cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Investigation of the effect of the dispersed phase concentration on the coagulation of lyophobic sols by electrolytes

Abstract The stability diagrams of concentrated colloidal dispersions modelled by a system of equal spheres located at the points of an infinite cubic lattice are calculated. Analysis of the stability diagrams shows that the results are similar to those we obtained previously on the basis of a two-dimensional model [1]: there is a certain limit of the content of dispersed phase in the solution, above which the colloidal system cannot be stable. To provide stability of a colloidal dispersion a minimal electrolyte concentration in the solution is necessary, and the coagulating electrolyte concentration as a function of the particle radius exhibits a maximum.
Group Contracts for Voluntary Nonpoint Source Pollution Reductions: Evidence from Experimental Auctions

Agricultural production has increasingly been identified as a leading cause of water quality impairment in the United States. As a result, there is a growing need for environmental policy instruments that can cost-effectively generate measurable reductions in nutrient runoff from farming. The development of such policies is complicated by the disperse nature of agricultural run-off. While collective nutrient loadings from agricultural sources can be determined through analyses such as a Total Maximum Daily Load process, the conveyance of nutrients from farming practices to waterways, across and through the physical landscape, makes identifying the contribution of individual sources difficult and costly. To date, most policies to reduce agricultural nutrient run-off have avoided these complications and have instead relied upon voluntary technology-based approaches, such as the USDA Environmental Quality Incentive Program. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) currently lists thirty-seven water quality trading markets, in existence or development, that allow privately owned point sources to meet their regulatory bur-
Structure of Large Nitrate−Water Clusters at Ambient Temperatures: Simulations with Effective Fragment Potentials and Force Fields with Implications for Atmospheric Chemistry

Structural properties of large NO3−·(H2O)n (n = 15−500) clusters are studied by Monte Carlo simulations using effective fragment potentials (EFPs) and by classical molecular dynamics simulations using a polarizable empirical force field. The simulation results are analyzed with a focus on the description of hydrogen bonding and solvation in the clusters. In addition, a comparison between the electronic structure based EFP and the classical force field description of the 32 water cluster system is presented. The EFP simulations, which focused on the cases of n = 15 and 32, show an internal, fully solvated structure and a “surface adsorbed” structure for the 32 water cluster at 300 K, with the latter configuration being more probable. The internal solvated structure and the “surface adsorbed” structure differ considerably in their hydrogen bonding coordination numbers. The force field based simulations agree qualitatively with these results, and the local geometry of NO3− and solvation at the surface-adsorb...
Optimization of a capillary electrophoresis method to determine the chiral purity of a drug

Abstract Capillary electrophoresis (CE) using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) in the separation buffer was investigated to determine the overall chiral purity of a drug containing a single stereogenic center. The effects of primary factors —pH, buffer components, buffer concentration, cyclodextrin concentration and sample amount (concentration and injection volume) — on the resolution of the enantiomers were investigated. Secondary factors such as the HP-β -CD source, lot and degree of substitution that were expected to affect the robustness of the assay were investigated also. The linearity, quantitation limit for the trace enantiomer and the precision of the measurements were determined. This study shows that understanding and optimizing the assay conditions leads to a chiral CE separation that is comparable to that obtained by chiral HPLC. However, chiral CE separations achieved with buffer additives have the advantages of shorter run times, higher numbers of theoretical plates (greater resolution), smaller amounts of chiral additive (less cost) and greater ruggedness (separation virtually independent of column properties unlike HPLC).
Genetic modification of proteins in food

Plant breeders have been extremely successful in improving the quality and yield of the major crops, while maintaining the safety of the food supply. This success has been achieved with very little understanding of the biochemical mechanisms that determine the selected traits. Each time a cross is made, tens of thousands of genes are mixed and reassorted, largely at random. The skill of the breeder lies in selecting the lines to be crossed and recognizing the preferred progeny, discarding those that lack the desirable trait or exhibit undesirable properties. With the advent of recombinant DNA technology, breeders have not only extended the range of biological materials from which genes can be accessed, but have also gained new insights into genome organization and gene structure as well as the nature and function of the proteins that those genes encode. Such knowledge affords exquisite specificity in altering the genetic makeup of new crop varieties. For example, resistance to insect pests can now be achieved through the addition of a single well-characterized gene, instead of introducing thousands of unwanted genes from a wild relative that code for uncharacterized and possibly toxic proteins that must be eliminated by generations of backcrossing and screening to recover a commercially acceptable insect-resistant line. The technology also affords unique opportunities to identify the individual components of foods that may cause allergies, and to remove them from food, or change them, so that the food can be consumed safely. A number of commercial products derived through genetic engineering have been approved through regulatory processes that address environmental and food safety concerns. These products are available, or will shortly be available, to growers, producers, and consumers. They will provide foods and feeds that are produced with fewer chemical inputs and have improved nutritional composition and quality.
Transient electrical response of San Quintin Dunite as a function of oxygen fugacity changes: Information about charge carriers

The electrical conductivity (σ) of San Quintin dunite (SQD) measured between 950 and 1150°C at controlled oxygen fugacity (fO2) within the olivine stability field shows transients in response to changes in fO2. Such behavior has not been reported previously for measurements made under similar conditions on either olivine single crystals or polycrystalline samples (dunites and lherzolites) in which olivine is the major phase. In general for olivine, an increase in fO2 results in an increase in σ. The transient is manifested as a change in σ from a stable equilibrium value at a specific fO2 to a quickly established subsequent value, the direction of which is opposite that of the final value that will be attained for the fO2 change. This transient may be caused by a changing population of electrons produced by oxygen vacancies, the grain boundaries, or a short-lived defect. We postulate that the transient is observed in this particular dunite because of its large surface area to volume ratio. The transient is more pronounced at relatively high fO23 and temperatures between 950 and 1100°C. At relatively low fO2s and temperatures higher than 1100°C, the effect is diminished. The Seebeck coefficient (S), at 1200°C, is slightly smaller than that reported for single-crystal olivine, and at 1100°C is similar to that reported for single crystal olivine.
A bivariate model for total fertility rate and mean age of childbearing.

Annual estimates of total fertility rate and mean age of childbearing from the years 1921-80 in the US were fitted to a bivariate autoregression model incorporating regression adjustments for the effects of World War II on fertility. The time series model reduces to a transfer function model in which the total fertility rate is a function of its own past and noise while mean age at childbearing is a function of its own past the past of the total fertility rate and noise. Although contemporaneous changes in mean age of childbearing tend to be negatively correlated with changes in total fertility rate there is a tendency for adjustments in mean age to be in the same direction as changes in total fertility in the long run. The dynamic tendency in the relationship between these 2 variables is not obvious in simple graphs of these quantities. Forecasts beyond the year 1944 were found to include high standard errors and thus are considered useless as guides to the future behavior of these variables. However other time series could be added to the model and the judgements of demographers economists and sociologists could be blended with the model-based extrapolations to provide useful data.
An algorithmic construction of optimal minimax designs for heteroscedastic linear models

We construct optimal designs to minimize the maximum variance of the fitted response over an arbitrary compact region. An algorithm is proposed for finding such optimal minimax designs for the simple linear regression model with heteroscedastic errors. This algorithm always finds the optimal design in a few simple steps. For more complex models where there is a symmetric error variance structure, we suggest a strategy to help find some hitherto elusive optimal minimax designs.
Expression and regulatory role of GAIP-interacting protein GIPC in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Regulator of G-protein signaling-GAIP-interacting protein COOH terminus (GIPC) is involved in protein trafficking, endocytosis, and receptor clustering and is associated with insulin-like growth factor I receptor (IGF-IR), a receptor important for proliferation and anchorage-independent growth. Here, we described GIPC expression in different human pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PCA) cell lines and we examined the role of GIPC in the regulation of IGF-IR protein levels in PCA. Interestingly, inhibition of GIPC expression by RNA interference led to reduced IGF-IR protein levels and a subsequent decrease in proliferation of PCA cells. We also determined that the PDZ domain of GIPC is essential for the post-translational regulation and the binding of IGF-IR. The importance of GIPC in pancreatic cancer development and progression is supported by tissue microarray data of 300 pancreatic cancer specimens where GIPC is highly expressed in PCA. Taken together, our data suggest that GIPC is a central molecule for the stability of IGF-IR and could be a target for future therapy.
Grid computing enhances standards-compatible geospatial catalogue service

A catalogue service facilitates sharing, discovery, retrieval, management of, and access to large volumes of distributed geospatial resources, for example data, services, applications, and their replicas on the Internet. Grid computing provides an infrastructure for effective use of computing, storage, and other resources available online. The Open Geospatial Consortium has proposed a catalogue service specification and a series of profiles for promoting the interoperability of geospatial resources. By referring to the profile of the catalogue service for Web, an innovative information model of a catalogue service is proposed to offer Grid-enabled registry, management, retrieval of and access to geospatial resources and their replicas. This information model extends the e-business registry information model by adopting several geospatial data and service metadata standards-the International Organization for Standardization (ISO)'s 19115/19119 standards and the US Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) and US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) metadata standards for describing and indexing geospatial resources. In order to select the optimal geospatial resources and their replicas managed by the Grid, the Grid data management service and information service from the Globus Toolkits are closely integrated with the extended catalogue information model. Based on this new model, a catalogue service is implemented first as a Web service. Then, the catalogue service is further developed as a Grid service conforming to Grid service specifications. The catalogue service can be deployed in both the Web and Grid environments and accessed by standard Web services or authorized Grid services, respectively. The catalogue service has been implemented at the George Mason University/Center for Spatial Information Science and Systems (GMU/CSISS), managing more than 17TB of geospatial data and geospatial Grid services. This service makes it easy to share and interoperate geospatial resources by using Grid technology and extends Grid technology into the geoscience communities.
Mental Practice Applying Motor PRACTICE and Neuroplasticity Principles to Increase Upper Extremity Function

The vast majority of stroke survivors exhibit residual impairments,1,2 with most reporting-associated quality of life decrements.3,4 The prevalence of these poststroke motor deficits and the overall burden of stroke are likely to rise exponentially attributable to an aging population and increases in the prevalence of many risk factors (eg, obesity, diabetes mellitus, smoking).5,6 In light of these trends, several promising motor interventions have been introduced, with many targeting upper extremity (UE) hemiparesis, given its widely appreciated impact. Yet, although several of these approaches appear efficacious, few therapeutic approaches showing promise in animal or early human trials are fully translated to regular clinical practice.7 Consistently, many contemporary motor rehabilitation strategies require high duration contact time8 and costly equipment,9 preventing their widespread clinical application, except among specialized rehabilitation and academic medical centers. Mental practice involves repetitive cognitive rehearsal of physical movements in the absence of physical, voluntary attempts. From a practical perspective, mental practice constitutes an attractive alternative to other rehabilitative approaches because it does not require physical rehearsal, can be performed without direct supervision, and requires minimal expense and equipment, facilitating ease of use. The brain’s ability to respond to repetitive, learning-based strategies even years after injury and well into adulthood also makes mental practice a favorable match for stroke, which tends to be a disease of the aged and because survivors frequently exhibit residual impairments for years postictus. We speculated that repetitive mental practice use, shown to trigger the same neural areas and musculature as physical practice of the same tasks,10–14 would cause substantive neural and motor changes in stroke survivors with UE deficits. Although used for decades in sport and exercise settings, this laboratory was the first to apply mental practice to increase learning …
Compression Testing of 3D Polymer Fabrics for Use as Cartilage Scaffolds

The onset of osteoarthritis is characterized by damage to articular cartilage. Current treatments include pharmaceutical therapies and arthroplasty procedures. Work on a new type of device that uses orthogonal woven polymer scaffolds as a structure for tissue engineering of cartilage has been cited in the literature [1].© 2010 ASME
7-methylheptacosane is a major component of the contact sex pheromone of the cerambycid beetle Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus

Male Neoclytus acuminatus acuminatus (F.) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) attempt to mate with females only after touching them with their antennae, suggest- ing that mate recognition is mediated by contact pheromones in the cuticular wax layer of females. Consistent with that hypothesis, males exhibit similar responses to dead females in laboratory bioassays, but not to solvent-washed dead females with their cuticular hydrocarbons removed. The mating response of males is restored when solvent extracts are reapplied to carcasses of solvent-washed females, indicat- ing that the contact pheromone is present in solvent extracts. Solvent extracts of the female cuticle contain six methylalkanes that are not present in extracts of males, three of which (7Me-C 25 , 7Me-C 27 and 9Me-C 27 ) constitute almost 40% of the total hydrocarbons. The bioactivity of these three compounds is tested by applying syn- thetic standards to solvent-washed carcasses of females and presenting them to males. Standards are tested singly, pairwise and as the complete blend; freeze-killed females serve as controls. Males attempt to couple with solvent-washed female car- casses treated with 7Me-C 27 alone and in combination with 9Me-C 27 but only the complete blend elicits the same number of mounting and coupling attempts as does the control. These findings suggest that 7Me-C 27 (7-methylheptacosane) is the major component of the contact sex pheromone of N. a. acuminatus and that 7Me-C 25 and 9Me-C 27 act as synergists.
Beyond Elitism and Technicism: Teacher Education as Practical Philosophy.

Teacher education, according to Beyer, has too seldom been conceived as either contributing to the maintenance of the liberal arts (elitist) tradition or to the de velopment of technical knowledge....
Computation of steady and unsteady vortex dominated flows

The unsteady Euler equations have been written in the conservation form for the relative motion in a rotating frame of reference. The resulting equations are solved by using a central-difference finite-volume scheme with four-stage Runge-Kutta time stepping. For steady flow problems, local time stepping is used and for unsteady flow problems, the minimum global time stepping is used. A three-dimensional fully vectorized computer program has been developed and applied to steady and unsteady maneuvering delta wing. The capability of the three-dimensional program has been demonstrated for a rigid sharp-edged delta wing undergoing uniform rolling in a conical flow and rolling oscillations in a locally conical flow.
Incremental Validity of the Act Test Battery for Predicting Success in a School of Nursing Over a 10-Year Period

The incremental effectiveness of the American College Testing Program Examination (ACT) was studied along with the effectiveness of the ACT alone and of high school grade-point average alone in predicting differential success in a three-year nurses' training program for 199 students over a 10-year period. Both high school grade-point average and ACT scores alone and combined were significantly related to first-, second-, and third-year grade-point averages of students in the school of nursing as evidenced by significant (p < .01) zero-order and multiple correlation coefficients. These zero-order and multiple correlation coefficients were converted to indices of forecasting efficiency which showed an increase in predictive power greater than 100% for each of the three years when the ACT was used to supplement high school grade-point average to predict grades in the school of nursing.
Primatology comes of age: 2002 AAPA Luncheon address†

The growth of primate field studies has occurred along multiple dimensions representing expansion in the number of species studied, comparative studies of different populations of the same species, and populations and groups studied over time. The accumulation of data on a broader taxonomic diversity of primates has contributed to advances in the use of comparative methods for gaining insights into interspecific variation in behavior patterns, but the incorporation of intraspecific variation into comparative models of behavior has lagged behind. This delay can be attributed, in part, to the slow rate at which the interacting effects of life history and demography on behavior emerge in slow-growing, long-lived primates. It may also reflect the anthropocentric foundation of field primatology, which historically focused on interspecific comparisons with humans instead of interpopulation variation among primates. Conservation concerns have stimulated new thinking about the importance of populations and the range of behavioral variation that populations maintain. The integration of intra- and interspecific behavioral variation will distinguish the next generation of comparative models in primatology, and set a new agenda as field primatology comes of age.
The de Facto US Mental and Addictive Disorders Service System: Epidemiologic Catchment Area Prospective 1-Year Prevalence Rates of Disorders and Services

• After initial interviews with 20 291 adults in the National Institute of Mental Health Epidemiologic Catchment Area Program, we estimated prospective 1-year prevalence and service use rates of mental and addictive disorders in the US population. An annual prevalence rate of 28.1% was found for these disorders, composed of a 1-month point prevalence of 15.7% (at wave 1) and a 1-year incidence of new or recurrent disorders identified in 12.3% of the population at wave 2. During the 1-year follow-up period, 6.6% of the total sample developed one or more new disorders after being assessed as having no previous lifetime diagnosis at wave 1. An additional 5.7% of the population, with a history of some previous disorder at wave 1, had an acute relapse or suffered from a new disorder in 1 year. Irrespective of diagnosis, 14.7% of the US population in 1 year reported use of services in one or more component sectors of the de facto US mental and ad- dictive service system. With some overlap between sectors, specialists in mental and addictive disorders provided treatment to 5.9% of the US population, 6.4% sought such services from general medical physicians, 3.0% sought these services from other human service professionals, and 4.1% turned to the voluntary support sector for such care. Of those persons with any disorder, only 28.5% (8.0 per 100 population) sought mental health/addictive services. Persons with specific disorders varied in the proportion who used services, from a high of more than 60% for somatization, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorders to a low of less than 25% for addictive disorders and severe cognitive impairment. Applications of these descriptive data to US health care system reform options are considered in the context of other variables that will determine national health policy.
INFLUENCE OF PARBOILING AND FREEZING CONDITIONS ON TEXTURAL PROPERTIES OF CALIFORNIA COOKED RICE

The textural properties of thawed samples of cooked parboiled, long (Cal Belle) and short (S201) grain rice varieties were evaluated using an Instron Universal Testing Instrument (Model 1122). In general, the parboiling treatments resulted in a significant increase of hardness but a significant decrease in stickiness of both long and short grain cooked rice when freezing conditions were pooled. Freezing increased hardness and decreased stickiness of long grain cooked parboiled rice significantly regardless of parboiling conditions, however, it did not decrease the stickiness of short grain cooked parboiled rice significantly. The long grain rice was harder and less sticky than the short grain rice when cooked regardless of treatments used. Hardness was negatively correlated with stickiness indexes (r =−0.819, P < 0.001).
Mild cognitive impairment and feeling-of-knowing in episodic memory.

This study examined both retrospective and prospective memory self-monitoring abilities in 33 individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 33 healthy older adult controls. Participants learned 36 critical cue–target word pairs. Following a distractor task, participants were asked to recall each target word that corresponded to a given cue word. Confidence ratings were provided for recalled words. For nonrecalled words, feeling-of-knowing judgments about the likelihood of recognizing the target word on a subsequent recognition test were provided. We found that despite poorer episodic memory performance, the MCI individuals demonstrated accurate retrospective self-monitoring of recalled episodic material. In contrast, the MCI participants were less accurate than controls prospectively self-monitoring their memory for newly learned information. These findings suggest that memory self-monitoring is not a unitary construct and that amnestic MCI participants have difficulty with prospective mem...
Development of real-time photoacoustic microscopy

Photoacoustic tomography detecting ultrasound signals generated from photon absorption provides optical absorption contrast in vivo for structural, functional and molecular imaging. Although photoacoustic tomography technology has grown fast in recent years, real-time photoacoustic imaging with cellular spatial resolution are still strongly demanded. We developed a photoacoustic microscopy which has video-rate imaging capability with cellular spatial resolution. The system consists of a single-element focused ultrasound transducer, a fiber-based light-delivery subsystem, a voice-coil translation stage, a motion controller, and a data acquisition subsystem. A compact cube is employed to split optical and acoustic beams. The mass of the entire scanning photoacoustic probe is less than 40 grams, which minimizes potential vibrations and inertial effects, therefore, makes it capable to scan fast. The imaging system is capable of acquiring 20 cross-sectional (B-scan) images per second over 9 mm, and up to 40 B-scan images per second over 1 mm. Focused laser beams provide a lateral resolution of five microns. Confocal deployment of optical and acoustic focuses provides higher SNR than optical scanning approach. Micron-sized carbon particles flowing in silicone tubing and in vivo blood flows were imaged in video-rate, which demonstrated the capability to image highly dynamic biological processes in vivo with cellular resolution. This real-time high-resolution photoacoustic imaging system provides a promising approach for various in vivo imaging and quantitative studies.
Mechanistic Studies of Ce(IV)-Mediated Oxidation of β-Dicarbonyls: Solvent-Dependent Behavior of Radical Cation Intermediates

The Ce(IV)-initiated oxidation of synthetically relevant β-diketones and β-keto silyl enol ethers was explored in three solvents: acetonitrile, methylene chloride, and methanol. The studies presented herein show that the rate of reaction between Ce(IV) and the substrates is dependent upon the polarity of the solvent. Thermochemical studies and analysis are interpreted to be consistent with transition state stabilization by solvent being primarily responsible for the rate of substrate oxidation. Kinetic investigation of radical cations obtained from oxidations of β-diketones reveals that a more ordered transition state for the radical cation decay is achieved through the direct involvement of methanol in the deprotonation of the intermediate. In the case of radical cations derived from β-keto silyl enol ethers, experimental data support a mechanism involving unimolecular decay of the intermediate. Remarkably, radical cations derived from β-diketones and β-keto silyl enol ethers are surprisingly stable in ...
A review of the delayed fission neutron technique

Abstract Neutron activation analysis (NAA) has recently become an extremely valuable and sensitive tool for the determination of many elements in a wide variety of matrices. Samples are usually irradiated in a neutron flux, after which the gamma ray emission rate is measured with an appropriate detector. Some nuclides, in addition to being able to undergo a neutron capture reaction, also have the capability of fissioning after absorbing a neutron. In this case, not only are gamma rays emitted by the fission products, but also delayed neutrons as well. These delayed neutrons arise from the decay of certain neutron-rich fission products or precursors which decay by direct neutron emission, rather than the more common beta decay. As the name implies, the delayed fission neutron (DFN) technique is based upon measuring these delayed neutrons emitted. Although limited to fissionable nuclides, the DFN technique nevertheless has several outstanding advantages. A DFN counting system can be made insensitive to gamma ray interference. Furthermore, minimum levels of detection are in the nanorgram range. Analysis is usually quite rapid, typically no more than several minutes per sample. In addition to a description of the theory of the DFN technique itself and a cursory examination of the historical development of this technique, a fairly exhaustive collection of data concerning different DFN systems is presented. The purpose of this compilation is to give a present or prospective user of this technique a resource tool to evaluate state-of-the-art procedures and equipment.
Pediatricians' beliefs and prescribing patterns of adolescent contraception: a provider survey.

Abstract Study Objective Teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infection (STI) rates continue to be significant public health problems in the United States. While general pediatricians are in a unique position to improve these issues by addressing contraception with their adolescent patients, there are no data describing their current prescribing patterns. This study sought to elucidate the beliefs and prescribing patterns of general pediatricians and pediatrics residents and to distinguish whether these were affected by practice setting, level of training, or gender. Design, Setting, Participants General pediatricians and pediatrics residents affiliated with Lurie Children's Hospital in Chicago, IL, were asked to complete a survey regarding adolescent contraception. Main Outcome Measures Questions were related to obtaining information about contraception, contraceptive counseling, knowledge of contraceptive methods, prescribing patterns of contraceptives, and concerns about individual contraceptive methods. Results 120 physicians of an eligible 411 physicians participated in this study (29%). 79% of participants had prescribed at least 1 contraceptive method. The most commonly prescribed method was oral contraceptive pills at 72%. We noted few differences in prescribing patterns based on above criteria. Numerous misconceptions existed among participants, including a high rate of concern about infertility with IUD use (29% among physicians who prescribed at least 1 method of contraception). Conclusions General pediatricians can improve their rates of prescribing contraception to adolescents, and could utilize more of the approved methods. One way to do so may be to implement educational interventions among general pediatricians.
Relaxation of classical particles in anharmonic multi-well potentials

Abstract Using extensive numerical and some exact asymptotic analyses, we argue that the canonical ensemble relaxation of a classical particle in an anharmonic multi-well potential landscape with leading quartic anharmonicity exhibits a 1/ t decay to equilibrium. In addition, we provide numerical evidence of algebraic decay of form 1/ t φ , 0 φ stronger leading anharmonicities . Our results have important consequences for relaxation studies in several problems of considerable interest in condensed matter physics such as in the Krumhansl-Schrieffer model of displacive structural phase transitions, and in various complex systems.
Detergent effects on primary charge separation in wild-type and mutant Rhodobacter capsulatus reaction centers

The primary electron-transfer processes in reaction centers (RCs) from wild-type and several mutants of Rhodo- bacter capsulatus have been investigated as a function of the detergent used to extract the RC protein from the membrane. Wild-type and L(M212)H mutant RCs that have been isolated using the detergent Deriphat 160-C both display somewhat slower initial charge separation (longer Plifetimes) than the same RCs isolated using the detergent LDAO. For the F(L181)Y/Y(M208)F/L(M212)H triple mutant, the differences in the initial charge separation events for Deriphat-versus LDAO-isolated RCs are more significant. In all cases, use of Deriphat 160-C to extract the protein from the membrane yields RCs in which the QY band of P is retained at its native position near 865 nm, whereas LDAO extraction yields RCs that have the P band near 850 nm. Origins of the differences in both the ground state spectrum and the photochemistry, including possible RC-lipid associations, are considered. 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equations.

This paper summarizes our present theoretical understanding of single-molecule kinetics associated with the Michaelis-Menten mechanism of enzymatic reactions. Single-molecule enzymatic turnover experiments typically measure the probability density f(t) of the stochastic waiting time t for individual turnovers. While f(t) can be reconciled with ensemble kinetics, it contains more information than the ensemble data; in particular, it provides crucial information on dynamic disorder, the apparent fluctuation of the catalytic rates due to the interconversion among the enzyme's conformers with different catalytic rate constants. In the presence of dynamic disorder, f(t) exhibits a highly stretched multiexponential decay at high substrate concentrations and a monoexponential decay at low substrate concentrations. We derive a single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equation for the reciprocal of the first moment of f(t), 1/ , which shows a hyperbolic dependence on the substrate concentration [S], similar to the ensemble enzymatic velocity. We prove that this single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equation holds under many conditions, in particular when the intercoversion rates among different enzyme conformers are slower than the catalytic rate. However, unlike the conventional interpretation, the apparent catalytic rate constant and the apparent Michaelis constant in this single-molecule Michaelis-Menten equation are complicated functions of the catalytic rate constants of individual conformers. We also suggest that the randomness parameter r, defined as )2> / t2, can serve as an indicator for dynamic disorder in the catalytic step of the enzymatic reaction, as it becomes larger than unity at high substrate concentrations in the presence of dynamic disorder.
Secretin is an enterogastrone in humans.

We studied in humans the effect of exogenous secretin in a physiological dose on gastric acid secretion stimulated by pentagastrin and postprandial plasma gastrin concentration. Two doses of pentagastrin, 80 and 160 pmol/kg/hr were used to stimulate gastric acid secretion. Secretin in two doses, 2.8 and 5.6 pmol/kg/hr were tried to study the response on stimulated gastric acid secretion. Intravenous secretin in a dose of 5.6 pmol/kg/hr significantly inhibited the gastric acid output stimulated by intravenous pentagastrin in a dose of 160 pmol/kg/hr, from 11.25±1.5 to 5.99±1.34 meq/hr, while lower dose of intravenous secretin (2.8 pmol/kg/hr) failed to inhibit the gastric acid output stimulated by the same dose of pentagastrin. However, the lower dose of intravenous secretin (2.8 pmol/kg/hr) inhibited the gastric acid output significantly from 8.78±1.21 to 6.37±1.62 meq/hr when gastric secretion was stimulated by the lower dose of pentagastrin (80 pmol/kg/hr). The plasma concentrations of secretin during intravenous secretin in a dose of 2.8 pmol/kg/hr was similar to postprandial plasma concentrations of secretin as previously reported. Doubling the dose of intravenous secretin resulted in almost twofold higher plasma concentrations than postprandial plasma concentrations. In addition, the low dose of secretin (2.8 pmol/kg/hr) suppressed the integrated postprandial gastrin response from 13.9±3.7 to 11.2±2.8 ng/min/ml (P=0.05) when endogenous release of secretin was blocked by intravenous cimetidine. Since the dose of pentagastrin and secretin employed in this study fell in a physiologic range, the inhibitory effect of secretin on stimulated gastric acid secretion appears to be a physiologic action in humans. Contrary to the findings in dogs, the inhibitory action of secretin on gastrin release was not statistically significant but was highly suggestive.
Thermodynamics of clustered and unclustered receptor systems in cell adhesion

Abstract The thermodynamics of cell adhesion are regulated by the conformation, energetics and dynamics of adhesion receptors. In addition, clustering of these receptors regulates adhesion as well as downstream signaling. In this Letter, we present an integrated model incorporating Monte Carlo simulations and a mean field approach to study the effect of receptor clustering on free energy of cell adhesion. The Monte Carlo simulation incorporates receptor diffusion and dimerization and provides input for the mean field computation of free energy of adhesion in a receptor–ligand–solvent system. Our results show that cell adhesion is regulated by high co-operativity and synergy between receptor density and interaction energy.
Modeling urban leaf area index with AISA+ hyperspectral data

Abstract This study used simple multiple regression to model urban leaf area index (LAI) in Terre Haute, Indiana, USA as a function of AISA+ hyperspectral radiance and its derivative features. Regression R2 values ranging from 0.27 to 0.73 were obtained from the various models. Features appearing most frequently in the models included radiance at 0.727, 0.753, 0.848, 0.870, 0.900 and 0.917 μm. The best single predictor of LAI was the absolute difference in radiance between 0.777 and 0.673 μm. The best models performed well at low and intermediate LAI levels, but were less accurate with LAI values between 5.0 and 8.0.
Presence of Viral DNA in Whole-Genome Sequencing of Brain Tumor Tissues from The Cancer Genome Atlas

Determining the potential role of viruses in brain tumorigenesis has proven to be extremely elusive. Even with the development of newer technologies, establishing the presence of the virus, the temporality of the infection, and the influence of viral factors in carcinogenesis remains challenging. A
Economic conditions and Japanese tourism to Hawaii

Spectral analysis is used to investigate the sensitivity of the Hawaiian tourist industry to fluctuations in the Japanese economy. The number of Japanese visitors to Hawaii comoves most strongly with fluctuations in relative prices as measured by the ratio of the Japanese wholesale price index to the Honolulu consumer price index. Compared to qualitative factors, fluctuations in Japanese gross domestic expenditures and in consumer confidence are not strongly correlated with movements in the volume of Japanese tourism to Hawaii.
Biophysical and Biochemical Screening for the Risk of Preterm Labor

Preterm birth is the leading cause of perinatal morbidity and mortality in developed nations. The heterogeneous causes of spontaneous preterm birth make prediction and prevention difficult. Recently developed biochemical and biophysical tests add significantly to clinicians' ability to evaluate and treat women at risk for spontaneous preterm birth. The primary importance of transvaginal cervical sonography and cervicovaginal fetal fibronectin lies in the high negative predictive values of the tests for reducing preterm delivery risk. Cervical length may be useful in identifying women who are candidates for cervical cerclage or progesterone therapy for preterm birth prevention. Together, cervical length and fibronectin can be used in the triaging of women symptomatic for preterm labor.
Determinants of Opposition to Abortion An Analysis of the Hard and Soft Scales

The 1982 General Social Survey is used to analyze the hard (primarily physical) and soft (primarily social) reasons underlying attitudes toward abortion. It is found that the major factors contributing to abortion attitudes are the same for the two scales. The principal difference between the hard and soft scales is that the soft scale is more strongly related both to demographic and to attitudinal variables than is the hard. In addition, it is found that age and religious preference interact: Only older Catholics and Baptists are significantly more opposed to abortion than are non-Catholics and Baptists, controlling for church attendance.
Melanocortin-3 receptor regulates the normal fasting response

The melanocortin-3 receptor–deficient (MC3-R−/−) mouse exhibits mild obesity without hyperphagia or hypometabolism. MC3-R deletion is reported to increase adiposity, reduce lean mass and white adipose tissue inflammation, and increase sensitivity to salt-induced hypertension. We show here that the MC3-R−/− mouse exhibits defective fasting-induced white adipose tissue lipolysis, fasting-induced liver triglyceride accumulation, fasting-induced refeeding, and fasting-induced regulation of the adipostatic and hypothalamic-adrenal-pituitary axes. Close examination of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis showed that MC3-R−/− mice exhibit elevated nadir corticosterone as well as a blunted fasting-induced activation of the axis. The previously described phenotypes of this animal and the reduced bone density reported here parallel those of Cushing syndrome. Thus, MC3-R is required for communicating nutritional status to both central and peripheral tissues involved in nutrient partitioning, and this defect explains much of the metabolic phenotype in the model.
Implementation and evaluation of evidence-based patient care application during a primary care advanced practice experience

Abstract Objective To implement and evaluate improvement in application of evidence-based recommendations during a primary care advanced practice experience. Design During a five-week primary care advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE), three preceptor faculty members utilized primary literature evaluation exercises to enhance pharmacotherapy knowledge of clinical end points and strengthen student application in clinical decision-making and individualized care. Assessment A 39-item case-based short-answer exam was developed to assess the impact of the educational activities. Pre- and post-tests from 74 students indicated a mean change of 30.3 point improvement in scores (SD = 14.6) ( p Conclusions Integrating structured primary literature activities into a primary care rotation deepened understanding of evidence and strengthened application of literature-based therapeutic recommendations.
A hierarchy of ankyrin-spectrin complexes clusters sodium channels at nodes of Ranvier

The scaffolding protein ankyrin-G is required for Na(+) channel clustering at axon initial segments. It is also considered essential for Na(+) channel clustering at nodes of Ranvier to facilitate fast and efficient action potential propagation. However, notwithstanding these widely accepted roles, we show here that ankyrin-G is dispensable for nodal Na(+) channel clustering in vivo. Unexpectedly, in the absence of ankyrin-G, erythrocyte ankyrin (ankyrin-R) and its binding partner βI spectrin substitute for and rescue nodal Na(+) channel clustering. In addition, channel clustering is also rescued after loss of nodal βIV spectrin by βI spectrin and ankyrin-R. In mice lacking both ankyrin-G and ankyrin-R, Na(+) channels fail to cluster at nodes. Thus, ankyrin R-βI spectrin protein complexes function as secondary reserve Na(+) channel clustering machinery, and two independent ankyrin-spectrin protein complexes exist in myelinated axons to cluster Na(+) channels at nodes of Ranvier.
Numerical analysis of regional water levels to define aquifer hydrology

Two fundamental methods for studying aquifer hydrology are now in use. The first, applied many years ago, consists of detailed observation of aquifer inflow, outflow, and storage changes, and their variations in time. By analysis of these observations, estimates of the perennial recharge to the aquifer and other pertinent hydrologic data are obtained, all as gross characteristics of the aquifer. The need for greater detail gave rise to a second fundamental method: special field tests, such as pumping tests, by which the hydrologic coefficients could be measured in a comparatively short time. In order to evaluate properly the ability of an aquifer to serve as a source of perennial water supply, the geology and hydrology of the aquifer must be known in some detail over its entire area. The first method cannot supply the necessary detail in most cases, and the second method cannot ordinarily provide the needed areal coverage because of the lack of appropriate testing facilities. Thus an auxiliary third approach was sought which would combine the features of a simple data-collection program with a final analysis yielding both adequate detail and areal coverage. A method designed to satisfy these requirements is described. Water-level altitudes, usually observed in the course of more general ground-water studies, are analyzed by numerical methods, using finite-difference approximations of the basic differential equations which describe ground-water flow. Analytical methods are given for nonsteady flow through homogeneous and nonhomogeneous aquifers. Both direct and statistical solutions are shown. The hydrologic factors are computed as functions of transmissibility, and for the nonhomogeneous aquifer the variations of transmissibility in space are computed also from the water-level data. Knowledge of the absolute value of any one of the hydrologic factors at some location in the aquifer permits conversion of the computed functions to absolute terms for all the aquifer flow field studied.
Factors influencing children's performances of a steady-state bimanual coordination task.

Children ages 4, 6, and 8 years and adults performed self-selected, continuous, unimanual and bimanual coordination tasks for 30 s. The length of time performing the task was investigated as a potential control parameter. As hypothesized, all groups spent less time in antiphase than in in-phase coordination as the trial continued. These results were interpreted as evidence that the length of time performing a task is a control parameter embedded in any task. The importance of studying control parameters in various developing systems is discussed.
Abstract B19: Complementary and alternative medicine use among postmenopausal breast cancer survivors: The Black Women's Health Study

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is widely used among women in the United States. However, there is limited knowledge about the use of CAM modalities in minority women despite the relationship of CAM use to cultural and health beliefs. We defined CAM use as the intake of natural herbs, vitamins and mineral products at least three days per week. The primary objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of CAM usage in African American breast cancer survivors, and to compare the characteristics of users and nonusers. Design: A cross‐sectional study of breast cancer survivors who completed the 1999 Black Women9s Health Study questionnaire and reported having been diagnosed with breast cancer by 1999. A total of 436 women were included in the analysis. Results: Overall, 69% of breast cancer survivors compared to 59% noncases used one or more CAM products, including herbs, vitamins and minerals. Among breast cancer survivors the mean age for CAM users was 53.1 years compared to 51.3 years in nonusers. Among breast cancer survivor CAM users, garlic was the most widely used product (20.9%), followed by echinacea (12.6%) and gingko (11.7%). More CAM users chose a multivitamins supplement (53.9%) over a folic acid supplement alone (4.1%). Multivariate analysis determined that age (OR per year of age =1.05; 95% CI:1.02–1.08), and marital status (OR for single relative to married or living as married =0.33; 95% CI:0.15–0.70) were the factors significantly associated with CAM use among breast cancer survivors. Conclusions: CAM use is common in postmenopausal African American breast cancer survivors. Our results are consistent with prevalence rates of 60–70% reported in studies of CAM use by women with breast cancer following diagnosis. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B19.