cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonspecific Orbital Inflammation

Nonspecific orbital inflammation (NSOI) is a term used to describe nonmalignant inflammation of the orbit characterized by a polymorphous lymphoid infiltrate with varying degrees of fibrosis, without a known local or systemic cause. The emphasis is on lack of finding a known cause. Orbital inflammation itself is not a diagnosis, but rather a description of a tissue response to some underlying problem, such as infection, irritation, or injury, which has triggered the immune system. The injured cells release chemical factors stimulating the inflammatory response which is characterized by symptoms of pain, redness, swelling, warmth, and possible dysfunction of the tissues involved. In the case of the orbit, it is infiltration of orbital soft tissues by chronic inflammatory cells that causes findings such as proptosis, eyelid swelling, chemosis, pain, diplopia, or visual loss. Every effort must first be made to identify a specific cause of the inflammation. Navigating through the differential diagnosis of diseases that can cause or simulate orbital inflammation is challenging; however, adhering to a methodical history and exam will help facilitate the process. Only once all other specific etiologies have been eliminated can one conclude with the diagnosis of nonspecific orbital inflammation, which only means that the causative pathogen or trigger could not be identified.
Differential serotonergic innervation of the suprachiasmatic nucleus and the intergeniculate leaflet and its role in circadian rhythm modulation

Serotonergic innervation is believed to inhibit the effects of light on the mammalian circadian timing system. Two anatomical components of this system, the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and the intergeniculate leaflet (IGL), receive serotonergic input from midbrain raphe nuclei. The present studies use retrograde and anterograde tracing as well as neurotoxic lesion techniques to demonstrate that serotonergic cells in the median raphe nucleus (MR) project to the SCN and that serotonergic cells in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DR) project to the IGL. Neurotoxic lesions were also used to investigate the effects of selective serotonin (5-HT) neuron loss in the MR or DR on circadian rhythm parameters of animals entrained to a light/dark cycle or housed in constant light. 5-HT depletion in the MR, but not in the DR, induces an advance in onset, a delay in offset, and a longer duration of the nocturnal running-wheel activity phase. Circadian rhythm disruption in constant light is also more frequent in hamsters with MR lesions. A second experiment was designed to investigate the relationship between lesion location, 5-HT-immunoreactive (5-HT-IR) fiber loss, and behavioral changes. Destruction of 5-HT neurons in the MR causes 5-HT-IR fiber loss in the SCN, which may account for the observed changes in circadian parameters. DR lesions result in 5-HT-IR fiber depletion of the IGL, with no associated changes in the entrained rhythm. The anatomical and behavioral results support the view that a 5-HT projection from the MR mediates 5-HT effects on circadian rhythm regulation in hamsters.
Probing the Folded State of Fibronectin Type III Domains in Stretched Fibrils by Measuring Buried Cysteine Accessibility

Fibronectin (FN) is an extracellular matrix protein that is assembled into fibrils by cells during tissue morphogenesis and wound healing. FN matrix fibrils are highly elastic, but the mechanism of elasticity has been debated: it may be achieved by mechanical unfolding of FN-III domains or by a conformational change of the molecule without domain unfolding. Here, we investigate the folded state of FN-III domains in FN fibrils by measuring the accessibility of buried cysteines. Four of the 15 FN-III domains (III-2, -3, -9, and -11) appear to unfold in both stretched fibrils and in solution, suggesting that these domains spontaneously open and close even in the absence of tension. Two FN-III domains (III-6 and -12) appear to unfold only in fibrils and not in solution. These results suggest that domain unfolding can at best contribute partially to the 4-fold extensibility of fibronectin fibrils.
Experimental study of simultaneous coagulation and diffusional loss of free molecule aerosols in turbulent pipe flow

Abstract An experimental study of simultaneous coagulation and diffusional deposition of free molecule ammonium sulfate aerosols in turbulent pipe flow is reported. Experiments were conducted at atmospheric pressure, with mean particle sizes ranging from 0.005 to 0.04 μm. Information about particle sizesand concentrations was obtained with a condensation nucleus counter (CNC)-diffusion battery combination; the particle size dependence of CNC counting efficiency was accounted for when reducing the diffusion battery data. Aerosol sizes and concentrations were varied over a wide range so that data ranged from the coagulation-dominated to the diffusional loss-dominated regimes. Data were in good agreement with the theory of Brockmann, McMurry, and Liu [ Aerosol Sci. Technol. , in press] when coagulation enhancement due to London-van der Waals forces was accounted for.
Coping, emotion regulation, and self-blame as mediators of sexual abuse and psychological symptoms in adult sexual assault:

This study examined whether coping, emotion regulation, and self-blame mediate relationships of trauma histories with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression in adult sexual assault victims (N = 1863). A path analysis showed that theorized mediators partially mediated associations between trauma history variables and psychological symptoms. Specifically, child sexual abuse severity was related to greater post-traumatic stress disorder and depression indirectly through maladaptive coping and decreased emotion regulation but not self-blame. Other traumas had direct relationships with symptoms and partially mediated effects through maladaptive coping and emotion regulation. Child sexual abuse was unrelated to self-blame, but other traumas were related to greater self-blame. Results differed according to whether women had counseling post-assault. Implications are drawn for future research and clinical treatment of adult sexual assault victims.
Design of reflectors which will distribute sunlight in a specified manner

Abstract A differential equation is obtained for the shape of a reflecting surface which will distribute axially symmetric light intensity into a specified irradiance over a receiver surface which is symmetric about the direction of the incident light. Results are applied to the design of rotationally symmetric solar reflectors and also to a 2-dimensional geometry, that is one in which the reflector is a cylinder with its axis perpendicular to the incident beam. The procedure is used to numerically calculate the shape of reflectors which will uniformly concentrate collimated light and also light from a point source over a flat receiver surface. Results are also applied to determine the shape of a reflector which will distribute collimated light uniformly over the surface of a cylinder and also over a sphere.
Titan/Centaur - NASA's newest launch vehicle.

Titan/Centaur is NASA's last new expendable launch vehicle prior to the advent of the space shuttle. Titan/Centaur is an adaptation of the Air Force Titan 3 booster with an improved version of the Centaur stage and a new 4.2 meters payload fairing. Titan/Centaur is initially being used for high performance escape missions (Helios Solar Probe - 340 kilograms' Viking Mars Orbiter and Lander - 3,629 kilograms, and Mariner Jupiter/Saturn Fly-Bys at 771 kilograms, but is also particularly suited for larger spacecraft in synchronous orbits (transfer - 7,031 kilograms and equatorial, with three Centaur burns - 3,175 kilograms). The program which began in 1965 with internal NASA feasibility studies will culminate in a proof flight launch in early 1974. With the new payload fairing, which also encloses Centaur, payloads of nearly 8.5 meters long and 3.8 meters in diameter can be accommodated.
A Computational Study of Oxygen Contamination in Sb 2 Te 3

We present first principles electronic structure calculations of oxygen substitutional defects in the Sb2Te3 layered crystalline system and a model of amorphous Sb 2 Te 3 using density functional theory (DFT). Our calculated formation energies for oxygen substitutional defects at Sb sites are above 2 eV, so most of our results are on the Sb 2 Te 3 - x O x [x = .0074 - .20] system, where one of two inequivalent Te sites are instead occupied by a single oxygen atom with formation energies between -1.2 eV and .2 eV. Defect formation energies for the system show a preference for oxygen atoms on the Te1 site at low concentrations that switches to the Te2 site at high concentrations at approximately 6 atomic percent. In agreement with experiment, we find that oxygen does widen the band gap, even at relatively low concentrations.
Selecting the best system and determining a set of feasible systems

We present two fully sequential indifference-zone procedures to select the best system from a number of competing simulated systems, where best is defined by maximum or minimum expected performance. These two procedures have parabolic continuation regions rather than triangular continuation regions employed in a number of papers. Our procedures find the best or near-best system with at least a pre-specified probability of correctness when basic observations are independent and identically normally distributed. They allow for unequal and unknown variances across systems and the use of common random numbers, and show moderate improvement compared to other existing fully sequential procedures with triangular continuation regions. We also present procedures for finding a set of feasible or near-feasible systems with some statistical guarantee among a finite number of simulated systems in the presence of stochastic constraints on secondary performance measures. The proposed procedures can handle a large number of systems and stochastic constraints.
Sensitivity studies of equatorial topside electron and ion temperatures

[1] Even in the recent extremely low solar minimum the electron and ion temperatures in the low-latitude topside ionosphere display a great deal of day-to-day variability. This paper explores this variability using both the SAMI2 model and a newly developed steady state model of the plasma temperatures. Variations in the electric fields and neutral winds both produce drastic changes in the temperature profiles predicted above the magnetic equator. This implies that information about these parameters is contained in the temperature profiles measured at Jicamarca. Both winds and electric fields alter the arrangement of plasma throughout the entire low-latitude ionosphere, including the locations and densities of the equatorial arcs. These changes have a much larger effect on the topside temperatures above the equator than changing the local advection or expansion alone because the topside equatorial temperatures are strongly coupled to the off-equatorial F regions by field-aligned thermal diffusion and photoelectron transport. The temperatures are more sensitive to changes in the nonlocal photoelectron heating than any other individual effect. The nonlocal photoelectron heating model used is still fairly primitive, however. The extreme sensitivity of the temperatures to the photoelectron transport model used means that more sophisticated photoelectron heating models will need to be used before meaningful comparisons between the model and observations can be made.
Functional analysis of the transcriptional activity of the mouse phospholipid transfer protein gene.

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP) plays an important role in the metabolism of plasma high density lipoprotein. The mouse gene encoding PLTP and its promoter region has been cloned in our laboratory. The present study was conducted to functionally analyze the transcriptional regulation of the mouse PLTP gene. The results indicated that DNA sequences between -245 and -69 were responsible for the full promoter activity and binding motifs for transcription factor Sp1 and AP-2 within this functional promoter region were synergistically essential for the basal transcription. The transcriptional activity of this gene was significantly increased by chenodeoxycholic acid and fenofibrate, suggesting that transcription factor farnesoid X-activated receptor (FXR) and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) are likely involved in the transcriptional regulation. DNA sequence analysis suggests that DNA sequences from -407 to -395 and from -393 to -381 are homologous to the recognition motifs of FXR, and those from -859 to -847 and from -309 to -297 are similar to the potential binding motif for PPAR. These findings provide a molecular basis for further investigation of the physiological function and regulation of the PLTP gene in mice.
Internet implications of telephone access

What good is a network if it can't be accessed? In fact, access is often a single point of failure for data or telecommunications network subscribers. In the US, the Public Switched Telephone Network is the primary provider for the vast majority of voice service users. The PSTN is also the principal source of circuit-switched access to ISPs for an increasing number of PCs. Therefore, PSTN access availability is a benchmark for those who are considering providing or acquiring Internet access or voice services. The article presents a typical Internet user connection through the local PSTN to an ISP. In the PSTN, local or central office switches serve as network access nodes. Although considerable redundancy and fault tolerance are engineered into both the network itself and these switches, total service outages do occur. In the future, terms such as local carrier and long-distance carrier are likely to disappear as more end-to-end carriers emerge, providing integrated voice and data services. User demands for carrier transparency will dictate having a highly reliable, available, and survivable network access infrastructure. To date, access networks have emphasized connection speed to alleviate end-to-end latency problems. However, as subscribers experience low latency, service providers who offer dependable access will be the survivors. Fast access that isn't reliable won't be acceptable for home e-commerce.
Photophysics and Nonlinear Absorption of Peripheral-Substituted Zinc Phthalocyanines

The photophysical properties, such as the UV−vis absorption spectra, triplet transient difference absorption spectra, triplet excited-state extinction coefficients, quantum yields of the triplet excited state, and lifetimes of the triplet excited state, of 10 novel zinc phthalocyanine derivatives with mono- or tetraperipheral substituents have been systematically investigated in DMSO solution. All these complexes exhibit a wide optical window in the visible spectral range and display long triplet excited-state lifetimes (140−240 μs). It has been found that the complexes with tetrasubstituents at the α-positions exhibit a bathochromic shift in their UV−vis absorption spectra, fluorescence spectra, and triplet transient difference absorption spectra and have larger triplet excited-state absorption coefficients. The nonlinear absorption of these complexes has been investigated using the Z-scan technique. It is revealed that all complexes exhibit a strong reverse saturable absorption at 532 nm for nanosecond ...
The Effect of High Ambient Temperature and Hypercapnia on Postprandial Intestinal Hyperemia in Domestic Cockerels

Abstract Hubbard cockerels (2.8 to 3.6 kg) with chronically implanted electromagnetic blood flow probes placed on the celiac artery were used to determine the effect of elevated ambient temperature on postprandial intestinal hyperemia. Celiac mean blood flow (MBF) increased (P To determine if flood PCO2 affected postprandial celiac MBF, cockerels were subjected to successive elevated ambient temperature and ambient CO2 treatments. Although cockerels exposed to 2.8% CO2 exhibited an increase in blood PCO2 regardless of temperature treatment, postprandial celiac MBF changes in these ambient CO2 experiments were only moderately correlated (P
An evaluation of alkali and acid treatments for chitosan extraction from fungi

Abstract Chitosan extractions of mycelia from Absidia coerulea ATCC 14076 were examined using hot alkaline and acid treatments. Alkaline treatments were carried out at 95°C and 121°C using sodium hydroxide with varying extraction times. Acid treatments were carried out at 95°C using hydrochloric, formic and acetic acids with various extraction times. The highest yields of chitosan were obtained with alkaline extraction at 121°C for 30 min and hydrochloric acid extraction at 95°C for 12 h. The effects on the degree of acetylation and viscosity of the chitosan of various treatments were also examined.
A ruthenium(II)/platinum(II) binuclear complex bridged by 2,2tau; -bipyrimidine

Preparation du complexe [Ru(bpy) 2 (bpm)] (ClO 4 ) 2 avec bpy=bipyridine-2,2' et bpm=bipyrimidine-2,2' et etude de ses proprietes electrochimiques
Facial receptive fields of trigeminal neurons: increased size following estrogen treatment in female rats.

In order to assess the generality of previous reports of enlarged genital sensory fields following estrogen treatment, facial receptive fields of individual trigeminal ganglion neurons from ovariectomized female rats injected with estrogen were compared with fields from noninjected controls. Mechanoreceptive field boundaries were determined with a series of stimulating probes varying in diameter, and calibrated according to the force delivered at the bending point (Von Frey technique). For each single unit, the threshold receptive field was determined with the smallest stimulus probe capable of reliably activating single unit discharges. Facial receptive fields from estrogen-treated females were significantly larger in area (by a factor of 10) than fields from noninjected controls. Furthermore, the increase in field area was independent of spatial location within the facial region (normally, field size decreases in a proximal-distal direction from the body trunk), and was not affected by cutting the trigeminal nerve root. Receptive field thresholds were also significantly lowered by estrogen treatment. The fact that long-term systemic estrogen treatment influences tactile sensory fields in the facial region of females suggests that this phenomenon is not peculiar to the genital region normally contacted by the male during mating.
Abstract B52: Profiling of genes associated with sustained high calcium adaptation of invasive breast cancer cells

Younger African American and Hispanic patients are frequently diagnosed with highly invasive and metastatic breast cancers with poorer prognosis. The molecular mechanisms underlying the aggressiveness and in particular, race-related differences in progression of these cancers, remain poorly understood. Patients with advanced and metastatic breast cancer inevitably become hypercalcemic, but about 30% of most solid tumor cases develop this abnormal metabolic syndrome early in the course of the disease. The cancer-induced hypercalcemia (CIH) is primarily due to increased bone resorption that is provoked by tumor cell-derived osteolytic factors. In the CIH susceptible patients, it is expected that tumor progression may be accompanied by progressive severity of CIH. Here we examined the effects of sustained high (5 mM) Ca 2+ on the growth of breast epithelial and breast cancer cells and attempted to identify the genes mediating high calcium adaptation of invasive breast cancer cells. We show that normal breast epithelial cells (184A1) and luminal breast cancer cells (MCF-7) grow poorly at high Ca 2+ while triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) cells (MDA-MB-231, BT-549, HCC-1806) are to a greater extent high Ca 2+ tolerant cell lines. To gain a better understanding of the mechanisms of sustained high calcium adaptation by TNBC cell lines, we examined the gene expression profiles of MDA-MB-231 cells maintained at high (5 mM) Ca 2+ for 48 h. Cells maintained in complete medium containing 1 mM Ca 2+ were used as controls. Analysis of the cDNA microarrays revealed that at least 111 genes were up regulated and 69 genes were down regulated at +/- 1.5 fold and p 2+ , did not show significant up regulation of FOS, EGR1 and MAGEC2. MAGEC2 is strongly expressed by HCC1806 and is remarkable induced by high Ca 2+ in BT-549 cells. These data suggests that high Ca 2+ adaptation of invasive breast cancer cells is mediated via the CaSR and initiated by the up regulation of early response genes and presumably sustained by the up regulation of tumor promoters and/or down regulation of tumor suppressors. Further studies are ongoing to determine how some of these genes mediate the high calcium response and their potential implication in breast cancer progression and outcomes. Citation Format: Amos M. Sakwe. Profiling of genes associated with sustained high calcium adaptation of invasive breast cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Third AACR International Conference on Frontiers in Basic Cancer Research; Sep 18-22, 2013; National Harbor, MD. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2013;73(19 Suppl):Abstract nr B52.
THE THREE‐PHASE DEVELOPMENT OF THE PORCUPINE SEABIGHT: BASIN FORMATION AND THE STRUCTURALLY‐DEPENDENT SEDIMENTARY PATTERN.

The Porcupine Seabight appears to have been formed in three distinct episodes, each reflecting somewhat different structural controls. The oldest episode was rifting and selective crustal thinning associated with Permo-Triassic taphrogenes, during which there was some dextral movement on NW-trending faults. The important second episode was probably Mid-Jurassic to Mid-Cretaceous, and involved major crustal thinning related to nearby oceanic crust spreading, which initially reactivated and exploited structures in the continental crust while later imposing structural trends more related to the newly-developing oceanic crust rift-transform orientations. The last significant phase was one of minor adjustment, mainly by normal faulting of a down-to-basin character. Later, minor compression with some folding associated with reactivation along structural lines took place during Tertiary, probably Alpine times, but did not much affect the pattern of sedimentation within the Porcupine Seabight.
A one-dimensional dynamic contact problem in linear viscoelasticity

The initial-boundary value problem associated with a linear viscoelastic bar which moves along its axis and against a stationary obstacle perpendicular to the axis is discussed. The existence of a solution is established by the penalty method and a multiplier technique. The uniqueness of the solution is also proved in a special case.
Colorectal cancer testing in the national Veterans Health Administration.

Background Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is a priority for the Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA). Optimizing fecal occult blood testing (FOBT) is integral to CRC screening in health care systems.
A New Assignment Strategy for the Hyperfine-Shifted13C and15N Resonances in Fe2S2Ferredoxins

Abstract Assignment of hyperfine-shifted resonances in paramagnetic metalloproteins such as Fe 2 S 2 ferredoxins poses a major experimental challenge due to hyperfine shifts and/or severe line broadening. We have explored the possibility of using structural data from homologous proteins as part of an assignment strategy for the sequence-specific assignment of hyperfine-shifted backbone carbonyl ( 13 C′) and nitrogen resonances ( 15 N) in Fe 2 S 2 ferredoxins. This strategy is based on the assignment of resonances in the paramagnetic region to particular types of amino acid residues using selective isotope labeling. Reduced metal–nuclear distances are then calculated from experimentally determined T 1 relaxation times for those resonances and the calculated distances aligned with the distances of nuclei at corresponding amino acid sequence positions in the crystal structure of a structurally homologous protein. The comparative assignment approach has met with success in correctly predicting the 13 C′ and 15 N assignments in Pdx° from the crystal structure data of two similar and related ferredoxins, namely bovine adrenodoxin and Anabaena ferredoxin. Sequence-specific assignments made in this fashion were verified by selective 13 C′{ 15 N} decoupling experiments.
Lipid Composition Modulates the Stability of DNA Acting as Model Membrane-bound Receptors

Many important signaling processes occur in the interactions between lipid organelles: a multitude of ligands and receptors are localized to the surface of lipid structures and vary in many ways, including their length and the strength of their interactions. DNA strands with hydrophobic modifications anchor to the surface of lipid membranes. These membrane-anchored DNA diffuse within the lipid matrix and can bind specifically to their complement: minimal properties of real membrane receptors. The properties of these DNA “receptors” can be varied systematically to explore the physical advantages of variables such as receptor length, binding strength and repeated sequences in the binding domain.We show that the binding equilibrium between DNA-functionalized vesicles is dependent upon lipid composition. We develop a model as a framework to understand this phenomenon by extension of the Bell model to the non-constant force-fields between lipid membranes. We find that the inter-membrane interactions can either suppress or favor receptor binding and discuss the possible implications for biological receptor-mediated signaling processes.
Study of Thyroid Hormonal Status in Preeclamptic Patients

The physiological changes in the thyroid gland during pregnancy were well understood. Serum TSH levels were significantly increased without changes in free T 3 and T 4 in preeclamptic patient compared to normal pregnancy. This study tried to find out a possible relationship between preeclampsia and thyroid profile. The present study determines thyroid hormonal levels in cases of preeclampsia in the third trimester of pregnancy. TSH level were significantly higher in preeclamptic group as compared to control. A prospective case control study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Chittagong. Thyroid hormone, namely Triiodothyronine (Free T 3 ), Thyroxine (Free T 4 ) and Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) were evaluated by radioimmunoassay. In this case control study pregnant women with preeclampsia were recruited after the diagnosis were made and compared with equal number of healthy normotensive pregnant women in third trimester. The data were analyzed using unpaired ‘t’ test and chi-square test. When P value were <0.05, the result were accepted as significant. Increase TSH level were associated with a risk for occurrence of preeclampsia DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/medtoday.v25i2.17922 Medicine Today 2013 Vol.25(2): 63-66
Cerebral plasticity and recovery of function after childhood prefrontal cortex damage.

Objective: Recovery of function after early brain injury depends upon both reparative and compensatory processes that are minimally understood. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), this study investigated the reorganization of hemispheric brain activity of a 24 year old male who suffered right prefrontal cortex damage at 7 years of age related to ruptured arteriovenous malformation. His pattern of recovery has been examined and tracked over the past 17 years and evolved from initial significant impairments in executive, spatial and attentional abilities from the brain lesion to remarkable recovery of function.Methods: High field fMRI studies were completed with experimental cognitive tasks sensitive to right prefrontal functions, including visuospatial relational reasoning, spatial working memory, go no-go, emotional face recognition, and coin calculation. Results were compared to a matched control group for total hemispheric activity patterns.Results: Analyses revealed that on fMRI activat...
Diapause in the neuropteran Chrysopa oculata

Abstract Chrysopa oculata has a facultative diapause in the third instar within the cocoon. At 24 ± 1°C diapause was induced when both second and third instars experienced short-day (LD 12:12), whereas continuous development was promoted when either of these two stages experienced long-day (LD 16:8). Little difference was shown in the developmental rates of prediapause and non-diapause stages reared under the two photoperiods. At 24 ± 3°C the critical daylength for the Ithaca population was between 12·5 and 13·5 hr of light, whereas the critical photoperiod for larvae reared out of doors feel between 12·25 and 13·5 hr of daylight. Diapause was terminated when cocoons were transferred to long-day before they had been in short-day for 4 weeks. However, after 8 weeks, transfer to long-day had no effect and diapause ended even under diapause inducing conditions. Larvae in the field had almost completed diapause development by February. The results suggest that under natural conditions diapause is primarily induced by the short-days of late summer, that it is maintained by the short-days of fall and early winter, that diapause development occurs under short-day, and that the seasonal timing of development by overwintering larvae is determined by the temperature requirements of the insect and the seasonal temperature accumulations.
Influence of charge state on the reaction of FeO3+/- with carbon monoxide

Abstract A combined experimental and theoretical study shows that highly oxidized iron clusters are able to readily effect the oxidation of CO to CO2 at ambient temperature. Calculated energy profiles of the reaction demonstrate that the oxidation efficiency is governed by the strength of oxygen binding to the iron atom. Results for FeO 3 + / - are presented and reveal that cation clusters are more efficient than the corresponding anion clusters at effecting the oxidation reaction due to different oxygen bond energies resulting from charge distribution.
Distributed version control in the classroom

Modern distributed version control systems offer compelling advantages for teaching students professional software development practices and skills. In this paper, we explore the potential for incorporating Mercurial into introductory, intermediate, and advanced computing courses. By incorporating version control into the entire CS curriculum, instructors create unique opportunities to engage students in collaborative, real-world projects and activities, giving them critical early exposure to the expectations and assumptions prevalent in the software development community. Early introduction to version control provides students with an important foundation in both personal and collaborative development excellence, offering them a competitive edge in the marketplace and a superior understanding of software development best practice.
The alternating semigroups: Generators and congruences

The idea of an even permutation has recently been generalized, via path notation, to one-one partial transformations (charts) in the symmetric inverse semigroupsCn. The even charts form the alternating semigroupAnc⊂Cn. Generators ofAnc are identified: It then follows that forn≥5,Anc is the collection of restrictions of the even permutations (of rankn). Like theCn case, the congruences ofAnc form a chain.
Synthesis of E,E-diene hydroperoxides via photoisomerization of protected hydroperoxides

A general approach toE,E-diene hydroperoxides is described based upon photoisomerization of readily availableZ,E-diene monoperoxyketals. Protection of aZ,E-diene hydroperoxide as the 2-methoxypropyl peroxyketal is followed by iodine-mediated photoisomerization to produce a mixture enriched in theE,E isomer. After chromatographic purification, deprotection of the peroxyketal with mild acid furnishes theE,E-diene hydroperoxide.
Structural systematics in the family of (BEDT-TTF)2X salts

Abstract A crystallographic family tree can be developed for the (BEDT-TTF) 2 X salts which aids in the systematization and rationalization of the structural and electrical properties of this novel series of materials. Importantly, it is recognized that the ambient-pressure superconductor α-(BEDT-TTF) 2 I 3 has a crystal structure coincident with the parent subcell of this crystallographic family tree. Moreover, all first-generation supercells (doubling of any one subcell vector) are exclusively populated by salts with non-centrosymmetric anions of tetrahedral symmetry, and apparently, second-generation supercells (doubling of any two subcell vectors) are populated by salts with centrosymmetric anions of octahedral symmetry.
The locust's use of motion parallax to measure distance.

1. Locusts perform a visual behavior known as peering before jumping to targets. Peering consists of a side to side translational movement of the head. Wallace (1959) first proposed that this behavior is performed in order to obtain depth information through motion parallax. The present study analyzes more quantitatively the role of peering in the locust's (Schistocerca americana) estimation of distance in an attempt to understand the neural mechanisms involved. 2. Jump velocity was found to be related monotonically to target distance and was used as a measure of the locust's judgement of target distance. 3. By presenting locusts with a target which moved laterally while they peered (artificial parallax), it was possible to simulate the motion parallax of a target at any distance. Jump velocities elicited by means of artificial parallax were the same as jump velocities elicited by the corresponding real distances, demonstrating that locusts use motion parallax as a cue to distance. 4. By moving the target in the same direction but further than the locust's head it was possible to simulate targets whose motion parallax specified a position behind the animal. Locusts jump forward to such paradoxical stimuli with the jump velocity appropriate for targets located at the absolute value of the simulated distance. This suggests that locusts are insensitive to the relation between the direction of head and image motion. 5. Measurement of jump velocity in locusts with one eye occluded revealed an interaction between the parallax signals from the two eyes — locusts appear to sum (or average) the motion perceived in each eye. 6. Jump velocity is predicted more accurately by target distance than by either image displacement or image velocity during peering. This implies that the locust's computation of target distance involves signals concerning its own head motion.
Kinematics and Contact Characteristics of the First Metatarsophalangeal Joint

We studied six fresh frozen cadaver feet to define the three-dimensional motion of the hallux proximal phalanx in relation to the first metatarsal and to describe the contact features of the first metatarsophalangeal joint. Six tendons to the hallux were loaded to simulate dynamic loading of the hallux. A magnetic tracking system was used to monitor the three-dimensional movement of the proximal phalanx while the toe position was changed from a neutral position to full extension by adjusting the tendon loads. The average surface area was 0.38 +/- 0.08 cm2 in the neutral position; it decreased with toe extension and was the lowest (0.04 +/- 0.03 cm2) at the full extension position. Contact distribution of the proximal phalanx did not change substantially throughout the arc of motion. However, for the metatarsal articular surface, the contact distribution shifted dorsally with increasing degrees of extension. These data are consistent with the observation that chondral erosions associated with hallux rigidus and degenerative arthritis initially affect the dorsal articular surface of the metatarsal, and implant arthroplasty often fails from component loading dorsally. The current technique of determining joint contact characteristics is applicable not only for the first metatarsophalangeal joint but also other joints that have not been studied because of shortcomings with more conventional methods.
A Simple Ultrasound Method to Characterize in vitro Plaque Inhibition Activity

A method employing ultrasound vibration for evaluating in vitro plaque derived from streptococcus mutans was developed. It successfully detected small changes in the cohesive/adhesive characteristics of deposits briefly exposed to several antibacterials and "antiadherents". Increased structural fragility and diminished plaque growth were generally associated with the antibacterials.
Phase-transfer-catalyzed synthesis of 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-acetyl-β-d-galactopyranosides

Durch Phasen-Transfer-katalysierte Umsetzung des Bromids (I) mit den Phenolen (II) wird eine Vielzahl substituierter Aryl-galaktopyranoside (III) dargegestellt.
Evaluation of Hemodynamic Efficiency in a New “Y-Graft” Design for the Fontan Operation

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a congenital heart defect that occurs in 20 per 100,000 live births. Patients are born with severe underdevelopment of the left side of the heart which, if left untreated, is uniformly fatal. A series of operations is performed, including a cavopulmonary (Glenn) shunt and total cavopulmonary connection (Fontan procedure), which connect the superior (SVC) and inferior vena cavae (IVC) respectively in an end-to-side fashion to the left (LPA) and right pulmonary arteries (RPA), resulting in a T-shaped junction. This bypasses the heart on the venous side as blood flows from the IVC and SVC directly into the pulmonary arteries. Early survival rates following the Fontan are as high as 90%. However, these figures drop to 60% survival after 10 years [1], and most patients exhibit diminished exercise capacity.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Chinese academic librarianship in transition: A comparative study between China and the United States

Summary This study examines reasons for the shortage of qualified academic librarians in China and recommends ways to position Chinese academic libraries to move into the modern era. Interviews were conducted with 20 academic librarians in China and 20 in the United States, in one library in each country, to collect data for a comparative study. This paper compares Chinese and US academic librarianship in terms of reasons for entering this profession, academic education in library and information science, and requirements for knowledge and information skills. Chinese librarianship faces great challenges in the recruitment and education of librarians and with the library system itself. It is time for the government, university officials, libraries and society as a whole to learn to promote librarianship and build a powerful librarian workforce, to meet the needs of China's social and economic development.
Design and implementation of efficient communication abstractions on the virtual interface architecture: stream sockets and RPC experience

The emergence and standardization of system area networks (SANs) has provided distributed applications with a medium for high-bandwidth, low-latency communication. Standard user-level networking architecture such as the Virtual Interface (VI) Architecture enables distributed applications to perform low overhead communication over SANs. The VI Architecture significantly reduces system processing overheads and provides each consumer process with a protected, directly accessible interface to the network hardware. Developing distributed applications using low-level primitives provided by user-level networking architecture like the VI Architecture is complex and requires significant effort. This paper describes how high-level communication paradigms like stream sockets and remote procedure call (RPC) can be efficiently built over the VI Architecture. To evaluate performance benefits for standard client–server and multi-threaded environments, our focus is on off-the-shelf sockets and RPC interfaces and commercially available VI Architecture-based SANs. The key design techniques developed in this paper include credit-based flow control, decentralized user-level protocol processing, caching of pinned communication buffers, and deferred processing of completed send operations. In the experimental evaluation, the one-way bandwidth achieved by stream sockets over VI Architecture was three to four times better than the bandwidth achieved by running legacy protocols over the same interconnect. On the same SAN, high-performance stream sockets and RPC over VI Architecture achieve significantly better (between 2× and 3× less) latency than conventional stream sockets and RPC over standard networking protocols in a Windows NT™ 4.0 environment. Furthermore, our high-performance RPC transparently improved the network performance of the distributed component object model (DCOM) by a factor of two to three. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Forecasting Meal Participation in University Residential Dining Facilities

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to determine which forecasting model would most accurately predict meal participation at university residential dining facilities. Forecasting techniques including naive, moving average (3 versions), and simple exponential smoothing were applied to data collected from two dining halls over 15 weeks. An analysis of the forecasting models using Mean Absolute Deviations (MAD), Mean Squared Errors (MSE), and Mean Absolute Percentage Errors (MAPE) indicated that simple mathematical forecasting techniques provided better predictions (MAPE ≤ 6.4%) than the naive method in all cases studied. Moving average methods outperformed other methods 83% of the time. Implications are discussed.
Clinical Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics of Erythropoiesis-Stimulating Agents

The cloning of the EPO gene in the early 1980s allowed for the development of recombinant erythropoietins and analogues [erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs)], offering an alternative to transfusion as a method of raising haemoglobin (Hb) levels, which have been used for more than 20 years to treat anaemia in millions of anaemic patients. There are now a number of ESAs available worldwide for the treatment of anaemia, approved for different routes of administration (intravenous and subcutaneous) and dosing intervals (three times weekly, weekly, biweekly and monthly). In this review, we discuss the pharmacokinetic characteristics, including absorption, distribution and elimination processes, across the different ESAs. Incomplete and slow lymphatic absorption, with limited extravascular distribution, and minor contributions of the target-mediated drug disposition to the overall elimination are the common characteristics across the marketed ESA. Additionally, we assess the similarities and differences of ESAs related to pharmacodynamics in the context of the different biomarkers used to monitor the magnitude and duration of the effect, and introduce the concept of the minimum effective concentration of the ESA. The relationship between the minimum effective concentration and the half-life suggests that the time during which drug concentrations are above the minimum effective concentration is the main determinant of ESA efficacy in increasing Hb levels. The tolerance phenomenon and its physiological mechanism and implications for ESA dosing are discussed. Finally, the areas of future clinical pharmacology research are envisioned.
p53 and its 14 kDa C-terminal domain recognize primary DNA damage in the form of insertion/deletion mismatches

Summary Insertion/deletion (IDL) mismatches in DNA are lesions consisting of extra bases on one strand. Here, the binding of p53 and its 14 kDa C-terminal domain to DNAs containing one or three 3-cytosine IDL mismatches was examined. Electron microscopy showed that both p53 forms bound predominantly as tetramers at the lesions while single-stranded binding proteins did not bind. Gel retardation assays showed that p53 formed highly stable complexes when the DNA contained the IDL mismatches, but only unstable complexes when the DNA lacked lesions (but did contain free ends). The highly stable complexes had a half-life of >2 hr, suggesting that upon encountering lesions, p53 may recruit other proteins to the site, providing a signal for DNA damage.
Dissolution of "The Committee": Mentalization and Psychic Transformation in the Case Of Olav

Stalsett, Engedal, and Austad's (2010) case study of Olav demonstrates how a treatment integrating the insights and techniques from a wide variety of traditions helped resolve the symptoms in a man with treatment resistant, psychotic depression and a host of underlying personality problems. This commentary focuses on highlighting the change in Olav's ability to mentalize and consequently to begin to transform his deeply held representations of self and object.
Current topics in human SLE genetics

Susceptibility to systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) depends on genetic and environmental factors. Genome scan studies have identified eight chromosomal regions with significant linkage to SLE that are confirmed by individual cohorts, suggesting that susceptibility genes may be identified within each of these loci. Linkage studies and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have led to the identification of positional candidate genes, and their functional allelic variants have demonstrated molecular pathogenesis of the disease. The discovery of positional candidate genes that are associated with various autoimmune diseases signifies a common pathway in the mechanism of these diseases. Copy polymorphisms in susceptibility genes provide evidence in how genetic plasticity affects complex phenotypes as seen in SLE.
An operational framework for policy modeling in the social sciences

The apparent inability (or unwillingness) of social scientists to do policy relevant, applied research is discussed. One aspect of the problem is identified as a lack of an analytic framework designed specifically with policy research in mind. Such a framework is developed from a synthesis of the assumptions of: (1) what constitutes policy and the policy research process, and (2) what should be involved in social indicator research. The policy implications of sundry structural forms assumed by the general model are discussed.
Sensitivity and depth penetration of continuous wave versus frequency-domain photon migration near-infrared fluorescence contrast-enhanced imaging

The development of near-infrared fluorescent contrast agents and imaging techniques depends on the deep penetration of excitation light through several centimeters of tissue and the sensitive collection of the re-emitted fluorescence. In this contribution, the sensitivity and depth penetration of various fluorescence-enhanced imaging studies is surveyed and compared with current studies using continuous wave (CW) and frequency-domain photon migration (FDPM) measurements with planar wave illumination of modulated excitation light at 100 MHz and area collection of reemitted fluorescent light using a previously developed modulated intensified charge-coupled device camera system. Fluorescence was generated from nanomolar to micromolar solutions of indocyanine green (ICG) in a 100 microL volume submerged at 1-4 cm depths in a 1% Liposyn solution to mimic tissue scattering properties. Enhanced depth penetration and sensitivity are achieved with optimal filter rejection of excitation light, and FDPM rejection of background light is not achieved using CW methods. We show the ability to detect as few as 100 fmol of ICG from area illumination of 785 nm light (5.5 mW/cm2) and FDPM area collection of 830 nm fluorescent light generated from 3 cm below the phantom surface. The lowered noise floor of FDPM measurements enables greater sensitivity and penetration depth than comparable CW measurements.
Pulsed laser deposition of PrFe4Sb12 thin films

Results from a growth and characterization study of PrFe4Sb12 thin films synthesized by pulsed laser deposition (PLD) are reported. Films were grown under a variety of conditions where substrate temperature, annealing schedule, and laser power were optimized to produce single phase material. Various substrates were used for film growth. X-ray diffraction data indicate that the films are primarily single phase with very small amounts of antimony inclusions. The high quality of the films is reflected in electrical resistivity vs temperature data which are consistent with previous results for bulk polycrystalline and single crystal specimens.