cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Similarity in uptake and retention of trace amounts of 31Silicon and 68Germanium in rat tissues and cell organelles

Abstract Uptake of Si and Ge (chemical analogue of Si) in rat tissues was compared to establish their subcellular localization and determine if Ge could be used to trace Si in situ . 31 Si and 68 Ge were found in tissues and in cell organelles after injection of 31 Si(OH) 4 or 68 Ge(OH) 4 . Accumulation of 31 Si and 68 Ge in the tissues increased for 30 minutes, declined rapidly for about 30 minutes and then was gradually but steadily depleted. Simultaneous double labelling with 31 Si and 68 Ge produced concomitant accumulation and release of both isotopes. After a single IP injection, some 68 Ge remained in the spleen and kidney for up to 20 days. The 31 Si and 68 Ge concentration in the tissues and cell organelles increased linearly with the amount administered ( 31 Si, 10 −4 to 10 −2 g/kg body wt and 68 Ge, 10 −9 to 10 −3 g/kg body wt). Thus, substitution of 68 Ge for 31 Si can extend the limit of detection of Si by at least 5 orders of magnitude. Both 31 Si and 68 Ge were water extractable (47%–74% and 38%–89%, respectively) from liver cell organelles; 45%–81% 31 Si and 66%–90% 68 Ge were extractable in 10% TCA, while only 10%–59% of either isotope was extractable in organic solvents (acetone, chloroform, ethanol). A small percentage of Si may be bound or polymerized.
IGF-1 levels are significantly correlated with patient-reported measures of sexual function

Growth hormone (GH) supplementation may help to preserve erectile function. We assessed whether serum insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) levels, a surrogate for GH levels, correlate with sexual function scores in 65 men who completed the Sexual Health Inventory for Men (SHIM) and Expanded Prostate Cancer Index Composite (EPIC) questionnaires, and had serum IGF-1 and testosterone levels determined. Median±s.d. IGF-1 level, SHIM and EPIC scores were 235.0±86.4, 19.5±8.7 and 56.4±28.3 mg ml(-1), respectively. IGF-1 levels and total SHIM score correlate significantly (r=0.31, P=0.02), as do IGF-1 levels and all individual SHIM question scores, and IGF-1 levels and the sexual domain of the EPIC questionnaire (r=0.30, P=0.02). No correlation was observed between IGF-1 levels and Gleason score, IGF-1 and testosterone level or SHIM score and testosterone level. These data support a potential role for the GH axis in erectile function.
Molecular dynamics simulations on cyclic deformation of an epoxy thermoset

Abstract We use molecular dynamics simulations to study the thermo-mechanical response of a thermosetting polymer (diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A with 3,3′diamino-Diphenylsulfone) subject to cyclic loading for a family of tri-axial deformation paths and two different load levels and strain rates. We focus on how the relative amount of deviatoric and volumetric deformation affects strain accumulation and energy dissipation and find that uniaxial stress conditions lead to the highest rate of strain accumulation and dissipation. A characterization of the molecular-level processes responsible for strain accumulation provides insight into the observed role of volumetric and deviatoric deformations and explains the relatively low strain accumulation for purely deviatoric or volumetric loads. These results may help the design of polymer matrix composites with improved performance under cyclic loading conditions.
Competition in health care markets and the development of alternative forms of service delivery

Abstract This paper examines whether alternative forms of health care delivery locate in highly competitive health service markets. The analysis uses cross-sectional Florida data on the penetration of HMOs, ambulatory surgery centers, urgent care centers, hospices and home health programs in local markets characterized by varying levels of competitiveness among hospitals and among physicians. The results show generally that the development of these newer forms of service delivery are not systematically linked to inter-hospital competition but are influenced by physician supply and insurance demand. The potential contribution of such development to costcontainment efforts is thus questioned.
Ligand-induced alterations in the phosphorylation state of ethylene receptors in tomato fruit

Perception of the plant hormone ethylene is essential to initiate and advance ripening of climacteric fruits. Since ethylene receptors negatively regulate signaling, the suppression is canceled upon ethylene binding, permitting responses including fruit ripening. Although receptors have autophosphorylation activity, the mechanism whereby signal transduction occurs has not been fully determined. Here we demonstrate that LeETR4, a critical receptor for tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) fruit ripening, is multiply phosphorylated in vivo and the phosphorylation level is dependent on ripening stage and ethylene action. Treatment of preclimacteric fruits with ethylene resulted in accumulation of LeETR4 with reduced phosphorylation whereas treatments of ripening fruits with ethylene antagonists, 1-methylcyclopropene and 2,5-norbornadiene, induced accumulation of the phosphorylated isotypes. A similar phosphorylation pattern was also observed for Never ripe, another ripening-related receptor. Alteration in the phosphorylation state of receptors is likely to be an initial response upon ethylene binding since treatments with ethylene and 1-methylcyclopropene rapidly influenced the LeETR4 phosphorylation state rather than protein abundance. The LeETR4 phosphorylation state closely paralleled ripening progress, suggesting that the phosphorylation state of receptors is implicated in ethylene signal output in tomato fruits. We provide insights into the nature of receptor on and off states.
Response to sudden shifts in a two-nation arms race†

This article concerns living systems at the international or supranational level. Control theoretic techniques may be used to obtain information about the behavior of formal arms race models that cannot be gained by alternative methods. A two-nation, Richardson linear reaction process arms race model is treated as a second-order linear control system in order to determine its response to a sudden parameter shift represented as a step function disturbance. In contrast to the equilibrium oriented techniques generally used in the study of arms race models, control theoretic methods allow detailed analysis of both long-term and short-term effects of transient disturbances, including the way in which the system moves to a new equilibrium. The Routh-Hurwitz criteria and root-locus plot are compared to the more traditional stability criteria. System response is analyzed in detail for both the critically damped and the over- or under-damped cases. State space solution concepts that allow treatment of many-nation systems are examined. The techniques here applied to the arms expenditures of two nations isolated from or only loosely coupled to the rest of the world are also applicable to other reaction processes, such as two-party or intergroup conflicts, and this treatment may be extended both to higher-order differential equation models and to a large class of nonlinear models. Some methods are suggested for governments to use in managing their behavior so as to bring sudden shifts in arms races under greater control.
Waterfowl Habitat Change Over Five Decades in a Freshwater Tidal Ecosystem in Mid-Coast Maine

Abstract Merrymeeting Bay is a 4330-ha freshwater tidal ecosystem in mid-coast Maine that historically provided important stopover habitat for migrating waterfowl. To better understand a substantial decline in the number of ducks foraging in the ecosystem over the past fifty years, we reconstructed a history of environmental change using oral histories, aerial photography, and field experiments. Our studies revealed profound environmental change throughout the 20th century that likely influenced the capacity of the ecosystem to support migrating waterfowl. Ironically, the unregulated discharge of industrial and municipal wastes and high rates of sedimentation associated with land use in the middle decades of the 20th century probably enhanced the extent and productivity of intertidal, emergent plant communities including key forage plant species. However, over the past 30 years, primary wastewater treatment and regional reforestation have reduced the rates of nutrient loading and sedimentation, thereby di...
An improved approach for tank purge modeling

Abstract Many launch support processes use helium gas to purge rocket propellant tanks and fill lines to rid them of hazardous contaminants. As an example, the purge of the Space Shuttle's External Tank used approximately 1,100 kg of helium. With the rising cost of helium, initiatives are underway to examine methods to reduce helium consumption. Current helium purge processes have not been optimized using physics-based models, but rather use historical ‘rules of thumb’. To develop a more accurate and useful model of the tank purge process, computational fluid dynamics simulations of several tank configurations were completed and used as the basis for the development of an algebraic model of the purge process. The computationally efficient algebraic model of the purge process compares well with a detailed transient, three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation as well as with experimental data from two external tank purges.
Coordination of Design Contract with Construction Manager-at-Risk Preconstruction Service Contract:

A recent NCHRP study found that seven state departments of transportation (DOTs) have some type of experience using construction manager-at-risk [(CMR), also termed construction manager-general contractor (CM-GC)] project delivery. This project delivery method's major advantage was observed to lie in the collaboration between the designer and the builder during the preconstruction phase, which was found to reduce delivery time and project costs. Preconstruction collaboration does not happen automatically in CMR project delivery. To be effective, the requirement to collaborate must be included in both the design and preconstruction services contracts. This paper reports on changes to DOT design contracts successfully employed in CMR transportation projects. It concludes that an agency's standard design services contract must be modified to coordinate directly with the CMR preconstruction services contract to maximize the benefits associated with this project delivery method.
Low input intensity, high contrast optical AND gate based on Vertical-Cavity Semiconductor Optical Amplifiers (VCSOAs)

We have demonstrated, the first time to our knowledge, a low input intensity high contrast (10:1) optical AND gate based on the differential gain observed in a 850 nm GaAs vertical-cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (VCSOA.) The input switching power is about 6µW, which equals to the intensity of 16nW/µm2. It is about 2 orders of magnitude lower than in in-plane semiconductor optical amplifiers. In the experiment the device also shows an optical gain of 10dB.
Reactions of 5-(alkyl)thianthrenium and other sulfonium salts with nucleophiles

A series of 5-(alkyl)thianthrenium triflates (3a–d, g–i) with alkyl (R) groups Me (a), Et (b), isoPr (c), 2-Bu (d), cyclopentyl (g), cyclohexyl (h) and cycloheptyl (i) were prepared by alkylation of thianthrene (Th) with alkyl formate and trifluoromethanesulfonic (triflic) acid. Benzylation (3f) was achieved with benzyl bromide and silver triflate. 5-(Neopentyl)thianthrenium perchlorate (3e) was prepared by reaction of thianthrene cation radical perchlorate with dineopentyl mercury. Methyl- (4a) and cyclohexyldiphenylsulfonium triflate (4b) were made by alkylation of diphenyl sulfide. Benzyldimethyl- (5a), dibenzylmethyl- (5b) and benzylmethylphenylsulfonium perchlorate (5c) were prepared in standard ways. Reactions of these sulfonium salts with iodide ion and thiophenoxide ion were studied for comparison with our earlier reported reactions of comparable 5-(alkoxy)thianthrenium and methoxydiphenylsulfonium salts. It is deduced that reactions of 3–5 with nucleophiles (Nu−) I− and PhS− follow traditional SN2 and E2C paths. Thus, the salts 3a–c, e and f gave virtually quantitative yields of RNu and Th, while small amounts of butene(s) were obtained from 3d. The cycloalkyl salts 3g–i gave amounts of cycloalkylNu and cycloalkene typical of competition of SN2 and E2C routes in the classical reactions of cycloalkyl halides and tosylates with I− and PhS− ions. Whereas 4a gave only SN2 products, 4b gave SN2 and E2C products typical of SN2/E2C competition. Among the salts 5a–c displacement of the benzyl group was dominant (5a) or exclusive (5b, c), thus exhibiting the preferential displacement of a benzyl group that has been fully documented in earlier studies of SN2 reactions. Qualitative comparison showed that 3a (methyl) reacted much faster than 3e (neopentyl) with PhS−. Unlike alkoxysulfonium salts, the salts 3–5 do not appear to undergo reactions at the sulfonium sulfur atom. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Conditional laplace transforms for bayesian nonparametric inference in reliabity theory

Abstract In order to apply nonparametric meyhods to reliability problems, it is desibrable to have available priors over a broad class of survival distributions.In the paper, this is achieved by taking the failure rate function to be the sum oof a nonnegative stochastic process with increasing sample patjhs and a process with decreasing sample paths. This approach produces a prior which chooses an absolutely survival distribution that can have an IFR, DFR, or U -shapped failure rate. Posterior Laplace transforms of the failure rate are obtained based on survival data allows censoring. Bayes estimates of the failure rate as well as the lifetime distribution are then calculated from these posterior Laplace transforms. This approach is also applied to a competing risks model and the proportional hazards model of Cox.
Influence of porous medium and NAPL distribution heterogeneities on partitioning inter-well tracer tests: a laboratory investigation

Abstract The inter-well partitioning tracer test seemingly provides an attractive way of investigating the presence of non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in aquifers. Although the feasibility of this rather new technique has been tested in the field, only few laboratory experiments have been performed to test its validity at scales greater than the column scale. In this study, a partitioning tracer test was conducted in a nominally two-dimensional, intermediate-scale flow cell containing a tetrachloroethene (PCE) spill. Tracer breakthrough curves were obtained at 14 sampling ports and an extraction well containing three outlets. Estimated PCE contents resulting from the tracer technique were compared to PCE saturations obtained at 800 locations by gamma radiation. An inverse procedure, based on the two-site, non-equilibrium convection–dispersion equation, was used in addition to the moment method for sampling port data analysis. Although the inverse procedure produced slightly better results than the moment method, the tracer technique generally underestimated the amount of DNAPL contained in our aquifer model. Notably, our results showed that the pooled part of the DNAPL spill was not detected. This was attributed to the low aqueous phase permeability within the DNAPL pool in combination with rate-limited partitioning of the tracers into the DNAPL. Our analysis indicate a general difficulty for the tracer technique to detect NAPL located in pools or large lenses.
The isolation and properties of β-galactosidase from Escherichia coli grown on sodium selenate

Abstract β-Galactosidase (EC 3.21.23) was isolated from Escherichia coli grown on 0.01 M selenate and compared with the enzyme from cells grown on sulfate. Neutron activation analyses indicated that only the β-galactosidase from selenate cells contained selenium. Amino acid analyses showed that about 80 of the 150 methionine residues had been substituted by selenomethionine while none of the cystine residues were replaced. The catalytic parameters, Km and vmax, were not changed; however, the stability of the selenium β-galactosidase to heat and urea was decreased. It was noted that the urea-denatured enzyme containing selenium, renatured more rapidly and to a greater extent than did the enzyme with the normal sulfur content. A protein sedimenting with a sedimentation coefficient of 4 S was present during most of the isolation steps of both sulfur and selenium enzymes. The relative amount present in the selenium preparation was, however, much greater. Amino acid analysis suggested that this 4-S protein may be a subunit of the active β-galactosidase. A greater number of the methionines of the selenium 4-S protein were replaced by selenomethionine than in the active enzyme. The cystine contents were, however, nearly the same in both preparations.
Supporting location-based approximate-keyword queries

Many Web sites support keyword search on their spatial data, such as business listings and photos. In these systems, inconsistencies and errors can exist in both queries and the data. To bridge the gap between queries and data, it is important to support approximate keyword search on spatial data. In this paper we study how to answer such queries efficiently. We focus on a natural index structure that augments a tree-based spatial index with capabilities for approximate keyword search. We systematically study how to efficiently combine these two types of indexes, and how to search the resulting index to find answers. We develop three algorithms for constructing the index, successively improving the time and space efficiency by exploiting the textual and spatial properties of the data. We experimentally demonstrate the efficiency of our techniques on real, large datasets.
Measurement and Public Service Motivation: New Insights, Old Questions

ABSTRACT This article reviews some recent research from political science that speaks to the public service motivation (PSM) literature. Specifically, it discusses research that describes new measures of bureaucratic ideology and agency performance. These new measures might usefully be employed in the PSM literature and a discussion of them highlights some potential pitfalls in PSM research more generally.
Topological valley transport at bilayer graphene domain walls

The bandgap of bilayer graphene can be tuned with an electric field and topological valley polarized modes have been predicted to exist at its domain boundaries; here, near-field infrared imaging and low-temperature transport measurements reveal such modes in gapped bilayer graphene. Bilayer graphene offers an interesting platform in which to observe novel electronic effects that are different to those in monolayer graphene because the bilayer has a bandgap that can be tuned with an electric field. Moreover, topological valley polarized modes have been predicted to exist at its domain boundaries and in this study Feng Wang and colleagues use near-field optical imaging and low-temperature transport measurements to reveal that such modes do exist in in gapped bilayer graphene. This finding opens up the possibility to explore topological states in bilayer graphene that can be tuned with an electric field. Electron valley, a degree of freedom that is analogous to spin, can lead to novel topological phases in bilayer graphene. A tunable bandgap can be induced in bilayer graphene by an external electric field1,2,3,4,5, and such gapped bilayer graphene is predicted to be a topological insulating phase protected by no-valley mixing symmetry, featuring quantum valley Hall effects and chiral edge states6,7,8,9. Observation of such chiral edge states, however, is challenging because inter-valley scattering is induced by atomic-scale defects at real bilayer graphene edges10. Recent theoretical work11,12,13 has shown that domain walls between AB- and BA-stacked bilayer graphene can support protected chiral edge states of quantum valley Hall insulators. Here we report an experimental observation of ballistic (that is, with no scattering of electrons) conducting channels at bilayer graphene domain walls. We employ near-field infrared nanometre-scale microscopy (nanoscopy)14,15,16 to image in situ bilayer graphene layer-stacking domain walls on device substrates, and we fabricate dual-gated field effect transistors based on the domain walls. Unlike single-domain bilayer graphene, which shows gapped insulating behaviour under a vertical electrical field, bilayer graphene domain walls feature one-dimensional valley-polarized conducting channels with a ballistic length of about 400 nanometres at 4 kelvin. Such topologically protected one-dimensional chiral states at bilayer graphene domain walls open up opportunities for exploring unique topological phases and valley physics in graphene.
Visual Prognosis of Multifocal Choroiditis, Punctate Inner Choroidopathy, and the Diffuse Subretinal Fibrosis Syndrome

Purpose: To characterize the visual prognosis of patients with multifocal Choroiditis and panuveitis (MCP), punctate inner Choroidopathy (PIC), and the diffuse subretinal fibrosis (DSF) syndrome. Methods: Forty-one patients with MCP, 16 with PIC, and 5 with DSF syndrome were evaluated. The mean follow-up was approximately 39 months for patients with MCP, 51 months for patients with PIC, and 59 months for patients with DSF syndrome. Complete ophthalmic examinations were performed, and photofiles were reviewed. Results: The final average visual acuity for patients with MCP was 20/50. Fortyfive of the 68 involved eyes (66%)had 20/40 visual acuity or better. Choroidal neovascularization (CNV) developed within Choroiditis lesions in 22 (19 patients) of 68 eyes, causing visual acuity poorer than 20/50 in 14 eyes. The final average visual acuity in patients with PIC was 20/39; 23 (77%) of the 30 involved eyes had visual acuity of 20/ 40 or better. Six of the seven eyes with 20/50 or poorer vision had CNV. Six other eyes had CNV within the macula that regressed spontaneously with good resultant vision. Seven of the ten involved eyes with DSF syndrome had 20/200 or poorer vision. Poor vision was due to fibrosis and atrophy within the macula. Conclusion: Most patients with MCP and PIC retained visual acuity of 20/40 or better. In nearly one third of patients with MCP and PIC, CNV developed. Severe visual loss in these diseases was usually due to subfoveal CNV. Patients with DSF syndrome had a poor prognosis due to fibrosis and atrophy involving the macula.
Single machine earliness and tardiness scheduling

Abstract We examine the problem of scheduling a given set of jobs on a single machine to minimize total early and tardy costs without considering machine idle time. We decompose the problem into two subproblems with a simpler structure. Then the lower bound of the problem is the sum of the lower bounds of two subproblems. A lower bound of each subproblem is obtained by Lagrangian relaxation. Rather than using the well-known subgradient optimization approach, we develop two efficient multiplier adjustment procedures with complexity O(nlog n) to solve two Lagrangian dual subproblems. A branch-and-bound algorithm based on the two efficient procedures is presented, and is used to solve problems with up to 50 jobs, hence doubling the size of problems that can be solved by existing branch-and-bound algorithms. We also propose a heuristic procedure based on the neighborhood search approach. The computational results for problems with up to 3 000 jobs show that the heuristic procedure performs much better than known heuristics for this problem in terms of both solution efficiency and quality. In addition, the results establish the effectiveness of the heuristic procedure in solving realistic problems to optimality or near optimality.
Fabrication and electrochemical performance of thin-film solid oxide fuel cells with large area nanostructured membranes

Abstract Thin-film solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) with large (5-mm square) membranes and ultra-thin La 0.6 Sr 0.4 Co 0.8 Fe 0.2 O 3− δ (LSCF) cathodes have been fabricated and their electrochemical performance was measured up to 500 °C. A grid of plated nickel on the cathode with 5–10 μm linewidth and 25–50 μm pitch successfully supported a roughly 200-nm-thick LSCF/yttria-stabilized zirconia/platinum membrane while covering less than 20% of the membrane area. This geometry yielded a maximum performance of 1 mW cm −2 and 200 mV open-circuit voltage at 500 °C. Another approach toward realizing large area fuel cell junctions consists of depositing the membrane on a smooth substrate, covering it with a high-porosity material formed in situ , then removing the substrate. We have used a composite of silica aerogel and carbon fiber as the support, and show that this material can be created in flow channels etched into the underside of a silicon chip bonded to the top of the SOFC membrane. We anticipate these integrated fuel cell devices and structures to be of relevance to advancing low-temperature SOFCs for portable applications.
Failure of bilateral paraventricular nuclear lesions to cause hypothalamic hypothyroidism in fetal sheep

Concentrations of T4 indicative of a hyperthyroid state are present in fetal sheep plasma between 100 days gestational age (dGA) and parturition. Fetal pituitary stalk section studies indicate that, as in adults, these high fetal plasma T4 concentrations during pregnancy are controlled by the hypothalamus. We compared peripheral plasma T4 concentrations in fetal sheep with bilateral hypothalamic paraventricular nuclear (PVN) lesions (lesion group; n = 5) to fetal sheep with sham-PVN lesions (sham group; n = 4) at 131 and 146 dGA in the lesion group or at term (mean +/- SEM, 146 +/- 0.9 dGA) in the sham group. Bilateral hypothalamic PVN lesions or sham lesions were placed at 118-122 dGA. Baseline blood samples were taken between 1100-1500 h at 131 dGA in both groups, at term in the sham group, and at 146 dGA in the lesion group. In control sheep, TRH cells were found in the PVN and in a number of extra-PVN sites, and the median eminence received abundant TRH axons. In the lesion group, complete destruction of the PVN bilaterally was confirmed by histology. Extra-PVN TRH neurons remained intact in the lesioned sheep, and axons to the median eminence were reduced, but not eliminated. T4 concentrations in fetal plasma were not different in the lesion group and the sham group at 131 dGA (81 +/- 7 vs. 92 +/- 19 ng/ml) or at term (112 +/- 35 vs. 79 +/- 15 ng/ml), respectively. In contrast, fetal plasma concentrations of cortisol, which were not different in lesion and sham group fetuses at 131 dGA (1.7 +/- 0.3 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.2 ng/ml, respectively), were greatly reduced (P < 0.05) at 146 dGA in the lesion group compared to those in the sham group at term (2.0 +/- 0.5 vs. 58.8 +/- 11.5 ng/ml). We conclude that unlike in adult rats, the ovine fetal PVN is not required to maintain normal plasma T4 concentrations. The many TRH-positive cells that lie outside of the PVN in the fetal sheep appear to enable PVN-lesioned fetuses to remain euthyroid fetuses.
Retroperitoneal paraganglioma: Single-institution experience and review of the literature

Paragangliomas are rare tumors arising from extra-adrenal chromaffin cells. We examined the clinical characteristics of all patients at our institution having paragangliomas resected from 1984 through 2005. Of 253 resections, 22 (9%) were retroperitoneal and were selected for further study. The ratio of males to females was 1.3:1, and the median age was 39 years. The average size, rate of metastasis (i.e., malignancy), and rate of function was 7.4 cm, 9.5%, and 57.1%, respectively. Tumors larger than 7 cm were more likely to require adjacent organ resection (P = 0.01). The overall 5-year survival was 73%. Survival was significantly worse after metastasis (P = 0.0023) but did not depend on the tumor diameter, the secreting function of the tumor, the status of surgical margins of resection, or status of the resected lymph nodes.
Mg2+, Ca2+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase as receptor for divalent cations in bacterial sensing

The Mg2+, Ca2+-dependent adenosine triphosphatase responsible for interconversion of the energized membrane state to adenosine triphosphate is the receptor for divalent metal ions in bacterial chemotaxis. The receptors controlling bacterial behavior show a common pattern of dual functions.
Effects of indomethacin on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of prednisolone in rats

The effect of indomethacin on the disposition of prednisolone and the induction of tyrosine aminotransferase (TAT) was examined in male Sprague-Dawley rats. Rats were pretreated with either indomethacin (5 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) or phosphate buffered saline (control) twice daily for 6 days followed by a single dose of prednisolone. Blood samples were collected after prednisolone administration. In separate animals, hepatic TAT activity (pharmacologic effect) was measured 4 h after the prednisolone dose. In addition, the effect of indomethacin on the in vitro protein binding of prednisolone was examined in pooled rat and human plasma. The clearance and apparent volume of distribution of prednisolone in the control and indomethacin-treated animals were similar, averaging 4.71 versus 4.05 L/h/kg and 1.37 versus 1.33 L/kg, respectively. The elimination half-life was 0.48 h in both groups. Indomethacin also did not affect the protein binding of prednisolone in rat or human plasma. However, indomethacin pretreatment increased the hepatic TAT activity induced by prednisolone. These studies indicate that indomethacin may affect the pharmacological effects of prednisolone without influencing its pharmacokinetics.
A Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Method for Probing Molecular Influences of Substrate Loading in Nonribosomal Peptide Synthetase Carrier Proteins

Carrier proteins (CPs) play a central role in nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) as they shuttle covalently attached substrates between active sites. Understanding how the covalent attachment of a substrate (loading) influences the molecular properties of CPs is key to determining the mechanism of NRPS synthesis. However, structural studies have been impaired by substrate hydrolysis. Here, we used nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy to monitor substrate loading of a CP and to overcome hydrolysis. Our results reveal the spectroscopic signature of substrate loading and provide evidence of molecular communication between an NRPS carrier protein and its covalently attached substrate.
Lung cancer: update on staging classifications.

The AJC for Cancer Staging has improved the TNM system for lung cancer by breaking up the large category of advanced disease into several groups with different treatment implications. Radiologists should be familiar with this system so that they can direct the imaging part of the workup efficiently. The ATS classification of regional lymph nodes also has been updated both to take into account the growing recognition of superior diaphragmatic nodes in lung cancer and to change the supraclavicular lymph nodes from distant metastases to thoracic nodes (in keeping with the revised TNM system). Use of this classification helps radiologists record accurately which nodes are involved and also prompts the film reader to examine all parts of the mediastinum carefully and systematically. The use of CT for staging lung cancer is well established, but its appropriate use and limitations should be recognized. The usefulness of MR in special cases is now well described, but the hoped-for tissue specificity for tumor ha...
Tenascin: Does It Play a Role in Epidermal Morphogenesis and Homeostasis?

Tenascin is a large glycoprotein of the extracellular matrix. Its complex multidomain structure, along with its unique distribution during embryogenesis, inflammation, wound healing, and tumorigenesis suggest this protein may play a significant role in regulating cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. In this review I will summarize the structural features of tenascin and its localization in skin and discuss some of the potential roles of tenascin in the regulation of keratinocyte biology.
Kearns-Sayre syndrome: a case series of 35 adults and children.

Background Kearns–Sayre syndrome (KSS) is a rare mitochondrial cytopathy, first described at Mayo Clinic in 1958.
The Riemann Function, Singular Entropies, and the Structure of Oscillations in Systems of Two Conservation Laws

We use singular entropies, and the connection with the fundamental solution of the entropy equation and its adjoint operator, in order to derive a new formula describing the coupling of oscillations between the two characteristic fields in systems of two conservation laws.
Tools and methods for studying the Drosophila JAK/STAT pathway.

The Janus Kinase/Signal Transducers and Activators of Transcription (JAK/STAT) signaling pathway is one of a limited number of signaling cascades that is extensively utilized for many developmental and homeostatic functions. The JAK/STAT pathway is evolutionarily conserved from insects to mammals, with homologous transduction machinery in each. Yet the mammalian pathway is composed of multiple members for each family of proteins, while flies have only a single homologue of most pathway components. This simplicity and the abundance of genetic, biochemical, and developmental tools make Drosophila an attractive model to investigate this important signaling pathway. This review provides a basic description of the Drosophila JAK/STAT cascade and summarizes currently available reagents and tools to study and manipulate the pathway.
Analysis of clamped rectangular orthotropic plates subjected to a uniform lateral load

Abstract The increasing use of composite materials for plate-type structures intensified the need for solutions of orthotropic plates. One problem of interest is the clamped rectangular plate with reinforcing fibers parallel to the plate boundaries. There is no exact analytical solution for this problem. The purpose of this paper was to derive a closed-form approximate solution of high accuracy, even for third derivatives (shearing forces). This was achieved by utilizing the extended Kantorovich method. It was found that the convergence of this procedure is very rapid, in that the final form is reached after only four iterations, and that the final form of the generated solution is independent of the initial choice. To establish the accuracy of this solution, it was numerically evaluated for a plate made of Kevlar 49 Epoxy, and the results obtained were compared with the corresponding results by Whitney [Structural Analysis of laminated Anisotropic Plates. Technomic, Lancaster; Pennsylvania (1987)], as well as with the exact solution for a clamped infinite strip. It was found that with increasing plate aspect ratios, the deflections and bending moments generated approached closely those of the infinite strip, but those of Whitney did not.
Estimating the solidification/melting times of cylindrically symmetric regions

Abstract A simple, explicit algorithm previously developed to produce accurate solutions of phase change problems in one space dimension, is extended to cope with circular regions with spatially uniform boundary conditions. On study of numerically predicted results a single non-dimensional expression, which provides a prediction of the solidification/melting time of a circular cylinder, is derived. This expression is subsequently used to provide upper and lower bounds on solidification/melting times for general symmetric cylindrically shaped regions with spatially uniform boundary conditions.
Tumor-Associated Macrophages as a Source of Functional Dendritic Cells in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Abstract We have generated dendritic cells (DCs) from tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) obtained from ascites fluid or tumor specimens of ovarian cancer patients, and compared them phenotypically and functionally to DCs derived from the patients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Both immature and mature DCs could be generated from TAMs. However, TAM-derived DCs underwent maturation to a lesser degree than PBMC-derived DCs, as measured by DC receptor surface expression. Nonetheless, in allogeneic mixed lymphocyte reactions, TAM-derived DCs stimulated T cell proliferation as efficiently as PBMC-derived DCs. In addition, TAM-derived DCs presenting tumor Ags were capable of stimulating IFN-γ secretion by tumor-specific T cell lines. Thus, TAMs isolated from ovarian cancer patients can be used to generate significant numbers of DCs. Therefore, TAMs have potential use for either ex vivo or in vivo DC-based immunotherapy, particularly in individuals in which more conventional sources of DCs have been depleted.
The extent of phase transformation in silicon hardness indentations

The extent of phase transformation occurring in silicon during room-temperature indentation experiments has been examined by transmission electron microscopy of low-load microindents. The results show that the entire hardness impression arises from structural transformation and extrusion of a ductile high pressure phase. In particular, there is no dislocation activity or other mechanism of plastic deformation operating outside the clearly demarcated transformation zone. The observable impression consists of an amorphous transformation zone with an adjacent region of plastically extruded material and a layer of polycrystalline silicon at the near-surface transformation interface.
Empathy, Guilt, Volunteer Experiences, and Intentions to Continue Volunteering Among Buddy Volunteers in an AIDS Organization1

We examined the influence of empathic concern, perspective-taking, personal distress, and guilt on perceptions of volunteer experiences and intentions to continue volunteering among buddy volunteers serving HIV positive clients. Volunteers who exhibited empathic concern and perspective-taking perceived their volunteer experiences to be more challenging and important, and these perceptions predicted intentions to continue volunteering. The effect of empathic concern on intentions was mediated by perceptions that volunteer experiences were challenging and important. Volunteers who felt greater guilt had closer relationships with their client buddies, and closer relationships predicted stronger intentions to continue volunteering. Volunteers who experienced greater personal distress perceived their volunteer experiences to be more disappointing. Neither guilt nor personal distress influenced intentions to continue volunteering.
Linkage study of cancer risk among lead-exposed workers in New Jersey

Abstract Objectives Epidemiologic studies have illustrated a possible association between occupational exposure to lead and cancer, specifically cancers of the kidney, lung, stomach, and nervous system. We performed a linkage between two New Jersey databases: the Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance System (ABLES) and the New Jersey State Cancer Registry (NJSCR) for 1985–2001 to ascertain the risk of cancer in lead-exposed workers and to evaluate the usefulness of this type of linkage. Methods A cohort of 3192 men from the ABLES database met the selection criteria before the linkage. AUTOMATCH was used to link the two databases. Person-time was stratified for each worker by five-year age group and calendar year. A standardized incidence ratios (SIR) analysis was performed. Results 83 cases of cancer were found among 3165 men after all exclusions were made. Workers were followed for an average of ten years and contributed 30,401 person-years. The SIR analysis showed a large overall deficit of cancer (SIR = 0.51; 95% CI 0.41 to 0.62). Cancers of the stomach, breast, larynx, intrahepatic bile duct, and chronic myeloid leukemia were non-significantly elevated. Prostate cancer showed the only statistically significant result, a deficit with an SIR of 0.35 (95% CI 0.20 to 0.57). Deficits also occurred in cancers of the lung, kidney, and brain. Conclusions The results do not indicate that occupational exposure to lead is associated with cancer. However, firm conclusions are not possible because of various study limitations, including small numbers, a large percentage of workers without age information, short follow-up time, and lack of vital status information. Cancer incidence in this cohort was expected to be low due to the Healthy Worker Effect and young age. Further follow-up of this cohort may be warranted since additional cancers may accrue as time from first exposure increases. Increased worker cohort information would also improve this type of study.
Deterministic chaos and fractal attractors as tools for nonparametric dynamical econometric inference: with an application to the divisia monetary aggregates

The use of deterministic chaos and strange attractor theory as tools in statistical inference is proposed, and an application to econometrics is provided. It is found that high-quality economic data is suitable for the use of those methods. However, low-quality economic data is found to possess a high noise-to-signal ratio, such that the potentially chaotic signal cannot be accurately identified. When sample size is sufficiently large and the noise-to-signal ratio is sufficiently low-as is shown to be the case with certain monetary aggregates-we find that the strange attractor produced by the chaotic signal can be detected and used to produce powerful and useful statistical inferences about the structure of the economy.
Science, Ethics, and the "Problems" of Governing Nanotechnologies

Commentators continue to weigh in on whether there are ethical, social, and policy issues unique to nanotechnology, whether new regulatory schemes should be devised, and if so, how. Many of these commentaries fail to take into account the historical and political environment for nanotechnologies. That context affects regulatory and oversight systems as much as any new metrics to measure the effects of nanoscale materials, or organizational changes put in place to facilitate data analysis. What comes to count as a technical or social "problem" says much about the sociotechnical and political-historical networks in which technologies exist. This symposium's case studies provide insight into procedural successes and failures in the regulation of novel products, and ethical or social analyses that have attended to implications of novel, disruptive technologies. Yet what may be needed is a more fundamental consideration of forms of governance that may not just handle individual products or product types more effectively, but may also be flexible enough to respond to radically new technological systems. Nanotechnology presents an opportunity to think in transdisciplinary terms about both scientific and social concerns, rethink "knowns" about risk and how best to ameliorate or manage it, and consider how to incorporate ethical, social, and legal analyses in the conceptualization, planning, and execution of innovations.
Characterization of the size and location of dyssynchronous regions in patients undergoing CRT

Background The amount and location of left ventricular (LV) mechanical dyssynchrony affects an individual’s ability to respond positively to cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) [Bax et al JACC 2005]. By using high temporal resolution short-axis cines, it is possible to derive radial motion curves throughout the LV. These radial motion curves can be used to create maps showing dyssynchronous regions in patients enrolled for CRT. The objective of this study was to characterize the size and location of areas of mechanical dyssynchrony in patients scheduled for CRT by comparing their radial wall motion curves to radial motion curves from normal subjects.
Learning Local Semantic Distances with Limited Supervision

Recent advances in distance function learning have demonstrated that learning a good distance metric can greatly improve the performance in a wide variety of tasks in data mining and web search. A major problem in such scenarios is the limited labeled knowledge available for learning the user intentions. Furthermore, distances are inherently local, where a single global distance function may not capture the distance structure well. A challenge here is that local distance learning is even harder when the labeled information available is limited, because the distance function varies with data locality. To address these issues, we propose a local metric learning algorithm termed Local Semantic Sensing (LSS), which augments the small amount of labeled data with unlabeled data in order to learn the semantic information in the manifold structure, and then integrated with supervised intentional knowledge in a local way. We present results in a retrieval application, which show that the approach significantly outperforms other state-of-the-art methods in the literature.
Artificial neural network classification of Drosophila courtship song mutants

Courtship songs produced by Drosophila males — wild-type, plus the cacophony and dissonance behavioral mutants — were examined with the aid of newly developed strategies for adaptive acoustic analysis and classification. This system used several techniques involving artificial neural networks (a.k.a. parallel distributed processing), including learned vector quantization of signals and non-linear adaption (back-propagation) of data analysis. “Pulse” song from several individual wild-type and mutant males were first vector-quantized according to their frequency spectra. The accumulated quantized data of this kind, for a given song, were then used to “teach” or adapt a multiple-layered feedforward artificial neural network, which classified that song according to its original genotype. Results are presented on the performance of the final adapted system when faced with novel test data and on acoustic features the system decides upon for predicting the song-mutant genotype in question. The potential applications and extensions of this new system are discussed, including how it could be used to screen for courtship mutants, search novel behavior patterns or cause-and-effect relationships associated with reproduction, compress these kinds of data for digital storage, and analyze Drosophila behavior beyond the case of courtship song.
A study of the reaction π−p → π+π−n at 100 and 175 GeV/c☆☆☆

Abstract The reaction π−p → π+π−n was studied at 100 and 175 GeV/c incident beam momenta. The ϱ0 region cross section was 0.934 μb at 100 GeV/c and 0.229 μb at 175 GeV/c. Spherical harmonic moments in the Gottfried-Jackson frame are presented as a function of mass and proton-neutron four-momentum transfer. The pion Regge trajectory is calculated. Decay distributions are presented for the ϱ in the helicity and Gottfried-Jackson frames. The apparatus and analysis are discussed.