cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Library preservation in Russia: hope and despair on the edge of the technological revolution

The paper discusses the state of library preservation as the main problem of library management in Russia during the times of transition to digital environments. Today, Russia's extensive library system is undergoing a paradigm change toward the implementation of information technology (IT) to develop public access to information, that is perceived to be vital for the growth of the country. The first principal projects to elevate Russia to the ranks of the technologically advanced started as recently as 1990s, and, although having had some success, the country's digital resources remain grossly inadequate to support the growing public demand for information and education. Despite its state of retardation, the problems of preserving digital sources in Russia are evident to concerned specialists in the fields of informational science and archive work. Although these and other related problems are not addressed widely enough, they have gradually surfaced as an undeniable priority for the international preservation community. There is a promise to continue the necessary training and education that will link the national Russian library system with more collaborative projects and with leading international organizations.
Advances in the coordination chemistry of nitrogen ligand complexes of coinage metals

Abstract Coinage metals nitrogen chemistry has not been studied extensively until recently. The focus of this review is the base- and halide-free complexes of the monoanionic nitrogen ligands. This review describes how minor ligand modifications can result in a drastic change in the metal–metal interactions in multinuclear compounds. Crystal structures of these complexes show individual complexes, dimers, supramolecular columnar packing or more complex supramolecular aggregates. Bulky substituents on the ligands can prevent intermolecular metal–metal interactions or the formation of supramolecular architectures. The nuclearity and metal–metal interactions in these complexes are controlled by ligand steric and electronic factors and solvent of crystallization. Many classes of nitrogen ligand coordination compounds have given rise to advances in several fundamental and applied research aspects. Recent potential applications of nitrogen ligand complexes are highlighted particularly for those complexes included in this review.
The q-exponential generating function for permutations by consecutive patterns and inversions

The inverse of Fedou's insertion-shift bijection is used to deduce a general form for the q-exponential generating function for permutations by consecutive patterns (overlaps allowed) and inversion number from a result due to Jackson and Goulden for enumerating words by distinguished factors. Explicit q-exponential generating functions are then derived for permutations by the consecutive patterns 12...m, 12...(m-2)m(m-1), 1m(m-1)...2, and by the pair of consecutive patterns (123,132).
Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study of the Long-term Efficacy of Carvedilol in Patients With Severe Chronic Heart Failure

Background Clinical trials have shown that β-adrenergic blocking drugs are effective and well tolerated in patients with mild to moderate heart failure, but the utility and safety of these drugs in patients with advanced disease have not been evaluated. Methods and Results We enrolled 56 patients with severe chronic heart failure into a double-blind, placebo-controlled study of the vasodilating β-blocker carvedilol. All patients had advanced heart failure, as evidenced by a mean left ventricular ejection fraction of 0.16±0.01 and a mean maximal oxygen consumption of 13.6±0.6 mL · kg−1 · min−1 despite digitalis, diuretics, and an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (if tolerated). After a 3-week, open-label, up-titration period, 49 of the 56 patients were assigned (in a double-blind fashion using a 2:1 randomization) to receive either carvedilol (25 mg BID, n=33) or matching placebo (n=16) for 14 weeks, while background therapy remained constant. Hemodynamic and functional variables were measured at th...
Movement and Habitat Use by Stream‐Dwelling Smallmouth Bass

Abstract We monitored the movement and habitat use of 34 stream-dwelling smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieui in Jacks Fork River, Missouri, by radiotelemetry. Observations were made 24 h/d in all seasons. Definite patterns of diel activity and habitat use were evident and were modified by seasonal changes in water temperature. Fish remained in restricted home ranges for most of the year but tended to disperse in spring when all of the radio-tagged fish left their home pool; 75% returned during the same season. Equal numbers of fish moved upstream and downstream. However, the median distance moved upstream was greater. Intrapool movement of smallmouth bass peaked soon after sunrise and again after sunset in all seasons. Average intrapool movement was 120 m/d when water temperatures were lowest (4°C) and 980 m/d when temperatures were highest (27.5°C). In the warmer seasons, fish preferred logjams and root wads by day and increased their use of boulders at night. In cooler seasons, fish used boulders almo...
Polymer Nanowire Elastic Moduli Measured with Digital Pulsed Force Mode AFM

The mechanical bending behavior of polymer nanowirespolypyrrole and poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene-co-styrene sulfonate)produced by template molding were measured using a new innovation in atomic force microscopy (AFM). Digital pulsed force mode (DPFM) was used to image and simultaneously perform three-point bend tests along nanowires spanning microchannels in silicon. The bending profiles were analyzed for apparent elastic moduli variations along the suspended length of individually isolated nanowires and compared to classic beam deflection models for various geometric and boundary conditions. The elastic moduli calculated from these AFM data are 2−7 times that expected for bulk polymer values (∼1−3 GPa), demonstrating an apparent strengthening of nanostructured polymer even for diameters greater than 100 nmthe accepted boundary for nanoscience. Furthermore, detailed analysis of deflection data versus loading location demonstrates the experimental dependence on test geometry and inherent errors in rely...
Generalized fitting subgroup of a group of finite Morley rank

We define a characteristic and definable subgroup F*(G) of any group G of finite Morley rank that behaves very much like the generalized Fitting subgroup of a finite group. We also prove that semisimple subnormal subgroups of G are all definable and that there are finitely many of them. ?
Urnaloricus gadi nov. gen. et nov. sp. (Loricifera, Urnaloricidae nov. fam.), an aberrant Loricifera with a viviparous pedogenetic life cycle.

A new species of Loricifera, Urnaloricus gadi nov. gen. et nov. sp., is described from the Faroe Bank, located Southwest of the Faroe Islands, North Atlantic. The new species does not fit into any known families of Loricifera and therefore it is grouped into a new family Urnaloricidae nov. fam. The new species is characterized by having a very complicated life cycle that involves a large cyst-like mega-larva, two reduced larval instars and the Higgins-larvae eating their maternal stage from within. An adult stage is missing. This form of reproduction is called viviparous pedogenesis and normally is found only in nematodes and insects. In the life cycle of Urnaloricidae nov. fam., there are two types of free-living larval stages: a Higgins-larva and a mega-larva. The latter is found in two different forms, a pre- and a cyst-forming mega-larva. Additionally, there are two reduced life history stages, the reduced larval stage (probably a postlarva) and the ghost-larval stage inside the cyst-forming mega-larva. The external morphology of the two forms of mega-larvae is much reduced, e.g., the introvert has only a few rows of scalids when compared with the Higgins-larva. The pre mega-larva is free-living and can sometimes be covered with coccoliths. Internally, a large ovary with a few oocytes, a digestive system, and an internal armature with retracted scalids are present. The pre mega-larva presumably molts into a cyst-forming mega-larva and thereby the ovary is now seen inside the cyst-forming mega-larva. The cyst-forming mega-larva has the same structures as in the pre mega-larva though here the scalids are protruded and there is a gonopore. Inside the cyst-forming mega-larva the ovary produces more oocytes and begins to fill out the entire lumen. At this stage the cyst-forming mega-larva molts first to the presumed postlarval stage, and then this stage molts to a ghost-larva. Hence, the ovary now matures inside the ghost-larva, which is surrounded by both the cuticle of the reduced postlarval stage and the cuticle of the cyst-forming mega-larva. The oocytes mature into eggs, and then into embryos and finally into Higgins-larvae while reabsorbing all the tissue of their maternal stage, the ghost-larva. During this maturation the cuticle of the cyst-forming mega-larva starts to harden and become cyst-like. The fully developed Higgins-larvae emerge through the gonopore of the cyst-forming mega-larva by penetrating the thin cuticles of the ghost-larva and the postlarva. The embryos have holoblastic radial cleavage and later a fluid-filled blastocoel is formed. The eggshells are extremely elastic; hence, they can become very elongated as the embryos mature into Higgins-larvae. J. Morphol., 2009. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Rebooting the CS publication process

Many computer science academics have been grousing about failures in our publication process. This paper catalogs many of the specific complaints that are raised and proposes some radical new solutions based on the assumption that, by eliminating physical paper entirely and going with a centralized system to manage papers, we can rethink the entire process: paper submission, revision and publication. Furthermore, having all of the metadata standardized and easily available, ranking algorithms can be easily conceived to aid in tenure cases and departmental rankings.
Chronic tachygastrial electrical stimulation reduces food intake in dogs.

Objective: Tachygastria is known to be associated with gastric hypomotility. This study investigated the effect of tachygastrial electrical stimulation (TES) on food intake and its effects on gastric motility. Research Methods and Procedures: Five experiments were performed to study the effects of TES on gastric slow waves, gastric tone, accommodation, and antral contractions, gastric emptying, acute food intake, and chronic food intake in dogs. Results: TES at tachygastrial frequencies induced tachygastria and reduced normal slow waves. TES significantly reduced gastric tone or induced gastric distention, impaired gastric accommodation, and inhibited antral contractions. TES significantly delayed gastric emptying. Acute TES reduced food intake but did not induce any noticeable symptoms. Chronic TES resulted in a 20% reduction in food intake, and the effect of TES was found to be related to specific parameters. Discussion: TES at the distal antrum results in a significant reduction in food intake in dogs, and this inhibitory effect is probably attributed to TES-induced reduction in proximal gastric tone, gastric accommodation, antral contractility, and gastric emptying. These data suggest a therapeutic potential of the specific method of TES for obesity.
Brandeis's Laboratories of Sentencing and Corrections: Making Better Use of Knowledge from the States:

State criminal justice systems have great opportunities to learn from the successes and failures of other states. Justice Brandeis famously called the states “laboratories” for innovation in law an...
An interesting observation of the position of some electronegative atoms in the taxol molecule.

A study of the absolute energy-minimized configuration of the taxol molecule revealed that many oxygen atoms in this molecule and a nitrogen atom on the side chain are located on the same plane. A comparison of these electronegative atoms with information provided from existing literature indicated that most of these noted atoms conform with the reported structure--activity relationship (cytotoxicity, antineoplastic activity, tubulin assembly property, etc.). This observation may assist investigators in their future design of simpler, possibly clinically efficacious molecules related to taxol.
Optimal block size for set-valued attributes

In a relational database management system, allowing tuples to be of variable length can complicate storage management considerably. As an example, consider an employee relation containing the employee’s name, social security number, and salary. We could store the names of the employee’s dependents in a separate relation, which would require an expensive join to access. As an alternative, we could add a set-valued attribute, called dependents, to the employee relation, with each tuple containing zero, one, or more values for that attribute. In non-first normal form relational databases, set-valued attributes are commonplace [3, 10, 11, 12, 13]. Variable-length tuples also arise in temporal databases, where sets of time intervals are associated with attributes or with tuples [1, 2, 5, 6, 8, 9]. One approach to representing such tuples on disk is to store the set-valued attribute values separately from the rest of the (now fixed-length) tuple. The sets can be stored as a linked list of fixed-size blocks, each storing one or several attribute values. If the sets exhibit a wide range of cardinalities, a linked list is an appropriate storage structure. The alternative of using a hash table to store the set of attribute values was rejected because such a table is also of variable size, complicating page space management. The question we address is, What is the optimal number of attributes in a block? If one attribute per block is employed, we may waste space on pointers. On the other hand, if large blocks are used, the last block of each list may be largely unfilled. The objective of this paper is to obtain an expression identifying the optimal block size, to achieve the best space utilization. In the next section, an analytical model is presented which can help determine the optimal block size. An example from temporal databases that exploits this model is described in Section 3. Section 4 provides a summary.
Hepatitis C Virus Nonstructural Proteins Inhibit Apolipoprotein B100 Secretion

Host genes involved in lipid metabolism are differentially regulated during the early stages of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The majority of lipids synthesized in the liver are exported to other tissues in the form of lipoproteins. The formation of these lipoproteins is dependent upon the association of triglycerides with apolipoprotein B100. Using the HCV subgenomic replicon expression system, we show that secretion of apoB100 is significantly reduced. Inhibition of apoB100 degradation by ALLN did not improve secretion. Triglyceride levels as well as microsomal triglyceride transfer protein mRNA and activity levels were reduced in replicon-expressing cells, indicating potential reasons for the observed decrease. Further evidence is presented for the interaction between the HCV nonstructural protein 5A and apoB100. These results provide further insight into the alteration of lipid metabolism by HCV.
Selective flow cytometric sorting of viable dopamine neurons.

Flow cytometry has been revealed as a powerful technique for studying cell populations. The availability of the method to identify, analyze and isolate specific populations of central nervous system cells will be of great aid for studying the in vivo (i.e. neural transplants) and in vitro (i.e. cell cultures) behavior of these cells. The present report describes the analysis and cell sorting of a population of retrogradely fluorescence-labeled dopamine-containing neurons from ventral mesencephalon. Dopamine neurons were identified by immunohistochemical localization of neuron-specific enolase and tyrosine hydroxylase. After being maintained in culture, this relatively pure population differentiates toward a mature phenotype bearing a prominent neuropil.
Functional dopant profiling of optical coherent transient materials

Abstract A new novel method that functionally maps the distribution of dopants in a photon echo material is proposed that relies on imposing a set of linear orthogonal gradient magnetic fields for a controlled hyperfine splitting of energy levels to create characteristic quantum beats when illuminated with a laser pulse with sufficient bandwidth to interrogate these levels. In this approach, a spectroscopic finger print of the dopant sites due to concentration and field susceptibilities in the sample is achieved through a Fourier decomposition of the radiative relaxation decay in an approach analogous to nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy due to the imposition of a controlled spatial–spectral encoding scheme. An example of such an interrogative approach uses a three pulse stimulated sequence necessary to probe a gradient resolved voxel. This three pulse approach can be combined with the conventional confocal imaging technique to provide information about the underlying chemistry of dopant distribution along each imaging plane which is useful in guiding the design and manufacturing process of optical crystals. In combination with gradient induced quantum beats, the entire inhomogeneous bandwidth can be interrogated. The proposed approach would scan this entire bandwidth at much faster rate enabling characterization of a large number of crystals than is currently possible through mechanical scanning with a confocal microscopy based spectroscopic technique as well as providing functional dopant profiling which is not currently possible with conventional approaches.
Pregnancy and Breast Cancer: when They Collide

Women of childbearing age experience an increased breast cancer risk associated with a completed pregnancy. For younger women, this increase in breast cancer risk is transient and within a decade after parturition a cross over effect results in an ultimate protective benefit. The post-partum peak of increased risk is greater in women with advanced maternal age. Further, their lifetime risk for developing breast cancer remains elevated for many years, with the cross over to protection occurring decades later or not at all. Breast cancers diagnosed during pregnancy and within a number of years post-partum are termed pregnancy-associated or PABC. Contrary to popular belief, PABC is not a rare disease and could affect up to 40,000 women in 2009. The collision between pregnancy and breast cancer puts women in a fear-invoking paradox of their own health, their pregnancy, and the outcomes for both. We propose two distinct subtypes of PABC: breast cancer diagnosed during pregnancy and breast cancer diagnosed post-partum. This distinction is important because emerging epidemiologic data highlights worsened outcomes specific to post-partum cases. We reported that post-partum breast involution may be responsible for the increased metastatic potential of post-partum PABC. Increased awareness and detection, rationally aggressive treatment, and enhanced understanding of the mechanisms are imperative steps toward improving the prognosis for PABC. If we determine the mechanisms by which involution promotes metastasis of PABC, the post-partum period can be a window of opportunity for intervention strategies.
A novel quasi-phase-matching frequency doubling technique

A new quasi-phase-matching technique for efficient second-harmonic generation is reported. It is based on the spatial periodic modulation of the light intensity along the propagation direction, rather than the conventional spatial periodic modulation of the nonlinear optical coefficients. It can be realized by using a novel dual-channel waveguide frequency doubler structure for the desired light intensity distribution. This dual-channel waveguide device has major advantages including very small beam size, high light intensity within long nonlinear-waveguide interaction length, highly efficient second-harmonic generation, ease in fabrication of the nonlinear channel waveguides without any spatially periodic poling, and low waveguide propagation losses. The new quasi-phase-matching technique can also be applied to third-harmonic generation and other nonlinear optics processes.
Differences in the prevalence of IS6110 insertion sites in Mycobacterium tuberculosis strains: low and high copy number of IS6110

Summary Setting: Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tuberculosis) isolates from various parts of the USA which have few copies of the insertion sequence IS 6110 . Objective: To characterize the sites of insertion of IS 6110 among M. tuberculosis isolates that have one to six copies of the insertion sequence. Design: The mixed-linker polymerase chain reaction (ML-PCR) procedure was used to amplify the terminal repeats on the ends of IS 6110 and adjacent flanking sequences. From the ML-PCR products, sequences flanking 14 copies of IS 6110 in strains containing less than seven copies of the insertion were determined. Sequence information from the flanking deoxyribonucleic acid was used to construct flanking primers that can be used to indicate the presence of IS 6110 at a particular site when paired with outbound IS 6110 primers in a PCR. Over 200 strains of diverse origin were screened for the insertion of IS 6110 at several distinct sites using this procedure. Results: The direct repeat (DR) locus has been described as a highly preferred site for insertion of IS 6110 in strains of M. tuberculosis . Another highly preferred site of insertion of IS 6100 , DK1, is herein described. Insertions at DK1 are highly prevalent in M. tuberculosis strains harboring two to six copies of IS 6110 . The prevalence of insertions at this site decreases in strains with more than six copies of IS 6110 , even though the sequence itself is present in strains lacking a copy of IS 6110 at this site. Conclusion: In addition to the DR locus there are other conserved sites of insertion among M. tuberculosis strains. The data further suggest a separate lineage for the high copy and the low copy strains, and a possible sequential insertion of IS 6110 in strains of M. tuberculosis with less than seven copies.
Developing a Feedback-Driven Automated Testing Tool for Web Applications

Creating automated tests that exercise a web application through a browser is a challenging and time-consuming process. In this paper, we present a new tool currently under open-source development, Web Testing Explorer, which uses runtime state from the web application as feedback to search for defects in real-time and automatically create increasingly longer test cases with oracles for later execution while providing testers with the flexibility needed to deal with numerous web testing challenges.
Evaluation of a new plasma source for molecular beam epitaxial growth of InN and GaN films

Abstract An RF plasma source has been integrated into a molecular beam epitaxial system for growth of nitride films. Using an optical detector on the source, the presence of nitrogen atoms in the N 2 plasma region is deduced as a function of operating conditions. The plasma source has been used to grow hexagonal wurtzite films of InN and GaN. The film-substrate interface is more abrupt for GaN than InN films. For site competition the active nitrogen species from the plasma is found to incorporate more readily than As 2 .
Bio-Building Materials for Load-Bearing Applications: Conceptual Development of Reinforced Plastered Straw Bale Composite Sandwich Walls

This paper presents a conceptual development of plastered straw bale composite sandwich wall systems for load-bearing applications. Straw bales are environmentally friendly and may be an alternative to conventional building materials such as masonry blocks for low-rise buildings. An experimental program is conducted to examine the feasibility of the composite system: material testing with three types of plaster materials and structural testing using seven prototype sandwich walls. Test parameters include the effect of reinforcing materials on the behavior of plaster skins and the type of reinforcement such as dense and coarse grid wire-meshes and nonmetallic glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) reinforcing bars. The composite system significantly improves the load-bearing capacity of a straw bale, particularly noticeable when the coarse mesh and GFRP bars are used. The wire-meshes restrain the lateral displacement of the plaster skins and preclude the volumetric expansion of the sandwich walls subjected ...
Prior MDMA (Ecstasy) use is associated with increased basal ganglia-thalamocortical circuit activation during motor task performance in humans: an fMRI study.

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine; Ecstasy) is a popular recreational drug that produces long-lasting serotonin (5-HT) neurotoxicity consisting of reductions in markers for 5-HT axons. 5-HT innervates cortical and subcortical brain regions mediating motor function, predicting that MDMA users will have altered motor system neurophysiology. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assay motor task performance-associated brain activation changes in MDMA and non-MDMA users. 24 subjects (14 MDMA users and 10 controls) performed an event-related motor tapping task (1, 2 or 4 taps) during fMRI at 3 T. Motor regions of interest were used to measure percent signal change (PSC) and percent activated voxels (PAV) in bilateral motor cortex, sensory cortex, supplementary motor area (SMA), caudate, putamen, pallidum and thalamus. We used SPM5 to measure brain activation via three methods: T-maps, PSC and PAV. There was no statistically significant difference in reaction time between the two groups. For the Tap 4 condition, MDMA users had more activation than controls in the right SMA for T-score (p = 0.02), PSC (p = 0.04) and PAV (p = 0.03). Lifetime episodes of MDMA use were positively correlated with PSC for the Tap 4 condition on the right for putamen and pallidum; with PAV in the right motor and sensory cortex and bilateral thalamus. In conclusion, we found a group difference in the right SMA and positive dose–response association between lifetime exposure to MDMA and signal magnitude and extent in several brain regions. This evidence is consistent with MDMA-induced alterations in basal ganglia–thalamocortical circuit neurophysiology and is potentially secondary to neurotoxic effects on 5-HT signaling. Further studies examining behavioral correlates and the specific neurophysiological basis of the observed findings are warranted.
The Effect of Ethanol and Extracellular Matrix on Induction of p36 Protein Kinase Substrate Expression in Rat Hepatocytes

Abstract p36 plays a direct role in DNA synthesis and is overexpressed in transformed cells. It is also an important component linking the cell membrane to intracellular cytoskeletal components. Experiments were performed in primary rat hepatocyte cultures stimulated with epidermal growth factor (EGF) to determine if p36 expression was related to DNA synthesis or to the effect of the extracellular matrix on hepatocyte differentiation; ethanol was employed as an agent to inhibit hormone stimulated heptocyte DNA synthesis. It was found that hepatocyte p36 expression was highly dependent on the type of extracellular matrix and the time in culture. There was no correlation of p36 expression with DNA synthesis and, therefore, p36 levels appeared more closely related to the differentiated phenotype, induced by the extracellular matrix interactions rather than cellular proliferation.
Surface analysis of early and late MOPC-315-EL tumor cells

Abstract The surface properties of a tumor line which undergoes a cyclic change in reactivity with cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) have been analyzed. The findings indicate that MOPC-315-EL when transplanted into the peritoneum of a BALB/c mouse for 4–5 days (early MOPC315-EL) becomes sensitive to lysis by anti-H-2 d CTL. After 9 to 10 days of growth in the peritoneal cavity these tumor cells (late MOPC-315-EL) become unreactive to CTLs. The amount of H-2 antigens on the surface of the cells is the same on the early and late tumor cells. By scanning electron microscopy (SEM) we have shown that the early population is a mixture of two cell types which are characterized by surface villi or surface blebs; the late cells are essentially one population which are characterized by surface villi. The net charge on the surface of the cell was evaluated by two methods: (i) rate of cell migration across an electric potential and (ii) binding by cationic ferritin to the glycocalyx. Both techniques indicated that the early cells have a higher net negative charge. The implication of this work is that surface charge may be involved in T cell-target cell interactions.
A Study and Automatic Solution for Multishot Treatment Planning for the γ-Knife

It is recognized that multiple-shot radiosurgery using the Leksell Gamma Knife (LGK) can result in larger penumbra dose and less target dose homogeneity compared with a single shot treatment. In addition, the number of shots used increases significantly with increasing volume, which makes planning and optimization time consuming and complex. Although such complexity may not affect the accuracy of treatment delivery itself, it is difficult to assess the dosimetrical merits of a given plan. To deal with this complicated process, we have studied shot-related effects and target shape as separate issues. Shot-related effects include homogeneity, penumbra, shot weight, and prescription isodose line “shift.” Target shape is analyzed using morphological tools. Target volume and shape, as represented by the three-dimensional (3-D) medial axis transform or skeleton, are used to determine optimal shot positions, sizes, and number. These parameters are determined from successive 3-D skeletons of the unplanned target volume. Essentially, target shape is replicated by the arrangement of shots compromising the 3-D skeleton, forcing a conformal dose distribution. This planning process has been automated for multishot treatment. A clinical case in 3-D demonstrates this approach as a replacement for manual planning when a plan with multiple shots is required.
DNA Replication in Methotrexate‐Treated Human Lymphoblasts

The rate of DNA synthesis in cultures of human lymphoblasts decreased more than 80% within 30 min after the cells were exposed to methotrexate, a potent inhibitor of dihydrofolate reductase. Despite this rapid initial inhibition, DNA continued to be synthesized for at least an additional 6 h. The mode of this subsequent replication appeared to be semiconservative, as indicated by the buoyant density of 5-bromodeoxyuridine-substituted DNA in alkaline CsCl gradients. The growth rates of DNA chains in cells exposed to methotrexate were determined by sedimentation rate analysis in alkaline sucrose gradients. DNA synthesized during 2-min or 10-min pulses with labeled deoxycitidine in the presence of methotrexate had about the same sedimentation coefficient, 35 S, as controls. When methotrexate-treated cultures were pulse-labeled for 10 min and then chased for various times, DNA fragments of about 80 S accumulated. DNA synthesized in the presence of methotrexate was stable and elongated to bulk-size DNA after methotrexate inhibition of growth was removed by addition of thymidine and deoxycytidine. The data suggest that methotrexate reduces the rate of DNA replication by inhibiting chain initiation independently of chain elongation.
Issues of efficiency in combining proportions of deaths from several clinical trials

The Mantel-Haenszel test provides a straightforward method to combine results from several clinical trials when only summary information, such as the proportion of deaths, is available for each trial. More efficient tests, such as the stratified logrank test, should be used if the survival and censoring times are known for all individuals, but in practice, the cost and effort of obtaining this information may be prohibitive. The purpose of this paper is to derive a general expression for the asymptotic relative efficiency (ARE) of the Mantel-Haenszel test with respect to the stratified logrank test, and to compute the ARE in situations which are likely to be of practical interest. The results show that under realistic assumptions about the survival distribution, losses to follow-up and duration of accrual, the ARE frequently exceeds 80 per cent. An example is given to show the usefulness of the approach when combining proportions of deaths from several cancer clinical trials.
LH inhibitory properties of aqueous extracts of rat pineal glands.

Abstract Crude aqueous extracts of rat pineal glands markedly inhibited the 24 and 48 hour postcastration rise of serum LH in mature male rats. After partial purification by exclusion chromatography on Sephadex G-25 the LH inhibitory activity was found to reside in a volume not coinciding with that of melatonin, indicating that some substance other than this indole may be responsible for the anti-LH property in aqueous extracts of rat pineal glands.
Mössbauer Effect by Recoil Implantation Through Vacuum

The Mossbauer effect was observed for Coulon d Fe57 recoils implanted through vacuum into various media [copper, aluminum, gold, iron, germanium, silicon, graphite, Fe2O3, and (Fe, Mg)2SiO4]. This method avoids heating and radiation damage of the host medium by the beam. Where comparison data are available for copper, gold, aluminum,and iron, the results at room temperature indicate that, within the nuclear lifetime of 10−7 sec, the recoils find a normal lattice site. A measurement with copper at 5°K indicates a similar result.Implantation into germanium and silicon showed two resonance lines. For graphite, Fe2O3, and (Fe, Mg)2SiO4, the Mossbauer effect is signifier alignment of the nuclear recoils produced in the Coulomb excitation process was observed by detecting the gamma-r a Mossbauer polarimeter. The recoil alignment was pre ducing helium gas into the space traversed by the recoils.The application of the techniques used for Fe57 to other Mossbauer nuclei is discussed. In particular, beam and target requirements and recoil flight times are considered.
Does Student Philanthropy Work? A Study of Long-term Effects of the “Learning by Giving” Approach

Student philanthropy is a teaching strategy designed to engage students actively in the curriculum, increase awareness of social needs and nonprofit organizations, and teach grant-writing and grant-making skills. This is the first study to examine long-term effects of student philanthropy by surveying alumni years after their experience with this teaching strategy. A majority of respondents indicated that student philanthropy had a positive effect on their awareness, learning, beliefs, and intentions. Further, 86% of student philanthropy alumni had recently made charitable contributions, 71% reported volunteering, and 15% served on nonprofit boards – all of which are much higher than the national averages for these behaviors.
Identifying Product Scaling Principles: A Tool for Bioinspired Design and Beyond

There are countless products that perform the same function but are engineered to suit a different scale. Designers are often faced with the problem of taking a solution at one scale and mapping it to another. This frequently happens with design-by-analogy and bioinspired design. Despite various scaling laws for specific systems, there are no global principles for scaling systems, for example from a biological nano-scale to macro-scale. This is likely one of the reasons bioinspired design is difficult. Very often scaling laws assume the same physical principles are being used, but this study of products indicates that a variety of changes occur as scale changes, including changing the physical principles to meet a particular function. Empirical product research was used to determine a set of principles by observing and understanding numerous products to unearth new generalizations. The function a product performs is examined in various scales to view subtle and blatant differences. Principles are then determined. This study provides an initial step in creating new innovative designs based on existing solutions in nature or other products that occur at very different scales. Much further work is needed by studying additional products and bioinspired examples.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Asynchrony and Commitment to Die during Apoptosis

Abstract Time lapse video microscopy is used to study the chronology of morphological changes and commitment to die in individual PC12 cells after induction of apoptosis. Cell death is highly asynchronous occurring over a 2- to 3-day period following serum removal; however, all cells go through three characteristic morphological phases irrespective of the time they die following serum removal. During phase 1, which lasts from 2 to 44 h, cells maintain normal morphology. Phase 2 is characterized by plasma membrane bubbling which lasts from 10 min to 40 h. Phase 3 represents the active or execution phase of apoptosis and involves dynamic whole cell body blebbing. Phase 3/execution phase has a restricted duration, lasting 96 ± 5 min. At the end of the execution phase of apoptosis, cells die. The inherently asynchronous nature of cell death is still present in cells that are synchronized following mitosis. Daughter cells enter phase 2 synchronously but remain in phase 2 for varying periods and die at different times. Addition of serum 24–48 h after initiating apoptosis blocks death of 89% of cells in phase 1, 79% in phase 2, and 0% in phase 3. Serum rescue experiments are consistent with cells committing to die about 2–3 h prior to the onset of phase 3 (execution phase of apoptosis). These studies indicate that although apoptosis is an asynchronous process it can be defined in terms of reproducible morphological changes that can be used to place other events, such as the commitment to die, in a temporal sequence.
Human supervisory control of aircraft, rail and highway vehicles

This paper reviews recent trends in control of aircraft, rail and highway vehicles toward supervisory control. Supervisory control means the human operator intermittently specifies goals, constraints and procedural information to a computer, monitors synoptic displays of state information, and tasks the computer to execute the instructions automatically. This trend has been driven by new sensor, communication and computer technology. Full automation of these transport systems is currently unacceptable, not only for reasons of safety, but also because radical departure from present systems is technologically and economically infeasible, in addition to which the public does not like radical change. Commercial and military aircraft are easily the most advanced of the three transportation modes. Rail and highway systems are currently undergoing rapid transformation, nevertheless impeded by economic and other societal constraints. Examples of new technological developments are given for each mode. Common probl...
Requirement for a Nuclear Function of β-Catenin in Wnt Signaling

Wnt signaling stabilizes beta-catenin, which in turn influences the transcription of Wnt-responsive genes in conjunction with T-cell factor (TCF) transcription factors. At present, there are two models for the actions of beta-catenin. The conventional nuclear model suggests that beta-catenin acts in the nucleus to form a heterodimeric transcriptional factor complex with TCF, with TCF providing DNA-specific binding and the C and N termini of beta-catenin stimulating transcription. The alternative cytoplasmic model postulates that beta-catenin exports TCF from the nucleus to relieve its repressive activity or activates it in the cytoplasm. We have generated modified forms of beta-catenin and used RNA interference against endogenous beta-catenin to distinguish between these models in cultured mammalian and Drosophila cells. We show that the VP16 transcriptional activation domain can replace the C terminus of beta-catenin without loss of function and that the function of beta-catenin is compromised by fusion to a transcriptional repressor domain from histone deacetylase, favoring the direct effects of beta-catenin in the nucleus. Furthermore, membrane-tethered beta-catenin requires interaction with the adenomatous polyposis coli protein but not with TCF for its function, whereas untethered beta-catenin requires binding to TCF for its signaling activity. Importantly, by using RNA interference, we show that the signaling activity of membrane-tethered beta-catenin, but not free beta-catenin, requires the presence of endogenous beta-catenin, which is able to accumulate in the nucleus when stabilized by the binding of the beta-catenin degradation machinery to the membrane-tethered form. All of these data support a nuclear model for the normal function of beta-catenin.
A Note on Multivariate Distributions with Specified Marginals

Abstract A method for generating multivariate distributions with marginals in a prescribed family is introduced. It is a straightforward generalization of a method due to Marshall and Olkin.
Adhesion and RF properties of electrically conductive adhesives

Adhesives used for mechanical bonding and electrical/thermal transport in high performance electronic packages require high adhesion strength and electrical properties at elevated temperatures. Adhesion strengths of electrically/thermally conductive adhesives on Ni, Cu and Sn surfaces at room temperature and elevated temperature (100 °C) were studied. Their high temperature adhesion strengths on those metal surfaces were improved by surface pretreatment with an adhesion promoter (AP). The Tg > 100 °C and the low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of the ECA help maintain the low thermal coefficient of resistance (TCR) at 100 °C similar to that of bulk silver. High frequency properties of the ECA at an elevated temperature are presented and show great stability of the insertion loss in the 1 to 8 GHz frequency range. Also, the ECA shows good high frequency performance compared with Cu.
A droplet digital PCR detection method for rare L1 insertions in tumors

The active human mobile element, long interspersed element 1 (L1) currently populates human genomes in excess of 500,000 copies per haploid genome. Through its mobility via a process called target primed reverse transcription (TPRT), L1 mobilization has resulted in over 100 de novo cases of human disease and has recently been associated with various cancer types. Large advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) technology have allowed for an increased understanding of the role of L1 in human cancer; however, researchers are still limited by the ability to validate potentially rare L1 insertion events detected by HTS that may occur in only a small fraction of tumor cells. Additionally, HTS detection of rare events varies greatly as a function of read depth, and new tools for de novo element discovery are needed to fill in gaps created by HTS. We have employed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) to detect rare L1 loci in mosaic human genomes. Our assay allows for the detection of L1 insertions as rare as one cell in every 10,000. ddPCR represents a robust method to be used alongside HTS techniques for detecting, validating and quantitating rare L1 insertion events in tumors and other tissues.
Fine-needle aspiration cytology in the evaluation of patients with radiographically occult, palpable breast abnormalities.

Background Patients who present with occult, palpable breast abnormalities on radiographs represent a diagnostic challenge. We hypothesized that fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) would be an accurate method for diagnosing and excluding malignancy in these patients. Methods The records of all patients undergoing FNAC at our institution between 2010 and 2012 were queried; 173 patients with 175 palpable breast masses without an imaging correlate were included. Results Of 175 FNAC performed, 2 (1%) were malignant, 16 (9%) were suspicious, and 157 (90%) were benign ( n = 75) or nondiagnostic ( n = 82). All 16 suspicious FNAC underwent an additional biopsy, of which 4 were malignant. FNAC led to the identification of 6 (3.4%) occult malignancies. At a median follow-up of 16.3 months, 1 patient within the benign cohort was found to have an incidental 2.5 mm cancer identified on reduction mammaplasty, which was unrelated to the index mass. The negative predictive value of FNAC in benign patients was 100%. Conclusion FNAC detected malignancy in a small but significant percentage of patients with a palpable mass and negative breast imaging while excluding carcinoma in the remaining patients. FNAC may be included in the evaluation of patients with occult, palpable breast masses demonstrated on radiography.
The Linguistic Basis for the Development of Reading Skill.

T HIS paper will examine some of the linguistic principles which underlie the nature of the reading process, and the pedagogical implications of these principles for the acquisition of true reading skill in a foreign language. The discussion will be centered specifically on the development of reading skill in English for speakers of other languages, although it seems quite clear that many of the following remarks will be equally applicable to the teaching of reading skill to native speakers of English. The principles to be discussed are implicit in the audio-lingual approach to the teaching of modern foreign languages, though in the matter of reading skill, especially, they are frequently and unconsciously overlooked. For our purposes here, it is not necessary to respond to the charge that the audio-lingual approach is unconcerned with the skills of reading and writing, since this is patently false. No intelligently planned language program will simply ignore the development of such skills. In the pedagogy of language teaching, classroom procedures are always greatly enhanced when the instructor clearly understands their theoretical basis. Thus, for instance, mimicrymemorization and pattern practice methods become meaningful pedagogical activities for both teacher and learner when it is understood
High-efficiency array for submillimeter-wave imaging applications

In the present contribution, an ellipsoidal reflector antenna fed by a leaky wave array has been studied for imaging applications at submillimeter waves. The array geometry is easy to manufacture at these frequencies and presents better spill over efficiency and more symmetric patterns than conventional horn arrays. At the present time, two arrays aiming at large and small FD ratios are being manufactured. The offset ellipsoidal reflector system has been optimized to reduce cross polarization and improve scanning performances.
Polarization-dependence of ultrafast optical nonlinearities of Bragg-spaced quantum wells

We present a microscopic theory for the polarization dependence of the nonlinear reflection of Bragg-spaced quantum wells. Our theory includes polariton correlations beyond third order. Comparisons with experimental results show reasonably good agreement.
Activity patterns on regimes employing artificial twilight transitions

Eine Maus der GattungPeromyscus maniculatus wurde mittels kunstlicher Beleuchtung (Nacht sowohl als Tag) und kunstlicher Dammerung mit einem 16-h-Rhythmus synchronisiert. Das Tier zeigte eine eindeutige Periodizitat in Laufaktivitat, Nahrungs-und Wasseraufnahme sowie der Zeit, die es im Nest verbringt. Diese Tatigkeiten sind eindeutig vom Beleuchtungscyclus abhangig.