cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Redefining Disability, Re-imagining the Self: Disability Identification Predicts Self-esteem and Strategic Responses to Stigma

People cope with stigma via individualistic strategies that minimize stigmatized attributes, and collective strategies that positively redefine stigmatized traits. Guided by social identity theory, we surveyed people with hidden and visible disabilities to investigate the association between disability identification and strategy use. Further, we tested the prediction that self-esteem (collective and personal) varies by disability identification and strategy use. Across two surveys of adults with disabilities (Ns = 93 and 268), disability identification predicted greater use of collective strategies, and higher collective and personal self-esteem, controlling for visibility and proportion of lifetime with disability. These findings support the prediction from social identity theory that group identification may be self-protective. Findings also support the sociopolitical model within disability studies, providing theory-based empirical evidence that working for social change empowers both one's group and ...
The joint contribution of experiencing and witnessing violence during childhood on child abuse in the parent role.

This article examines adult respondents' abuse of children as a consequence of their own childhood experiences of abuse, both direct experiences of childhood violence (hitting) and exposure to interparental violence (witnessing). In particular, the study examines the extent to which these factors function interactively: Are both experience and exposure necessary or is either sufficient to increase disproportionately the probability of child abuse? Using data from the Second National Family Violence Survey, results of a logistic regression analysis show that either or both factors produced higher than average and relatively similar rates of child abuse. Only respondents with neither form of family violence reported lower than average rates of abuse of their own children. The analysis controlled for gender, race, family income, and family structure; race was the only control variable to be significantly associated with child abuse. Finally, no control variable modified the interaction between the family violence variables. Language: en
Evaluation of a replication-competent VSV-SIV vaccine candidate

Background Immunity elicited by live attenuated vaccines confers protection against viral pathogens causing measles, yellow fever, smallpox and others, but this approach is not well suited to HIV vaccine development. Accordingly, to develop a vaccine that incorporates features of a live virus that make it immunogenic without the inherent safety issues associated with attenuated lentiviruses, we are developing replication-competent, recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (rVSV) vectors for delivery of SIV and HIV vaccines.
Current-meter recordings of low-speed turbidity currents

Turbidity currents of high velocity may occur during catastrophic conditions, but our records suggest that currents of little more than 1 knot (= 0.5 m/s) may be quite common in submarine canyons. Our three current-meter records of such currents were obtained (1) during an onshore storm at La Jolla, California, (2) during relatively high swells off the Rio Balsas Delta in western Mexico, and (3) in Abra Canyon off the Abra Delta in northwest Luzon during flood conditions. A pattern observed in all these occurences included a preceding, relatively large, upcanyon flow, a rapid buildup of the downcanyon turbidity current, a slow decay, and a following interval of no current. These currents may be particularly common where deltas have built across the continental shelf and large masses of sediment are being introduced into canyon heads. These relatively weak currents may transport large quantities of sediment down the canyon.
Discovery of Novel Myc−Max Heterodimer Disruptors with a Three-Dimensional Pharmacophore Model

A three-dimensional pharmacophore model was generated utilizing a set of known inhibitors of c-Myc−Max heterodimer formation. The model successfully identified a set of structurally diverse compounds with potential inhibitory activity against c-Myc. Nine compounds were tested in vitro, and four displayed affinities in the micromolar range and growth inhibitory activity against c-Myc-overexpressing cells. These studies demonstrate the applicability of pharmacophore modeling to the identification of novel and potentially more puissant inhibitors of the c-Myc oncoprotein.
V3 Stain-free Workflow for a Practical, Convenient, and Reliable Total Protein Loading Control in Western Blotting

The western blot is a very useful and widely adopted lab technique, but its execution is challenging. The workflow is often characterized as a "black box" because an experimentalist does not know if it has been performed successfully until the last of several steps. Moreover, the quality of western blot data is sometimes challenged due to a lack of effective quality control tools in place throughout the western blotting process. Here we describe the V3 western workflow, which applies stain-free technology to address the major concerns associated with the traditional western blot protocol. This workflow allows researchers: 1) to run a gel in about 20-30 min; 2) to visualize sample separation quality within 5 min after the gel run; 3) to transfer proteins in 3-10 min; 4) to verify transfer efficiency quantitatively; and most importantly 5) to validate changes in the level of the protein of interest using total protein loading control. This novel approach eliminates the need of stripping and reprobing the blot for housekeeping proteins such as β-actin, β-tubulin, GAPDH, etc. The V3 stain-free workflow makes the western blot process faster, transparent, more quantitative and reliable.
Terminal Pleistocene-Early Holocene lithic technological organization around Lake Mojave, California

The surface lithic scatters at two areas around Soda Lake were intensively surveyed and 3133 artifacts were analyzed in the field using four main variables to infer how Terminal Pleistocene–Early Holocene foragers organized lithic technology around pluvial Lake Mojave, California. Results indicate that early stage bifaces and flake tool blanks were created at a fine-grained volcanic (felsite) quarry/workshop complex in the Soda Mountains survey area and transported elsewhere. In addition, fine-grained volcanic bifaces were reduced and bifaces and flake tools of cryptocrystalline silicates and obsidian were finished, used, and/or discarded at a habitation area on the ancient shorelines near Little Cowhole Mountain. Comparisons with nearby sites of similar ages (at Ft. Irwin and China Lake) reveal many similarities in lithic technological organization. Lake Mojave—an important locus of prior research—can now be integrated into recent Mojave Desert and Great Basin technological organization studies.
Targeting of a human iron-sulfur cluster assembly enzyme, nifs, to different subcellular compartments is regulated through alternative AUG utilization.

Abstract Iron–sulfur clusters are prosthetic groups that are required for the function of numerous enzymes in the cell, including enzymes important in respiration, photosynthesis, and nitrogen fixation. Here we report cloning of the human homolog of NifS, a cysteine desulfurase that is proposed to supply the inorganic sulfur in iron–sulfur clusters. In human cells, different forms of NifS that localize either to mitochondria or to the cytosol and nucleus are synthesized from a single transcript through initiation at alternative in-frame AUGs, and initiation site selection varies according to the pH of the medium or cytosol. Thus, a novel form of translational regulation permits rapid redistribution of NifS proteins into different compartments of the cell in response to changes in metabolic status.
Crystal structure of the 1:1 mixture of cyclic (L‐Ala‐L‐Pro‐L‐Phe‐L‐Pro) and cyclic (L‐Ala‐L‐Pro‐D‐Phe‐L‐Pro)

The conformation of the synthetic cyclic tetrapeptide Ala-Pro-Phe-Pro, C22H28N4O4, was established by X-ray diffraction methods. Although the synthesis was designed to produce only the LLLL isomer, the crystal structure analysis showed that the unit cell contained both the LLLL and LLDL isomers. The mixture crystallized in space group P2(1)2(1)2(1) with a = 20.532(7) A, b = 22.228 (9) A and c = 9.429 (2) A. The two independent molecules in the asymmetric unit were found to be diastereoisomers. Both molecules have a cis trans cis trans conformation for the backbone, however, the LLLL isomer has an approximate 2-fold rotation axis perpendicular to the average plane of the peptide ring, while the backbone in the LLDL isomer is quite asymmetric. Each of these conformations represents a new form, not reported previously.
Characteristics of patent foramen ovale associated with cryptogenic stroke. A biplane transesophageal echocardiographic study.

Patent foramen ovale is associated with ischemic stroke in patients without a clearly identifiable etiology for stroke (cryptogenic stroke). Paradoxical embolization is thought to be a potential mechanism. However, patent foramen ovale is also found in patients with known cause of stroke. Therefore, using contrast transesophageal echocardiography, we characterized the patent foramen ovale in cryptogenic stroke patients to assess morphological factors that may contribute to paradoxical embolization. Methods: Contrast transesophageal echocardiographic studies of 74 consecutive patients referred for ischemic stroke were reviewed. Twenty-three patients with patent foramen ovale were identified. These patients were classified as having strokes of determined origin or cryptogenic strokes according to criteria developed for the Stroke Data Bank of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Separation of septum primum from secundum and the number of microbubbles appearing in left atrium were then quantitated. These parameters were compared between patients with cryptogenic stroke and those with known cause of stroke. Results: The patent foramen ovale dimension was significantly larger in patients with cryptogenic stroke compared with patients with an identifiable cause of stroke (2.1+/-1.7 mm versus 057+/-0.78 mm [mean+/-SD]; P<.01). The number of microbubbles was also greater in patients with cryptogenic stroke compared with patients with an identifiable cause of stroke (13.9+/-10.7 versus 1.62+/-0.8 [mean+/-SD]; P<.0005). Conclusions: Patients with cryptogenic stroke have larger patent foramen ovale with more extensive right-to-left inter-atrial shunting than patients with stroke of determined cause. Transesophageal echocardiographically identifiable characteristics of patent foramen ovale may be important in defining the clinical significance of individual patent foramina.
Turn-Off Time as an Early Indicator of Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor Latch-up

In this paper, effects preceding a latch-up fault in insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) are studied. Primary failure modes associated with IGBT latch-up faults are reviewed. Precursors to latch-up, primarily an increase in turn-off time as a consequence of elevated junction temperature, are examined for an IGBT. The relationship between junction temperature and turn-off time is explained by modeling the parasitic properties of an IGBT. A metric is derived from the model to standardize the relative estimates in junction temperature from measurements of turn-off time. To evaluate the effects preceding latch-up in-situ, seeded fault testing is conducted on a three-phase power inverter using aged transistors induced with a fault located in the die-attach solder layer. Experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of using the proposed metric as a precursor to transistor latch-up.
Long-term followup of breast preservation by re-excision and balloon brachytherapy after ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence

Abstract Purpose To report our long-term experience with balloon brachytherapy in retreatment of the breast after ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence. Methods and Materials Between March 2004 and June 2012, 18 patients previously treated with external beam radiotherapy were retreated using either the MammoSite (Hologic Corporation, Marlborough, MA), MammoSite ML (Hologic Corporation), or the Contura (Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc., Tempe, AZ) brachytherapy devices. Sixteen patients were treated for an ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence after breast conservation surgery and postoperative irradiation (11 with infiltrating ductal carcinoma [IDC] and 6 with ductal carcinoma in situ [DCIS]), whereas 2 patients developed an in-field breast cancer likely associated with Hodgkin disease mantle irradiation (27 and 17 years prior, respectively). The recurrent histology of seven was IDC, with seven others recurring as DCIS, three as a combination of IDC/DCIS, and one as infiltrating lobular carcinoma. All patients received a twice-daily tumor dose of 3400 cGy at 340 cGy per fraction. Acute and chronic side effects were graded by the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 4.0. Cosmesis was graded by both the Harvard Cosmesis Scale and the Allegheny General Modification of the Harvard Scale. Results With a mean of followup of 39.6 months, only 2 patients developed a local recurrence. One patient developed an inflammatory recurrence from what was identified as a moderately differentiated T1N0M0 estrogen receptor–positive recurrence, and the second developed a recurrence immediately adjacent to the implant site. Both patients were treated locally by salvage mastectomy. The patient who developed an inflammatory recurrence rapidly developed visceral metastases including brain lesions and succumbed to her progressive disease. The second patient was successfully salvaged with uncomplicated mastectomy, and she survives to this date. One patient developed a chronic abscess in the sinus tract of the balloon, which required mastectomy, and one developed a post-treatment infection in the catheter tract, which was successfully treated with oral antibiotics. Cosmesis as graded by the Harvard cosmesis criteria and the Allegheny General Modification Score diminished one grade in only 2 patients. All other patients had stable cosmetic scores. Conclusions Use of balloon brachytherapy devices in the treatment of the previously irradiated breast is feasible and may provide adequate local control and acceptable cosmesis in carefully selected patients. Further study and refinement of this therapy is required for more definitive results.
Structural immaturity of the heart in congenital diaphragmatic hernia in rats

Abstract Purpose: The form and function of the heart are the final result of an integration of cells, tissues, and extracellular material. The extracellular matrix (ECM) is a complex array of different molecular components, and it plays an important role for the transfer of mechanical force in both contraction and relaxation phases in the cardiac cycle. ECM plays also a significant role in the development of the heart. The aim of this study was to evaluate the expression of important ECM components in the heart of rats with induced CDH to test the hypothesis that an alteration of ECM may contribute to the cardiac maldevelopment, which recently has been identified as a contributive factor for the high mortality rate in babies with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH). Methods: CDH model was induced in pregnant rats after administration of 100 mg of nitrofen on day 9.5 of gestation (term, 22 days). In control animals the same dose of olive oil was given without nitrofen. Cesarean section was performed on day 21 of gestation. The fetuses were divided into 2 groups: normal control (n = 10) and nitrofen-induced CDH (n = 10). Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was performed to evaluate the relative amount of tropoelastin and α1 (I) procollagen mRNA expression. Elastin protein content was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results: There was a reduction in tropoelastin mRNA ( P P P Conclusions: The reduced cardiac tropoelastin and procollagen gene expression and the reduced α-elastin content indicate that the heart in CDH structurally is immature. The reduced production of cardiac ECM may contribute to a contractile dysfunction, which makes the heart unable to respond to the hemodynamic load accompanying persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH). J Pediatr Surg 36:770-773. Copyright © 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.
Evidence for a reduced, Fe-depleted martian mantle source region of shergottites

Estimates of the oxygen fugacity of the source regions of martian shergottites are obtained from coexisting Fe-Ti oxides and from Fe3+/Fe2+ ratios in pyroxenes. These estimates are one to four log10 units lower than previously reported values, and indicate that the shergottite source region has an oxidation state about two or three orders of magnitude below the quartz-fayalite-magnetite (QFM) oxygen reference buffer. An approximation of the major element composition of the shergottite source region is obtained utilizing the MELTS petrologic modeling software. A bulk composition of the shergottite source region is derived, which is consistent with the generation of sher-gottites upon 3% partial melting at 10 kbar. This composition is decidedly less enriched in Na2O and FeOTot than previous estimates. When compared to the bulk composition of the terrestrial mantle, the source region of the shergottites is lower in CaO, Al2O3, Na2O and TiO2, and higher in MgO.
Carbonate Diagenesis in a Quartzarenite: Dolomitic Keefer Sandstone of West Virginia: ABSTRACT

After deposition as a coastal marine deposit, the Silurian Keefer Sandstone underwent an elaborate diagenetic sequence. In general, the processes were: quartz cementation, calcite cementation, dolomitization, and finally dedolomitization. Diagenesis in this formation, as interpreted from petrographic study, was complex because the composition of pore fluids changed throughout its postdepositional history. Quartz overgrowths precipitated early, most likely from marine connate brines. The second generation of cement, poikilotopic calcite, precipitated when meteoric-derived phreatic water percolated through the sand during a major regression of the sea. Clay minerals in the matrix favored dolomitization of calcite cement, fossils, and calcite mud by serving as sites of nucle tion or catalysts and perhaps by providing magnesium. Later, at a moderate burial depth, saline subsurface brines dedolomitized isolated dolomite crystals. Primary porosity in the Keefer (Big Six) of southwestern West Virginia was virtually occluded by these early cements. Most microscopically visible porosity is secondary and attributed to the volume reduction of carbonate material with dolomitization of local calcite. Several Silurian-Devonian sandstones are petrographically similar to the Keefer, and its postdepositional history, as interpreted here, may serve as an example of diagenesis in other dolomitic and calcareous quartzarenites of the Appalachian basin. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1289------------
MRG15, a component of HAT and HDAC complexes, is essential for proliferation and differentiation of neural precursor cells

Neurogenesis during development depends on the coordinated regulation of self-renewal and differentiation of neural precursor cells (NPCs). Chromatin regulation is a key step in self-renewal activity and fate decision of NPCs. However, the molecular mechanism or mechanisms of this regulation is not fully understood. Here, we demonstrate for the first time that MRG15, a chromatin regulator, is important for proliferation and neural fate decision of NPCs. Neuroepithelia from Mrg15-deficient embryonic brain are much thinner than those from control, and apoptotic cells increase in this region. We isolated NPCs from Mrg15-deficient and wild-type embryonic whole brains and produced neurospheres to measure the self-renewal and differentiation abilities of these cells in vitro. Neurospheres culture from Mrg15-deficient embryo grew less efficiently than those from wild type. Measurement of proliferation by means of BrdU (bromodeoxyuridine) incorporation revealed that Mrg15-deficient NPCs have reduced proliferation ability and apoptotic cells do not increase during in vitro culture. The reduced proliferation of Mrg15-deficient NPCs most likely accounts for the thinner neuroepithelia in Mrg15-deficient embryonic brain. Moreover, we also demonstrate Mrg15-deficient NPCs are defective in differentiation into neurons in vitro. Our results demonstrate that MRG15 has more than one function in neurogenesis and defines a novel role for this chromatin regulator that integrates proliferation and cell-fate determination in neurogenesis during development.
The electronic chemical potential and chemical hardness

Abstract Two quantities, derived from density functional theory, that help define any chemical system are the electronic chemical potential and the chemical hardness. Some of the properties and applications of these fundamental quantities are described.
Synthesizing new materials to specification

Abstract The role and importance of materials synthesis in the total materials research effort is argued again in a more receptive climate, today. Causes for its neglect are described. The major advances in materials science as well as technology have been triggered by the discovery of new materials by highly perceptive and intuitive scientists/engineers. Today we must rely on a combination of a logical approach coupled to empirricism and a strategy to capitalize on the certain chance events. In a scientific approach to synthesis the absurdity of the simple-mineded connection between “structure and properties” will be exposed. Structure and composition are equally important. Crystal chemistry and phase equilibria are the essential compositional descriptors in contemporary state-of-art ability to design and make materials with particular desired properties. The present-day capabilities of controlling composition and structure to synthesize materials to predesigned specifications will be described. The following examples of recent advances in ceramic materials have been selected to illustrate both the possibilities and the limitations of our present ability: (1) “zero” expansion ceramics, (2) metastable crystalline diamond, (3) RESA, a novel process for making fine powders, (4) nanocomposites and (5) oxide superconductors.
Magnetic Susceptibility of Fe Cl 2 ·4 H 2 O from 0.35 to 4.2°K

The magnetic susceptibility of Fe${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}4${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O in powder and single-crystal form has been measured between 0.35 and 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K by an audio-frequency mutual-inductance technique. Temperatures below 2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K were achieved with a liquid ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ bath. These measurements show Fe${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}4${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$O to be an antiferromagnet with ${T}_{N}\ensuremath{\sim}1\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$K. With the aid of crystallographic evidence, it has been found possible to fit the data in the paramagnetic region with a detailed picture of the lowest spin quintet of the ${\mathrm{Fe}}^{++}$ ion in a monoclinic crystalline field. The same level scheme describes adequately the measured specific heat of the salt in this region. The analysis performed for $Tg{T}_{N}$ combined with the data for $Tl{T}_{N}$ suggests that a four-sublattice model may be necessary to interpret in detail the measurements in the ordered state.
Perioperative Blood Transfusion and Solid Tumor Recurrence—A Review

Evidence regarding the association of blood transfusions with recurrence of solid tumors is largely conflicting. This is perhaps not surprising given the retrospective nature of the studies, the complexity of the disease and its treatment, and variations in local transfusion practices. Nonetheless, data demonstrating that transfusions of whole blood are associated with earlier cancer recurrence are most readily explained by a cause and effect relationship. There is a growing literature documenting previously unforeseen immunologic consequences of homologous blood transfusion. These possible clinical consequences may include earlier cancer recurrence, and increased susceptibility to infection with bacteria and viruses. The questions raised in this review will likely be answered by further studies. For the present, the prudent clinician will select red blood cells rather than whole blood for transfusion, and recognize that blood transfusion is a therapy with considerable benefits, but also considerable risks.
Motivational interviewing as a framework to guide school-based coaching

In school-based settings, coaching is described as a professional development practice in which a person with specialized knowledge works with a teacher to change current practices to better student outcomes. Coaching has emerged as a strategy to support the successful deployment of evidence-based interventions. Still, little is known about the coaching process itself, and the literature does not yet clearly define the activities and skills that comprise the coaching process. In this article, we explore theoretical support for motivational interviewing (MI) [Miller, W. R., & Rollnick, S. (2012). Motivational interviewing: Helping people change. New York, NY: Guilford Press] as a behavior change theory to guide coaching practice and research. In addition, we propose activities to conceptualize the coaching process, identify skills that are likely to contribute to successful coaching, highlight specific interventions or models that have used an MI approach to increase implementation fidelity within the context of a coaching relationship, and discuss implications for future research and practice.
Circadian clock control of the cellular response to DNA damage

Mammalian cells possess a cell-autonomous molecular clock which controls the timing of many biochemical reactions and hence the cellular response to environmental stimuli including genotoxic stress. The clock consists of an autoregulatory transcription–translation feedback loop made up of four genes/proteins, BMal1, Clock, Cryptochrome, and Period. The circadian clock has an intrinsic period of about 24 h, and it dictates the rates of many biochemical reactions as a function of the time of the day. Recently, it has become apparent that the circadian clock plays an important role in determining the strengths of cellular responses to DNA damage including repair, checkpoints, and apoptosis. These new insights are expected to guide development of novel mechanism-based chemotherapeutic regimens.
Bridging the gene-behavior divide through neuroimaging deletion syndromes: Velocardiofacial (22q11.2 Deletion) and Williams (7q11.23 Deletion) syndromes

Investigating the relationship between genes and the neural substrates of complex human behavior promises to provide essential insight into the pathophysiology of mental disorders. One approach to this inquiry is through neuroimaging of individuals with microdeletion syndromes that manifest in specific neuropsychiatric phenotypes. Both Velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) and Williams syndrome (WS) involve haploinsufficiency of a relatively small set of identified genes on the one hand and association with distinct, clinically relevant behavioral and cognitive profiles on the other hand. In VCFS, there is a deletion in chromosomal region 22q11.2 and a resultant predilection toward psychosis, poor arithmetic proficiency, and low performance intelligence quotients. In WS, there is a deletion in chromosomal region 7q11.23 and a resultant predilection toward hypersociability, non-social anxiety, impaired visuospatial construction, and often intellectual impairment. Structural and functional neuroimaging studies have begun not only to map these well-defined genetic alterations to systems-level brain abnormalities, but also to identify relationships between neural phenotypes and particular genes within the critical deletion regions. Though neuroimaging of both VCFS and WS presents specific, formidable methodological challenges, including comparison subject selection and accounting for neuroanatomical and vascular anomalies in patients, and many questions remain, the literature to date on these syndromes, reviewed herein, constitutes a fruitful "bottom-up" approach to defining gene-brain relationships.
Evaluation of the on-road behavior of 16-ft-wide mobile homes in North Carolina

The overall objective of this effort was to evaluate the operational behavior and effect on surrounding traffic of 16-ft (4.9-m) wide mobile homes on various types of roadways and compare the results with similar measures for 14-ft (4.3-m) wide units. The evaluation was accomplished by following a sample of 16-ft and 14-ft units on Interstates, other multilane highways, and two-lane roads and videotaping the positions of the vehicles in relation to the roadway and to oncoming and overtaking vehicles. In addition, standardized measures were made for a sample of individual images from the videotapes, and the resulting data were analyzed to determine differences in operations between 14-ft- and 16-ft-wide units as well as differences in the effects on other traffic. Measures examined included lane positioning of the mobile homes and surrounding traffic and shoulder encroachments by both the mobile homes and other traffic. Encroachments of oncoming or overtaking vehicles on the shoulder show significant diffe...
Fine Mapping of Calcineurin (PPP3CA) Gene Reveals Novel Alternative Splicing Patterns, Association of 5′UTR Trinucleotide Repeat With Addiction Vulnerability, and Differential Isoform Expression in Alzheimer's Disease

Fine mapping of calcineurin (PPP3CA) gene identified single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and simple sequence repeat polymorphisms that are associated with addiction vulnerability. A trinucleotide repeat marker, located in the 5′untranslated region (5′UTR) of the PPP3CA mRNA, exhibited significantly different genotype and allele frequencies between abusers and controls in the NIDA African–American sample. The polymorphism showed allelic-specific expression in mRNA extracted from postmortem brain specimens. Novel alternatively spliced isoforms of PPP3CA were identified and their expressions were found altered in brain regions of postmortem Alzheimer's disease patients. These data underscore the importance of calcineurin gene in the molecular mechanism of addiction and Alzheimer's diseases.
Another pitfall in blood group testing for nonpaternity.

A pitfall in testing for nonpaternity, heretofore not encountered, is described. Errors caused by admixture of donor's blood following an exchange transfusion resulted in false exclusion of paternity. The need for an adequate history is emphasized.
Elastic scattering of protons from hydrogen atoms at energies 15-200 keV

Differential and integrated cross sections for the elastic process ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}+\mathrm{H}(1s)\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{\mathrm{H}}^{+}+\mathrm{H}(1s)$ were calculated with the use of results of coupled-state calculations in the energy range 15-200 keV. Results are presented and, at 60 keV, compared favorably with preliminary experimental data. The asymptotic form of the elastic amplitude for $b\ensuremath{\gg}{a}_{0}$ (where $b$ is the impact parameter) is derived for the two cases $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\ll}1$ and $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\gg}1$, where $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ is the ratio of the collision duration to the orbital period. The asymptotic form for $\ensuremath{\lambda}\ensuremath{\gg}1$ provides a useful test on the numerical accuracy of the amplitudes.
X-ray Testing of the AXAF Technology Mirror Assembly (TMA) Mirror

The X-ray performance of the Advanced X-ray Astrophysics Facility TMA in the 0.277-6.4-keV range. The precise figure and smooth surface originally specified (which were expected from the in-process optical and mechanical measurements) are verified. The paper primarily describes the test equipment and methods used and gives examples of the detailed on-axis and off-axis data.
The civilian target in Sierra Leone and Liberia: Political power, military strategy, and humanitarian intervention

This article traces one of the logics of the ongoing war in the Mano River region of West Africa. It argues that, in the wake of humanitarian interventions in Sierra Leone, combatants who moved on to fight in Liberia were more likely to use attacks against civilians in their military strategy. It suggests, however, that such tactical military choices are to be understood in terms of local contexts of meaning, most notably about the nature of political power. The author's own ethnographic work with the kamajor militia in Sierra Leone and with Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD) in Liberia serves as the basis for this analysis, and he advocates a participant-observation field methodology for the study of contemporary conflict. 'VIOLENCE', WRITES THE SIERRA LEONE SCHOLAR YUSUF BANGURA, 'does not have only one logic, but several.'' In what follows, I trace one of those logics of war in the African postcolony: from humanitarian interventions to attacks on civilian targets. In doing so, I make two points. First, that in the Mano River region of West Africa, humanitarian interventions have led combatants to employ atrocities against civilians increasingly as a military tactic, making the bodies and futures of non-combatants a crucial terrain of the frontline. Second, this logic can only be understood if we simultaneously consider the local context of meaning in which such tactics are deployed, most notably cultural constructions regarding the nature of political power. Humanitarian interventions are now an integral component of African conflicts. Despite the legitimate criticisms of observers of African affairs Danny Hoffman is a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Cultural Anthropology at Duke University, Durham, NC, USA. He is currently researching the kamajor militia and their role in the wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. For their input to various versions of this article, he wishes to thank Charles Piot, Orin Starn, Scott Straus, Benjamin Valentino and Elizabeth Woods, as well as two anonymous referees. 1. Yusuf Bangura, 'Understanding the political and cultural dynamics of the Sierra Leone war: a critique of Paul Richards' Fighting for the Rainforest', African Development XXII, 3/4 (1997), p. 130.
Computational complexity and Gödel's incompleteness theorem

Given any simply consistent formal theory F of the state complexity L(S) of finite binary sequences S as computed by 3-tape-symbol Turing machines, there exists a natural number L(F) such that L(S) > n is provable in F only if n
Modeling, controlling, and simulation of local area networks for flexible manufacturing systems using petri nets

Abstract Flexible manufacturing systems (FMSs) are advanced manufacturing systems comprising machining cells, robots, a automated guided vehicles (AGVs) that function under the hierarchical control of computers. The flexibility of an FMS primarily imparted by integrating the functions of different system elements such as machining cells, robots, AGVs usig computers. In this paper, the role of local area networks (LANs) in FMSs is explicated. The contribution of this paper is twofold. First, the differences between the LANs in conventional systems (CLANs) to that of LANs in FMSs (FLANs) are explicated. Secondly, a new class of Petri nets (PNs) called augmented timed PNs are introduced as a modeling tool designing, simulating, analyzing, and finally implementing the LAN in FMS. A software package has been developed to simulate the Petri net models (PNMs). The software package developed aids system designers by simulating the PNM and generating certain performance criteria.
A struggle for dominance: Relational communication patterns in television drama

Studies of gender role information in television drama focusing on personality and occupational traits provide a description of content which does not take into account the context of interpersonal interaction. Using a relational coding system based on interactional communication theory, the studies reported here investigated the association of power with gender as revealed through interpersonal interaction. Messages of dominance, submission, and neutrality were identified from the verbal interactions of gender defined speaker‐receiver dyads in three samples of television drama: primetime comedy and adventure series, soap operas, and cartoons. Content was described according to message characteristics of television drama and gender role characteristics of the messages. Results showed the predominant model of interpersonal interaction for both male and female characters was a dominant masculine‐style of interaction resulting in the portrayal of a struggle for dominance.
Subtotal colectomy for severe idiopathic constipation. A follow-up study of 13 patients.

We obtained follow-up information on 13 patients who underwent subtotal colectomy for severe idiopathic constipation 19–45 months previously. Stool frequency increased from one bowel movement per 11.5 days before colectomy to 5.3 bowel movements per day after colectomy. Nine patients have required readmissions for abdominal pain and four have required further surgery for symptoms of small bowel obstruction. Ten patients consider that their quality of life is improved, although five have variable amounts of fecal incontinence. Preoperative studies did not predict the three patients who failed to improve. Subtotal colectomy palliates constipation in most patients with severe idiopathic constipation but patients should be cautioned that not all improve and some are left with significant abdominal pain, obstructive symptoms, diarrhea, and fecal incontinence.
Barotropic Equatorial Waves: The Nonuniformity of the Equatorial Beta-Plane

Abstract Some equatorially trapped motions cannot be modeled by the equatorial beta-plane. Our proof is a counter-example: if the zonal wavenumber m is large, barotropic Rossby-Haurwitz waves decay with latitude outside a narrow band about the equator and can be approximated by Hermite functions. The rather subtle effects of spherical geometry which create thew barotropic equatorial waves have important implications for short zonal wavelength motion in the tropics.
Ideation and Evaluation Methods Applied to Land-Use Planning

The selection of any land-use plan requires judgement by the decisionmaker(s). The role of the analyst is to improve the information available to the decisionmaker(s). If the planning problem is represented by a mathematical model, then methods of generating alternative solutions by manipulating the model, that is, ideation methods, are desirable tools for the analyst. In this paper, a vector-space approach is used to develop and unify various ideation methods within a formal mathematical framework that provides a geometric interpretation of the ideation process. A realistic land-use planning example is used to illustrate the concepts, and hierarchical clustering methods are used to examine the differences between alternative land-use plans.
From students to teachers: using surveys to build a culture of evidence and inquiry

In an effort to make decisions about teacher education policy and practice that were informed by research and evidence, participants in Boston College's ‘Teachers for a New Era’ Evidence Team (http://www.teachersforanewera.org) designed a portfolio of assessments and studies. This article describes one project in the portfolio – a series of surveys that trace teacher candidates' experiences over time and track shifts in these experiences as respondents progress from students during the pre‐service period to teachers in the first few years of work in the profession. The article illustrates how various constituencies in the teacher education programme and the larger university used survey data to guide practice, shape policies, and raise new questions about the curriculum, relationships with schools, and the performance of teachers and their pupils. The article argues that these surveys helped to create a new ‘culture of evidence and inquiry’ within which decisions about local policy and practice were made ...
The Quantum Theory of Dispersion

IN a recent letter to NATURE (May 10, p. 673) Dr. Kramers advanced a quantum theory of dispersion which is a generalisation of the theory of Ladenburg. The formula proposed by Kramers for the polarisation of an atom when put in a wave is his formula (5). This formula is stated by Kramers to satisfy the condition demanded by the Correspondence Principle, namely, that the dispersion due to an atom in a state of high quantum number is the same on the classical and on the quantum theories.1 The presence of the second term has been introduced by Kramers for this purpose. From the point of view of the virtual oscillators of Bohr, Kramers, and Slater, the second negative term of Kramers is somewhat dissatisfying, because an oscillator would give rise only to a term of the first positive type.
Bromoanthracenes and metal co-catalysts for the autoxidation of para-xylene

Abstract The autoxidation of para-xylene (pX) was carried out with the usual Co(OAc)2 catalyst in HOAc, but with promoters other than inorganic bromide. 9,10-Dibromoanthracene and 9-bromoanthracene were used. They gave acceptable rates and yields of terephthalic acid, particularly with low concentrations of metal co-catalysts. The ones studied and their optimal concentrations are 0.3 mM Mn(OAc)2, 0.2 mM Ce(OAc)3 and 20 mM ZrOCl2. The mechanism involves formation of an intermediate radical such as DBA +, which oxidizes pX to pX +, a strong acid that rapidly releases H+. Under oxygen, peroxyl radicals are formed, which sustain the free radical branching chains. The redox-active metals Mn(II) and Ce(III) accelerate the reaction because they are oxidized by ArCH2OO ca. 103-times more rapidly than Co(II) is. A different mechanism operates for Zr(IV). By prior addition of t-BuOOH, evidence has been obtained for the intervention of peroxo-zirconium(IV) complexes of this d0 metal.
Normal-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic separations of positional isomers of substituted benzoic acids with amine and β-cyclodextrin bonded-phase columns

The separation of positional isomers of sevral substituted benzoic acids was studied using two different columns, i.e. amine and β-cyclodextrin bonded silicas, at appropriate normal-phase conditions. Although some other columns do separate substituted benzoic acids, particularly the octadecylsilica column in a reversed-phase mode, the present separation under simple normal-phase, isocratic conditions is unique. In particular, the retention order of these acids for the amino bonded-phase column can be roughly predicted using the pKa values of the analytes. On the other hand, due to the strong interaction between substituted benzoic acids and the β-cyclodextrin bonded phase, a small amount of acetic acid has to be added into the mobile phase to overcome band broadening and tailing problems. Possible retention mechanisms are also discussed.
EFFECT OF AGE OF LEAVES UPON THE RATE OF PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN SOME CONIFERS

Information regarding the relationship between photosynthesis and the complex of internal factors encompassed by the term, age, may be of interest either from the point of view of basic science or of practical application. The literature on this subject appears to be rather meager. Singh and Lal (2) working with different aged leaves of flax, sugar cane, and wheat found that the rates of photosynthesis were slow for young leaves, increased to a maximum for mature leaves, and then decreased with increasing age. From studies on aging effects in Chlorella cultures, Winokur (5) reported that the rate of photosynthesis, expressed either per unit number of cells or per unit dry weight, increased during the first few days of a culture and then declined with increasing age of the culture. It would appear that those conifers which maintain their leaves for several years would be especially appropriate for the study of the effects of aging on processes in the leaves. St?lfelt (3) investigated the rates of photosynthesis in spruce and pine with respect to age of needles and light intensity. He concluded for spruce that the rate of photosynthesis, when calculated per gram of fresh weight of needles, appeared to decrease with increasing age of the needles only because the weight of the needles increased with age; whereas actually the rate per unit number of leaves increased with increasing age for five years before declining. The results were most marked at about 30% of full sunlight but were quite evident both below and above this light intensity. For pine, in 30% of full sunlight, he found a similar increase in the amount of photosynthesis per unit number of leaves with increasing age up to three years, the oldest used; but in full sunlight the rate was approximately the same for leaves of all ages. From this review of literature, one may conclude that for some plants the peak photosynthetic capacity is reached at the time of maturity of the photosynthetic organ or structure, but in conifers the peak is not reached until the leaves are several years old. The purpose of the research reported in this paper was to obtain further data regarding the rates of photosynthesis in conifer leaves of varying age.
Heck reaction with an acyl synthon: new coupling reaction between α-halo vinyl ether and alkene☆

Abstract α-Halo vinyl ethers were successfully applied to palladium-catalyzed Heck reaction. Reactions of α-halo vinyl ether with alkenes under various Heck conditions form a new carbon–carbon bond along with a vinyl ether functionality, which can be further manipulated. This is the first synthetic methodology for the coupling of an acyl synthon with alkene employing Heck reaction.
Iron alloy Fischer-Tropsch catalysts: I. Oxidation-reduction studies of the FeNi system

The oxidation and reduction behavior of a series of FeSiO2, NiSiO2, and 4Fe:NiSiO2 catalysts, each with total metals loading of 5 wt%, has been investigated. Characterization methods employed were Mossbauer effect spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, and temperature-programmed reduction. Reduction of the nickel (H2, 425 °C, 12 hr) proceeds directly to the metal and is essentially quantitative, while reduction of α-Fe2O3 under the same conditions proceeds via the intermediate Fe3O4 and yields about 70% metallic iron. Reduction of 4Fe : Ni results in a biphasic mixture of BCC and FCC alloys, with a nickel FCC phase of ca. 37.5 atom% Ni, which is approximately the bulk equilibrium value. Finally, there are some changes in particle size and granularity upon oxidation and reduction in all cases. Details of these alterations are discussed.
A note on the mathematical basis of the SLIC index

It has been shown that the index entries generated by the SLIC technique constitute a lattice which is a subset of the power set of the set of descriptors assigned to a document and that this fact leads to an improved algorithm for generating SLIC entries. It has also been shown that an isomorphic mapping exists between the SLIC lattice and a Boolean lattice (algebra).
MODULATION OF THE CHARGE OF A SINGLE-ELECTRON TRANSISTOR BY DISTANT DEFECTS

We have systematically measured two-level fluctuator (TLF) noise in a single-electron tunneling transistor. From the amplitude, duty cycle, and presence of intermediate states, we conclude that there is a cluster of triggered TLF's in this case. The systematic dependence of switching rate on gate voltage, and the lack of rate dependence on a finer scale or on source-drain voltage, tell us unambiguously that the TLF's are not located in the tunnel barriers. We thus conclude, as has been previously inferred, that noisy defects outside the barrier can lead to significant modulation of the transistor island charge (up to about 0.2 $e$).