In this way, DHFR gene transfer may be clinically applicable not only as an approach to improved anti-tumor chemotherapy but also to the treatment of other diseases by co-introduction and expansion of therapeutic genes. A range of DHFR variants are available as tools that can be used to explore resistance to antifolates as a selection system or as a means of conferring drug resistance in vitro or in vivo . Expression of several different drug-resistant DHFRs in hematopoietic cells, either through germline transgenesis or by retrovirus-mediated gene transfer, can render experimental animals significantly resistant to antifolate toxicity. This increased resistance can be used for the purpose of dose tolerization and chemoprotection of sensitive normal tissues and thus improved antitumor therapy using antifolates.
Definitions of death: brain death and what matters in a person

Our concepts and practices relating to death will inevitably be influenced by our values and social practices. Our definitions of what constitutes death affect not only what we consider to count as death, but also questions of grieving, medical treatment, estate planning, organ donation, and a myriad of other legal and ethical issues. As I will argue, what we think of as constituting death is shaped by what we value in persons. However, there is a mismatch between our values and our legal definition of death. The current legal standard of total brain death is inconsistent with what we value in persons. In Section II, I discuss our legal and medical standards for what constitutes death. These definitions include historical and current standards, but also proposed alternative standards. In Section III, I examine what we care about in the death of a person. This will include not only what we currently value in persons, but also what we would value if our beliefs were fully consistent. Finally, in Section IV, I explore ways of synthesizing our definitions of death with what we care about.
Pathogens and antibiotic sensitivities in endophthalmitis

Background Antibiotic prophylaxis in cataract surgery is intended to minimize endophthalmitis. We describe pathogenic organisms, antibiotic sensitivities, and antibiotic prophylaxis in culture-proven endophthalmitis cases. Design Retrospective consecutive case series, community-based setting. Samples 215 cases of endophthalmitis after cataract surgery performed during 2007-2012 in Kaiser Permanente, California. Methods and Main Outcome Measures Descriptive analysis of isolated organisms and antibiotic sensitivities in relation to antibiotic prophylaxis in culture-proven endophthalmitis cases. Results The majority of culture-confirmed organisms (N = 83) were Gram-positive (96%), most notably coagulase-negative Staphylococci (CoNS) (N = 34, 52%), of which all that underwent testing were sensitive to vancomycin (N = 32). Among 19 cases that had received only topical antibiotic prophylaxis, 7 (37%) were resistant to the antibiotic given: 50% of cases (5 of 10 isolates) that had received ofloxacin were resistant to this antibiotic, 40% (2 of 5 isolates) that had received gatifloxacin were resistant. In contrast, 100% of cases (N = 4) that had received aminoglycosides were susceptible. Few culture-confirmed cases occurred in patients who received intracameral antibiotic (N = 4). Conclusions In cases where fluoroquinolones were administered as antibiotic prophylaxis, isolates demonstrated a degree of bacterial resistance. The majority of endophthalmitis cases isolated following topical antibiotic prophylaxis only and were attributed to Gram-positive organisms, while few occurred in association with intracameral antibiotic.
Preschoolers’ inquisitiveness and science-relevant problem solving

Abstract Preschoolers use their emerging scientific inquiry skills, including seeking information through questions, to explore, and solve problems within, the physical world around them. This study examines preschoolers’ attempts to solve novel science-relevant problems and their use of science-relevant ideas within those problem solutions. Four- to five-year-olds (N = 24) were presented with seven novel problems, depicted in line drawings (e.g., determining which of two bags holds pillows, rather than rocks). Individual differences were examined in the use of foundational science-relevant concepts and skills within children’s responses ( California Department of Education, 2012 ), as well as in the child’s tendency to ask questions (i.e., inquisitiveness) in a second open-ended task. MANCOVA analyses indicated that inquisitiveness was associated with the accuracy and fluency of children’s problem solutions, even after accounting for differences in receptive vocabulary, gender, and age. Further research is warranted on the interplay of inquisitiveness, science knowledge, as well as other socialization and educational influences, in children’s early science skills, including their ability to engineer solutions to realistic problems.
Effects of deep-fat frying temperature on antioxidant properties of whole wheat doughnuts

Summary The total phenolic (TP) content, phenolic acid composition and in vitro antioxidant capacity of whole wheat doughnuts fried at 120–180 °C were determined to identify the effects of frying temperature. Significant differences (P < 0.05) in TP content were observed between doughnuts fried at different temperatures. The TP content of doughnuts decreased significantly when doughnuts were deep-fat fried. The TP content of doughnuts increased with elevation with frying temperatures. These increases in TP content of doughnuts were also detected in the determination of individual phenolic compounds using HPLC. DPPH radical and iron-chelating capacity of deep-fat fried doughnuts exhibited increases with elevation of frying temperature from 120 to 180 °C. Deep-fat frying at 120 °C lowered lipid peroxidation inhibition capacity of doughnuts prepared from both refined flour and whole-grain meals and increased consistently with increased frying temperature from 120 to 180 °C. Moderate deep-fat frying temperature would increase the content and activity of antioxidants of doughnuts.
Pseudo-random Generators from One-way Functions

One of the basic primitives in cryptography and other areas of computer science is a pseudo-random generator. The usefulness of a pseudo-random generator is demonstrated by the fact that it can be used to construct a private key cryptosystem that is secure even against chosen plaintext attack. A pseudo-random generator can also be used to conserve random bits and allows reproducibility of results in Monte Carlo simulation experiments. Intuitively, a pseudo-random generator is a polynomial time computable function g that stretches a short random string x into a much longer string g(x) that “looks” just like a random string to any polynomial time adversary that is allowed to examine g(x)1. Thus, a pseudo-random number generator can be used to efficiently convert a small amount of true randomness into a much longer string that is indistinguishable from a truly random string of the same length to any polynomial time adversary.
Complete First Ray Polydactyly: A Case Report.

Abstract Polydactyly has been described as the most common congenital deformity in children. However, it is less common in the foot, with surgical treatment for the deformity less commonly described in reported studies. We present a rare case of polydactyly, with complete first ray duplication, in an infant female. The purpose of our report was to outline a surgical plan and to discuss our results when treating this rare presentation of polydactyly.
Haunting the Barzakh: The Wartime Émigré in Ghāda al-Sammān's Al-qamar al-murabbaʾ

Ghāda al-Sammān has written several novels on the Lebanese civil war (1975–90). In this essay, I extend the analysis of her war writings through close readings of her short story collection, Al-qamar al-murabbapublished four years after the war’s end. Where previous critical responses to her work have primarily concerned her articulation of a Levantine feminism, my analysis heads in a different direction: I explore her characterization of the lived experiences of Lebanese emigres who, like her, have relocated to Europe amid, or in the wake of, civil war. Drawing upon sociological and psychoanalytic conceptual frameworks of haunting and the uncanny, as well as theological and anthropological illustrations of the barzakh, I argue that the experiences of al-Sammān’s characters serve not as evidence to substantiate any one contemporary theorization of war, displacement, and the psyche, but as an aperture through which readers may critically re-engage them all.
Conjointly Space and 2D Frequency Localized Filterbanks

This paper proposes a conjointly space-frequency well localized separable 2D filters. The separable 2D filterbanks constitute a perfect or near perfect reconstruction system. The novel space-frequency localization measure to determine optimality is the product of a filter’s 2D variance in space and 2D frequency variance. The particle swarm optimization method is efficiently applied to determine perfect or near perfect reconstruction optimal 2D filterbanks.
High-Intensity Electric Field Measurements with Rydberg Vapors

Measurements of radio-frequency (RF) electric fields using EIT spectroscopy of Rydberg states in atomic vapors have garnered significant interest in recent years. Here we describe recent work extending the approach to measurements of high-intensity RF electric fields above 1 kV/m and continuous-frequency RF measurement capability.
Outcomes from an elective medical student Research Scholarly Concentration program

To examine how to increase research career outcomes among medical graduates, we analyzed the impact of the Research Scholarly Concentration at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. Residency placement, subsequent scholarship, and career outcomes were compared among 670 graduates who participated in the elective Clinical and Translational Research Scholarly Concentration or no Concentration between 2009 and 2018. We conducted a retrospective study of residency match (highly selective vs less selective), job type (academic vs non-academic), and postmedical school publications (any vs none). We compared the outcomes between Research Scholarly Concentration graduates and those with no Concentration, matched by graduation year (n=335). For Research Scholarly Concentration graduates, we examined the association between research outcomes and duration of research experience before medical school (n=232). Research Scholarly Concentration graduates were more likely to place in a highly selective residency (40.2% vs 21.6%, p
Extrinsic Primary Afferent Neurons Link Visceral Pain to Colon Motility Through a Spinal Reflex in Mice

Background & Aims Proper colon function requires signals from extrinsic primary afferent neurons (ExPANs) located in spinal ganglia. Most ExPANs express the vanilloid receptor TRPV1, and a dense plexus of TRPV1-positive fibers is found around myenteric neurons. Capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist, can initiate activity in myenteric neurons and produce muscle contraction. ExPANs might therefore form motility-regulating synapses onto myenteric neurons. ExPANs mediate visceral pain, and myenteric neurons mediate colon motility, so we investigated communication between ExPANs and myenteric neurons and the circuits by which ExPANs modulate colon function. Methods In live mice and colon tissues that express a transgene encoding the calcium indicator GCaMP, we visualized levels of activity in myenteric neurons during smooth muscle contractions induced by application of capsaicin, direct colon stimulation, stimulation of ExPANs, or stimulation of preganglionic parasympathetic neuron (PPN) axons. To localize central targets of ExPANs, we optogenetically activated TRPV1-expressing ExPANs in live mice and then quantified Fos immunoreactivity to identify activated spinal neurons. Results Focal electrical stimulation of mouse colon produced phased-locked calcium signals in myenteric neurons and produced colon contractions. Stimulation of the L6 ventral root, which contains PPN axons, also produced myenteric activation and contractions that were comparable to those of direct colon stimulation. Surprisingly, capsaicin application to the isolated L6 dorsal root ganglia, which produced robust calcium signals in neurons throughout the ganglion, did not activate myenteric neurons. Electrical activation of the ganglia, which activated even more neurons than capsaicin, did not produce myenteric activation or contractions unless the spinal cord was intact, indicating that a complete afferent-to-efferent (PPN) circuit was necessary for ExPANs to regulate myenteric neurons. In TRPV1-channel rhodopsin-2 mice, light activation of ExPANs induced a pain-like visceromotor response and expression of Fos in spinal PPN neurons. Conclusions In mice, ExPANs regulate myenteric neuron activity and smooth muscle contraction via a parasympathetic spinal circuit, linking sensation and pain to motility.