cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
1. The chemistry and biology of flooded soils in relation to the nitrogen economy in rice fields

Response of lowland rice to sources and methods of nitrogen fertilizer application were summarized for more than 100 experiments. In about 2/3 of the experiments, the yield increase per kg of fertilizer N was judged to be relatively poor with ‘best split’ applications of urea. Based on frequency distribution, sulfur coated urea and urea briquets or urea supergranules deep placed more often produced satisfactory yield increases than ‘best split’ urea, but even with these sources/methods the yield increases were judged to be relatively poor in about 1/2 of the experiments. There is an enormous potential to increase rice production with no further increases in inputs of fertilizer N if we could learn to match the best method/source of fertilizer with the soil-crop management complex.
The California Sea Lion: Thriving in a Human-Dominated World

California sea lions offer an important case study of a species that has successfully adapted and thrived in a human-dominated world. The recovery of California sea lion populations over the past four decades is a conservation success story. Unfortunately, their recovery has put them in direct conflict with human activities resulting in new management challenges in the regions where they occur. Here, we review the role of learning in California sea lions and their capacity to tolerate and successfully capture prey from commercial or recreational fishing lines or salmon at dams. Learning underlies tolerance to novel human-related stimuli, locating novel foraging resources, and responding to environmental change. According to modern animal learning theory, there are basic mechanisms, or types of experiences underlying animal learning. The simplest learning process of habituation is non-associative because it involves an individual’s experience with a single stimulus, whereas complex associative learning mechanisms elicit changes in behavior as a result of experience with two stimuli or stimulus and response. We focus on these fundamental associative and non-associative learning mechanisms in California sea lions which could be used to manage wildlife-human conflicts involving otariids. For instance, understanding what kinds of stimuli California sea lions respond to and learn from, or how social factors influence learning processes, are all important parameters that can be used by managers for modifying animal behavior. Lessons from both human-tolerant species and those in conflict could inform best practices for ensuring human-wildlife coexistence in a human-dominated environment will be enhanced with lessons from both human-tolerant species as well as those that do not do well with humans.
Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome in the Geriatric Patient

Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that affects the extremities, believed to be caused by damage to, or malfunction of, the peripheral and central nervous systems. And while CRPS is its own unique disease entity, its potential pathophysiological mechanisms have frequently been compared to those of neuropathy and fibromyalgia (FM). Furthermore, treatment of CRPS has proven difficult given the fact that its unverified pathophysiology and variable presentation make accurate clinical diagnosis challenging. The geriatric population is considered those 65 years of age and older. And although CRPS can occur at any age it does occur in geriatric individuals, yet there are very limited published data specifically involving this population. Surprisingly, some reports suggest that CRPS is most prevalent among the elderly (65+), yet it is underreported. This may be due to the wide variety of terminology used to describe CRPS, overlap of CRPS with other pain conditions, and even comorbidities in geriatric patients. Currently, the literature lacks high-quality evidence to guide treatment of CRPS, especially in geriatric patients, and patients even with known diagnoses continue to suffer refractory pain. Therefore, since there are limited data involving CRPS and the elderly, this chapter will attempt to extrapolate relevant information from resources involving chronic pain in the elderly and CRPS in the elderly. Overall, there is a gap in the literature involving this patient population and more published studies are necessary to address this gap.
Shape Entropy of a Reconfigurable "Isigami" Surface

Disclinations in a 2D sheet create regions of Gaussian curvature whose inversion produces a reconfigurable surface with many distinct metastable shapes, as shown by molecular dynamics of a disclinated graphene monolayer. This material has a near-Gaussian "density of shapes" and an effectively antiferromagnetic interaction between adjacent cones. A $\sim$10 nm patch has hundreds of distinct metastable shapes with tunable stability and topography on the size scale of biomolecules. As every conical disclination provides an Ising-like degree of freedom, we call this technique 'Isigami'.
“Is Your Dad a Towelhead?": Capitals of Shame and Necropolitics in Post-9/11 America

Using the author’s personal experiences as a Brown woman living in the United States after September 11, this paper uses post-9/11 violence enacted against Brown citizens to consider the nuances of necropolitics. Specifically, this paper argues that too often everyday acts of violence, such as gaslighting, are central mechanisms of necropolitical control. Frequently, these normalized aggressions make relegating people to the status of the living dead possible. Finally, this paper argues that necropolitics emerges from intra-actions, often causing the ontoepistemological death for communities of color in general and, in this case, Brown people in a physically and psychologically violent post-9/11 United States.
Motor Learning Selectively Strengthens Cortical and Striatal Synapses of Motor Engram Neurons

Learning and consolidation of new motor skills require adaptations of neuronal activity and connectivity in the motor cortex and striatum, two key motor regions of the brain. Yet, how neurons undergo synaptic changes and become recruited during motor learning to form a memory engram remains an open question. Here, we train mice on a single-pellet reaching motor learning task and use a genetic approach to identify and manipulate behavior-relevant neurons selectively in the primary motor cortex (M1). We find that the degree of reactivation of M1 engram neurons correlates strongly with motor performance. We further demonstrate that learning-induced dendritic spine reorganization specifically occurs in these M1 engram neurons. In addition, we find that motor learning leads to an increase in the number and strength of outputs from M1 engram neurons onto striatal spiny projection neurons (SPNs) and that these synapses form local clusters along SPN dendrites. These results identify a highly specific synaptic plasticity during the formation of long-lasting motor memory traces in the corticostriatal circuit.
Barcelona’92 postolímpica :

En aquest article, Kennett aborda el paper dels Jocs, dels processos globalitzadors i de l’esport en el dialeg intercultural, i despres se centra en aspectes relacionats amb la realitat de la cultura de l’esport a la Barcelona posterior als Jocs Olimpics.
Recurrent embodied energy and its relationship with service life and life cycle energy

Purpose – The recurrent embodied energy (REE) is the energy consumed in the maintenance, replacement and retrofit processes of a facility. The purpose of this paper was to analyze the relationship of REE with the service life and life cycle embodied energy. The amount of variation in the reported REE values is also determined and discussed. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative approach that is known as the literature based discovery (LBD) was adopted. Existing literature was surveyed to gather case studies and to analyze the reported values of REE. Findings – The reported values of REE showed considerable variation across referred studies. It was also found that the reported REE values demonstrated a moderate positive correlation with the service life but a very strong positive correlation with the life cycle embodied energy of both the residential and commercial facilities. Research limitations/implications – This review paper pointed out the importance of the maintenance and replacement processes...
Elasticity of Soft Particles and Colloids near the Jamming Threshold

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Harvard University, 29 Oxford Street, Cambridge, MA 02138Lewis-Sigler Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-1014(Dated: July 14, 2009)Assemblies of purely repulsive and frictionless particles, display very curious elastic propertiesnear the jamming transition where the overlap between particles vanish. Although such systemsdo not contain the long and cross-linked polymeric chains characterizing a rubber, they behavemacroscopically in a similar way: the shear modulus G can become negligible in comparison withthe bulk modulus B, as observed in emulsions
Protein Catabolism in Rat Liver Homogenates A RE-EVALUATION OF THE ENERGY REQUIREMENT FOR PROTEIN CATABOLISM

Abstract Protein catabolic activity in rat liver preparations at several levels of tissue intactness has been studied with a variety of metabolic inhibitors. The previous reports that energy inhibitors also inhibit protein catabolism in a liver slice have been confirmed. Some of these same inhibitions, although reduced, were also observed in liver homogenates. However, the ability of several types of inhibitors, including energy or respiratory inhibitors, to inhibit protein catabolism is shown to be dependent on the level of tissue integrity while other inhibitions are not affected greatly by tissue integrity. Addition of carrier amino acid to the incubations is shown to facilitate equilibration with the incubation media containing labeled amino acids released from protein catabolism and the remaining protein, refuting earlier reports that the addition diluted out amino acids for reincorporation of the tracer into new protein. This new evidence requires a re-evaluation of the apparent energy requirement for protein catabolism. There may be a structural component involved in protein catabolism, the integrity of which requires metabolic energy, while the enzymes involved in the actual degradation of proteins probably do not have an energy requirement.
Polarization from scattering polarized spin-12 on unpolarized spin-1 particles

Abstract The most general parity and time reversal invariant form for the spin - 1 2 − spin −1 scattering amplitude matrix is obtained. The polarization observables (cross section, spin - 1 2 polarization, spin-1 polarization, and spin correlation) which arise upon scattering polarized spin - 1 2 by unpolarized spin-1 particles are expressed in terms of the coefficients of this general form. A phase shift parameterization of these coefficients is also given.
ACh dilates pial arterioles in endothelial and neuronal NOS knockout mice by NO-dependent mechanisms

We used mice with deletions in either the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) or neuronal NOS (nNOS) gene to investigate the role of eNOS and nNOS in acetylcholine (ACh)-induced relaxation of pial arterioles (20-30 microns). Pial arteriolar diameter was measured by intravital microscopy through a closed cranial window, and NOS activity was determined by the conversion of [3H]arginine to [3H]citrulline in subjacent cortex. ACh superfusion (1, 10 microM) caused atropine-sensitive dose-dependent arteriolar dilation in all three mouse strains. At 10 microM, increases of 20 +/- 2, 31 +/- 3, and 23 +/- 3% were recorded in wild-type (n = 25), nNOS mutant (n = 15), and eNOS mutant (n = 20) mice, respectively. NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 1 mM) superfusion inhibited cortical NOS activity by > 70% and abrogated the response in wild-type mice while blocking the dilation by approximately 50% in eNOS mutant and nNOS mutant mice. Only in the eNOS mutant did tetrodotoxin (TTX) superfusion (1 microM) attenuate ACh-induced dilation (n = 6). The residual dilation after L-NNA in eNOS mutant mice could be blocked completely by TTX-plus L-NNA. Our findings indicate that 1) ACh dilates pial arterioles of wild-type mice by NOS-dependent mechanisms as reported in other species, 2) the response in nNOS mutant mice resembles the wild-type response except for enhanced dilation to ACh and reduced L-NNA sensitivity, and 3) surprisingly, the response in eNOS mutant mice is partially NOS dependent and attenuated by both TTX and L-NNA. Because nNOS is constitutively expressed in eNOS mutants, these findings coupled with the TTX results suggest that an nNOS-dependent mechanism may compensate for the chronic loss of eNOS activity after targeted gene disruption.
Lying in psychotherapy: Why and what clients don’t tell their therapist about therapy and their relationship

Objectives: The primary aim of this study was to investigate one facet of a survey of client lying in psychotherapy, that which focused on the nature, motivation, and extent of client dishonesty related to psychotherapy and the therapeutic relationship. Method: A total of 547 adult psychotherapy patients reported via an online survey, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, what topics they were dishonest about in therapy, and the extent of and reasons for their dishonesty. Results: Ninety-three percent of respondents reported having lied to their therapist, and 72.6% reported lying about at least one therapy-related topic. Common therapy-related lies included clients’ pretending to like their therapist’s comments, dissembling about why they were late or missed sessions, and pretending to find therapy effective. Most extreme in their extent of dishonesty were lies regarding romantic or sexual feelings about one’s therapist, and not admitting to wanting to end therapy. Typical motive...
Nature of the hisD3018 Frameshift Mutation in Salmonella typhimurium

Histidinol dehydrogenase from three differing revertants of ICR-191A-induced frameshift hisD3018 has been purified and examined for amino acid replacements. The enzyme from one spontaneously arising revertant, R7, contains an extra proline residue, whereas that from another, R5, contains an extensive frameshifted sequence, four amino acid residues of which have been identified to date. The amino acid replacement data are in agreement with the in vitro code word assignments and allow the characterization of the hisD3018 frameshift as an addition of one nucleotide pair, most likely guanine plus cytosine. Enzymatic data for those ICR-191A-induced revertants of hisD3018 arising within the hisD gene indicate that the enzyme is wild type and, therefore, that ICR-191A can cause deletions as well as additions of single base pairs. The wild-type amino acid sequence is restored in enzyme from an N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (NG)-induced revertant, R29, suggesting that NG is a base-deleting as well as a base-substituting mutagen. The unusual response of hisD3018 to external suppressors is considered in terms of reinitiation of protein synthesis out of phase, coupled with suppression of a nonpermissive missense codon so generated, and of an alternative hypothesis invoking a true frameshift suppressor transfer ribonucleic acid with an extended or deleted anticodon.
A biomechanical perspective on the use of forelimb length as a measure of sexual selection in frogs

Differences in forelimb length between male and female frogs and between amplexing and non-amplexing males have been interpreted to be the results of sexual selection on forelimb length. The causal feature of the forelimb that has been posited to cause such selection is the observation that non-amplexing males attempt to disrupt breeding by prying amplexing males from females. A biomechanical model of forelimb function suggests that total length per se may not be the most appropriate measure to use. There are more functionally significant aspects of forelimb morphology, such as lever arm lengths, that should influence amplexing ability and may make measures of overall forelimb length misleading. This example highlights the relevance of functional analysis to current questions in evolutionary biology that rely on postulated roles for morphological structures under selection.
Binding of purified Wild-type and mutant π initiation proteins to a replication origin region of plasmid R6K

The three replication origins of the antibiotic resistance plasmid R6K require for their activity in Escherichia coli a DNA segment containing seven 22 base-pair direct repeats and a plasmid-encoded initiation protein (pi). The pi protein functions in the negative control of R6K replication, in addition to its requirement for the initiation of replication. Construction of a plasmid containing the pi structural gene (pir) downstream from the inducible pR promoter of bacteriophage lambda provided high levels of production of pi protein in E. coli. The pi protein was purified and shown to possess general DNA binding properties with a preference for DNA fragments containing the gamma origin of replication, the operator region of the pir gene and the R6K beta-origin region. Velocity sedimentation analysis indicates that the pi protein exists as a dimer in its native form. Agarose gel electrophoresis analysis of pi-gamma-origin complexes suggests that one pi dimer binds to each copy of the 22 base-pair direct repeats in the gamma origin region. Purified mutant pi protein obtained from a temperature-sensitive initiation mutant (pir 105-ts) exhibited temperature-sensitive binding activity to the gamma-origin region, whereas two mutant proteins exhibiting a high copy number phenotype were unaltered (pir104-cop) or slightly reduced (pir1-cop) in binding activity. The patterns of DNase I protection and enhancement were similar for the wild-type and mutant proteins examined.
Dementia in Parkinson’s Disease

Dementia in Parkinson’s disease encompasses a spectrum relating to motor, psychiatric, and cognitive symptoms that are classified as either Dementia with Lewy Bodies (DLB) (initial cognitive symptoms) or Parkinson’s Disease Dementia (PDD) (initial motor signs preceding cognitive symptoms by at least a year). Anticholinergic and antipsychotic drugs have a high risk of adverse cognitive and/or motor effects, so their use should be minimized or avoided. Neuroleptic sensitivity is a severe psychomotor adverse reaction that is particularly associated with potent dopamine-blocking agents such as haloperidol. It occurs in up to 50% of individuals with PDD or DLB. Mild psychotic symptoms should first be addressed by reducing anticholinergic and/or dopaminergic agents, if possible. Patients with psychotic symptoms that threaten the safety of the patient or caregiver may benefit from treatment with quetiapine or, in refractory cases, clozapine. Cholinesterase inhibitors as a drug class have been shown to have beneficial effects on cognition in DLB and PDD, and may help to alleviate some psychiatric symptoms, such as apathy, anxiety, hallucinations, and delusions. Memantine may help to moderate cognitive symptoms in DLB and PDD, although current data suggest a more variable response, particularly in PDD. Parkinsonian motor signs that are accompanied by clinically significant cognitive impairment should be treated with carbidopa/levodopa only, as dopamine agonists and other antiparkinsonian medications generally carry a higher risk of provoking or exacerbating psychotic symptoms. Excessive daytime sleepiness and REM sleep behavior disorder are common associated features of PDD and DLB. Minimizing sedating medications during the day and promoting nocturnal sleep may help the daytime sleepiness; melatonin, clonazepam, gabapentin, and possibly memantine may be useful in treating REM sleep behavior disorder. Orthostatic hypotension can be managed with various nonpharmacologic interventions, and if needed, fludrocortisone and pyridostigmine. Midodrine should be used cautiously, if at all.
Athletic Similarity and Attitudes towards Women as Factors in the Perceived Physical Attractiveness and Liking of a Female Varsity Athlete

The present study examined athletic similarity and attitudes toward women as factors in the perceived physical attractiveness and liking of a female varsity athlete. Male and female athletes and no...
Coastal Resource Management at the Florida Institute of Technology (Integrated Oceanography/Management Curricula)

At the Florida Institute of Technology, an attempt is being made to train a new breed of coastal zone managers. Students are admitted into the graduate level Coastal Resource Management Program after receiving a bachelor's degree in engineering or one of the physical or natural sciences. Their backgrounds are first supplemented with undergraduate course work in the basic sciences where necessary. As the candidates attain a graduate level orientation in the coastal sciences their studies are reinforced with management and coastal planning courses and appropriate subjects dealing with remote sensing, legal-environmental aspects and economics. Upon completion of a thesis or a supervised internship the degree of Masters of Coastal Resource Management is conferred. This more technological and applied approach to the development of coastal managers and planners constitutes a significant step forward in the quality of coastal zone management training which will better serve the needs of government and industry.
Tournament Earnings and Performance Differentials between the Sexes in Professional Golf and Tennis

While a number of issues have been investigated about the relationship of women to sport, little attention has been paid to the economic status of women in professional tennis and golf, both recogn...
Management of Immune-Mediated Uveitis

AbstractImmune-mediated uveitis is a collective term referring to a group of potentially blinding intraocular inflammations which may coexist with systemic inflammatory diseases. T lymphocytes appear to play an important pathogenic role in uveitis, and these cells are therefore the logical target of drug therapy. Corticosteroids act nonspecifically, but are highly effective in controlling the inflammation rapidly. They are administered locally when disease is confined to the anterior portion of the eye.However, posterior eye involvement often requires systemic corticosteroid therapy,carrying a high risk of serious adverse effects when used for extended periods. In this situation, steroid-sparing agents are used. Few relevant randomised, controlled clinical trials have been performed, and the choice of systemic immunosuppressive regimen is usually guided by individual patient characteristics, cost, drug availability and physician preference. Patients should actively participate in therapeutic decision-making. Our first choice for steroid-sparing medication is often methotrexate, an antimetabolite which carries a low risk of adverse reactions when appropriately prescribed and monitored, is relatively inexpensive, and has once-weekly ease of use. For more severe uveitis, we may combine the immunomodulating agent cyclosporin with methotrexate and a corticosteroid. Azathioprine and cyclophosphamide are other treatment options. Steroid-sparing drugs also have significant potential for causing adverse effects, albeit less frequently than corticosteroids. Future therapies aim to reduce this problem by increasing the specificity of the therapeutic action.
Large-Scale Pairwise Sequence Alignments on a Large-Scale GPU Cluster

The paper describes a graphics processing unit (GPU) kernel that performs batch Needleman-Wunsch (N-W) global alignments. For each alignment, the kernel returns an alignment score divided by the total alignment length. When used with its MPI-based host software, the kernel is scalable and is capable of achieving high-throughput alignment when run on a CPU-GPU cluster. The host software includes a load balancing technique for data sets having sequences of nonuniform lengths.
Role of the PhoP-PhoQ gene regulatory system in adaptation of Yersinia pestis to environmental stress in the flea digestive tract.

The Yersinia pestis PhoPQ gene regulatory system is induced during infection of the flea digestive tract and is required to produce adherent biofilm in the foregut, which greatly enhances bacterial transmission during a flea bite. To understand the in vivo context of PhoPQ induction and to determine PhoP-regulated targets in the flea, we undertook whole-genome comparative transcriptional profiling of Y. pestis WT and ΔphoP strains isolated from infected fleas and from temperature-matched in vitro planktonic and flow-cell biofilm cultures. In the absence of PhoP regulation, the gene expression program indicated that the bacteria experienced diverse physiological stresses and were in a metabolically less active state. Multiple stress response genes, including several toxin–antitoxin loci and YhcN family genes responsible for increased acid tolerance, were upregulated in the phoP mutant during flea infection. The data implied that PhoPQ was induced by low pH in the flea gut, and that PhoP modulated physiological adaptation to acid and other stresses encountered during infection of the flea. This adaptive response, together with PhoP-dependent modification of the bacterial outer surface that includes repression of pH 6 antigen fimbriae, supports stable biofilm development in the flea foregut.
Modulation of angiotensin II type 2 receptor mRNA in rat hypothalamus and brainstem neuronal cultures by growth factors

Abstract This study investigates the regulatory effects of growth factors upon angiotensin II type 2 (AT2) mRNA levels in neurons co-cultured from newborn rat hypothalamus and brainstem. Incubation of cultured neurons with nerve growth factor (NGF; 5–50 ng/ml) caused time-dependent changes in the steady-state levels of AT2 receptor mRNA. Short-term (0.5–1.0 h) incubations with NGF resulted in significant increases in AT2 receptor mRNA, whereas longer-term incubations (4–24 h) caused significant decreases. Activation of NGF receptors is known to stimulate phospholipase C-γ and subsequently activate protein kinase C (PKC). Incubation of cultures with the PKC activator, phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA; 100 nM), caused temporal changes in AT2 receptor mRNA levels similar to those observed with NGF. By contrast, insulin (0.1–10 μg/ml) elicited only significant decreases in AT2 receptor mRNA levels. The observed abilities of NGF and insulin to regulate the expression of AT2 receptor mRNA are consistent with the fact that the AT2 receptor gene promoter region contains several cis DNA regulatory elements that respond to growth factor-stimulated transcription factors. These novel observations which show that NGF and insulin can regulate AT2 receptor mRNA in neurons derived from neonatal rat CNS lend support to the idea that AT2 receptors have a role in development and differentiation.
Hemodynamic instability during prone spine surgery in a patient with merosin-deficient congenital muscular dystrophy

Trans-esophageal echocardiography (TEE) and/or central venous pressure (CVP) monitoring are important in the anesthetic management of spine fusion of pediatric patients with severe muscular weakness. This case highlights an unusual situation of apparent acute right ventricular mechanical obstruction after prone positioning and its prompt recognition with CVP monitoring. The anesthetic management of a patient with congenital muscular dystrophy, an uncommon neuromuscular disorder, is presented. Good communication and planning between the anesthesiology and surgical teams allowed completion of the procedure using a lateral approach.
Understanding depression among gifted adolescent females: Feminist therapy strategies

The consensus among authors is that adolescence can be an emotionally and physically tumultuous period. For gifted female adolescents, the issues of autonomy and gender role socialization are salient concerns. When these problems become exacerbated, confusion and depression may result. Feminist therapy offers an effective approach to depression and other pertinent issues. Feminist counseling techniques and intervention strategies for counselors, therapists, and educators who work with gifted adolescent females are provided.
Factoring multivariate polynomials via partial differential equations

A new method is presented for factorization of bivariate polynomials over any field of characteristic zero or of relatively large characteristic. It is based on a simple partial differential equation that gives a system of linear equations. As in Berlekamp's and Niederreiter's algorithms for factoring univariate polynomials, the dimension of the solution space of the linear system is equal to the number of absolutely irreducible factors of the polynomial to be factored, and any basis for the solution space gives a complete factorization by computing gcd's and by factoring univariate polynomials over the ground field. The new method finds absolute and rational factorizations simultaneously and is easy to implement for finite fields, local fields, number fields, and the complex number field. The theory of the new method allows an effective Hilbert irreducibility theorem, thus an efficient reduction of polynomials from multivariate to bivariate.
Cadmium ion stimulation of growth and versicolorin synthesis in a mutant strain ofAspergillus parasiticus

Abstract Cultures ofAspergillus parasiticus produce the polyketide versicolorin A in response to elevation of the Zn2+ content of the growth medium. With suboptimal Zn2+ (0.8 μM) mycelial growth is about half maximal, and versicolorin synthesis is essentially zero. Inclusion of Cd2+ (1–100 μM) in the Zn2+-limiting growth medium allows optimal growth and stimulates full versicolorin synthesis. Cd2+, like Zn2+, will stimulate versicolorin sysnthesis only when added within the first 30 h after conidial inoculation. The transport system for Cd2+ uptake may be the same as that for Zn2+, as judged byin vivo competition studies. Cd2+ is a competitive inhibitor of Zn2+ uptake, with Ki = 20 μM.
Is compliance with antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C lower in intravenous drug users

Is compliance with antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis C lower in intravenous drug users?
The notion of climate-driven strath-terrace production assessed via dissimilar stream-process response to late Quaternary climate

Abstract Previous research results from the Gabilan Mesa are combined with new optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) age estimates and sedimentological analyses with the aim of identifying factors that inhibit climate-driven strath-terrace production, and factors that make possible strath-terrace production independent of climate forcing. The factors are revealed by comparing the morphostratigraphy and OSL age estimates of terraces in the adjacent San Lorenzo Creek and Pancho Rico Creek drainage basins of the central California Coast Ranges. OSL age estimates on San Lorenzo Creek fill-terrace alluvium overlying bedrock at two paleofluvial levels range between 50.5 and 41.3 ka and between 33.4 and 18.2 ka. These OSL age estimates indicate that although the channel of Pancho Rico Creek was degrading at these times, San Lorenzo Creek aggradation was synchronous with previously documented regional, climatically driven aggradation that elsewhere in southern California led to strath production and alluvial deposition. The regional-scale climate forcing events had different effects on San Lorenzo and Pancho Rico Creeks because of the influences of drainage-basin lithology on bedload size and tectonic tilting direction on base-level fall. The Holocene history of channel denudation and strath production of Pancho Rico Creek is also different from that of San Lorenzo Creek, and different from that of many other streams in southern California. After Pancho Rico Creek captured the upper part of the drainage basin of San Lorenzo Creek sometime after 15.5 to 11.7 ka, Pancho Rico Creek has been producing unpaired, erosional strath terraces. The weak, clay rich, fine-grained sedimentary rock underlying Pancho Rico Valley is an ideal substrate in which to form straths. The meandering channel of Pancho Rico Creek produces straths, and weathering resistant, relatively hard bedload introduced by stream capture ensures their preservation as strath terraces.
Effects of the number of study trials on single-item recognition following verbal discrimination learning

Sixty subjects were exposed to one of four 20-item verbal discrimination lists for one, two, or four study trials. A recognition task followed consisting of the previous correct and incorrect items and a set of distractor words. The results of the analysis of the recognition task indicated superior discriminability of correct items as compared to incorrect items. The results also suggested that one criterion had been adopted which appeared to be lenient for correct items and stringent for incorrect items. The results were interpreted in terms of frequency theory.
Continuous cooling from 10 to 4 K using a toroidal ADR

Future large infrared space telescopes will require cooling to 4K to achieve background limited performance for submillimeter wavelengths. These observatories will require lifetimes of many years and will have relatively large cooling requirements making stored helium dewars impractical. We have designed and are building an adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ADR) for use in cooling relatively large loads (10- 100 mW) at 4K and rejecting that heat to a cryocooler operating at 1 OK. Cryocoolers below 1 OK have poor thermodynamic efficiency and ADRs can operate in this temperature range with an efficiency of 75% of Carnot or better. Overall, this can save as much as 2/3 of the input power required to operate a 4K cryocooler. The ADR magnet consists of 8 short coils wired in series and arranged in a toroid to provide self shielding of its magnetic field. This will save mass (about 30% of the mass or about 1.5 kg in our small version, higher percentages in higher cooling power, larger versions) that would have been used for passive or active shields in an ordinary solenoid. The toroid has a 100 mm outer diameter and will produce an approximately 3T average field. In the initial demonstration model the toroid coils will be wound with ordinary NbTi wire and operated at 4K. A second version will then use Nb3Sn wire to provide complete 10K operation. As a refrigerant for this temperature range we will use either GdLiF4 or GdF3 crystals, pending tests of these crystals' cooling capacity per field and thermal conductance. Preliminary indications are that these materials are superior to GGG. We will use gas gap heat switches to alternately connect the toroid to the cold load and the warm heat sink. A small continuous stage will maintain the cold end at 4K while the main toroid is recycled.
Effect of the Monomer Ratio on the Strengthening of Polymer Phase Boundaries by Random Copolymers

The fracture toughnessGcof an interface between the immiscible homopolymers polystyrene (PS) and poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PVP) reinforced with random copolymers, dPSf-r-PVP1-f was measured as a function of the average monomer fraction f and the areal chain density " of the copolymer. Long symmetric random copolymers (f 0.48) are shown to be effective in strengthening the interfaces. The effectiveness of the random copolymer at low areal chain densities results from each chain establishing multiple covalent connections across the interface. Whether these connections result from each copolymer chain crossing the interface multiple times, entangling with the homopolymer on either side of the interface, or whether these connections result from a "pairing" of chains with different monomer fractions f(resulting from composition drift) is not yet certain. The interfacialGcincreases strongly with increasing " above "* 0.004 chains/nm 2 where a transition from chain scission to crazing occurs. At a high areal density (" > "sat, where "sat is the saturation areal density of the copolymer, above which the random copolymer forms a distinct and continuous layer at the interface), the fracture toughness of the interface reinforced with f ) 0.48 random copolymer becomes a constant. The effectiveness of the copolymer at high " may be due to the presence within the random copolymers of significant fractions of chains with f > 0.48 as well as f < 0.48. Such a spread in composition is caused by composition drift during the bulk copolymerization. In a thick layer of such a copolymer at the interface, the dPS-rich chains will preferentially segregate to the PS/random copolymer interface while the PVP-rich chains will preferentially segregate to the random copolymer/PVP interface, resulting in an overall interface that is graded in composition and highly entangled. For asymmetric random copolymers (f ) 0.77, 0.60, 0.39, 0.25), the effectiveness decreases markedly as the copolymer becomes less entangled with the homopolymer (corresponding to the minor component in the copolymer) on one side of the interface. The maximum Gc for the interface saturated with the random copolymer decreases significantly as f deviates from 0.5.
Towards a type theory of contexts

At the 2003 Merlin workshop, we presented an initial report on providing a logical basis for the understanding of meta-variables. Our calculus rests on a contextual modality that is intrinsically connected to explicit substitutions, but does not provide a means for quantifying over substitutions or abstracting over contexts. In this talk we give a progress report on our attempts to obtain a modal type theory that integrates variables ranging over substitutions and contexts without losing its logical interpretation. This is joint work with Brigitte Pientka (McGill University, Canada) and Aleksandar Nanevski (Harvard University, USA).
Exfoliation of a deciduous tooth caused by a foreign object: report of case.

A hard yellow band was tightly fitted around the root of a left deciduous mandibular incisor of a 6-year-old boy. This foreign object caused the tooth to exfoliate.
Improving dopant incorporation during femtosecond-laser doping of Si with a Se thin-film dopant precursor

We study the dopant incorporation processes during thin-film fs-laser doping of Si and tailor the dopant distribution through optimization of the fs-laser irradiation conditions. Scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and profilometry are used to study the interrelated dopant incorporation and surface texturing mechanisms during fs-laser irradiation of Si coated with a Se thin-film dopant precursor. We show that the crystallization of Se-doped Si and micrometer-scale surface texturing are closely coupled and produce a doped surface that is not conducive to device fabrication. Next, we use this understanding of the dopant incorporation process to decouple dopant crystallization from surface texturing by tailoring the irradiation conditions. A low-fluence regime is identified in which a continuous surface layer of doped crystalline material forms in parallel with laser-induced periodic surface structures over many laser pulses. This investigation demonstrates the ability to tailor the dopant distribution through a systematic investigation of the relationship between fs-laser irradiation conditions, microstructure, and dopant distribution.
Laser Light Induced Photosensitization Of Lymphomas Cells And Normal Bone Marrow Cells

Dye mediated, laser light induced photosensitization was tested in an in vitro model for its efficacy in eliminating the contaminating tumor cells for ex vivo autologous bone marrow purging. Daudi and U-937 cells (3 x 106/ml) in RPMI-1640 supplemented with 0.25% human albumin were mixed with 20 µg/ml and 25 µg/ml of MC-540, respectively. These cell-dye mixtures were then exposed to 514 nm argon laser light. Identical treatment was given to the normal bone marrow cells. Viability was determined by the trypan blue exclusion method. Results show that at 31.2 J/cm 2 irradiation, 99.9999% Daudi cells were killed while 87% of the normal bone marrow cells survived. No regrowth of Daudi cells was observed for 30 days in culture. However, a light dose of 93.6 J/cm 2 was required to obtain 99.999% U-937 cell kill with 80% normal bone marrow cell survival. Mixing of irradiated bone marrow cells with an equal number of lymphoma cells did not interfere with the photodynamic killing of lymphoma cells. Exposure of cells to low doses of recombinant interferon-alpha prior to photodynamic therapy increased the viability of lymphoma cells.
Effect of wetting layers on the strain and electronic structure of InAs self-assembled quantum dots

The effect of wetting layers on the strain and electronic structure of InAs self-assembled quantum dots grown on GaAs is investigated with an atomistic valence-force-field model and an empirical tight-binding model. By comparing a dot with and without a wetting layer, we find that the inclusion of the wetting layer weakens the strain inside the dot by only 1% relative change, while it reduces the energy gap between a confined electron and hole level by as much as 10%. The small change in the strain distribution indicates that strain relaxes only little through the thin wetting layer. The large reduction of the energy gap is attributed to the increase of the confining-potential width rather than the change of the potential height. First-order perturbation calculations or, alternatively, the addition of an InAs disk below the quantum dot confirm this conclusion. The effect of the wetting layer on the wave function is qualitatively different for the weakly confined electron state and the strongly confined hole state. The electron wave function shifts from the buffer to the wetting layer, while the hole shifts from the dot to the wetting layer.
Management of renovascular hypertension in the elderly population.

Abstract This article summarizes our experience with the operative management of renovascular hypertension in a contemporary population of elderly patients. During a recent 18-month period 35 of 74 patients (47%) undergoing an operation for renovascular hypertension at our center were in their seventh (21 patients) or eighth (14 patients) decade of life (mean age, 68 years). There were 17 men and 18 women with blood pressures ranging from 176/90 mm Hg to 280/215 mm Hg (mean, 213/121 mm Hg). Twenty-seven patients (77%) had renal insufficiency (serum creatinine ≥1.3 mg/dl). Nineteen patients had severe insufficiency (serum creatinine ≥2.0 mg/dl), with five of these patients being dependent on dialysis. Thirty-three of 35 patients (94%) had evidence of organ-specific atherosclerotic damage as manifested by cardiac disease (72%), cerebrovascular disease (37%), or renal insufficiency (77%). Operative management consisted of unilateral revascularization in 17 patients (includes three contralateral nephrectomies), bilateral renal revascularization in 17 patients, and primary nephrectomy in one. Simultaneous aortic replacement was performed in nine patients. There were two operative deaths (5.7%) and two postoperative graft thromboses (4%). Hypertension was cured (three) or improved (27) in 30 of the 33 survivors (91%). Renal function was improved in six and worsened in two patients with severe non-dialysis-dependent renal insufficiency. Three of five patients who were dependent on dialysis before surgery were removed from dialysis after renal revascularization. On follow-up (mean, 10.3 months) we found that five patients had died. This article emphasizes the complexity of atherosclerosis in the current population presenting for operative management of renovascular hypertension. Despite the complexity of disease in this elderly population, our experience suggests that operative management is beneficial and can be accomplished with acceptable albeit increased risk in properly selected elderly patients. (J Vasc Surg 1989;10:266–73.)
Folic acid and vitamin B12: transport and conversion to coenzyme forms.

Abstract Folate and B12 coenzymes are involved in the biosynthesis of purines, pyrimidines and amino acids and thus play an important role in cell replication. Regulation of folate- and B12-dependent metabolism, and the possible exploitation of such regulation in cancer chemotherapy, can be achieved at several different levels: (a) transport of the vitamins into cells; (b) conversion of these vitamins to their coenzyme forms; and (c) reactions catalyzed by coenzyme-dependent systems. Transport of folate compounds into mammalian cells is an energy-dependent, carrier-mediated process. Three separate lines of evidence (substrate competition, mutant sublines and sulfhydryl inhibitors) indicate that L1210 cells utilize two separate carrier systems for folate compounds. One is specific for folate, while the other is specific for 5-methyl tetrahydrofolate; the latter system also transports tetrahydrofolate, 5-formyl tetrahydrofolate (folinate) and amethopterin (Methotrexate). In contrast, Lactobacillus casei utilizes a single carrier system for all of the folate compounds. The intracellular conversion of folate to the coenzyme, tetrahydrofolate, is mediated by the TPNH-dependent enzyme, dihydrofolate reductase. This enzyme is the target for folate antagonists such as amethopterin. Interaction with the drug, however, is markedly dependent upon prior binding of TPNH to the enzyme. Treatment of cells with amethopterin generally causes the level of dihydrofolate reductase to rise in subsequent generations. This has been attributed to a decreased rate of degradation of the enzyme (stabilized by complex formation with amethopterin) rather than to an increased rate of synthesis. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and absorbance spectra have been used to study the interaction of dihydrofolate reductases from L1210 cells and L. casei with various substrates and inhibitors. Transport of vitamin B12 is an energy-dependent, carrier-mediated process. In mammalian cells transport requires, in addition to the membrane carrier system, an external protein, transcobalamin-II. Analogs of adenosyl cobalamin inhibit this process. Conversion of B12 to its coenzyme forms (adenosyl- and methyl cobalamin) is accomplished by the two-step reduction of B12a (CoIII) to B12r (CoII) to B12s (CoI), followed by reaction of the latter with ATP or adenosyl methionine. A variant of this system has been encountered in the activation of the B12-containing methionine synthetase by TPNH and two flavoproteins.
Optical Implementation Of A Novel Accurate-Location Radar And Sonar.

An optical implementation is considered for a novel system, recently invented by the author, for accurately locating objects relatively close to an array from distributed backscatter. Processing is partitioned into handling scatterers in annuli rather than in pie shaped regions as in conventional systems which use beamforming followed by matched filtering. The advantages of the new design are discussed. Precomputing a matrix containing geometric and transmission pulse information leaves only a matrix-vector computation to be performed in real-time. Experimental results are shown for a 100 by 100 matrix-vector multiplication with a new device, a spatial light rebroadcaster (SLR). A method of constructing an optical sonar or radar is proposed using the new concept and the optical matrix-vector multiplier.
Photoaffinity labeling of atrial natriuretic factor receptor in bovine and rat adrenal cortical membranes

Radioiodinated synthetic atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) bound to a single class of high affinity binding sites in the plasma membrane from bovine adrenal cortex with a KD of 7.4 × 10−10 M. The binding affinities of related peptides showed close parallelism to their potencies in natriuretic and vasorelaxant activities. Incubation of adrenal membranes with radioiodinated 4-azidobenzoyl ANF or a similar derivative of its analogue followed by photolysis resulted in specific radiolabeling of a protein band in SDS gel electrophoresis with an apparent Mr of 124,000 in bovine or Mr of 126,000 in rat, which was abolished by inclusion of unmodified ANF in the incubation. Prevention of the labeling was dependent on the concentration of ANF and was not observed with atriopeptin I or with unrelated peptides, angiotensin II, ACTH or [Arg8]vasopressin. These results indicate specific covalent labeling of ANF-receptor or its subunit by the photoaffinity ligands.