cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The infrared carbonyl absorption intensity in some substituted ethyl acetates

Abstract The integrated intensity of the infrared carbonyl absorption band in a number of substituted ethyl acetates has been measured. The compounds have been studied in both carbon tetrachloride and chloroform solution. In addition, the temperature dependence of the carbonyl absorption in RCOOC 2 H 5 , where R = CH 2 F, CH 2 Cl, CH 2 Br, CHF 2 and CHCl 2 , has been observed. From the temperature dependence studies Δ H for the equilibrium between the high- and low-frequency conformations has been estimated in each case. The intensity results, coupled with the results of the temperature dependence studies, make it possible to assign the configurations of the prevalent rotational forms in a number of the compounds studied.
Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris impact Damage Recording System

Damage from Micrometeoroid and Orbital Debris (MMOD) impacts poses a substantial risk for the loss of crew for the currently planned CEV missions to the International Space Station (ISS). 1 2 The Columbia Space Shuttle accident in 2003 spurred an investigation that led to the requirement of an active impact monitoring system on the Shuttle Orbiter. The MMOD impact Damage Recording System (DRS) presents a reliable, mass- and power-efficient Thermal Protection System (TPS) impact detection system that can be readily integrated with manned and robotic spacecraft. Thus, the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) is considering inclusion of active MMOD detection systems for monitoring damage to the backshell TPS.
An analysis of type-C retrovirus polypeptides and their associations in the virion.

Abstract The polypeptide compositions of [3H]leucine-labeled Prague-Rous sarcoma virus-subgroup C (Pr-RSV-C) and Friend murine leukemia virus (FLV) were investigated using guanidine hydrochloride gel filtration and a high-resolution SDS-polyacrylamide-gel system. These techniques resolved seven major structural components in Pr-RSV-C (gp85, gp35, p27, p19, p12, p15, and p10), as reported previously for other avian leukosis-sarcoma viruses. However, in the case of FLV two previously unresolved proteins (p15E and p12E) were clearly demonstrated in addition to gp71, p30, p15C, p12, and p10. FLV p15E, p12E, and gp71 were removed when intact virions were digested with bromelain, whereas the remaining components were not affected. These and other studies support the notion that gp71, p15E, and p12E are situated on the surface of the virion. The linkages (covalent and noncovalent) between viral polypeptides were also examined. The results of these studies indicate that more than 90% of avian gp85 and gp35 are disulfide linked as a viral glycoprotein complex (VGP). The data also suggests that p19 exists as a network of disulfide-linked molecules, some of which may be further linked to VGP. In contrast to the avian system, only about 10–15% of FLV gp71 is disulfide linked to p15E in the VGP complex; the remaining gp71 is apparently loosely attached to the virus, perhaps by a noncovalent interaction with p12E. The implications of these associations to virus structure and assembly are discussed.
Inhibition of hypoxia-induced relaxation of rabbit isolated coronary arteries by NG-monomethyl-l-arginine but not glibenclamide

1. The effects of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, tetrodotoxin and glibenclamide on hypoxia-induced coronary artery relaxation, induced by bubbling Krebs solution with 95% N2 and 5% CO2 instead of 95% O2 and 5% CO2, were assessed by measuring the changes in isometric tension in isolated epicardial coronary artery rings of the rabbit. In addition, the effects of glibenclamide on the relaxation induced by adenosine were investigated. 2. Hypoxia caused a transient relaxation of 38 +/- 3% (P < 0.01) and 17 +/- 2% (P < 0.01) in endothelium-intact or -denuded arteries respectively. NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (30 and 100 microM) inhibited the relaxation in endothelium-intact rings to 31 +/- 2% (P < 0.05) and 16 +/- 2% (P < 0.01) respectively and slightly but significantly attenuated the relaxation in endothelium-denuded rings to 15 +/- 1% and 13 +/- 1% (P < 0.05) respectively. 3. Glibenclamide, a potassium channel inhibitor, did not significantly after the hypoxia-induced relaxation. 4. Incubation with tetrodotoxin (3 and 10 microM) for 30 min reduced the relaxation to 31 +/- 3% (P < 0.05) and 14 +/- 2% (P < 0.01), and 14 +/- 2% (P < 0.05) and 11 +/- 1% (P < 0.05) in endothelium-intact and -denuded rings respectively. However, indomethacin (10 microM), atropine (1 microM), propranolol (10 microM) and phentolamine (10 microM) did not significantly affect the relaxation. 5. Adenosine (1, 10 and 100 MicroM) caused relaxation of 6 +/- 1%, 52 +/-3% and 97 +/-2% respectively in endothelium-denuded rings precontracted with prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2 alpha, 3 MicroM) and the relaxation was markedly inhibited by 8-phenyltheophylline. Furthermore, glibenclamide (1 and 10 MicroM) reduced the relaxation induced by adenosine (1, 10 and 100 MicroM) to 2 +/-1% (P<0.05), 38 =/-3% (P<0.05) and 85 +/-2%(P<0.05), and 0.6 +/- 0.4% (P<0.05), 27 +/- 4% (P<0.05) and 72 +/- 4% (P<0.01) respectively, in these endothelium-denuded preparations.6. These data suggest that hypoxia-induced relaxation is mediated by the release of nitric oxide rather than by the activation of glibenclamide-sensitive potassium channels in rabbit isolated coronary arteries. A neurogenic mechanism partially modulates the relaxation, possibly by activating non-adrenergic and noncholinergic nerve endings. The inhibition by glibenclamide on adenosine-induced relaxation in isolated coronary arteries may help to explain the fact that glibenclamide inhibits hypoxic coronary relaxation in perfused hearts but not in isolated coronary preparations.
Splitting of channeling-radiation peaks in strained-layer superlattices

The peaks in the spectrum of channeling radiation from 106–109-eV electrons traversing crystalline targets are split into two families if the target is a strained-layer superlattice (SLS). We have studied one example of this effect, including the spectral shifts and, especially, the intensity variations that occur when the crystal is rocked. Because of their strong dependence on beam orientation relative to a channel axis, these phenomena should provide a sensitive measure of the strains in the SLS layers as well as of the population of the bound states. Because of the natural widths of the photon peaks in thin layers, good observability will be ensured for superlattice layers with a thickness of several hundred angstroms or more, although in practice this restriction may quite possibly be considerably relaxed, narrow widths not being essential to the observability of the effect.
Silicon Concentrations of Biological Standards

No NIST (National Institutes Standards Technology) standards for the Si concentration of biological materials are available, although Si has been determined for one NIST material by non-NIST personnel. We determined the Si concentrations of NIST materials and a proposed rice-straw (Oryza saliva L.) standard using an autoclave-induced digestion, colorimetric method. We measured 1410 mg Si kg -1 for NIST material no. 1575, which was not significantly different from five of seven analyses reported in the literature (P > 0.05). Silicon concentrations of NIST and other materials were 2160 mg kg -1 (no. 1547), 1500 mg kg -1 (no. 1515), 1920 mg kg -1 (no. 8412), and 69300 mg kg -1 (rice straw).
Presynaptic inhibition of the monosynaptic reflex produced by injections of nicotine or eserine in the spinal cat.

Abstract In completely deafferented cats with spinal cord transected and paralyzed with gallamine, the close arterial injection of nicotine (5 to 33 μg) into the spinal cord circulation or the intravenous injection of eserine (2 mg/kg) produced a transient increase in excitability of the central terminals of primary afferent fibers. Continuous d-c records from dorsal roots during nicotine injections indicated that a depolarization of the terminals was probably responsible for the observed excitability increase. Mecamylamine prevented both the depolarization and the increase in excitability of primary afferent central terminals whereas atropine and gallamine did not. The monosynaptic reflex was always depressed following injections of nicotine or eserine, but the excitability of the motorpool was found to be increased by these drugs. It was concluded that the monosynaptic reflex depression following injections of nicotine or eserine had a significant presynaptic inhibitory component as a consequence of a drug-induced depolarization of the central terminals of Group Ia afferent fibers.
Epidemiologic features of borderline ovarian tumors in California: a population-based study

Purpose Borderline ovarian tumors (BOT) became no longer reportable in 2001, and few registries still collect information on these still poorly understood tumors. This study’s objective was to describe epidemiologic features, trends, and survival of BOTs compared with those of low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) in the large and diverse population of California.
CFTR: A Cysteine at Position 338 in TM6 Senses a Positive Electrostatic Potential in the Pore

We investigated the accessibility to protons and thiol-directed reagents of a cysteine substituted at position 338 in transmembrane segment 6 (TM6) of CFTR to test the hypothesis that T338 resides in the pore. Xenopus oocytes expressing T338C CFTR exhibited pH-dependent changes in gCl and I-V shape that were specific to the substituted cysteine. The apparent pKa of T338C CFTR was more acidic than that expected for a cysteine or similar simple thiols in aqueous solution. The pKa was shifted toward alkaline values when a nearby positive charge (R334) was substituted with neutral or negatively charged residues, consistent with the predicted influence of the positive charge of R334, and perhaps other residues, on the titration of a cysteine at 338. The relative rates of chemical modification of T338C CFTR by MTSET+ and MTSES− were also altered by the charge at 334. These observations support a model for CFTR that places T338 within the anion conduction path. The apparent pKa of a cysteine substituted at 338 and the relative rates of reaction of charged thiol-directed reagents provide a crude measure of a positive electrostatic potential that may be due to R334 and other residues near this position in the pore.
Birefringence of macromolecules. Wiener's theory revisited, with applications to DNA and tobacco mosaic virus

We summarize Wiener's theory of the dielectric constant of heterogeneous systems and extend its application to suspensions of particles with corrugated surfaces and interstitial solvent. We retain a simple geometrical shape for the particles and account specifically for the solvent associated with the particles. We calculate the birefringence of the rodshaped Tobacco Mosaic Virus (TMV) particle and of DNA and find excellent agreement between our numerical results and experimental values from the literature.
Understanding the Credit Crunch as a Minsky Moment

The subprime mortgage crisis caught Wall Street off guard this summer. That is the definition of a crisis, and a credit crunch soon ensued. But according to the financial thinking of the late economist Hyman Minsky, such problems are endemic to what he called "money manager capitalism." Understanding what Minsky was saying will help us understand the current economy and how best to manage it. The author works us through Minsky's thinking and how it applies today.
Changes in Pituitary Responsiveness to Luteinizing Hormone-Releasing Factor During the Rat Estrous Cycle

In order to evaluate the role of changing pituitary responsiveness to LRF in mediating the midcycle ovulatory LH surge in rats, LH secretory response to LRF was determined at different times during the estrous cycle. A standard dose of crude methanol extract of porcine stalk median eminence tissue (SME) was used as a source of LRF and responses were evaluated by LH radioimmunoassay in plasma removed before and ten minutes after intravenous injection. A significant response was elicited on all days of the estrous cycle. Responses early in proestrus and estrus were moderately but significantly greater than those observed at diestrus. Striking effects were noted in the late afternoon of proestrus at the time of the ovulatory LH surge. Pentobarbital blockade of the ovulatory surge early in the afternoon of proestrus prevented the sensitization of the pituitary which is observed in unblocked animals. Since estrogen secretion is known to be maximal late in diestrus and early in proestrus, failure to demonstrate...
Comparison of the DNA Binding Specificity and Function of v-ErbA and Thyroid Hormone Receptor α1

Abstract The oncoprotein v-ErbA is a mutated version of thyroid hormone receptor α1. Although the basis for the oncogenic action of v-ErbA is unknown, expression of this protein is known to inhibit thyroid hormone and retinoic acid induction of target genes. The DNA binding domain of v-ErbA differs from that of thyroid hormone receptor α1 in two amino acids felt to be crucial for determining the specificity of DNA binding. However, the DNA binding properties of v-ErbA have not been examined independent of a comparison of binding to already known thyroid hormone response elements. In the current studies a non-biased strategy was used to select from a pool of random DNA those sequences that bind v-ErbA with high affinity. The highest affinity binding sequence was identified as the decamer 5′-T(A/G)AGGTCACG, which is closely related to the optimal thyroid hormone receptor α1 binding sequence, TAAGGTCA. Transfection studies demonstrate that among equal thyroid hormone responsive elements, those that contain the optimal v-ErbA consensus will be repressed by v-ErbA in preference to those that do not. These studies indicate that v-ErbA and thyroid hormone receptor α1 regulate overlapping sets of response elements, and that all sequences that are highly responsive to thyroid hormone are not necessarily responsive to v-ErbA.
The hub location and routing problem

Abstract In this paper, we consider the hub location and routing problem in which the hub locations and the service types for the routes between demand points are determined together. Rather than aggregating the demand for the services, flows from an origin to different destination points are considered separately. For each origin-destination pair, one-hub-stop, two-hub-stop and, when permitted, direct services are considered. In the system considered, the hubs interact with each other and the level of interaction between them is determined by the two-hub-stop service routes. A mathematical formulation of the problem and an algorithm solving the hub location and the routing subproblems separately in an iterative manner are presented. Computational experience with four versions of the proposed algorithm differing in the method used for finding starting solutions is reported.
Human Territoriality: An Ecological Reassessment

The question of human territoriality has frequently been debated, but most previous discussions have not sufficiently emphasized ecological variables as major factors determining territoriality. We argue that current theories in sociobiology, especially the model focusing on economic defendability of resources, need to be considered in analyzing human territoriality. According to this model, territoriality is expected to occur when critical resources are sufficiently abundant and predictable in space and time, so that costs of exclusive use and defense of an area are outweighed by the benefits gained from resource control. This model is developed, and then applied to several locally adapted human populations (Northern Ojibwa, Basin-Plateau Indians, and Karimojong). Variations in territorial responses for these groups seem to accord with the predictions of the economic defendability model. [territoriality, resource defense, human ecology, sociobiology, spatial organization]
An evaluation of the strain contributed by grain boundary sliding in superplasticity

Abstract Grain boundary sliding is an important mode of deformation in superplasticity. Measurements of the contribution of sliding to the total strain generally give values of about 50–70% so that there is an apparent “missing strain” of about 30–50%. It is demonstrated that the experimental method used to measure the sliding contribution will lead to estimates in the range of about 45–90% even when all the deformation is by grain boundary sliding and the associated accommodation process. Since the problem of accommodation is less severe at the specimen surface, it is shown that estimates of the sliding contribution from surface marker lines will tend to lie at the lower end of this predicted range. It is concluded that grain boundary sliding accounts for essentially all the deformation under optimum superplastic conditions and there is no “missing strain” of about 30–50%.
Dipolar-dominated critical behavior of EuO

Abstract Through a careful analysis of specific heat data for EuO evidence has been found which supports the crossover from Heisenberg-like to dipolar critical behavior at a reduced temperature | t | ∼ 2 × 10 −2 . In the Heisenberg regime, the critical exponents are found to be α = α ′ = -0.09 ± 0.01 while in the dipolar region α = α ′ = -0.026 ± 0.005.
Effect of Oxygen on the Tear Strength of Elastomers

Abstract : Rates of tearing under steady and intermittent loads have been measured for some representative elastomers. The rate depended strongly upon the load and also upon the environment. Tearing was strongly upon the load and also upon the environment. Tearing was much slower for SBR and BR vulcanizates in vacuo, especially at low loads, by a factor of up to 10X. For NR the effect was quite small by a factor of 2X at the most. Experiments were also carried out in the presence of thiophenol vapor, a radical trap. For NR, the effect was found only at high loads, when tearing was much slower, by a factor of about 10X. The improvement persisted after thiophenol was removed it is attributed chemical modification of the vulcanizate. On the other hand, tearing of SBR was accelerated at all loads by thiophenol vapor, to the same degree as in air. Much smaller effects were found for a peroxide vulcanizate off SBR. It is concluded that the reactions of sulfur crosslinks with radical acceptors, including oxygen, lead to an increased rate of tearing in SBR. For BR and NR vulcanizates the situation is less clear, because of the smaller effect of oxygen in the first case and of thiophenol in the second. Keywords: Fatigue; Crack growth. (KR)
Examining Incentives to Share Demand Information with your Channel Partner

In this paper, we examine the information-sharing behavior of firms in a distribution channel context. Channel alliance initiatives like ECR and category management often involve pooling of information available with manufacturers and retailers. Such pooling of information should lead to better decision making and hence it is desirable. However, in practice, category management is often implemented with an intriguing institution of category captain, that involves the retailer entering into an alliance with only one (of many) supplier in a category. We first analyze the information sharing incentives of a manufacturer and retailer in a bilateral monopoly and identify the importance of quality of information available with the firms and the degree of complementarity of resources in determining the effectiveness of information sharing. We then show how these forces might lead to the emergence of the category captain phenomena in a model with competing manufacturers selling through a common retailer.
Wall effects on the propagation and extinction of steady, strained, laminar premixed flames

Abstract A combined numerical and experimental investigation was conducted on the interaction between a chemically inert solid wall and steady, strained, laminar, premixed atmospheric methane/air flames. Experiments were conducted by using laser Doppler velocimetry for the determination of the axial velocity profiles along the centerline for both the opposed-jet and single jet-wall configurations. The numerical simulations were conducted by solving the conservation equations of mass, momentum, energy, and species along the stagnation streamline by using detailed description of chemical kinetics, molecular transport, and thermal radiation. The numerical solutions were also obtained for both the opposed-jet and single jet-wall configurations, and the effects of the no-slip condition, wall temperature, and H radical recombination at the wall on the flame response were assessed. The experimental data were compared with the numerical predictions obtained by using two independently developed recent C2 kinetic mechanisms. Results indicate that when the flame is highly strained, it is stabilized close to the wall and the values of the strain rate distribution inside the flame are reduced compared to an opposed-jet flame which is characterized by the same strain rate in the hydrodynamic zone. Furthermore, close to extinction, the conductive heat loss to the wall leads to flame weakening, and a significant reduction of the extinction strain rate is observed compared to the adiabatic systems. It was also found that when heat loss is present, its effect on flame extinction is dominant and traditional arguments of the synergetic effect of stretch and preferential diffusion on flame extinction are not applicable. The studies on flame propagation showed that at low strain rates the flame speed is minimally affected by the wall, since the flame is stabilized closer to the nozzle and the downstream heat losses have a minor effect on the thermochemical processes taking place within the flame zone. This suggests that the single jet-wall configuration can be preferably used as an alternative technique for the determination of laminar flame speeds given that it has a number of advantages over the traditional opposed-jet technique in terms of experimental implementation.
Children's Visual Processing of Egocentric Cues in Action Planning for Reach

In this study the authors examined children's ability to code visual information into an egocentric frame of reference for planning reach movements. Children and adults estimated reach distance via motor imagery in immediate and response-delay conditions. Actual maximum reach was compared to estimates in multiple locations in peripersonal and extrapersonal space. Analysis of variance results for total accuracy indicated no group difference in the no-delay condition; however, delay differences emerged. Concerning the direction of error, results indicated that as delay increased, children as a whole overestimated more than adults did. These findings suggest that younger children may have more difficulty planning memory-guided tasks.
The cost effectiveness of anesthesia workforce models: a simulation approach using decision-analysis modeling.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the incremental cost effectiveness of anesthesia workforce staffing scenarios, as a function of skill mix, by using the technique of decision analysis. A decision tree model was constructed to compare the incremental cost effectiveness of alternative delivery systems for anesthesia care from the perspective of the payer. Five different staffing scenarios, ranging from physician-intensive to nurse-intensive, were modeled. In the nurse-intensive model, low- and intermediate-risk patients were cared for by solo certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) and high-risk patients were cared for by physicians. In the physician-intensive model, physicians anesthetized all patients. In the first-, second-, and third-team models, all high-risk patients were cared for by physicians working alone, and all intermediate-risk patients were cared for using an anesthesia care team approach with a ratio of one physician to two CRNAs. The low-risk patients were managed by using an anesthesia care team approach with physician to CRNA ratios of 1:2, 1:4, and 1:8 in the first-, second-, and third-team models, respectively. The findings of this decision-analysis model suggest that physician-only anesthesia is not cost effective. However, the third-team model is cost effective when compared with the nurse-intensive model. Implications: An anesthesia care-team approach with a physician to certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA) ratio of 1:2 is the preferred staffing scenario for intermediate-risk patients. Although medical direction of CRNAs caring for low-risk patients is cost-effective, the small improvement in outcome resulting from increasing the physician to CRNA ratio from 1:8 to 1:4 may not be justified by the added cost. (Anesth Analg 2000;90:584 ‐92)
Lightweight object-oriented shared variables for distributed applications on the Internet

This paper describes a lightweight yet powerful approach for writing distributed applications using shared variables. Our approach, called SHAREHOLDER, is inspired by the flexible and intuitive model of information access common to the World Wide Web. The distributed applications targeted by our approach all share a weak consistency model and loose transaction semantics, similar to a user's model of accessing email, bulletin boards, chat rooms, etc. on the Internet. The SHAREHOLDER infrastructure has several advantages. Its highly object-oriented view of shared variables simplifies their initialization and configuration. A shared variable's distribution mechanism is specified through an associated configuration object, and the programmer does not need to write any extra code to implement the sharing mechanism. These configuration objects can be initialized at run-time, allowing tremendous flexibility in dynamic control of distribution of shared variables. Finally, the programmer can treat shared variables and local variables interchangeably, thus simplifying conversion of a serial application into a distributed application.
Magnetohydrodynamic models of coronal transients in the meridional plane. I - The effect of the magnetic field

The propagation of coronal transients through the lower corona in the meridional plane is studied on the basis of numerical solutions of the time-dependent MHD equations of motion. The importance of the topology of the initial coronal magnetic field is demonstrated by considering two configurations: one which is essentially radial (open), and another which is essentially parallel to the solar surface (closed). The effect of coronal field magnitude is investigated by using values for the beta parameter of 1 and 0.1 at the coronal base. The consequences of including radiative losses and of varying the polytropic index are also considered. The solar event is simulated by a step-function increase in the pressure at the base of an initially hydrostatic atmosphere by a factor of 5, lasting for a period of 5 min.
Quantum Statistics of Composites:. Ehrenfest-Oppenheimer-Bethe's Rule

The quantum statistics of a composite is studied by looking at its Center-of-Mass (CM), which moves, following general principles of quantum theory and relativity. With respect to the CM motion the Ehrenfest–Oppenheimer–Bethe rule is shown to hold: a composite is fermionic if it contains an odd number of elementary fermions, bosonic if the number of fermions in it is even.
Possible P and T nonconservation in ψ′ decay☆

Abstract If the observed CP nonconservation in K L →2 π is due to Higgs exchange as recently proposed by Weinberg, then many processes will exhibit P and T nonconservation. In particular, if the (u, b) R five-quark gauge model is used, there should be a substantial parity-violating effect in ψ ′→ ψπ 0 . Experimental confirmation of this result could be the first (indirect) evidence ever obtained for the existence of Higgs bosons.
8-Azaguanine reporter of purine ionization states in structured RNAs.

The fluorescent nucleotide analogue 8-azaguanosine-5‘-triphosphate (8azaGTP) is prepared easily by in vitro enzymatic synthesis methods. 8azaGTP is an efficient substrate for T7 RNA polymerase and is incorporated specifically opposite cytosine in the transcription template, as expected for a nucleobase analogue with the same Watson−Crick hydrogen bonding face as guanine. 8-Azaguanine (8azaG) in oligonucleotides also is recognized as guanine during ribonuclease T1 digestion. Moreover, replacement of guanine by 8azaG does not alter the melting temperature of base-paired RNAs significantly, evidence that 8azaG does not disrupt stacking and hydrogen bonding interactions. 8azaGTP displays a high fluorescent quantum yield when the N1 position is deprotonated at high pH, but fluorescence intensity decreases significantly when N1 is protonated at neutral pH. Fluorescence is quenched 10-fold to 100-fold when 8azaG is incorporated into base-paired RNA and remains pH-dependent, although apparent pKa values determine...
Evaluation of a CYP2C19 genotype panel on the GenMark eSensor® platform and the comparison to the Autogenomics Infiniti™ and Luminex CYP2C19 panels

Abstract Background CYP2C19 variants have been demonstrated to play an important role in determining response to clopidogrel and outcomes while on clopidogrel therapy. Predicting patient response through pre-therapeutic genotyping may therefore guide selection of antiplatelet therapy. Methods CYP2C19 genotypes were determined for 111 samples with the eSensor and compared with the Autogenomics expanded CYP2C19 panel, Luminex reagents, and bi-directional sequencing. Samples were obtained from the University of Chicago, ARUP Laboratories, and the Coriell repositories. Reproducibility studies were performed with 5 DNA samples with known CYP2C19 genotypes. Results Complete concordance was observed for all samples and all platforms. DNA concentrations as low as 0.05 ng/μl may be used on the eSensor platform. There was 100% reproducibility observed with 2.5% incidence of invalid tests. Conclusions The eSensor CYP2C19 genotyping assay is accurate and compares well with 2 current commercial platforms. With a relatively rapid turn-around time of ~ 4 h and a high rate (97.5%) of valid tests, the eSensor can be translated into clinical use to identify slow and rapid metabolizers of clopidogrel who may benefit from alternate therapy or unconventional dosing of clopidogrel. An observed limitation of the eSensor is a maximum capacity of 24 tests/run.
INCREASE-ing Access to DOE Laboratory User Facilities

The Interdisciplinary Consortium for Research and Educational Access in Science and Engineering (INCREASE) promotes competitive research and education in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and other Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs). Founded in 2007 and based at Hampton University in Virginia (USA), the consortium is increasing MSI faculty utilization of national user facilities and facilitating education and research training, especially for members of groups underrepresented in science and engineering research at national facilities, such as African-Americans, Hispanics, and women. INCREASE is a multi-campus and interdisciplinary consortium including more than 40 science and engineering faculty participants from over 30 MSIs and other strategic university partners to facilitate access to world-class facilities so that faculty members can conduct cutting-edge science.
Commentary: Jewish genetic origins in the context of past historical and anthropological inquiries.

The contemporary study of Jewish genetics has a long prehistory dating to the eighteenth century. Prior to the era of genetics, studies of the physical makeup of Jews were undertaken by comparative anatomists and physical anthropologists. In the nineteenth century the field was referred to as “race science.” Believed by many race scientists to be a homogeneous and pure race, Jews occupied a central position in the discourse of race science because they were seen as the control group par excellence to determine the relative primacy of nature or nurture in the development of racial characteristics. In the nineteenth century, claims of Jewish homogeneity prompted research that sought to explain morphological differences among Jews, chief among them the difference between Sephardim and Ashkenazim. I examine some of these original debates here with a view to placing them in their historical and cultural contexts.
The iron fist: malaria and hepcidin

In this issue of Blood , Atkinson and colleagues document dynamic fluctuations in plasma concentrations of hepcidin, the master regulator of iron homeostasis, in African children during malaria transmission season and further show that low hepcidin levels and iron deficiency are more prevalent at
Crystal structures of NaCuO2 and KCuO2 by neutron diffraction

Abstract The structures of NaCuO 2 and KCuO 2 have been refined from time-of-flight neutron data. NaCuO 2 is monoclinic: space group C2 m , a = 6.3512(2) A, b = 2.7474(1)A, c = 6.1027(2)A, β = 120.767(2)° with CuO = 1.839(1) A (4×). KCuO 2 is orthorhombic: space group Cmcm , a = 4.3742(1)A, b = 11.6859(4)A, c = 5.4124(2)A with CuO = 1.826(3) A (2×) and 1.832(2) A (2×). Both structures contain strings of edge-sharing CuO 4 rectangles. The sodium atoms center octahedra and the potassium atoms center trigonal prisms. Aspects of the crystal chemistry of both compounds are discussed.
Morphology and Literacy: Getting Our Heads in the Game

Purpose This prologue introduces the clinical forum, briefly discusses the importance of morphology in literacy, and informs the reader of the scope of the included articles. Method The concept of ...
Low-cost high-performance W-band LNA MMICs for millimeter-wave imaging

The main limitation to the sensitivity of a radiometer or imager is its equivalent noise temperatures, Te. Placing a low noise amplifier (LNA) at a radiometer's front end can dramatically reduce Te. LNA performance has steadily improved over recent years, and here we report on a W-band LNA with the lowest Te measured at room temperature. Furthermore, we present statistical RF data showing high yield and consistency for future high volume production that is needed for commercial radiometric imaging array applications such as security screening, aircraft landing, and other systems.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Lattice disorder in strongly correlated lanthanide and actinide intermetallics

Lanthanide and actinide intermetallic compounds display a wide range of correlated-electron behavior, including ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, nonmagnetic (Kondo) ground states, and so-called `non-Fermi liquid' (NFL) behavior. The interaction between f electrons and the conduction band is a dominant factor in determining the ground state of a given system. However, lattice disorder can create a distribution of interactions, generating unusual physical properties. These properties may include NFL behavior in many materials. In addition, lattice disorder can cause deviations from standard Kondo behavior that is less severe than NFL behavior. A review of the lattice disorder mechanism within a tight-binding model is presented, along with measurements of the YbBCu4 and UPdxCu5−x systems, demonstrating the applicability of the model. These measurements indicate that while the YbBCu4 system appears to be well ordered, both site interchange and continuous bond-length disorder occur in the UPdxCu5−x series. Nevertheless, the measured bond-length disorder in UPdCu4 does not appear to be enough to explain the NFL properties simply with the Kondo disorder model.
Trust-based decision-making for smart and adaptive environments

Smart environments are able to support users during their daily life. For example, smart energy systems can be used to support energy saving by controlling devices, such as lights or displays, depending on context information, such as the brightness in a room or the presence of users. However, proactive decisions should also match the users' preferences to maintain the users' trust in the system. Wrong decisions could negatively influence the users' acceptance of a system and at worst could make them abandon the system. In this paper, a trust-based model, called User Trust Model (UTM), for automatic decision-making is proposed, which is based on Bayesian networks. The UTM's construction, the initialization with empirical data gathered in an online survey, and its integration in an office setting are described. Furthermore, the results of a live study and a live survey analyzing the users' experience and acceptance are presented.
Learning quality-enhancing control knowledge

Generating production-quality plans is an essential element in transforming planners from research tools into real-world applications. However most research on planning so far has concentrated on methods for constructing sound and complete planners that find a satisficing solution, and on how to find such solution in an efficient way. Similarly most of the work to date on automated control-knowledge acquisition has been aimed at improving the eficiency of planning; this work has been termed “speed-up learning”. Our work focuses on how control knowledge may guide a planner towards better plans, and how such control knowledge can be learned. “Better” may be defined in a domain-dependent way and vary over time. (Perez & Carbonell 1993) contains a detailed taxonomy of plan quality metrics. We have concentrated on metrics related to plan execution cost, expressed as an evaluation function additive on the cost of the individual operators. These functions are linear and do not capture the existence of tradeoffs between different quality factors. Our goal is to have a system that improves over experience the quality of the plans it generates by acquiring in a fully automated fashion control knowledge to guide the search. Figure 1 shows the architecture of the current system, fully implemented on top of the PRODIGY nonlinear planner (Carbonell et al. 1992).
Influence of Hydration on Epidermal Tissue

The influence of hydration on the dynamic properties of rat epidermal skin has been determined with the use of solid-state NMR. Samples were prepared with varying degrees of hydration using deuterium oxide and then subjected to CP–MAS (cross-polarization–magic-angle spinning) with a varible contact time. By fitting the carbon magnetization as a function of contact time, estimates of the rates of polarization transfer and decay of magnetization were obtained. Increasing water content up to 50% (w/w) caused a progressive decrease in the apparent rate of proton-carbon transfer of polarization as well as an accelerated decay of the carbonyl magnetization. This may indicate that there is greater mobility of the skin components in the presence of water. The results are suggestive for providing quantitative information for the change in the effective diffusion coefficient of water in skin with increasing hydration.
Baculoviruses Modulate a Proapoptotic DNA Damage Response To Promote Virus Multiplication

The baculovirus Autographa californica multicapsid nucleopolyhedrovirus (AcMNPV) initiates apoptosis in diverse insects through events triggered by virus DNA (vDNA) replication. To define the proapoptotic pathway and its role in antivirus defense, we investigated the link between the host's DNA damage response (DDR) and apoptosis. We report here that AcMNPV elicits a DDR in the model insect Drosophila melanogaster. Replication of vDNA activated DDR kinases, as evidenced by ATM-driven phosphorylation of the Drosophila histone H2AX homolog (H2Av), a critical regulator of the DDR. Ablation or inhibition of ATM repressed H2Av phosphorylation and blocked virus-induced apoptosis. The DDR kinase inhibitors caffeine and KU55933 also prevented virus-induced apoptosis in cells derived from the permissive AcMNPV host, Spodoptera frugiperda. This block occurred at a step upstream of virus-mediated depletion of the cellular inhibitor-of-apoptosis protein, an event that initiates apoptosis in Spodoptera and Drosophila. Thus, the DDR is a conserved, proapoptotic response to baculovirus infection. DDR inhibition also repressed vDNA replication and reduced virus yields 100,000-fold, demonstrating that the DDR contributes to virus production, despite its recognized antivirus role. In contrast to virus-induced phosphorylation of Drosophila H2Av, AcMNPV blocked phosphorylation of the Spodoptera H2AX homolog (SfH2AX). Remarkably, AcMNPV also suppressed SfH2AX phosphorylation following pharmacologically induced DNA damage. These findings indicate that AcMNPV alters canonical DDR signaling in permissive cells. We conclude that AcMNPV triggers a proapoptotic DDR that is subsequently modified, presumably to stimulate vDNA replication. Thus, manipulation of the DDR to facilitate multiplication is an evolutionarily conserved strategy among DNA viruses of insects and mammals.
A filtered database search algorithm for endogenous serum protein carbonyl modifications in a mouse model of inflammation

During inflammation, the resulting oxidative stress can damage surrounding host tissue, forming protein-carbonyls. The SJL mouse is an experimental animal model used to assess in vivo toxicological responses to reactive oxygen and nitrogen species from inflammation. The goals of this study were to identify the major serum proteins modified with a carbonyl functionality and to identify the types of carbonyl adducts. To select for carbonyl-modified proteins, serum proteins were reacted with an aldehyde reactive probe that biotinylated the carbonyl modification. Modified proteins were enriched by avidin affinity and identified by two-dimensional liquid chromatography tandem MS. To identify the carbonyl modification, tryptic peptides from serum proteins were subjected to avidin affinity and the enriched modified peptides were analyzed by liquid chromatography tandem MS. It was noted that the aldehyde reactive probe tag created tag-specific fragment ions and neutral losses, and these extra features in the mass spectra inhibited identification of the modified peptides by database searching. To enhance the identification of carbonyl-modified peptides, a program was written that used the tag-specific fragment ions as a fingerprint (in silico filter program) and filtered the mass spectrometry data to highlight only modified peptides. A de novo-like database search algorithm was written (biotin peptide identification program) to identify the carbonyl-modified peptides. Although written specifically for our experiments, this software can be adapted to other modification and enrichment systems. Using these routines, a number of lipid peroxidation-derived protein carbonyls and direct side-chain oxidation proteins carbonyls were identified in SJL mouse serum.
Engineered Myosin VI Motors Reveal Minimal Structural Determinants of Directionality and Processivity

Abstract Myosins have diverse mechanical properties reflecting a range of cellular roles. A major challenge is to understand the structural basis for generating novel functions from a common motor core. Myosin VI (M6) is specialized for processive motion toward the (−) end of actin filaments. We have used engineered M6 motors to test and refine the “redirected power stroke” model for (−) end directionality and to explore poorly understood structural requirements for processive stepping. Guided by crystal structures and molecular modeling, we fused artificial lever arms to the catalytic head of M6 at several positions, retaining varying amounts of native structure. We found that an 18-residue α-helical insert is sufficient to reverse the directionality of the motor, with no requirement for any calmodulin light chains. Further, we observed robust processive stepping of motors with artificial lever arms, demonstrating that processivity can arise without optimizing lever arm composition or mechanics.
Idiopathic sinus of Valsalva to right atrial fistula: An unusual origin of right-sided heart failure

A 43-year-old man who was previously well presented with a 4-month history of increasing peripheral edema, dyspnea, and orthopnea. There was no medical history of hypertension, congestive heart failure, coronary artery disease, chronic pulmonary disease, or alcohol abuse. Physical examination revealed a normotensive man with marked jugular venous distension, hepatomegaly, bilateral pitting edema to the level of the upper thigh, and marked abdominal distention. On cardiac auscultation, a 3/6 continuous murmur was heard over the left second and third intercostal spaces. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed marked enlargement of all 4 cardiac chambers with preserved ventricular systolic function. Doppler interrogation revealed high velocity continuous flow from the aortic root into the right atrium. Transesophageal echocardiography revealed a fistulous communication between the right sinus of Valsalva (SOV) and the right atrium without a SOV aneurysm (Figure 1). Aortography confirmed the presence of a fistula but did not reveal a dilated aortic root or obstructive coronary artery disease (Figure 2). At operation, a fistula from the right SOV was noted communicating with the right atrium (Figure 3). There was no evidence of a SOV aneurysm. The fistula was repaired with a patch and the patient recovered uneventfully.
Violence in Music Videos: Examining the Prevalence and Context of Physical Aggression

The purpose of this study was to examine violence in music video programming. Using a representative sample of television content, we assessed whether the amount and context of physical aggression varied across different music video channels (BET, MTV, VH-1) and genres (adult contemporary, heavy metal, rap rhythm and blues, and rock). The results reveal that 15% of music videos feature violence, and most of that aggression is sanitized, not chastised, and presented in realistic contexts. Significant differences emerged in the prevalence and nature of violence by channel and genre, however. The findings are discussed in terms of the risk that exposure to violence in each channel and genre may be posing to viewers' learning of aggression, fear, and emotional desensitization.
Image-Guided Surgery Using Invisible Near-Infrared Light: Fundamentals of Clinical Translation:

The field of biomedical optics has matured rapidly over the last decade and is poised to make a significant impact on patient care. In particular, wide-field (typically > 5 cm), planar, near-infrared (NIR) fluorescence imaging has the potential to revolutionize human surgery by providing real-time image guidance to surgeons for tissue that needs to be resected, such as tumors, and tissue that needs to be avoided, such as blood vessels and nerves. However, to become a clinical reality, optimized imaging systems and NIR fluorescent contrast agents will be needed. In this review, we introduce the principles of NIR fluorescence imaging, analyze existing NIR fluorescence imaging systems, and discuss the key parameters that guide contrast agent development. We also introduce the complexities surrounding clinical translation using our experience with the Fluorescence-Assisted Resection and Exploration (FLARE™) imaging system as an example. Finally, we introduce state-of-the-art optical imaging techniques that might someday improve image-guided surgery even further.