cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Progress in the development of critical-angle transmission gratings

Recently developed Critical-Angle Transmission (CAT) grating technology - in combination with x-ray CCD cameras and large collecting-area focusing optics - will enable a new generation of soft x-ray spectrometers with unprecedented resolving power and effective area and with at least an order of magnitude improvement in figures-of-merit for emission and absorption line detection. This technology will be essential to address a number of high-priority questions identified in the Astro2010 Decadal Survey “New Worlds New Horizons” and open the door to a new discovery space. CAT gratings combine the advantages of soft x-ray transmission gratings (low mass, relaxed figure and alignment tolerances, transparent at high energies) and blazed reflection gratings (high broad band diffraction efficiency, utilization of higher diffraction orders to increase resolving power). We report on progress in the fabrication of large-area (31× 31 mm 2 ) free-standing gratings with two levels of low-blockage support structures using highly anisotropic deep reactive-ion etching.
Regulation of murine contact sensitivity to urushiol components by serum factors

Mice epicutaneously painted with components of poison ivy urushiol oil exhibit contact sensitivity (as detected by ear swelling reactions) that persist for about 25 days. Sera taken from mice at times when the contact sensitization response is waning suppressed the induction of sensitization to 3-n-pentadecylcatechol (PDC), a urushiol component, in recipients. The suppressive serum factor was present in greatest amount 25 days after sensitization, but was no longer detectable 40 days post sensitization. Suppression was antigen-specific, absorbed out with PDC-immune, but not normal lymph node cells, and transferable with a single 0.6 ml dose 7 days prior to sensitization of recipients. Suppression was transferable by the purified IgG fraction of desensitized mice. Results indicate that contact sensitivity to urushiol in mice is regulated by serum factors.
Egg Production, Feed Consumption, and Maintenance Energy Requirements of Leghorn Hens as Influenced by Dietary Energy at Temperatures of 15.6 and 26.7 C

Abstract Diets (H) and (L) containing 2830 and 1980 kcal/kg were fed to groups of Leghorn hens kept at 15.6 and at 26.7 C ambient temperatures. The average metabolizable energy (ME) intakes per day were 231 kcal and 287 kcal at 15.6 C; and 200 kcal and 242 kcal for the (L) and (H) diets, respectively. Within this temperature range the feed intake decreased by 1.21% and 1.41% per 1 C rise in ambient temperature for the (L) and (H) diets, respectively. Neither egg production nor shell thickness was influenced by the treatments, but egg weight was significantly depressed at 26.7 C as compared to those at 15.6 C. The maintenance energy requirements (MEm) were significantly lower at the two ambient temperatures when hens were fed the (L) diet as compared with the (H) diet. The MEm values for the respective diets were 132.6 and 171.3 kcal/kg.75/day at 15.6 C; and 114.9 and 140.2 kcal/kg.75/day at 26.7 C. The energetic efficiency was increased for the conversion of ME intake to egg energy either by increasing the ambient temperature or by lowering the dietary ME.
Teacher Learning of Subject Matter Knowledge Through an Educative Curriculum

ABSTRACTThe authors examined the characterization of mathematical knowledge of teachers using educative curriculum materials. In particular, they investigated knowledge of change and rate of change (in the context of algebra and functions) of 12 teachers with differing levels of experience. Participants used a same set of curriculum materials that embed features that had potential to be educative for teachers. Data were collected using a mathematical task-based interview. The analyses suggest that context played an important role with regard to teachers’ ability to explore complex situations. Teachers with a high level of experience teaching the educative curriculum materials showed greater success in dealing with complex problems and recognizing similar and contrasting characteristics of different types of representations across contexts. The findings suggest that curriculum materials can be designed to assist teachers’ learning in ways that contribute to establishing contexts where teacher learning take...
The carbon isotopic composition of catalytic gas: a comparative analysis with natural gas

Abstract The idea that natural gas is the thermal product of organic decomposition has persisted for over half a century. Crude oil is thought to be an important source of gas, cracking to wet gas above 150°C, and dry gas above 200°C. But there is little evidence to support this view. For example, crude oil is proving to be more stable than previously thought and projected to remain intact over geologic time at typical reservoir temperatures. Moreover, when oil does crack, the products do not resemble natural gas. Oil to gas could be catalytic, however, promoted by the transition metals in carbonaceous sediments. This would explain the low temperatures at which natural gas forms, and the high amounts of methane. This idea gained support recently when the natural progression of oil to dry gas was duplicated in the laboratory catalytically. We report here the isotopic composition of catalytic gas generated from crude oil and pure hydrocarbons between 150 and 200°C. δ13C for C1 through C5 was linear with 1/n (n = carbon number) in accordance with theory and typically seen in natural gases. Over extended reaction, isobutane and isopentane remained lighter than their respective normal isomers and the isotopic differentials were constant as all isomers became heavier over time. Catalytic methane, initially −51.87‰ (oil = −22.5‰), progressed to a final composition of −26.94‰, similar to the maturity trend seen in natural gases: −50‰ to −20‰. Catalytic gas is thus identical to natural gas in molecular and isotopic composition adding further support to the view that catalysis by transition metals may be a significant source of natural gas.
WHY FREE TRADE IS REQUIRED BY JUSTICE

The article argues that free trade is required by any plausible conception of justice. Free trade is supported by a host of consequentialist and deontological reasons. Empirically, trade increases global and national wealth, and in particular helps the poor. Morally, those who benefit from protectionist laws are not deserving beneficiaries of wealth redistribution. Both economic theory and evidence amply warrant the view that trade is beneficial. Protectionism by rich countries is harmful, not only to those countries' consumers, but to producers in poor countries. Given this, and given the fact that protectionism is almost always the result of political pressure by inefficient producers, there is no plausible moral reason to support it. Protectionism by poor countries is equally harmful. Relying on the institutionalist literature, the article shows that protectionism is yet another bad institution that contributes to economic stagnation in those countries. The article considers and rejects two criticisms of free trade: the problem of stolen goods, and the pauper-labor argument.
Development in Children's Representations of Transformations and Movements.

Abstract This study tested the hypothesis that fourth-grade children tend more than first-grade children to represent transformations as ordered series of beginning, middle, and end states. On 15 different tasks, children were presented an object state constructed by the experimenter (e.g., a ball of clay or a pipe cleaner bent in the shape of an arc) and told to construct one or two other object states that “go best with” the experimenter's state(s). These instructions allowed children to choose the basis upon which to relate their states to the experimenters'. Fourth-graders predominantly constructed states that were components of continuous movements or transformations, whereas first-graders predominantly constructed states that related to the experimenters' on the basis of figural features. In a second phase of the procedure, we re-presented the states made by children and asked them to reconstruct the associated experimenter-constructed states from memory. As predicted, memory was better for children who spontaneously integrated states in transformations or movements than for children who related states on the basis of perceptual features. The results were discussed in relation to similar findings in other cognitive domains.
The P2Y agonist UTP activates cutaneous afferent fibers

The majority of adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-induced nociceptive transduction and pain has been attributed to ionotropic P2X3 receptors. Metabotropic P2Y receptors, some of which bind pyrimidines as well as purines, have received little attention. Here we have examined the ability of P2Y receptor signaling to evoke action potential firing in functionally identified afferent fibers using the skin nerve preparation from adult mouse. The P2Y2/P2Y4 ligand UTP activated sustained action potential firing in 54% of C fibers in a concentration-dependent manner. The effect was specific for P2Y2/P2Y4 receptors, as the P2Y6 ligand UDP never activated C fibers. In comparison to C fibers, few thinly myelinated A-mechanoreceptors (AM) (12%) were activated by UTP. The majority (70-80%) of the UTP-sensitive C and Adelta fibers responded to the algogen capsaicin with a barrage of action potentials, whereas the UTP-insensitive fibers were largely unresponsive to capsaicin. Furthermore, 86% of the UTP-sensitive C fibers and 100% of the UTP-sensitive AM fibers also responded to the P2X agonist alpha,beta-methylene ATP, indicating that P2Y and P2X receptors are widely co-expressed. Surprisingly, a significant proportion (20-40%) of low threshold slowly and rapidly adapting Abeta fibers were also activated by UTP and alpha,beta-methylene ATP. These data indicate that P2Y receptors on the terminals of capsaicin-sensitive cutaneous sensory neurons effectively evoke nociceptive transmission, and support the hypothesis that UTP may be an endogenous nociceptive messenger. Furthermore, P2Y signaling may contribute to mechanotransduction in low threshold Abeta fibers under normal or pathological conditions.
Presentation and treatment of a posttraumatic pseudomeningocele of the superior orbit

Posttraumatic pseudomeningocel es (PM) rarely occur in the head and neck. They form by extravasation of cerebrospinal fluid into soft tissue and often produce only subtle clinical and radiographic findings. Misdiagnosis in the preoperative workup for the open reduction of adjacent facial fractures may create an unexpected surgical dilemma. Review of the medical literature over the last 20 years identified no reported cases ofa pseudomeningocel e of the orbit after facial trauma. We report a case of pseudomeningocele involving the superior orbit after blunt facial trauma. CASE REPORT
THE KININ-GENERATING SYSTEM IN LIPOID NEPHROSIS

Altho the etiologic incitant of “lipoid nephrosis” is not known, it is likely that a host mechanism mediates the glomerular permeability changes. As a first step in examining the role of the kinin-generating system, plasma prekal1ikrein was assayed by means of its esterolytic action on a synthetic substrate. Kailikrein inhibitor was quantitated in arbitrary units. The results in 19 children, during an overt nephrotic episode (Active) and after corticosteroid-induced remission are given in the table: After cessation of corticosteroids in 11 patients, plasma pre-kallikrein was 100.4 μmoles/ml/hr.; and kallikrein inhibitor, 0.84 units. Conclusions: 1)Plasma prekal1ikrein and kallikrein inhibitor are depressed during the active nephrotic syndrome but rise toward normal during remission; 2)Kinins may be the host mechanism mediating increased glomerular capillary permeability. Studies of urinary kallikrein are currently in progress.
Potato quality XIII. Preventing after-cooking discoloration in oil blanched French fries

Treatment of slices with a 2% solution of Na2H2P2O7 in the blancher will prevent after-cooking darkening in par-fried French-fries. The Na2H2P2O7 seems to act as a sequestering agent in complexing the ferrous iron in a colorless form. The texture of the finished product is improved and uniform quality control of color is made possible. Sodium acid pyrophosphate does not increase the free fatty acids of the frying media and the increase in the per cent of P2O5 in the treated product is negligible. Frozen French-fries held at O F. that are discolored can be transformed into a creamy white product by dipping them for two minutes in a 2% solution of Na2H2P2O7 at 40 F. The pyrophosphate does not cause the detrimental effects on texture that some acids, sequestering, and chelating agents cause in the finished product.
Advective Desorption of Uranium(VI) from Contaminated Hanford Vadose Zone Sediments under Saturated and Unsaturated Conditions

Sedimentary, hydrologic, and geochemical variations in the Hanford subsurface environment, as well as compositional differences in contaminating waste streams, have created vast differences in the migration and mobility of U within the subsurface environment. A series of hydraulically saturated and unsaturated column experiments were performed to (i) assess the effect of water content on the advective desorption and migration of U from contaminated sediments and (ii) evaluate the U concentration that can develop in pore water and/or groundwater as a result of desorption/dissolution reactions. Flow rate and moisture content were varied to evaluate the influence of contact time, pore water velocity, and macropore desaturation on aqueous U concentrations. Sediments were collected from the T-TX-TY tank farm complex and the 300 Area Process Ponds located on the Hanford Site, southeastern Washington State. The sediments vary in depth, mineralogy, and in contamination events. Experiments were conducted under mildly alkaline/calcareous conditions representative of conditions commonly encountered at repository sites across the arid western United States and, in particular, the Hanford site. Results illustrate the release of U from these sediments is kinetically controlled, and low water contents encountered within the Hanford vadose zone result in the formation of mobile–immobile water regimes, which isolate a fraction of the reactive sites within the sediments, effectively reducing the concentration of U released into migrating pore waters.
Improving forecast skill by assimilation of quality‐controlled AIRS temperature retrievals under partially cloudy conditions

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on board the Aqua satellite has been long recognized as an important contributor towards the improvement of weather forecasts. At this time only a small fraction of the total data produced by AIRS is being used by operational weather systems. In fact, in addition to effects of thinning and quality control, the only AIRS data assimilated are radiance observations of channels unaffected by clouds. Observations in mid-lower tropospheric sounding AIRS channels are assimilated primarily under completely clear-sky conditions, thus imposing a very severe limitation on the horizontal distribution of the AIRS-derived information. In this work it is shown that the ability to derive accurate temperature profiles from AIRS observations in partially cloud-contaminated areas can be utilized to further improve the impact of AIRS observations in a global model and forecasting system. The analyses produced by assimilating AIRS temperature profiles obtained under partial cloud cover result in a substantially colder representation of the northern hemisphere lower midtroposphere at higher latitudes. This temperature difference has a strong impact, through hydrostatic adjustment, in the midtropospheric geopotential heights, which causes a different representation of the polar vortex especially over northeastern Siberia and Alaska. The AIRS-induced anomaly propagates through the model's dynamics producing improved 5-day forecasts.
Energy conversion in photoelectrochemical systems — a review

Abstract The different approaches to the conversion of solar energy into chemical and/or electrical energy employing photoelectrochemical (PEC) systems are outlined. Current work and the state-of-the-art as regards the use of various semiconductors as photoelectrodes in PEC systems and the stabilization of low band-gap semiconductors by the use of redox couples are reviewed. A critical comparison of the various approaches to the problems associated with optimal photoresponse in PEC systems indicates that electrode stabilization is the most promising amongst the alternatives currently available for efficient conversion of visible light.
Semiconductor device technology and digital system design

Abstract Since the introduction of the first commercial integrated circuits nearly 25 years ago, the semiconductor industry has undergone what is now recognized as a revolution in electronics technology. Modern technology is now yielding complex circuits consisting of nearly half a million transistors on a single integrated circuit chip with a price of a few hundred dollars. Integrated circuit technology has provided increasingly capable functions at ever decreasing prices, thus resulting in ever widening areas of application. Digital system design has become a very challenging and stimulating endeavor. This paper provides insight into the nature of digital system design and integrated circuit technology. Additionally, it surveys the types of building blocks available in the commercial marketplace and discusses industry trends.
Kinetics of the reaction of trans-dichlorobis(pyridine)platinum(II) with phenyl methyl sulfides and sulfoxides

Abstract The reactions of trans-Ptpy2Cl2 with a series of 4-substituted phenyl methyl sulfides and sulfoxides have been studied conductimetrically at 30 °C in methanol. The substitutions of these ligands can be described by the equation: kobs = {k1 + k2[L]}[Complex] and both sulfides and sulfoxides exhibit linear free energy relationships with the Hammett σ constants of the substituents even though the sulfides are more reactive than the respective sulfoxides by a factor of twenty or more.
T-bet, pSTAT1 and pSTAT3 expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells during pregnancy correlates with post-partum activation of multiple sclerosis.

Abstract In pregnant women affected by multiple sclerosis (MS) we observed increased percentages of CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + T regulatory cells at the 1st and the 2nd trimester of gestation that was associated with a decreased T-bet expression in CD4 + T cells. In women showing clinical relapse and/or new lesions at MRI after delivery we found, a higher expression of T-bet, pSTAT1 and pSTAT3 in CD4 + , CD8 + T cells and CD14 + cells, associated with an increase of IFNγ and IL17 production by PBMC at the 3rd trimester of gestation and after delivery. Our data suggest that the expansion of circulating CD4 + CD25 + Foxp3 + regulatory T cells and the lower expression of T-bet in CD4 + T cells may account for the decreased MS activity during pregnancy. The expression of T-bet, pSTAT1 and pSTAT3 in peripheral blood CD4 + and CD8 + T cells and monocytes could be useful to identify MS patients who will develop a relapse after delivery.
Experimental determination of the total reaction cross section of the stellar nuclear reaction 16O + 16O☆

Abstract The total reaction cross section for 16O + 16O has been measured at six energies between Ec.m. = 6.8 and 11.9 MeV. Cross sections for the production of protons, alphas, neutrons, deuterons, 31S, 30P, 12C(g.s.) + 20Ne(g.s.) and the relative γ-yield were obtained with a variety of experimental methods. No 3H or 3He were found. All cross sections are normalized to 16O + 16O elastic scattering at θc.m. = 90°, which was measured separately with high precision between Ec.m. = 7.3 and 14.4 MeV. The elastic scattering and relative γ-yield of 12C + 12C were measured between Ec.m. = 3.9 and 7.5 MeV. The elastic scattering and neutron yield of 12C + 16O were measured between Ec.m. = 5.4 and 10.1 MeV.
Anesthetic induction with fentanyl and intravenous lidocaine for coronary artery surgery

In a randomized, double-blind trial, 59 patients undergoing coronary artery surgery received fentanyl 10, 15, or 25 microg/kg infused over 5 minutes for anesthetic induction. Half of the patients received intravenous lidocaine, 1.5 mg/kg, 1 minute before laryngoscopy. Efficacy of induction as judged by loss of consciousness was evaluated, and hemodynamic values during induction, laryngoscopy, and tracheal intubation were recorded each minute for 10 minutes. Plasma fentanyl concentrations were determined after termination of the fentanyl infusion. Opioid induction with fentanyl was successful in 90% (18 of 20) of patients receiving 25 microg/kg, 89% (17 of 19) of patients receiving 15 microg/kg, but only 55% (11 of 20) of patients receiving 10 microg/kg (P < .01). While plasma fentanyl concentrations were proportional to the dose infused (25 ng/mL, 18 ng/mL, and 14 ng/mL in the 25, 15. and 10 microg/kg fentanyl groups, respectively), there was no relationship between plasma fentanyl concentration and hemodynamic response to laryngoscopy or intubation. Opioid induction caused a gradual decrease in blood pressure that was restored with intubation. Lidocaine partially blocked this restoration (systolic blood pressure 122 +/- 5 v 138 +/- 5 mmHg, lidocaine v placebo, 1 minute after laryngoscopy, P < .05). Fentanyl, 15 or 25 microg/kg, intravenously, is an effective induction agent for patients with coronary artery disease. Supplementation with intravenous lidocaine, 1.5 mg/kg, will obtund the increase in blood pressure that occurs with laryngoscopy and intubation and help prevent infrequent hypertensive responses seen with this opioid technique.
Finite-Energy Sum Rules and Their Application to π N Charge Exchange

We derive and discuss the finite-energy sum rules, which form consistency conditions imposed by analyticity on the Regge analysis of a scattering amplitude. Their finite form makes them particularly useful in practical applications. We discuss the various applications, emphasizing a new kind of bootstrap predicting the Regge parameters from low-energy data alone. We apply our methods to $\ensuremath{\pi}N$ charge exchange and are able to derive many interesting features of the high-energy amplitudes at various $t$. In particular, we establish the existence of zeros of the amplitudes and of additional $\ensuremath{\rho}$ poles. On the basis of the finiteenergy sum rules and the analysis of the $\ensuremath{\pi}N$ amplitudes, we present theoretical and experimental evidence that double counting is involved in the interference model, which adds direct-channel resonances to the exchanged Regge terms.
Lake Erie Oxygen Depletion Controversy

Abstract A summary of a special workshop held at the Canada Centre for Inland Waters, Burlington, Ontario, 2–3 December 1981, is presented. The purpose of the workshop was to air some differences of opinion regarding the response of the hypolimnetic anoxia of Lake Erie to phosphorus controls. The workshop confirmed the validity of the 1978 U.S.-Canadian Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement's goals on restoring year-round aerobic conditions in the hypolimnion of the central basin of Lake Erie through phosphorus loading reduction. The author served as workshop chairman and convenor.
Improved parameter choice methods and temporal filtering for the generalized eigensystem method applied to the inverse problem of electrocardiography

We have previously proposed the generalized eigensystem (GES) method as a modal expansion method for estimating electrical potentials on the heart outer surface from measurements of electrical potentials on the body surface. In this paper, we present an alternative formulation of GES more like that of classical Tikhonov regularization where a single continuous parameter needs to be chosen. We then compare this formulation of GES with zero order Tikhonov regularization on data collected from a swine experiment with the swine heart paced from six different sites. Of the two algorithms used to estimate the regularization parameters, the composite residual and smoothing operator (CRESO) generally outperforms the generalized cross validation (GCV) for both GES and Tikhonov. Although the inverse problems are solved at each time instant independently, we also incorporate temporal information by moving average filtering the estimates, and this is more effective for the GES methods than for Tikhonov. In general, t...
Medical Schools and Immunization Policies: Missed Opportunities for Disease Prevention

Objective: To describe current immunization requirements and policies in North American medical schools both at matriculation and before students begin clinical clerkships. Design: Survey of all al...
Java power tools: model software for teaching object-oriented design

The Java Power Tools or JPT is a Java toolkit designed to enable students to rapidly develop graphical user interfaces in freshman computer science programming projects. Because it is simple to create GUIs using JPT, students can focus on the more fundamental issues of computer science rather than on widget management. In a separate article[4], we will discuss with examples how the JPT can help freshman students to learn about the basics of algorithms, data structures, classes, and interface design. In this article, we will focus on how the JPT itself can be used as an extended case study of object-oriented design principles in a more advanced course.The fundamental design principles of the JPT are that the elements of a graphical user interface should be able to be combined recursively as nested views and that the communication between these views and the internal data models should be as automatic as possible. In particular, in JPT, the totality of user input from a complex view can be easily converted into a corresponding data model and any input errors will be detected and corrected along the way. This ease of communication is achieved by using string objects as a lingua franca for views and models and by using parsing when appropriate to automatically check for errors and trigger recovery. The JPT achieves its power by a combination of computer science and software design principles. Recursion, abstraction, and encapsulation are systematically used to create GUI tools of great flexibility. It should be noted that a much simpler pedagogical package for Java IO was recently presented in [9].
Inhibition by 17β-estradiol of PTH stimulated resorption and prostaglandin production in cultured neonatal mouse calvariae

Abstract Previous attempts to show a direct effect of physiological concentrations of 17β-estradiol (βE2) on bone in vitro have been unsuccessful. We describe a culture system using neonatal mouse calvariae in which βE2 in the range 1 pM to 1 nM inhibited parathyroid hormone (PTH) stimulated prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) release by 50 to 70% in the presence and absence of cortisol. In addition, βE2 reduced medium calcium concentration and release of previously incorporated 45Ca by 10 and 20%, respectively, in PTH stimulated cultures. Indomethacin did not block βE2 effects on resorption. 17α-Estradiol (αE2) reduced PTH stimulated 45Ca release but not PGE2 release. Thus, βE2 has direct effects on bone consistent with its known effects to decrease bone resorption in vivo .
Ultrathin Thermoelectric Devices for On-Chip Peltier Cooling

The efficient usage of thermoelectric (TE) devices for microelectronics cooling application requires investigation and remedy of various obstacles such as integration of these devices with electronic package, parasitic contact resistances, and utilization of appropriate current pulses. We develop a computational model to investigate the effect of steady state and transient mode of operation of ultrathin thermoelectric cooler (TEC) devices on hot-spot cooling considering the effect of crucial thermal and electrical contact resistances. Our analysis shows that the transient pulses can be very effective in reducing the hot-spot temperature by 6-7°C in addition to the cooling achieved by the steady state current through the TEC device. We correlate the important characteristics of the transient temperature behavior of hot-spot under the TEC operation such as the maximum temperature drop (ΔTmax), time taken to achieve ΔTmax and temperature overshoot after turning off pulse current with the electrical and thermal contact resistances and Seebeck coefficient of the TE material. It has been observed that thermal and electrical contact resistances play a very crucial role in the performance of TEC devices as high values of these resistances can significantly diminish the effect of Peltier cooling during steady state operation. The effect of these parasitic resistances is even higher for the transient cooling of hot-spots by the pulsed current through the TEC device. High Seebeck coefficient of TE materials is desirable as it increases the figure of merit of TE devices. However, cooling capabilities of heat sink may become bottleneck to realize the benefits of very high Seebeck coefficient as the back heat flow from the hot side to cold side of TEC device diminishes the degree of cooling achieved by these ultrathin TECs.
Reap Rewards: Maximizing Benefits From Reviewer Comments

The authors detail how they handled a request to revise and resubmit an academic paper they had submitted for publication. The first order of business was to understand the reviewers' criticisms an...
The role of the locus coeruleus and N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) and AMPA receptors in opiate withdrawal.

Biochemical, behavioral, and electrophysiologic studies indicate that activation of the noradrenergic cells in the locus coemleus (LC) plays an important role in the symptoms of opiate withdrawal. Extrinsic factors play a major role in the morphine-withdrawal-induced activation of the LC, but intrinsic factors also play a role. Among the extrinsic factors, a glutamatergic projection from the nucleus paragigantocellularis plays an important role in the withdrawal-induced activation of the LC. N-methyl- d -aspartic acid (NMDA) receptors play at most a minor role in the withdrawal-induced activation of the LC by glutamate; preliminary evidence indicates that α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors play an important role. Whereas NMDA antagonists produce little to no suppression of the activation of the LC during morphine withdrawal, they do suppress many morphine withdrawal symptoms. However, phencyclidinelike side effects may limit the clinical utility of NMDA antagonists. Experiments examining c-fos expression during morphine withdrawal indicate that NMDA antagonists may exert some of their influence on morphine withdrawal symptoms through actions in the forebrain. Pretreatment with the noncompetitive NMDA antagonist MK801 blocks morphine withdrawal-induced increased c-fos expression in the amygdala, but not in the nucleus accumbens, frontal cortex, or hippocampus. Pretreatment with the competitive NMDA antagonist LY274614 (or the α2-adrenergic agonist clonidine) blocks morphine withdrawal-induced increased c-fos expression in the amygdala and nucleus accumbens, but not in the frontal cortex or hippocampus. These results help to elucidate some of the neuroanatomy and neurophysiology underlying morphine withdrawal. Further, NMDA antagonists may not be clinically useful for opiate withdrawal due to their side-effects, but AMPA antagonists may be of great benefit for alleviating opiate withdrawal symptoms in humans.
Brittle compressive failure of ice: monotonic versus cyclic loading

Abstract Biaxial compression experiments (at −10 °C at strain rates between 3−510−3 s−1 have confirmed that the terminal strength of fresh-water S2 ice brought to failure under moderate confinement ((σ22/σ11)≅0.07) in about 10 rapid compressive cycles of increasingly larger loads is greater by a factor of 1.5 than the strength of the same material loaded monotonically. The strengthening effect becomes discernible when the ice is brought to failure in approximately 4–5 cycles, and then saturates after roughly 10 cycles even though inelastic strain at failure continues to increase. Damage accumulates more slowly under cyclic loading, but eventually leads to the development of the same kind of macroscopic shear fault that accompanies terminal failure under monotonic loading, provided that the loading and unloading strain rates are relatively high ( 3−510 −3 s −1 ) and equal. Upon lowering the unloading rate by one order of magnitude, ductile behavior is induced and shear faulting is suppressed. The behavior is explained in terms of the relaxation of internal stress.
Soviet International Law and the World Economic Order

The author, a preeminent authority in the field of Soviet international law, here undertakes a policy-oriented approach to the study of international law.
Cost containment in dentistry and its impact on the distribution of services

The purpose of this paper is to describe the nature of dental practice and to identify some recent innovations which have effect on cost containment in dentistry. The first of these innovations is dental insurance or prepaid dental services. Dental insurance has only recently emerged as a significant economic factor. The chronic and prevalent nature of dental disease mandates that the management of these programs incorporate insurance devices which limit demand and utilization. These devices amount to cost containment measures. The second factor to be discussed is advertising. Advertising has been foisted on the dental profession by recent rulings of the Federal Trade Commission in an effort to promote competition. The Reagan administration, despite a market oriented approach to health care, had attempted to blunt some of the FTC actions. Advertising, nevertheless, has the potential to stimulate competition and restrain price escalation. The third factor includes a discussion of alternative delivery systems. These commercially oriented dental enterprises have the potential to compete with established practices as well as increase the demand for services.
Cyclohexane Isomerization. Unimolecular Dynamics of the Twist-Boat Intermediate†

Direct dynamics simulations were performed at the HF/6-31G level of theory to investigate the intramolecular and unimolecuar dynamics of the twist-boat (TB) intermediate on the cyclohexane potential energy surface (PES). Additional calculations were performed at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory to further characterize the PES’s stationary points. The trajectories were initiated at the C1 and C2 half-chair transition states (TSs) connecting a chair conformer with a TB intermediate, via an intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC). Energy was added in accord with a microcanonical ensemble at the average energy for experiments at 263 K. Important nontransition state theory (TST), non-IRC, and non-RRKM dynamics were observed in the simulations. Trajectories initially directed toward the chair conformer had a high probability of recrossing the TS, with approximately 30% forming a TB intermediate instead of accessing the potential energy well for the conformer. The TB intermediate initially formed was not necessar...
Despite High Costs, Specialty Drugs May Offer Value For Money Comparable To That Of Traditional Drugs

Specialty drugs are often many times more expensive than traditional drugs, which raises questions of affordability and value. We compared the value of specialty and traditional drugs approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the period 1999–2011. To do this, we identified published estimates of additional health gains (measured in quality-adjusted life-years, or QALYs) and increased costs of drug and health care resource use that were associated with fifty-eight specialty drugs and forty-four traditional drugs, compared to preexisting care. We found that specialty drugs offered greater QALY gains (0.183 versus 0.002 QALYs) but were associated with greater additional costs ($12,238 versus $784), compared to traditional drugs. The two types of drugs had comparable cost-effectiveness. However, the distributions across the two types differed, with 26 percent of specialty drugs—but only 9 percent of traditional drugs—associated with incremental cost-effectiveness ratios of greater than $150,000 pe...
How common is the funnel-like energy landscape in protein-protein interactions?

The goal of this study is to verify the concept of the funnel-like intermolecular energy landscape in protein–protein interactions by use of a series of computational experiments. Our preliminary analysis revealed the existence of the funnel in many protein–protein interactions. However, because of the uncertainties in the modeling of these interactions and the ambiguity of the analysis procedures, the detection of the funnels requires detailed quantitative approaches to the energy landscape analysis. A number of such approaches are presented in this study. We show that the funnel detection problem is equivalent to a problem of distinguishing between distributions of low-energy intermolecular matches in the funnel and in the low-frequency landscape fluctuations. If the fluctuations are random, the decision about whether the minimum is the funnel is equivalent to determining whether this minimum is significantly different from a would-be random one. A database of 475 nonredundant cocrystallized protein–protein complexes was used to re-dock the proteins by use of smoothed potentials. To detect the funnel, we developed a set of sophisticated models of random matches. The funnel was considered detected if the binding area was more populated by the low-energy docking predictions than by the matches generated in the random models. The number of funnels detected by use of different random models varied significantly. However, the results confirmed that the funnel may be the general feature in protein–protein association.
Cochlear mechanics: no shout but a twist in the absence of prestin.

Summary Mammalian hearing is boosted by mechanically active auditory receptor cells, the outer hair cells which amplify the actions of incoming sounds. Recent evidence indicates that the molecular motor that drives this amplification, prestin, may do more than boogie.
Positron Emission Tomography With The Use Of Time-of-flight Information

Incorporation of the time-of-flight (TOF) measurement in positron emission tomography (PET) opens new avenues for developing strategies that potentially can provide improved image quality.
What Types of Students' Effort Are Rewarded with High Marks?.

This analysis of data from the Partnership for Literacy Study investigates the relationship among achievement, effort, and grades. Certainly, grades reward achievement, the mastery of material by s...
Dynamic coalition formation under uncertainty

Coalition formation algorithms are generally not applicable to real-world robotic collectives since they lack mechanisms to handle uncertainty. Those mechanisms that do address uncertainty either deflect it by soliciting information from others or apply reinforcement learning to select an agent type from within a set. This paper presents a coalition formation mechanism that directly addresses uncertainty while allowing the agent types to fall outside of a known set. The agent types are captured through a novel agent modeling technique that handles uncertainty through a belief-based evaluation mechanism. This technique allows for uncertainty in environmental data, agent type, coalition value, and agent cost. An investigation of both the effects of adding agents on processing time and of model quality on the convergence rate of initial agent models (and thereby coalition quality) is provided. This approach handles uncertainty on a larger scale than previous work and provides a mechanism readily applied to a dynamic collective of real-world robots.
Counselor Educators’ Perceptions of and Experiences with International Students

Thirty-six counselor educators’ perceptions and experiences with international student trainees were examined in this online survey research. Findings support the issues identified in the literature as confronting international students and also surface some issues specific to students in counselor training. International counselor education students tend to experience more difficulties in areas related to language, clinical training, adjustment, and cultural differences. Similarities and differences were also found within international student categories involving western and non-western countries and between international and domestic students. Counselor educators in general reported favorably on working with international students. Findings support attention being given to further examine the specific training and supervisory needs of international counseling students.
Measuring Social Support in Battered Women Factor Structure of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL)

Social support is related to mental health outcomes among battered women. It is unclear, however, whether researchers should measure social support as a unidimensional or multidimensional concept. Efforts to identify the latent dimensions underlying a common measure of social support, the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), have yielded inconsistent results. This study used exploratory factor analytic procedures to determine the most appropriate factor structure for the ISEL. The ISEL was completed by two samples (one help seeking, one non-help seeking) of primarily African American, low-income battered women who had experienced intimate partner violence (IPV) within the previous year. Results indicated that social support in battered women is best conceptualized as unidimensional.
DEVA-STATING DISASTERS Race in the Shadow(s) of New Orleans

Neoconservative lobbyist Grover Norquist has declared that he wishes so to diminish government in the U.S. that he can drown it in a bathtub. This paper will address the ways in which Katrina has laid bare how the neoconservative attack on the state since the early 1980s, and especially in the past five years, has (1) targeted for devastation those public agencies supportive of the racially defined poor, thus rendering them far more vulnerable to disasters, both natural and social; and (2) shifted state resources away from poorer, especially African American and Latino, citizens to the interests of wealthier (and overwhelmingly White) Americans, in effect privatizing the definition and implementation of public programs in the name of “charitable contributions”. This trend has also had the effect of shifting racial discriminations from the public to the private realm, thus making racism less visible and more difficult to address, while at the same time easier to deny in practice.
MBCs for Staphylococcus aureus as determined by macrodilution and microdilution techniques.

MBC testing of clindamycin, methicillin, cephalothin, gentamicin, and vancomycin with 67 clinical isolates of Staphylococcus aureus was examined by both standard macrodilution tubes and commercial microdilution trays. Standard macrodilution failed to give reproducible (99.9% killing) MBC results, even when a strictly defined protocol was followed. Continuous shaking during incubation resulted in regrowth of more colonies than did stationary incubation. Vortexing of incubated tubes before subculture resulted in regrowth of more colonies than did careful transfer of the contents to sterile tubes before vortexing and subculture. No significant difference in MBCs was demonstrated by the use of log-phase versus stationary-phase inocula. Use of the multiprong inoculator for subculture from commercial microdilution trays was unsatisfactory because, although antibiotics evaluated were inactivated by subculture to a pH 5.5 agar plate coated with a beta-lactamase solution, the volume of broth transferred by the prongs was small and inconsistent, ranging from 0 to 3 microliter. Subcultures of commercial microdilution panels with a 1-microliter loop, 10-microliter pipette, and 100-microliter pipette were also evaluated. Results of MBC testing were most reproducible when the entire 100-microliter volume was aspirated from commercial microdilution wells after stirring and the contents of each well were spread over a separate sheep blood agar plate. Images
Turtle isochore structure is intermediate between amphibians and other amniotes

Vertebrate genomes are comprised of isochores that are relatively long (>100 kb) regions with a relatively homogenous (either GC-rich or AT-rich) base composition and with rather sharp boundaries with neighboring isochores. Mammals and living archosaurs (birds and crocodilians) have heterogeneous genomes that include very GC-rich isochores. In sharp contrast, the genomes of amphibians and fishes are more homogeneous and they have a lower overall GC content. Because DNA with higher GC content is more thermostable, the elevated GC content of mammalian and archosaurian DNA has been hypothesized to be an adaptation to higher body temperatures. This hypothesis can be tested by examining structure of isochores across the reptilian clade, which includes the archosaurs, testudines (turtles), and lepidosaurs (lizards and snakes), because reptiles exhibit diverse body sizes, metabolic rates, and patterns of thermoregulation. This study focuses on a comparative analysis of a new set of expressed genes of the red-eared slider turtle and orthologs of the turtle genes in mammalian (human, mouse, dog, and opossum), archosaurian (chicken and alligator), and amphibian (western clawed frog) genomes. EST (expressed sequence tag) data from a turtle cDNA library enriched for genes that have specialized functions (developmental genes) revealed using the GC content of the third-codon-position to examine isochore structure requires careful consideration of the types of genes examined. The more highly expressed genes (e.g., housekeeping genes) are more likely to be GC-rich than are genes with specialized functions. However, the set of highly expressed turtle genes demonstrated that the turtle genome has a GC content that is intermediate between the GC-poor amphibians and the GC-rich mammals and archosaurs. There was a strong correlation between the GC content of all turtle genes and the GC content of other vertebrate genes, with the slope of the line describing this relationship also indicating that the isochore structure of turtles is intermediate between that of amphibians and other amniotes. These data are consistent with some thermal hypotheses of isochore evolution, but we believe that the credible set of models for isochore evolution still includes a variety of models. These data expand the amount of genomic data available from reptiles upon which future studies of reptilian genomics can build.