cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Orientation relationships in precipitation systems

Abstract Based on a survey of the literature on orientation relationships in precipitation systems a unified view of all the known relationships in b.c.c./h.c.p. and b.c.c./ f.c.c. systems is presented. Within each set of crystal systems, orientation relationships are closely connected by small fixed rotations whose magnitude depends only on crystal symmetries. Close parallels exist between the two sets of crystal systems, b.c.c./f.c.c. and b.c.c./h.c.p. The regularities observed in the literature survey lead to the hypothesis that precipitate and matrix tend to be related by an invariant line strain. The relative rotation of the two lattices predicted by this hypothesis is determined as a function of the lattice parameter ratio and is consistent with a large number of experimental studies. In the analysis of simple non-coherent precipitate morphologies the criterion of directional mismatch is demonstrated to be superior to the often used planar mismatch criterion. The precipitate morphology sensitively reflects variations in orientation relationships. Morphologies of coherent and equilibrium semicoherent precipitates are governed by more complex criteria but are also dominated mainly by crystallographic requirements.
5' nucleotide heterogeneity and altered initiation of transcription at mutant lac promoters.

Several mutant lac promoters are shown to specify transcription in vitro from a small initiation region rather than a unique nucleotide. Four out of four purines in a six base-pair region are used as initiating nucleotides. Thus there exists an unexpected flexibility in the position at which Escherichia coli RNA polymerase initiates transcription. Such heterogeneity has been described predominantly for eukaryotic RNA polymerase II transcription. Mutations in the non-transcribed part of the lac promoter affect the distribution of messenger RNAs synthesized from the initiation region. For example, a mutation near the −35 region shifts the predominant transcription start of the ps promoter four nucleotides downstream, without abolishing the original startpoint. However, for any given promoter, the distribution of mRNAs is not fixed. This distribution depends on the concentration of the initiating nucleoside triphosphates, an observation inconsistent with interspersed promoters each specifying a unique transcript. Instead, a model is presented in which a common open promoter complex leads to formation of heterogeneous transcripts. Mutations in the non-transcribed part of the promoter also affect the productive initiation rate of open promoter complexes. This rate varies by nearly an order of magnitude among the four mutant lac promoters tested. Surprisingly, the most rapid productive initiation rate occurs at the open promoter complex that was shown previously to be the most slowly formed. This suggests that there is a common set of RNA polymerase-DNA contacts involved in forming the open promoter complex and constraining the productive initiation of mRNA.
A liquid scintillation detector for evaluating phototubes and determining gamma-ray activities

Abstract The design and operating characteristics of a liquid scintillation test tank for evaluating large photomultiplier tubes are described. The detector tank was a 16 in. diameter by 6 1 2 - in. deep cylinder filled with PPO and POPOP in toluene and mounted with a 16-in. photomultiplier tube. The half resolution of the Cs137 Compton “peak” for the system was 29.9 percent. Counting sensitivity for typical γ-emitters were 62 pc/ml for Cs137, 27 pc/ml for Co60, and 11 pc/ml for Zn65 based a 5-min count of 0.25 1. samples and a 1 percent counting error. Detector response to a collimated photon beam was found to be uniform over the surface of the detector tank, falling off only at the edges of the tank 9.5 percent. Counting efficiencies up to 23.2 percent were obtained for a point source of Cs137. Thistype of detector is extremely useful in testing individual 16-in. phototubes of the type used in whole-body counters. Such a “test tank” permits individual focusing of the tube, noise level determination, determination of resolution, and determination of uniformity of photocathode response prior to the installation of the tube in a whole-body counting facility. In addition, the test tank system itself may be used as a sensitive γ-detection system.
Understanding the privacy-efficiency trade-off in location based queries

Mobile devices with global positioning capabilities (e.g., GPS) allow users to ask queries relative to their present location. Since certain queries may be privacy-sensitive, it is important to protect the identity of the users who send requests for Location-based Services (LBS). Instead of reporting the exact user location to the LBS provider, existing privacy-preserving techniques either perturb or encrypt the location data.Current LBS privacy solutions fall into several categories, based on the type of location transformation they employ, and the system architecture they rely on. This position paper introduces a taxonomy of LBS privacy solutions, and discusses the privacy-efficiency trade-offs achieved by various techniques. It also identifies several open problems, and proposes some interesting directions for future research.
Swept Blade Aerodynamic Effects of Compressor Airfoil

To meet the needs of efficient compressor airfoil designs, a CFD prediction of complex 3D flow fields in turbine blade passages has been incorporated in the design process. Owing to the numerous advantages of 3-D CFD technology, a number of compressor manufacturers already adopt a 3D blading technique. In addition, blade lean and sweep have been implemented to increase the blade row efficiency. Experimental studies have shown the advantages of these features. However, most of the experimental results showed other combined features, which makes it difficult to determine the effects of individual features. The development of CFD techniques has made it possible to do three-dimensional turbulent flow analyses in a very short time. In this study, numerical studies are presented to investigate the sweep effects on a transonic compressor airfoil. The focus of this study is to investigate the sweep effects without changing other compressor blade features; i.e. keeping the blade out flow angle and section shape to be the same for all cases. The purpose of the study is to enhance the understanding of the sweep effect in a transonic compressor rotor blade. The results showed that the sweeps redistribute the flow reducing the secondary flow loss, depending on the baseline. It was shown that a forward sweep reduces the tip loading in terms of the static pressure coefficient.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Temporal stability of magic-number metal clusters: beyond the shell closing model.

The anomalous stability of magic-number metal clusters has been associated with closed geometric and electronic shells and the opening of HOMO–LUMO gaps. Despite this enhanced stability, magic-number clusters are known to decay and react in the condensed phase to form other products. Improving our understanding of their decay mechanisms and developing strategies to control or eliminate cluster instability is a priority, to develop a more complete theory of their stability, to avoid studying mixtures of clusters produced by the decay of purified materials, and to enable technology development. Silver clusters are sufficiently reactive to facilitate the study of the ambient temporal stability of magic-number metal clusters and to begin to understand their decay mechanisms. Here, the solution phase stability of a series of silver:glutathione (Ag:SG) clusters was studied as a function of size, pH and chemical environment. Cluster stability was found to be a non-monotonic function of size. Electrophoretic separations showed that the dominant mechanism involved the redistribution of mass toward smaller sizes, where the products were almost exclusively previously known cluster sizes. Optical absorption spectra showed that the smaller clusters evolved toward the two most stable cluster sizes. The net surface charge was found to play an important role in cluster stabilization although charge screening had no effect on stability, contrary to DLVO theory. The decay mechanism was found to involve the loss of Ag+ ions and silver glutathionates. Clusters could be stabilized by the addition of Ag+ ions and destabilized by either the addition of glutathione or the removal of Ag+ ions. Clusters were also found to be most stable in near neutral pH, where they had a net negative surface charge. These results provide new mechanistic insights into the control of post-synthesis stability and chemical decay of magic-number metal clusters, which could be used to develop design principles for synthesizing specific cluster species.
Laser-induced photoelectrochemistry: Scavenging of photoemitted electrons in aqueous and non-aqueous solutions by electroactive organic species

Abstract Photoemission current at a mercury electrode has been characterized electrochemically for aqueous solutions of methyl viologen, the disodium salt of anthraquinone-1,5-disulfonic acid, hydroquinone, p-benzoquinone, and chlorophyllin, and in DMF solutions of N2O and anthraquinone. The scavenging species could be determined by comparing photoemission current-voltage curves with polarographic and cyclic voltammetric data.
Role of excitation transfer in luminescence spectra and decay

Abstract In general, excitation can be transferred among states either via carrier capture from, and excitation into, the bands, or alternatively, via direct transfer. In the past, the latter process has often been neglected in analyses of luminescence, particularly for semiconductors. We here consider the general consequences of such direct transfer for luminescence phenomena; we then emphasize its role in donor-acceptor pair results, and also present recent evidence, for ZnSe, that this process cannot be neglected. Specifically, we show that both transfer of band carriers to donor-acceptor pairs via excitons and transfer among the donor-acceptor pair levels are playing a role. We suggest that prior puzzling order of magnitude differences in data analyses of DAP spectra can be explained by effects of direct transfer.
Point-of-Care Echocardiography by Pediatric Emergency Physicians

Point-of-care echocardiography is a goal-directed bedside ultrasound that can aid clinical decision making, enhance diagnostic confidence, and facilitate judicious consultation in the hemodynamically unstable or critically ill or injured child in the emergency department. Similar to other applications of ultrasound in the emergency department, it is designed to answer a binary (yes/no) question: Is there a pericardial effusion with tamponade? Is the left ventricular function normal or depressed or hyperdynamic? Is the cardiac preload decreased or normal or increased? The scope of this review is to introduce the reader to the technique, normal anatomy, and standard transthoracic echocardiographic views and understand how point-of-care echocardiography can be integrated into bedside assessment of the seriously ill or injured child.
Bringing Psychology to the Courtroom and Vice Versa: Conceptualization and Design of a Course in Trial Consulting

In the present paper, we describe an example trial consulting course at the graduate level of training in psychology. Drawing on existing competency training, teaching of psychology, and trial consulting literatures, we propose: a) a base course model suitable for adaptation to other graduate programs, b) course learner objectives with associated example teaching techniques, c) guiding themes to frame seminar discussions, and d) a thematic course schedule. Sample student-driven publications and inter-disciplinary student contact show promise for the utility of such a graduate course. Limitations and future directions for education in psychological trial consulting are also discussed.
Seizure anticipation, states of consciousness and marginal predictability in temporal lobe epilepsy

Abstract Purpose It has recently been shown that differences between the marginal predictability associated with scalp electrodes adjacent to and remote from the site of a seizure focus are able to distinguish between epochs temporally distant from and just prior to (within about 20 min) the onset of a seizure in patients with temporal lobe epilepsy. The purpose of this paper is to show that these differences of marginal predictability intervals are independent of the state of consciousness of the patient. Methods We have studied a data set encompassing 33 preictal epochs (within 1 h prior to a seizure) and 61 interictal epochs (defined as at least 1 h away from any seizure) from 14 patients. Each 30 s interval of each epoch was categorized into one of seven different states of consciousness. Statistical models were used to search for relationships (in aggregated data) between the values of differences of marginal predictabilities and state of consciousness. Results It was not possible to reject the null hypothesis of no relationship between differences of marginal predictabilities and state of consciousness. Conclusions The values of the differences between marginal predictabilities on aggregated data are apparently insensitive to the state of consciousness. This conclusion, coupled with the fact that the differences between marginal predictabilities do depend on time to seizure, suggests the potential utility of these measures as the basis for ambulatory, non-invasive methods of seizure anticipation. However, the development of a practical non-invasive method for seizure anticipation requires further extensive study on disaggregated data from individual patients.
Biomolecular characterization of CD44-fibrin(ogen) binding: distinct molecular requirements mediate binding of standard and variant isoforms of CD44 to immobilized fibrin(ogen).

CD44 and fibrin(ogen) play critical roles in the hematogenous dissemination of tumor cells, including colon carcinomas. We recently reported that CD44 is the primary fibrin, but not fibrinogen, receptor on LS174T colon carcinomas. However, the biochemical nature of this interaction and the roles of CD44 standard (CD44s) versus CD44 variant (CD44v) isoforms in fibrin(ogen) recognition have yet to be delineated. Microspheres, coated with CD44 immunopurified from LS174T or T84 colon carcinoma cells, which express primarily CD44v, effectively bind to immobilized fibrin, but not fibrinogen, in shear flow. In contrast, CD44s from HL-60 cells binds to both immobilized fibrin and fibrinogen under flow. Use of highly specific enzymes and metabolic inhibitors reveals that LS174T CD44 binding to fibrin is dependent on O-glycosylation of CD44, whereas CD44s-fibrin(ogen) interaction has an absolute requirement for N-, but not O-, linked glycans. The presence of chondroitin and dermatan sulfate on CD44 standard and variant isoforms facilitates fibrin recognition. Use of the anti-CD44 function-blocking monoclonal antibody Hermes-1 nearly abolishes binding of LS174T CD44 to fibrin, although it has no effect on CD44s-fibrin(ogen) interaction. The CD44-binding site is localized within the N-terminal portion of the fibrin β chains, including amino acid residues (β15-66). Surface plasmon resonance experiments revealed high affinity binding of immobilized CD44 with solubilized fibrin but not fibrinogen. Collectively, these data suggest that immobilization of fibrinogen exposes a cryptic site that mediates binding to CD44s but not CD44v. Our findings may provide a rational basis for designing novel therapeutic strategies to combat metastasis.
Straight Pipe Cyclic Analyses for Shakedown Verification Code Criteria

The analyses performed in this paper are exclusively for a straight pipe subject to a constant primary stress and a cyclic secondary stress, as a result of a bending moment on the pipe cross-section. The constant primary stress is, in each analysis, from a CONSTANT dead-weight load and a CONSTANT internal pressure. The cyclic secondary stress is due to cyclic thermal expansion in the pipe, which is the result of a cyclic top-to-bottom linear temperature difference on the pipe cross-section. This temperature cycling produces a secondary stress range C2 ΔM Do / 2 I. This secondary stress range is either higher, or lower than the 3 * Sm stress limit from the ASME-Code. Twenty-four different cyclic elasto-plastic analyses have been performed for this paper. The same elastic perfectly-plastic material model is used for all twenty-four analyses. An attempt has been made to compare the results from the cyclic elasto-plastic analyses with the ASME-Code NB-3600 Rules and with the Efficiency Diagram developed in France for their Code. The main advantage of the Efficiency Diagram is that the decision whether shakedown occurs, or not, is not only a function of the secondary stress RANGE, but also of the CONSTANT primary stress that exists at that time. A relief to the current ASME-Code rules is suggested for the case of a low constant primary stress (less than Sy / 2).Copyright © 2003 by ASME
A simple technique for mass rearing Lutzomyia longipalpis and Phlebotomus papatasi (Diptera: Psychodidae) in the laboratory.

A simple technique for mass rearing phlebotomine sand flies ( Phlebotomus papatasi and Lutzomyia longipalpis ) in the laboratory is described. Using this method, 4000–5000 adults can be produced weekly with minimal labor (2–3 h of care per day). This is the first report of mass production of sand flies, a group of insects that heretofore has been difficult to colonize and maintain under laboratory conditions.
Subwavelength Photonics for Biosensing

Nanostructured surfaces are applied towards point-of-care diagnostic biosensing. Photonic crystal enhanced fluorescence is used for detection of cancer biomarkers in serum. Metal nanodomes integrated with biomedical tubing to monitor intravenously delivered drugs and urinary metabolites.
Lithiation of tris(trimethylsilyl)methane and tetrakis-(trimethylsilyl)methane

Abstract Lithiation of (Me 3 Si) 3 CH by methyllithium (ether-THF) yields (Me 3 Si) 3 CLi and by t-butyllithium (C 5 H 12 -TMEDA) yields (Me 3 Si) 2 CHSiMe 2 CH 2 Li. Only starting material is recovered when (Me 3 Si) 3 CH is allowed to react with n-butyl- lithium (ether-THF and C 5 H 12 -TMEDA) and t-butyllithium (C 5 H 12 and C 5 H 12 - THF). (Me 3 Si) 4 C is lithiated by t-butyllithium (C 5 H 12 -TMEDA) to give (Me 3 Si) 3 - CSiMe 2 CH 2 Li, but not by methyllithium (ether-THF and ether-THF-TMEDA). The structures of the lithiated compounds are based on the carbonation products. The above results are explained in terms of carbanion stability and steric effects. Spectral data are reported on the α-silylacetic acids.
Aeolian sand preserved in Silver Lake: a new signal of Holocene high stands of Lake Michigan

Aeolian sand within lake sediment from Silver Lake, Michigan can be used as a proxy for the timing of high lake levels of Lake Michigan. We demonstrate that the sand record from Silver Lake plotted as percent weight is in-phase with the elevation curve of Lake Michigan since the mid-Holocene Nipissing Phase. Because fluctuations in Lake Michigan's lake level are recorded in beach ridges, and are a response to climate change, the aeolian sand record within Silver Lake is also a proxy for climate change. It appears that increases in dune activity and lake sand are controlled by similar climatic shifts that drive fluctuations in lake level of Lake Michigan. High lake levels destabilize coastal bluffs that drive dune sand instability, and along with greater wintertime storminess, increase niveo-aeolian transport of sand across lake ice. The sand is introduced into the lake each spring as the ice cover melts.
Chronic amphetamine exposure during the preweanling period does not affect avoidance learning or novelty-seeking of adult rats.

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to determine whether exposure to amphetamine during the preweanling period would impact the learning or reward processes of rats tested in adulthood. In three experiments we examined whether amphetamine treatment (0–10 mg/kg per day) on postnatal days 11–17 altered the subsequent performance of adult Sprague–Dawley rats on a step-down passive avoidance, active avoidance, or novelty-seeking task. There was no evidence that postnatal amphetamine exposure affected performance on any of these tasks. These results suggest that the long-term impact of pre- and postnatal psychostimulant exposure differs, because in utero stimulant treatment is known to produce learning deficits and decrease reinforcement efficacy of rats tested in adulthood.
Polypeptides in frog and rat: evolutionary changes in rapidly transported and abundant nerve proteins.

: Dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from rat and frog were labeled in vitro with [35S]methionine, and the newly synthesized, rapidly transported proteins were collected at ligatures on the sciatic nerves. The proteins were extracted and separated by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Exposure of x-ray film to dried gels allowed comparison of the labeled, rapidly transported proteins from frog and rat. The gel staining patterns of abundant proteins in the sciatic nerves were also compared. Triolets of gels were examined: one gel from frog, one from rat, and one from frog plus rat combined. Among the transported proteins, some (including A2, A17 and/or A18, B6, B14a-i, C1, C22, and some members of Ala-i and B3a-g) co-migrated on the gels, suggesting that these proteins have been well conserved during evolution. The gel staining patterns of abundant proteins in the sciatic nerves also show some similarities: two forms of actin, serum albumin, and α- and β-tubulin are each in identical positions on the frog and rat gels. Other sciatic nerve and rapidly transported proteins had similar, but not identical, positions on the gels. A number of the rat and frog proteins had no obvious counterpart. We have calculated the magnitude of expected changes in charge and molecular weight of proteins due to accumulation of point mutations during evolution. We conclude that many of the differences between rat and frog protein patterns on the two-dimensional gels could be the result of such point mutations, but we cannot rule out radical changes in polypeptide sequence or abundance between frog and rat for some of these proteins.
Self-assembled amyloid-like oligomeric-cohesin Scaffoldin for augmented protein display on the saccharomyces cerevisiae cell surface.

In this study, a molecular self-assembly strategy to develop a novel protein scaffold for amplifying the extent and variety of proteins displayed on the surface of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is presented. The cellulosomal scaffolding protein cohesin and its upstream hydrophilic domain (HD) were genetically fused with the yeast Ure2p N-terminal fibrillogenic domain consisting of residues 1 to 80 (Ure2p1-80). The resulting Ure2p1-80-HD-cohesin fusion protein was successfully expressed in Escherichia coli to produce self-assembled supramolecular nanofibrils that serve as a novel protein scaffold displaying multiple copies of functional cohesin domains. The amyloid-like property of the nanofibrils was confirmed via thioflavin T staining and atomic force microscopy. These cohesin nanofibrils attached themselves, via a green fluorescent protein (GFP)-dockerin fusion protein, to the cell surface of S. cerevisiae engineered to display a GFP-nanobody. The excess cohesin units on the nanofibrils provide ample sites for binding to dockerin fusion proteins, as exemplified using an mCherry-dockerin fusion protein as well as the Clostridium cellulolyticum CelA endoglucanase. More than a 24-fold increase in mCherry fluorescence and an 8-fold increase in CelA activity were noted when the cohesin nanofibril scaffold-mediated yeast display was used, compared to using yeast display with GFP-cohesin that contains only a single copy of cohesin. Self-assembled supramolecular cohesin nanofibrils created by fusion with the yeast Ure2p fibrillogenic domain provide a versatile protein scaffold that expands the utility of yeast cell surface display.
The Earth's Mantle: Composition, Structure, and Evolution

Former colleagues at the Australian National University (ANU) prepared The Earths Mantle: Composition, Structure, and Evolution and dedicated it to the late Professor A. E. (“Ted”) Ringwood. Ringwood's efforts were critical to the formation of the Research School of Earth Sciences at ANU, so a volume of topical research conducted at the school is a fitting tribute. The editor's stated goals for the book are that it “be up-to-date, and forward-looking, yet thoroughly readable.” The authors have succeeded admirably in reaching these goals and the result should prove helpful to graduate students and interested researchers. The Earth's Mantle consists of 11 papers divided into three sections: Accretion and Differentiation of the Earth, Dynamics and Evolution of the Earth's Mantle, and Structure and Mechanical Behaviour of the Modern Mantle. In the first, and longest, paper, the authors review the evidence for models of the Earth's bulk composition, from initial accretion through the formation of the core. The authors of the next paper explore the timeline of accretion and differentiation from an isotopic perspective, and those of the next discuss the noble-gas component of the Earth and evidence for the existence of distinct chemical reservoirs in the mantle.
Mixed-Reality Humans for Team Training

Researchers have created mixed-reality humans (MRHs) and applied them to critical team training. MRHs are embodied conversational agents with virtual and physical components that inhabit the user's space. In this research, MRHs role-played members of an operating-room team. Studies examined how MRH components affected social presence (the user's sense of &#x0022;being there&#x0022; with an embodied conversational agent) and the training of communication skills for medical teams.
Gametic differentiation in Chlamydomonas reinhardi: cell cycle dependency and rates in attainment of mating competency.

Abstract Withdrawal of a utilizable nitrogen source during mid G 1 of the cell cycle induces gametic differentiation in synchronously grown vegetative cultures of Chlamydomonas reinhardi . Cell division accompanies gametic differentiation in such cultures, and the ability of mid G 1 vegetative cells to form gametes is matched by their ability to undergo a round of cell division after nitrogen withdrawal. Synchronously grown cultures require up to 19 hr in nitrogen-free medium to complete a round of division and to form mating-competent cells. Asynchronously grown liquid cultures require less time after nitrogen withdrawal (generally 5–8 hr) to achieve mating competency. In these cultures cell division did not necessarily accompany gametic differentiation since gametic differentiation took place in induced cultures at high cell concentrations which prevented cell division. Maximum mating competency was achieved in less than 2 hr after induction of vegetative cells grown on agar plates. Little cell division was observed during that short induction interval. The relationship between the attainment of mating competency (gametogenesis) and other physiological events resulting from nitrogen withdrawal is discussed.
Ensuring On-Die Power Supply Robustness in High-Performance Designs

VLSI designs in advanced technology nodes increasingly have more power dissipation packed in a smaller area due to high levels of logic integration. Local power demand causes high current to flow through a power distribution network which is normally designed based on average current considerations, while even in normal switching scenarios, the average current is much less than the peak current. The instantaneous flow of high current results in dynamic voltage drops in the power network, which can affect the design performance. In this paper, we discuss methods to ensure power grid robustness by avoiding high dynamic voltage drop issues, and hence improve the overall reliability of the design. The analyses and techniques were adopted on a ~100 sq.mm., 40nm system-on-chip (SoC) design with peak clock frequency of 1.2GHz, and having 10 individual processors along with a collection of hardware accelerators. We also present relevant results highlighting the overall improvements seen.
Rydberg states of 7Li2 by pulsed optical–optical double resonance spectroscopy: Molecular constants of 7Li2+

Three Rydberg series of electronic states of 7Li2 have been characterized by pulsed optical–optical double resonance spectroscopy. The observed Rydberg states, which include the previously reported E 1Σ+g and G 1Πg states, have been identified as 3–10sσ 1Σ+g, 3–10dσ 1Σ+g, and 3–15dπ 1Πg. The molecular constants for several of the upper members of each of the above series have been used to deduce the ionization potential of 7Li2 and molecular constants for the X 2Σg+ state of 7Li2+. The former was determined to be T0(∞)=41 496±4 cm−1. The latter were found to be in good agreement with recent ab initio calculations.
The nature of porous silica as probed by pyrene dynamics

Abstract The dynamics of the pyrene monomer-excimer system has been studied on silica gel surfaces with various areas and pore size distributions. A possible relation between the excimer-monomer emission ratio and the fractal nature of the surface is proposed.
Exploring the active site of benzaldehyde lyase by modeling and mutagenesis

Benzaldehyde lyase (BAL) is a thiamin diphosphate-dependent enzyme, which catalyzes the breakdown of (R)-benzoin to benzaldehyde. In essence, this is the reverse of the carboligation reaction catalyzed by benzoylformate decarboxylase (BFD). Here, we describe the first steps towards understanding the factors influencing BFD to form a CC bond under conditions wherein BAL will cleave the same bond. What are the similarities and differences between these two enzymes that result in the different catalytic activities? The X-ray structures of BFD and pyruvate decarboxylase (PDC) were used as templates for modeling benzaldehyde lyase. The model shows that a glutamine residue, Gln113, replaces the active site histidines of BFD and PDC. Replacement of the Gln113 by alanine or histidine reduced the value of k(cat) for lyase activity by more than 200-fold. The residues in BFD interacting with the phenyl ring of benzoylformate have similarly positioned counterparts in BAL but Ser26, the residue known to interact with the carboxylate group of benzoylformate, has been replaced by an alanine (Ala28). The BAL A28S variant exhibited 7% of WT activity in the BAL assay but, in the most intriguing result, this variant was able to catalyze the decarboxylation of benzoylformate. Conversely, the BFD S26A variant was unable to cleave benzoin.
The development of career guidance and counseling in Taiwan

This paper presents a report on the development of career guidance and counseling services in Taiwan, Republic of China. Based on extensive interviews in 1983 and 1987 with leaders in public and private education, government agencies, and faculty and students in junior colleges and universities, the services currently provided are described as they interface with the educational system. Certain issues emerged from the research which may affect the further development of counseling services in Taiwan; guidelines are offered for addressing these. The issues discussed are: the stigma against counseling; the general resistance to change and the traditionalism of the educational system; the potential conflict between serving national labor needs and developing individual human potential; the stress produced by the educational system itself; the traditional emphasis on testing in schools and colleges; the need to professionalize counselors; and the judicious integration of western perspectives into an indigenous Chinese philosophy of counseling and guidance.
Laminar connections of the cat's auditory cortex

Abstract The retrograde and the anterograde transport of horseradish peroxidase were used to study the connections established by cells in different layers of the cat's primary auditory cortex (AI). Injections of peroxidase into the medial geniculate body show that pyramidal cells in layers V and VI of AI are the sources of the corticothalamic projection. Large pyramidal cells in the outer rim of layer V also send their axons to the inferior colliculus, and it is possible that some of these cells have axons that branch to innervate both the inferior colliculus and the medial geniculate body. Cells in AI that give rise to callosal axons lie principally in layers III and VI. The callosal neurons are found in irregular clusters as wide as 1100 μm separated by spaces that contain relatively few callosal neurons. Experiments utilizing the anterograde transport of peroxidase show that callosal terminals are found in bands running from layers VI through I. These bands are about 500 μm in width, and the terminals seem most densely packed in layers II and III. Since the dimensions of the cell clusters and bands of callosal terminals are not the same, it is likely that not all zones which give rise to callosal axons also receive them. The bands of callosal terminals labeled by orthograde transport may be seen in the same section along with the cell bodies labeled by retrograde transport, and the two zones of label are clearly not coextensive. Complete reciprocity, therefore, seems to be absent in the callosal auditory pathway.
Integrating Global Poverty Into Mainstream Business Classrooms

Most of the products and services discussed in business curricula serve a small portion of humanity. But the great majority of economic growth over the next few decades is expected to occur in emerging and frontier markets. This emerging reality increases the urgency for including topics related to global poverty, unmet human needs, and emergence from poverty in conventional business curricula. This article describes several strategies the authors have employed to engage students' imaginations as well as their analytical capabilities to address the business challenges and opportunities inherent in addressing global poverty. It also offers possibilities for expanding students' concepts of themselves as business people and encouraging them to use their business skills to solve unmet human needs.
Metabolism: A lipid for fat disorders.

A high-fat diet often leads to metabolic disorders such as diabetes, fatty liver disease and obesity. One lipid, however, might mitigate these effects through an unexpected signalling role in the nucleus. See Letter p.506 Excess liver fat, or steatosis, is an important risk factor for obesity-associated diabetes. A natural product, dilauroyl phosphatidylcholine (DLPC), has now been identified as a possible antisteatosis agent, with therapeutic potential in pre-diabetic people. DLPC activates the orphan nuclear receptor LRH-1, loss of which decreases bile acid levels. Elevated bile acid is known to decrease steatosis. Acting as an LHR-1 agonist, DLPC decreases hepatic steatosis and improves glucose homeostasis in mouse models of insulin resistance.
Destruction of cyanobacterial peptide hepatotoxins by chlorine and chloramine

Toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are becoming recognized as a greater water quality problem as blooms become more common in waters affected by increasing nutrient levels, and knowledge of the properties of the toxin increases. Of particular importance are the hepatotoxic cyclic peptides produced by certain strains of Microcystis species and by Nodularia spumigena. The effects of chlorine and chloramine on these hepatotoxins in both freeze-dried and intact material were investigated. The destruction of the toxins was monitored using HPLC analysis. In a number of cases mouse bioassays were used for confirmation of the destruction of the toxins and to ensure that toxic by-products, not detectable by HPLC, were not formed. Contrary to evidence reported in the literature, chlorine was effective in destroying toxins, as long as sufficient chlorine was used. Toxins were destroyed under conditions such that a chlorine residual of at least 0.5 mg/l was present after 30 min contact time. The destruction of toxins was pH dependent; chlorinating agents such as calcium and sodium hypochlorite were not as effective at high dose rates due to elevation of pH. Chloramination had little effect on toxins. Although the degradation mechanisms have yet to be established, the results show that chlorination may be an effective and practical method for the removal of cyanobacterial peptide toxins from drinking water.
Evaluation of chromosome aneuploidy in tissue sections of preinvasive breast carcinomas using interphase cytogenetics.

BACKGROUND. Little is known about cellular level genetic alterations in preinvasive breast lesions, particularly lobular carcinoma in situ. METHODS. We employed fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using pericentromeric (alpha satellite) probes to assess numerical alterations of chromosomes 1, 7, 8, 16, 17, and X in deparaffinized archival tissue sections of 9 lobular carcinomas in situ (LCIS), 10 ductal carcinomas in situ (DCIS), and a spectrum of proliferative lesions (including 3 ductal hyperplasias, 1 adenosis, 1 radial scar, and 2 atypical hyperplasias). Three of the LCIS lesions and five of the DCIS lesions were from patients who had a concurrent invasive neoplasm as a component of the tumor. RESULTS. None of the proliferative lesions exhibited detectable chromosome gains, and only 1 showed evidence of signal loss consistent with monosomy (chromosome 7 in the adenosis lesion). Six LCIS patients (67%) displayed evidence of monosomy, with involvement of chromosome 17 in 6 of 6 patients, chromosome 8 in 2 of 6 patients, and chromosome 7 in 2 of 6 patients. Two LCIS patients, each of whom had a concurrent invasive neoplasm, exhibited signal gains consistent with trisomy for chromosomes 1 and 8 (1 patient each). Chromosome aneuploidies were observed in 7 of 10 (70%) DCIS patients, including 2 of 5 patients (40%) without concurrent invasive neoplasm and 5 of 5 patients (100%) with concurrent invasive neoplasm. The pattern of numerical chromosome alteration in DCIS included two patients with losses only, 2 patients with gains only, and 3 patients with both gains and losses (i.e., involving different chromosomes). Chromosome 17 aneuploidy was observed in all DCIS and all LCIS patients who exhibited abnormalities ; however, DCIS patients showed more frequent aneuploidies for chromosomes X and 16 (0 LCIS patients vs. 4 DCIS patients with each). CONCLUSIONS. Distinctive pathologic subsets of preinvasive breast neoplasia have divergent patterns of genetic instability. Foci of residual in situ neoplasia that accompany invasive disease may have a greater degree of genetic instability than neoplasms that lack progression to invasive phenotype.
Specialized Instrumentation Facilitates Stable Peritoneal Access, Gastric Decompression, and Visualization During Transgastric Endoscopic Peritoneoscopy:

Purpose. The lack of high-fidelity instrumentation has impeded the development and implementation of natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES). A steerable flexible trocar (SFT), a rotary access needle (RAN), and an articulating needle knife were developed as components of a flexible instrument set to facilitate transgastric peritoneal access and transluminal abdominal procedures. This cohort study aimed to assess the safety, feasibility, and efficacy of these devices during transgastric peritoneoscopy. Methods. Ten morbidly obese patients undergoing laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass participated in the study. Following laparoscopic access, transgastric peritoneal access was established using the SFT and RAN, and transgastric peritoneoscopy performed. NOTES adhesiolysis was performed in 2 patients with significant intra-abdominal adhesions due to prior surgery. Outcome measures included time to enter the peritoneal cavity, ability to visualize each quadrant of the abdomen, ability to per...
Individual-based model of stream-resident rainbow trout and brook char: model description, corroboration, and effects of sympatry and spawning season duration

Abstract An individual-based model of the population dynamics of sympatric rainbow trout ( Oncorhynchus mykiss ) and brook char ( Salvelinus fontinalis ) is described and analyzed. The model simulates daily growth, mortality, movement, and spawning over the full life cycle of each species for 100 years in a compartmentalized, hypothetical stream configured for the southern Appalachian mountains, USA. Egg and alevin development is temperature-dependent with mortality having constant, spatial, and temperature-dependent components. Daily growth of fry, juveniles, and adults is based on bioenergetics and consumption of drift prey. Mortality rate of fry through adults decreases with length. Model predictions of densities, growth, age, and size structure were similar to those observed in southern Appalachian streams. Five different conditions were simulated to explore the population dynamics and competition between the two species: (1) sympatric populations (baseline), (2) allopatric brook char, (3) allopatric rainbow trout, (4) and (5) sympatric populations with reduced or increased spawning season durations. Results indicated that density-dependence mainly operated during the fry and juvenile stages. Brook char were more affected by interspecific competition than rainbow trout, and crowding of fry negatively affected brook char (with little effect on rainbow trout), whereas low fry density favored brook char.
Non-Verbal Communication and Marital Satisfaction

Twenty-one college couples were identified as maritally satisfied and 21 couples as maritally dissatisfied by the Locke-Wallace Marital Adjustment Scale. The Marital Communication Scale (MCS), a new behavioral measure of accuracy of marital non-verbal communication, and the Primary Communication Inventory (PCI), a self-report measure, were administered to each couple. The results indicate a relationship between marital satisfaction and accuracy of non-verbal communication as assessed by both measures. The commonality of the two measures was found to be limited, however.
The role of arginine vasopressin and its receptors in the normal and failing rat heart

Abstract Objective – To evaluate the role of arginine vasopressin (AVP) in the normal and post-myocardial infarction (post-MI) hearts, and to investigate whether chronic AVP receptor antagonism can attenuate post-infarct ventricular remodeling. Background – A number of neurohormones, like norepinephrine and angiotensin II, have detrimental effects in heart failure (HF) and inhibiting them is beneficial. AVP shares some important properties with these hormones and is activated in HF. However, its role in the syndrome of HF, especially the effect of AVP inhibition, is largely undefined. Methods and results – Effects of AVP-V1a and AVP-V2 receptor stimulation on normal rat cardiomyocyte contractile function, intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i, inositol 3 phosphate (IP3) generation and cell survival were studied. In post-MI rats, AVP receptor function was assessed in cardiomyocytes as well as isolated working hearts. AVP receptor total number (ligand binding) and mRNA levels (RT-PCR) were measured in myocytes. Finally, the effects of chronic AVP-V1a blockade were assessed in post-MI rats using echo and morphometry to measure ventricular remodeling. Normal cardiomyocytes showed a dose-dependent increase in myocyte contractile function, [Ca2+]i, and IP3 generation in response to AVP-V1a receptor stimulation. AVP-V2 agonists had no effect. Cells from MI hearts showed reduced inotropic response to AVP-V1a stimulation. Myocyte AVP-V1a receptor number and receptor mRNA were decreased. Prolonged exposure to AVP reduced cellular viability. However, chronic AVP-V1a blockade did not attenuate structural remodeling or improve function in post-MI hearts. Conclusions – Isolated adult rat cardiomyocytes bear AVP-V1a receptors that mediate inotropic effects through the IP3 pathway. These receptors are functionally and numerically downregulated in the post-MI remodeled hearts. Despite evidence that AVP is cytotoxic to cells, chronic AVP-V1a receptor blockade does not attenuate post-MI ventricular remodeling in this model. Thus, AVP may not play a major role in the structural progression of HF.
Right heart catheterization in patent ductus arteriosus and aortic-pulmonary septal defect.

Summary 1. Right heart catheterization studies on eight patients with typical patent ductus arteriosus, on eleven patients with atypical patent ductus arteriosus, and on five patients with an aortic-pulmonary defect have been presented. 2. The importance and the value of this technique as an aid to the diagnosis in the patient with atypical clinical findings has been discussed. 3. Data were presented to show that the cardiac disability was related more to the pulmonary artery pressure than to the size of the shunt. 4. Data on five patients with aortic-pulmonary defects were presented. One patient expired and at post-mortem examination, the diagnosis was confirmed. This is the first instance of such a diagnosis being made ante mortem and confirmed at autopsy reported thus far in the literature.
Problem of optimizing the number of block accesses in performing relational join is NP-hard

Abstract A graph model is developed to determine the minimum required main memory buffer size for achieving the theoretical lower bound on the number of disk accesses for performing relational join. We allow only one access per disk block that contains the joining tuples. Using the graph model, we have shown the problem of determining an ordered list of blocks that requires the smallest buffer size is NP-hard.
Determination of the TiO 2 (110) ( 2 × 3 ) surface structure via a parametric approach to STM image simulation

Scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) image simulations for transition-metal oxide surfaces have been compared to STM images to determine the atomic structure of the ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ (110) $(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}3)$ reconstruction. The calculation of simulated image contrast is based on fitting Slater-type orbital functions to first-principles empty state contours for an unreconstructed ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ (110). The calculations are extended to arbitrary surface structures using a parametric approach. For the case of ${\mathrm{TiO}}_{2}$ (110), simulations of empty conduction-band edge state densities are compared with STM images to distinguish between two possible atomic terminations of the $2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}3$ surface. The method is proposed as a general approach that allows a first-order interpretation of features in STM images of complex oxide surfaces. The structures of these surfaces are often quite complex and exhibit a mixture of ionic and covalent bonding, often making image interpretation difficult.
Complexation between weakly basic dendrimers and linear polyelectrolytes: effects of grafts, chain stiffness, and pOH

We develop and implement a new hybrid methodology combining self-consistent field theory (SCFT) and Monte Carlo simulations to study the complexation between negatively charged semiflexible linear polyelectrolyte (LPE) molecules and a positively charged dendrimer containing grafts of neutral polymers. We examine the influence of LPE stiffness, length of the dendrimer grafts, and solution pOH upon the characteristics of the resulting complexes. Our results indicate that increasing LPE stiffness reduces the dendrimer–LPE binding affinity and results in an overall higher net charge carried within the dendrimer molecule. When we varied the size of the grafts, the dendrimer–LPE binding strength was seen to decrease with increasing grafting chain length for the flexible LPE chains. In contrast, for stiff LPE chains, the binding strength was not seen to vary significantly with the grafting lengths. Overall, longer grafting lengths were seen to reduce the fraction of exposed LPE molecules, suggesting that grafted dendrimers may better shield nucleic acid material from serum nucleases. Lastly, we found that increasing the solution pOH was seen to enhance both the binding between the dendrimer and LPE molecules and the total positive charge carried by the complex.