cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Silver-mediated base pairings: towards dynamic DNA nanostructures with enhanced chemical and thermal stability

The thermal and chemical fragility of DNA nanomaterials assembled by Watson–Crick (WC) pairing constrain the settings in which these materials can be used and how they can be functionalized. Here we investigate use of the silver cation, Ag+, as an agent for more robust, metal-mediated self-assembly, focusing on the simplest duplex building blocks that would be required for more elaborate Ag+–DNA nanostructures. Our studies of Ag+-induced assembly of non-complementary DNA oligomers employ strands of 2–24 bases, with varied base compositions, and use electrospray ionization mass spectrometry to determine product compositions. High yields of duplex products containing narrowly distributed numbers of Ag+ can be achieved by optimizing solution conditions. These Ag+-mediated duplexes are stable to at least 60 mM Mg2+, higher than is necessary for WC nanotechnology schemes such as tile assemblies and DNA origami, indicating that sequential stages of Ag+-mediated and WC-mediated assembly may be feasible. Circular dichroism spectroscopy suggests simple helical structures for Ag+-mediated duplexes with lengths to at least 20 base pairs, and further indicates that the structure of cytosine-rich duplexes is preserved at high urea concentrations. We therefore propose an approach towards dynamic DNA nanomaterials with enhanced thermal and chemical stability through designs that combine sturdy silver-mediated 'frames' with WC paired 'pictures'.
Effects of insulin on steroidogenesis in cultured porcine ovarian theca.

The effects of insulin on porcine thecal steroidogenesis were examined in long-term cultures of hyaluronidase-collagenase dispersed thecal cells. The thecal cultures made significant amounts of progesterone (P) and androstenedione (∆ 4 A). Testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, estrone, and estradiol could not be detected in the media. Luteinizing hormone (LH) alone significantly increased P and ∆ 4 A accumulation. Insulin alone increased P accumulation on days 2 to 4 of culture. Insulin alone did not stimulate ∆ 4 A accumulation. Insulin plus LH resulted in a significantly greater accumulation of P and ∆ 4 A than LH alone. These results suggest that insulin may be a regulator of ovarian thecal steroidogenesis.
Flight Mechanics Towards the 21st Century

The evolutionary process of flight mechanics is discussed from the viewpoint of "Needs-Pulling and Speciality-Pushing";Some new ideas associated with the development of flight mechanics are presented. The important roles of Auto-Flight Mechanics and Computational Flight Mechanics in the development of future flying vehicle are specially analyzed; Finally, Some proposals for Flight Mechanics of guided missile towards the 21st century have been made.
Effects of atriopeptin III on isolated rat afferent and efferent arterioles

The effects of atriopeptin III (AP III) on in vitro prepared afferent (AA) and efferent arterioles (EA) from rat kidneys were tested in a system in which lumen diameter could be measured. AP III (10(-13)-10(-7) M) had no effect on lumen diameter of AA that were not preconstricted. When AA were preconstricted with either angiotensin II (ANG II) or norepinephrine (NE), however, AP III increased lumen diameter in a concentration-dependent manner to the preconstriction baseline value. Maximal vasodilation occurred at 10(-10) M AP III. Unlike AA, EA constricted by 50% to 10(-10) M AP III further constricted EA that were pretreated with ANG II or NE. Dilation in ANG II-preconstricted AA to AP III was not inhibited by indomethacin. Constriction of EA to AP III was not altered by [Sar1-Ala8] ANG II, enalapril, OKY 046, or phentolamine. Results indicate that in isolated renal arterioles AP III dilates preconstricted AA but constricts EA that have either not been pretreated or have been preconstricted with other ag...
A Collection of Short Stories toward the Completion of a Novel

For almost six years now, I’ve been writing my way into a novel. This novel is written from the points of view of six different characters. In order to pull this off without giving my potential readers too much mental whiplash, I needed to differentiate my character’s voices and separate the concrete details of their pasts. To do this, I decided to write a series of short stories, each from a different character’s point of view, that revolve around pivotal moments in their pasts, moments that will converge in a way that becomes critical to creating the architecture of the novel. Point of View Since I am trying to mirror the style of each character’s voice in the novel in these stories, I wrote each of the short stories in the same point of view as the novel. I chose to use third person limited for both because the novel is a fantasy novel, and fantastical fiction is generally easier to swallow when it is written in third person rather than first or second. It takes less effort for the reader to adjust to third person than to a different point of view, because third person is the default, and it is what readers see the most of. I could have written in third person omniscient, in which the narrator knows everything about every character at any given time, but with six main characters, I thought third person omniscient would be too confusing. So I decided instead to break my novel up into chapters which are each narrated by a different main character. Two examples of authors who do this well are Susan Powers in The Grass Dancer and Joe Abercrombie in The Blade Itself. Both novels contain fantastical elements, are written in third person close focus, and have multiple main characters. In both of these novels, each character’s section has a different style, tone, and perspective that reflects the character’s
Special treatment measures in patients with a stoma

Psychological, social and technical problems in the management of patients with stomata are discussed. The success of treatment depends on the skill of the doctors and nurses to handle personal problems of the patient, to help him to find his way into the community, to his work, to his hobbies. Problems such as love, sexual life and death have also to be taken into consideration. Each such patient should get detailed and written information in order to have enough time to prepare himself for his new situation. Doctors and nurses must offer time for sufficient discussions with the patient.
Many faces of the concept of culture (and education)

In this theoretical essay, we examine four conceptual gestalt approaches to culture and education: “culture as pattern,” “culture as boundary,” “culture as authorship,” and “culture as critical dialog.” In the “culture as pattern,” education aims at socializing people into a given cultural practice. Any decline from culturally valued patterns becomes a deficit for education to eliminate. In the “culture as boundary,” encounter with other cultures highlights their arbitrariness and equality. Education focuses on celebration of diversity, tolerance, pluralism, social justice, and equal rights. The “culture as authorship” is about authorial transcendence of the given recognized by others. Education promotes dialogic creativity and authorship. Student/author is the final authority of his/her own education. “Culture as critical dialog” promotes testing ideas, opinions, beliefs, desires, and values. Critical dialog is inherently deconstructive, promoting never-ending search for truth. Education aims at the crit...
Anaphylactoid Purpura in a Horse

An 8-year-old gelding with a long-standing, streptococcal respiratory infection developed dyspnoea and colic. Laparotomy disclosed numerous, discrete, hemorrhagic, thick areas of necrosis throughout the intestinal tract. At postmortem examination similar lesions were seen in the laryngeal mucosa and in many skeletal muscles. Microscopically these lesions had massive necrosis and hemorrhage with a leucocytoclastic vasculitis in adjacent tissue. This condition resembled anaphylactoid purpura (Henoch-Schonlein disease) in man. Fungal infection was ruled out by special stains which failed to show fungal elements.
Kelsen in the United States: Still Misunderstood

In American legal philosophy—even if one narrows one’s focus to careful consideration of the sub-category, American analytical legal philosophy—the ideas of Hans Kelsen are generally ignored. And on the rare occasions when Kelsen’s ideas are not ignored, they are almost always discussed quickly, and, more often than not, erroneously. Part I of this paper gives examples of Kelsen’s works being overlooked, sample misreadings by prominent theorists, and considers some standard explanations for this indifference and ignorance. Part II turns to some more subtle (and controversial) questions of correct and incorrect readings, focusing on Kelsen’s Basic Norm.
When Do You Drain Epidural Abscesses of the Spine

Background How the relative volume of an epidural abscess on MRI affects outcomes with antibiotics alone has limited literature. The purpose of this study was to identify which infected epidural collections will reabsorb with antibiotics alone. Specifically, what is the critical size and enhancement on contrast MRIs to require a drainage procedure? Materials and methods A retrospective review of all spinal osteomyelitis patients from 2001-2012 was performed. Inclusion criteria included appropriate initial imaging, lab results, no drainage procedures of collections, and no treatment prior to admission at an outside institution. Large size epidural abscess was defined as abscesses with a volume greater than 1400 mm3. Clearance and mortality rates were evaluated. Results The cohort consisted of 128 patients including 76 men and 52 women who had a mean age of 62 years (range, 21 to 90 years) and had a mean follow-up of 38 months (range, 24 to 72 months). Patients with a large epidural abscess had a greater clearance rate of the infection and decreased mortality rate when treated with surgery or drainage compared to patients treated with antibiotics alone [clearance: p=0.048; mortality: p=0.048]. Those small epidural abscesses had similar clearance and mortality rates when treated with surgery or drainage compared to antibiotics alone [clearance: p=0.75; mortality: p=0.13]. Patients with non-enhancing epidural abscesses had similar clearance rates-but increased mortality rates-when treated with antibiotics alone compared to surgery or drainage [clearance: p>0.9; mortality: p=0.03]. Those with enhancing epidural collections had similar clearance and mortality rates when treated with antibiotics alone compared to surgery or drainage [clearance: p=0.08, mortality: p=0.10]. Conclusion Large epidural infected collections require surgery or a percutaneous drainage procedure. Clearance rates are higher and mortality rates are lower compared to non-operative management in these instances. Neurologically intact patients with a small epidural collection can be treated with antibiotics alone with good expected outcomes.
Land Use Policy and Value Choice

This chapter presents a brief discussion of contemporary design values and their significance in the land policy debate. It examines how they have influenced land use decisions in the past and explores conflicts between design values and other social and economic values. It concludes by reviewing other emerging design values likely to play an important role in future land use decisions.
College towns, vacation spots, and tech hubs: using geo-social media to model and compare locations

In this paper, we explore the potential of geo-social media to construct location-based interest profiles to uncover the hidden relationships among disparate locations. Through an investigation of millions of geo-tagged Tweets, we construct a per-city interest model based on fourteen high-level categories (e.g., technology, art, sports). These interest models support the discovery of related locations that are connected based on these categorical perspectives (e.g., college towns or vacation spots) but perhaps not on the individual tweet level. We then connect these city-based interest models to underlying demographic data. By building multivariate multiple linear regression (MMLR) and neural network (NN) models we show how a location's interest profile may be estimated based purely on its demographics features.
"Asymmetry in asset specificity, opportunism, and safeguard in bribery transactions"

Unlike typical transactions in transaction cost economics, bilateral dependency between transaction parties is significantly asymmetric in bribery transactions. This is because the bribing firms’ i...
Characterization of fracture energy and toughness of air plasma PDMS–PDMS bonding by T-peel testing

AbstractThe fracture energy, toughness and failure modes of air plasma oxidized polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) bonding are evaluated in this paper. Each PDMS–PDMS bonded specimen was subjected to T-peel testing at a constant-displacement rate. The load–extension curve from each test was analyzed by the principle of energy balance in linearly elastic fracture mechanics, to calculate the fracture energy (critical strain energy), which is the maximal strain energy a bonded specimen can withstand without losing its assembly integrity, and toughness (surface energy), which is the bonding energy at the interface. A distribution of calculated values against the air plasma treatment parameters shows the predominant range of 0.1 to 0.4 N/mm for fracture energy and 0.1 to 0.2 N/mm for toughness. Together with an analysis of three failure modes (cohesive, adhesive, and mixed), the results suggest 0.1 N/mm as the threshold of the fracture energy for weak bonding, below which a specimen will be likely to fail through deb...
New Method of Sampling and Positioning for Scanning Systems Load Cell-PZT Translator

Abstract The output signal of microtranslators such as PZT is not always proportional to the input signal. It usually needs high cost and special techniques for linearization. Here described is a method which is simple, inexpensive and accurate to measure the length variations of PZT. A commercialized candilever load cell is directly attached to a PZT, the output voltage of load cell versus the expansion of PZT has very good linearity. In this paper, the experiment results and three important error sources will be shown and discussed in details. Simultaneously, a sampling circuit for the increasing voltage used to produce sampling pulses is also described. The experiment results show that the method is effective and can be applied to many scanning and positioning systems.
An Introduction to Deep Clustering

Driven by the explosive growth in available data and decreasing costs of computation, Deep Learning (DL) has found much of its fame in problems involving classification tasks which are considered supervised learning. Deep learning has also been widely used to learn richer and better data representations from big data, without relying too much on human engineered features. Even though it started mostly within the realm of supervised learning, deep learning’s success has recently inspired several deep learning-based developments in clustering algorithms which sit squarely within unsupervised learning. Most DL-based clustering approaches result in both deep representations and (either as an explicit aim or as a byproduct) clustering outputs, hence we refer to all these approaches as Deep Clustering. In this chapter, we present a simplified taxonomy of Deep Clustering methods, based mainly on the overall procedural structure or design which helps beginning readers quickly grasp how almost all approaches are designed, while allowing more advanced readers to learn how to design increasingly sophisticated deep clustering pipelines that fit their own machine learning problem-solving aims. Like DL, Deep Clustering promises to leave an impact on diverse application domains ranging from computer vision and speech recognition to recommender systems and natural language processing.
Aspirin and statin use and the risk of gallbladder cancer.

243Background: The risk factors for gallbladder cancer (GBC) are poorly understood and preventive therapeutic options have not been identified. The use of aspirin (ASA) and/or statin has been assoc...
X-Band PN Delta DOR Signal Design and Implementation on the JPL Iris Transponder

This paper describes the design and implementation of the Pseudorandom-Noise (PN) Delta Differential One-way Ranging (DDOR) signal format on the JPL Iris Cubesat Software Defined Radio. The Iris radio is now in-flight use in Deep Space onboard the MARCO spacecraft and will soon be utilized to multiple EM-1 missions. The spread spectrum Delta DOR format enables more accurate differential ranging measurements over the classical DOR tone format, and it is applicable to deep space missions that require accurate navigation or require accurate angular position measurements for another purpose such as determining the ephemeris of a planet or small body. The classical Delta-DOR technique makes time delay measurements of spacecraft and quasar signals to determine spacecraft angular position in the radio reference frame defined by the quasar coordinates. The measurement system is configured to provide common-mode error cancellation as nearly as possible. In the PN DOR mode, instead of a spacecraft modulating their downlink, with a sinusoidal signal, referred to as a DOR tone as done in the classical DOR mode, the sinusoidal tone is replaced with a spread spectrum signal. Using a spread spectrum DOR signal instead of a DOR tone enables cancellation of effects due to phase dispersion across the channels used to record quasar signals. This error source, referred to as phase dispersion or phase ripple, is currently the dominant measurement error for the classical DOR format. PN spreading will improve on classical DOR performance accuracy because by choosing the PN spreading code and shaping filter carefully, the spacecraft signal can be made to closely resemble the quasar signal resulting in reduction of the Delta-DOR error due to phase dispersion by 80% to 90% over the classical DDOR approach. The article will describe the choice of a Gold code sequence that possesses good autocorrelation properties as well as excellent cross-correlation properties that was used to spread the DOR tone, and the choice of root-raised-cosine (RRC) chip-shaping filter to reduce the amount of excess-bandwidth of the output waveform. The paper will also describe the path that was taken for the FPGA implementation on the Iris radio including a Simulink model of the PN DDOR module that is used for automatic HDL code generation. This module was then integrated into the Iris firmware and verified. Future work includes the integration of the designed subsystem into the Universal Space Transponder and extension of the derived waveform to the KA-band. We hope that the outlined PN DDOR implementation can be integrated into an upcoming mission that utilizes the Iris radio (such as EM-l missions).
Manganese-Catalyzed and Mediated Synthesis of Arylphosphinates and Related Compounds

The free-radical arylation of H-phosphinates and related compounds was examined. A practical catalytic process with the air as the oxidant could not be found. However, an inexpensive and robust methodology was developed, using catalytic Mn(II) as the radical initiator and excess Mn(IV) as the stoichiometric oxidant. Using these conditions, the inter- and intramolecular arylation of phosphinylidene compounds has a broad scope, including application to the synthesis of P-heterocycles. A full account of this methodology is presented including a discussion of its limitations.
Young Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and/or Disruptive Behavior Disorders Are More Frequently Prescribed Alpha Agonists Than Stimulants.

Objective: To examine medication prescribing patterns for preschool-aged children with diagnoses of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and/or disruptive behavior disorder (DBD). Second...
Retrieval of Visually Shared News

Some state funded media outlets are known to disseminate disinformation. The scientific community has shown a lot of interest in the network of bots that amplify this content. This work studies how the content of media outlets is spread among individual users on social media. We focus on tweets that include news articles as visual attachments because they are very powerful in delivering a convincing message, but are hard to retrieve. We propose and evaluate a model that is able to identify screenshots of news articles with a precision of 0.23 and a recall of 0.80. As an demonstration of the model, we analyzed the tweets of Twitter users from Latvia and identified patterns of news distribution.
Pseudo-3D Approaches for Commercial-Grade RTL-to-GDS Tool Flow Targeting Monolithic 3D ICs

Despite the recent academic efforts to develop Electronic Design Automation (EDA) algorithms for 3D ICs, the current market does not have commercial 3D computer-aided design (CAD) tools. Insteadpseudo-3D alternative design flows have been devised which utilize commercial 2D CAD engines with tricks that help them operate as a fairly-efficient 3D CAD tool. In this paper we provide detailed discussions and fair power-performance-area (PPA) comparisons of state-of-the-art pseudo-3D design flows. We also analyze the limitations of each design flow and provide solutions with better PPA and various design options. Our experiments using commercial PDK, GDS layouts, and sign-off simulations demonstrate that we achieve up to 26% wirelength and 10% power consumption reduction for pseudo-3D design flows. We also provide a partitioning-first scheme to partitioning-last design flow which increases design freedom with tolerable PPA degradation.
Why Did your PR Get Rejected?: Defining Guidelines for Avoiding PR Rejection in Open Source Projects

Pull requests are a commonly used method of collaboration for software developers working on open source projects. In this paper, we analyze the most common reasons, sentiment polarity, and interaction length for pull request rejections, as well as the correlations between these factors in a large open-source project called Scapy. We manually analyzed 231 rejected pull requests and systematically mapped sentiment and categorized rejection reasons. We found that the most frequent reasons for pull request rejection refer to source code management issues, incomplete comprehension of project functionalities, poor understanding of what reviewers expect, and misunderstanding the project guidelines (often due to a lack of complete/updated instructions and communication gaps). This work is an ongoing effort toward establishing practical guidelines for globally distributed contributors in open-source projects to minimize pull request rejection and maximize productivity leading to more fruitful remote collaboration. Future work involves expanding the analysis to more projects and incorporating quantitative methods.
Open DRUJ Reduction

Distal radioulnar joint (DRUJ) injuries must be recognized at the time of surgical treatment of wrist and forearm injuries, as appropriate treatment is necessary for optimal outcomes. Care should be taken to restore radial height and address ligamentous injuries of the TFCC to prevent DRUJ instability, subsequent ulnar-sided wrist pain, and loss of forearm rotation. In the trauma patient with an open distal radius and ulna fractures and DRUJ disruption, an open TFCC repair was key to re-establishing stability after fixation of his fractures.
Turf toe and Sesamoiditis

Abstract Two of the more common sporting injuries involving the forefoot are acute capsuloligamentous injuries at the metatarsophalangeal (MTP) joint and overload injuries of the sesamoid complex. These terms are referred to as turf toe and sesamoiditis, respectively, neither of which is descriptive or specific for the underlying cause of the patient's pain. Turf toe injuries can range from mild sprains to complete disruptions of the plantar capsule, requiring a careful understanding of each patient's injury to facilitate a timely return to sport. Sesamoiditis in the athlete is commonly secondary to a stress fracture, osteonecrosis, or chondromalacia, and warrants extensive nonoperative care prior to a surgical intervention. In the following section, we will review the pertinent anatomy, common presentations, and recommendations for treating these injuries.
Stopover ecology of fall migrating landbirds at an inland stopover site in northeastern Pennsylvania dominated by nonnative vegetation

Landbirds are especially vulnerable during migration as they move through novel habitats and encounter enhanced predation risk, unpredictable food resources, enhanced competition, and inclement weather. Further, numerous studies suggest exotic vegetation species have the potential to alter habitat quality, in turn affecting the fitness of migratory birds. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fitness correlates associated with fall migrant use of shrubland habitat dominated by nonnative honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) in northeastern Pennsylvania. Additionally, we looked for differences in stopover ecology between demographic cohorts (age, and in the case of Common Yellowthroat [Geothlypis trichas], both age and sex). We used estimates of mass change as our primary fitness indicator, assuming that evidence of positive mass change reflects fat deposition and hence indicates quality habitat. Our results suggest that of 7 species, 1 gained mass, 5 neither gained nor lost mass, and 1 lost mass. Further, while we found little evidence of age or sex differences in migratory timing, we did find evidence that older birds gained mass at a higher rate than younger in 2 species and that, while male Common Yellowthroats maintained mass while using our site, females lost mass. We conclude that our exotic-dominated shrubland habitat does not provide high-quality stopover habitat for most species.
German soldiers in the great war: letters and eyewitness accounts

War enthusiasm and the ‘stab-in-the-back’ legend (Dolchstosslegende) were cornerstones of the Interwar political right's memory of the 1914–1918 conflict and are familiar topics to any student with...
Transfer RNA structure and coding specificity: I. Evidence that a D-arm mutation reduces tRNA dissociation from the ribosome☆

The mutation G to A24 in the D-arm of Escherichia coli tRNA(Trp) or its UAG suppressor derivative Su7 has two known phenotypes: (1) an altered or relaxed coding specificity at the codon third position; and (2) partial rescue of an anticodon loop mutation. In order to study the mechanism responsible for these effects we constructed, by in vitro mutagenesis, a series of tRNAs with alterations in the anticodon loop or at the third position of the anticodon. Evaluation of the effects of the A24 mutation on the in vivo ribosomal activity of these tRNAs leads us to conclude that the mutation reduces the rate at which the ribosome is able to reject tRNAs that are structurally defective or non-cognate. The apparent interaction of the D-arm mutation with the anticodon and anticodon loop is thus primarily kinetic, rather than through the structure of the tRNA. The Appendix describes the calculation of tRNA ribosomal activity from in vivo measurement of suppression efficiency.
Peptidomimetics for Drug Design

The past and present role of peptidomimetics to drug discovery and protein design is summarized. The historical evolution of this area of research and the current state-of-the-art research strategies are described. A detailed description of each of the peptidomimetics types that have appeared in the literature so far is discussed. Some examples are used to illustrate the drug design process that proceeds from the native peptide to a completely non-peptide peptidomimetic structure. Special attention is given to important pharmaceutical targets such as the cysteine, metallo, serineor aspartic proteases, integrins, G-protein–coupled receptors, etc. The principles currently used are highlighted in the discussions of some of the most successful examples. It is obvious that major progress in this area is primarily derived of recent advances in all aspects of science. Molecular modeling, X-ray crystallography, and high field NMR have greatly contributed to this endeavor. Peptidomimetic inhibitors were traditionally developed by modifying peptide bonds, by mimicking the transition states for enzyme-catalyzed reactions, or by constraining the conformational mobility of a peptide-derived chain; the latter was used to overcome some of the pharmacokinetic barriers encountered in using peptides as drugs. Lately, these difficulties have been partially solved with rational drug design of de novo compounds. Several methods have been successfully applied, with noteworthy examples currently in clinical trials, and many others are expected in the near future. It would be wrong, however, to imply that this process is a universal panacea. New ideas are urgently needed to produce clinical candidates faster and to solve some of the undesired pharmacokinetic issues. Keywords: peptidomimetic; conformationally restricted; template; isosteres; transition state; drug design; GRAB peptidomimetic; peptidase inhibitor; GPCR inhibitors
The Twentieth-Century Revolution in Family Wealth Transmission

The ancient field of trust-and-estate law has entered upon a period of serious decline. In some law firms, even seasoned practitioners have begun to diversify away from the field. In leading circles of the trustand-estate bar, there is now open discussion of diminishing clientele, difficulty in billing for legal services at rates comparable to the rates for other specialties, and the reluctance of new associates to enter the field.1
Evaluating generalist education programs

This paper provides and applies a conceptual framework and a list of guiding principles for evaluation of generalist education programs. Programs are systematic efforts to achieve specified objectives. Evaluations gather data in order to improve or appraise programs and have a continuum of purposes and methods. Descriptive evaluations characterize the structures, processes, and outcomes of programs; research evaluations definitively assess the effectiveness of a program in terms of outcomes. Intermediate outcomes are changes in knowledge, attitudes, and skills of program participants; conclusive outcomes reflect the quality of performance of graduates in actual clinical situations. Outcomes are affected by inputs--the qualities of students entering the program. Guiding principles of program evaluation ensure that data gathered are useful. The authors illustrate the guiding principles with an actual pilot study that determined that expert pediatricians, general internists, and family practitioners could agree on key generalist competencies and that explores evaluation design based on these competencies. Finally, they consider the implications of undertaking generalist education evaluation.
Translation and orientation domain boundaries in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3

From crystal structure, three types of translation and two types of orientation domain boundaries are expected in La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 as a result of phase transition. However, the most easily observed domain boundaries in the bulk samples are translation boundaries (or antiphase boundaries) and 90° domain boundaries, while the and translation boundaries were rarely observed. In this paper, this phenomenon is explained by considering the tilting modes of the oxygen octahedra in the structure. We found that there is no distortion to the nearby oxygen octahedra if the translation boundaries take the (010) boundary planes and the 90° domain boundaries are in the {101} planes, making them low-energy boundary planes and, thus, are easy to form. On the other hand, the and translation boundaries introduce a distortion in the oxygen octahedra, which requires breaking the tilting modes in the boundary areas and, therefore, they are high-energy boundary planes, which are rarely observed. The above-expected results are su...
The Nationalization of Special Elections for the U.S. House of Representatives

AbstractScholars and political commentators have argued that special elections to the U.S. House of Representatives are national contests, serving as a referendum on the president's party and a predictor of future election outcomes (Sigelman 1981; Smith and Burnnell 2010). But the empirical record is mixed, with one leading study demonstrating that candidate and district characteristics alone explain special election outcomes (Gaddie, Bullock, and Buchanan 1999). We investigate this disagreement by comparing special election and open-seat results using new data for the period 1995–2014. We find that while candidate characteristics affect special election outcomes, presidential approval is predictive of special election outcomes as well. Furthermore, we find that the effect of presidential approval on special election outcomes has increased in magnitude from 1995 to 2014, with the 2002 midterm representing an important juncture in the nationalization of special elections. We conclude that special elections...
The level of response to alcohol in daughters of alcoholics and controls.

Abstract Background: The low level of response (LR) to alcohol is a genetically influenced characteristic related to the development of alcohol use disorders (AUDs). This phenotype is found in men with a family history (FH) of alcoholism, predicts future AUDs, and has heritabilities as high as 60%. However, despite evidence of genetic influences for AUDs in both sexes, the majority of studies evaluating differences in LR across high- and low-risk groups have been conducted on males, and it is unclear how generalizable these results are to women. Methods: Twenty-five women who are family history positive (FHP) for alcohol dependence were matched with 25 women with no FH of alcoholism (FHN) on factors that may impact LR. Using an alcohol challenge paradigm, data on the reaction to a moderate dose of alcohol were gathered over a period of 3.5 h. Assessments included breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs), the Subjective High Assessment Scale (SHAS), as well as body sway or static ataxia. Results: Family history positives reported lower subjective intoxication than FHNs. In addition, when body sway scores were corrected for skewness, FHPs had significantly lower scores on alcohol-related changes in lateral sway. These differences remained after considering the effects of drinking history and BrAC values. Conclusions: This study evaluated the LR to alcohol in the largest sample of alcohol challenges in matched FHP and FHN women to date. Overall, the findings are consistent with most data from earlier investigations of smaller sized samples of FHP women. The results suggest that, similar to sons of alcoholics, a low LR to alcohol might also be characteristic of daughters of alcoholics.
Lactic acid measurement to identify risk of morbidity from sepsis in pregnancy.

Objective This study aims to assess the risk of morbidity associated with maternal lactic acid concentration in women with possible sepsis in pregnancy. Study Design Retrospective cohort of pregnant and postpartum patients with signs of sepsis. Morbidity outcomes were compared by lactic acid concentration. Linear regression was used to evaluate the association between lactic acid and adverse outcomes. Results Out of the 850 women included, 159 had lactic acid measured. Patients with lactic acid measured had higher morbidity: positive blood cultures (16.8 vs. 5.5%, p = 0.04), admission to the intensive care unit (5 vs. 0.1%, p Conclusion Elevated lactic acid in pregnancy is associated with adverse maternal outcomes from presumed sepsis. In this cohort, lactic acid measurement was a marker of more severe infection.
Cytotoxicity of Modified Indole Alkaloids

Indole alkaloids of the iboga series were structurally modified by incorporation of a 3,4-dimethoxybenzyl or -benzoyl unit so that they contained the N-O-O triangle required for antileukemic activity according to the triangulation hypothesis. The cytotoxicities of the modified alkaloids in the in vitro P-388 system were not significantly increased over the unmodified alkaloids, suggesting that the triangulation hypothesis does not apply in this series at least.
Chemical synthesis and properties of poly(1-alkyl 2,5-pyrrolylene)

Abstract Doped poly(1-alkyl 2,5-pyrrolylenes) (alkyl= hexyl and dodecyl) are synthesized by oxidative coupling of the corresponding N-alkyl pyrroles in nitromethane using excess FeCl 3 as the oxidant. The electrical conductivities of the doped polymers let al,in the range. 10 −5 to 10 −6 S/cm. The doped polymers are stable in air. Rationalizations are presented for conductivity in relation to polymer structure.
Recursive solutions of rational interpolation problems via fast matrix factorization

We describe a novel approach to analytic rational interpolation problems of the Hermite-Fejer type, based on the fast generalized Schur algorithm for the recursive triangular factorization of structured matrices. We use the interpolation data to construct a convenient so-called generator for the factorization algorithm. The recursive algorithm then leads to a transmission-line cascade of first-order sections that makes evident the interpolation property. We also give state-space descriptions for each section and for the entire cascade.
Role of Bcl-2 family members in apoptotic cell death

Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor gene and its role in renal carciLerman MI, Linehan WM, Zbar B: Germline and somatic mutations in the tyrosine kinase domain of the MET protooncogene in noma. Biochim Biophys Acta 1242:201–210, 1996 papillary renal carcinomas Nature Genet 16:68–73, 1997 2. Gnarra JR, Zhou S, Merrill MJ, Wagner JR, Krumm A, Papavas5. Pause A, Lee S, Worrell RA, Chen DYT, Burgess WH, Linehan siliou E, Oldfield EH, Klausner RD, Linehan WM: Post-tranWM, Klausner RD: The von Hippel-Lindau tumor-suppressor scriptional regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor mRNA gene product forms a stable complex with human CUL-2, a member by the product of the VHL tumor suppressor gene. Proc Natl Acad of the Cdc53 family of proteins. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 94:2156– Sci USA 93:10589–10594, 1996 2161, 1997 3. Linehan WM, Klausner RD: Renal Carcinoma, in The Genetic 6. Zhuang Z, Park WS, Pack S, Schmidt L, Vortmeyer AO, Pak E, Basis of Human Cancer, edited by Vogelstein B, Kinzler K, New Pham T, Weil RJ, Candidus S, Lubensky IA, Linehan WM, Zbar York, McGraw-Hill, 1997, pp 455–473 B, Weirich G: Trisomy 7-harbouring non-random duplication of 4. Schmidt L, Duh F-M, Chen F, Kishida T, Glenn G, Choyke the mutant MET allele in hereditary papillary renal carcinomas. P, Scherer SW, Zhuang Z, Lubensky I, Dean M, Allikmets R, Nature Genet 20:66–69, 1998 Chidambaram A, Bergerheim UR, Feltis TJ, Casadevall C, Za7. Fogt F, Zhuang Z, Linehan WM, Merino MJ: Collecting duct marron A, Bernues M, Richard S, Lips CJM, Walther MM, Tsui carcinomas of the kidney: A comparative loss of heterozygosity L, Geil L, Orcutt ML, Stackhouse T, Lipan J, Slife L, Brauch study with clear cell renal cell carcinoma. Oncol Rep 5:923–926, 1998 H, Decker J, Niehans G, Hughson MD, Moch H, Storkel S,
Comparison between the adsorption behaviors of an organic cation and an organic anion on several reversed-phase liquid chromatography adsorbents.

Abstract Adsorption data of an organic cation (propranololium chloride) and an organic anion (sodium 1-naphthalene sulfonate) were measured by frontal analysis on two RPLC adsorbents, Symmetry-C18 and XTerra-C18, with aqueous solutions of methanol as the mobile phases. The influence of supporting neutral salts on the adsorption behavior of these two ions are compared. The Henry constants are close ( H ≃ 5). The four sets of isotherm data are all well accounted for using the bi-Moreau model. However, the isotherms of the two ions behave differently at high concentrations. The initial behaviors of all the isotherms are antilangmuirian but remain so in a much wider concentration range for the cation than for the anion, due to its stronger adsorbate–adsorbate interactions on the low-energy adsorption sites. The retention times of both ions increase with increasing concentration of neutral salt in the mobile phase, suggesting the formation of ion-pair complexes, with Cl− for the cation and with Na+ for the anion. The adsorbate–adsorbate interactions vanish in the presence of salt and the bi-Moreau isotherm model tends toward a bi-Langmuir model. Differences in adsorption behavior are also observed between the cation and the anion when bivalent inorganic anions and cations, respectively, are dissolved in the mobile phase. High concentration band profiles of 1-naphthalene sulfonic acid are langmuirian, except in the presence of a trivalent cation, while those of propranolol are antilangmuirian under certain conditions even with uni- or divalent cations.
Studies on the physiology of the liver VI. The effect of total removal of the liver in lower vertebrates

The effect of removal of the liver has been noted in fishes, frogs, and turtles. As in the higher vertebrates, removal of the liver produced a fall in blood sugar and a loss in muscular tone. The lower vertebrates failed to respond to intravenous injections of glucose, as do the birds and mammals. They also fail to respond to maltose or levulose. The liver maintained the blood-sugar level in the lower vertebrates, which is necessary for the maintenance of life. The mechanism of carbohydrate metabolism in the lower vertebrates may be different from that in the higher ones, in that glucose, when injected intravenously, apparently exercises a progressively less beneficial effect on the characteristic hypoglycemic condition which follows the removal of the liver of mammals and cold-blooded vertebrates.
Effect of the Trifluoromethyl Group on Biological Activity of Certain Arylmercurials

The effect of the trifluoromethyl group on the biological properties of four new isomeric (trifluoromethyl) phenylmercuric chlorides was evaluated with a representative strain of Micrococcus pyogenes (var. aureus ) using the Vincent paper disk modification of the Oxford cup method. This extension of the chemical investigations was motivated by numerous reports in the literature which indicate that there are certain relationships between the physico-chemical properties of organo-metallic compounds and their respective biological activities. The data given reveal some interesting relationships between the chemical structure and antibacterial activity among some of these new organo-mercury compounds. Results with the above method of evaluation and concentrations of 1:1,000 indicate that ortho and para (trifluoromethyl) phenylmercuric chlorides are more effective than the corresponding meta compound. The bis (trifluoromethyl) mercury compound and the meta (trifluoromethyl) phenylmercuric chloride showed activities comparable to that of phenylmercuric chloride.
Freeze‐fracture studies of neonatal mouse incisors

Differentiation of preodontoblasts to odontoblasts and preameloblasts to ameloblasts during development of the mouse mandibular incisor proceeds in a gradient from the area of the odontogenic organ, where undifferentiated ectomesenchymal and epithelial cells proliferate, toward the incisal tip where mature tooth tissues, dentin and enamel, are present. The freeze-fracture technique has been used in the work presented here to study cell membrane ultrastructure of preodontoblasts and preameloblasts at several stages of differentiation. At early stages of differentiation, cuboidal preameloblasts are joined together distally by numerous gap junctions. Relatively fewer junctions occur elsewhere on the lateral plasma membranes, but gap junctions frequently occur proximally between preameloblasts and stratum intermedium cells. As differentiation proceeds and the cells become columnar, distal and proximal junctions persist. Tight junctions, however, were not observed at any of the stages studied. Intramembrane particle concentration of the lateral preameloblast plasmalemma appears to increase as differentiation proceeds. Odontoblasts are also joined distally by numerous gap junctions which persists through later stages of differentiation. Although odontoblast cell processes were observed to project toward the preameloblast layer, no clear points of cell to cell contact or defined intercellular junctions between the two cell types were observed.
Effect of Care Setting on Evidence-based Depression Treatment for Veterans with COPD and Comorbid Depression

Background Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) frequently have co-occurring depressive disorders and are often seen in multiple-care settings. Existing research does not assess the impact of care setting on delivery of evidence-based depression care for these patients.
A heavy ion microprobe and its application to multi-dimensional processing and analysis

Abstract The development of a heavy ion microprobe system and its applications are being studied at GIRIO. The minimum beam spot size of 3 μm × 3 μm was achieved for various ions with energies in the range of 0.4–6 MeV by a focusing system which is combined with a tandem-type accelerator. This system allows us to perform microprocesses such as maskless MeV ion implantation and microanalysis using heavy ion microprobes. Some applications of the heavy ion microprobe are presented.
Structure–function studies of aromatase and its inhibitors: a progress report

The utilization of computer modeling, site-directed mutagenesis, inhibition kinetic analysis and reaction metabolite analysis allows us to better understand the structure-function relationship between aromatase and its inhibitors. Our results have helped in determining how steroidal and nonsteriodal aromatase inhibitors bind to the active site of the enzyme. This information has also aided in the understanding of the reaction mechanism of aromatase. Furthermore, our structure-function studies of aromatase have generated important information for predicting how environmental chemicals interact with the enzyme. During the last 2 years, a new aromatase computer model based on the X-ray structure of rabbit cytochrome P450 2C5 has been generated and used to evaluate the results obtained from new aromatase mutants produced in this laboratory. In addition, we have succeeded in the expression and purification of functionally active aromatase using an Escherichia coli expression method. The catalytic properties of this recombinant aromatase are similar to those properties exhibited by the human placental aromatase preparation and the mammalian cell-expressed enzyme. The E. coli expressed aromatase will be very useful for further structure-function studies of aromatase. Our laboratory has also evaluated the growth-inhibiting activity of aromatase inhibitors in estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer using three-dimensional cell cultures of aromatase-over expressing MCF-7 and T-47D cell lines (i.e. MCF-7aro and T-47Daro). Our results demonstrate that these three-dimensional cultures are valuable approaches to assess the growth-inhibiting activity of aromatase inhibitors. Finally, we have identified several phytochemicals to be potent inhibitors of aromatase. To demonstrate the impact of the phytochemicals on estrogen formation in vivo, we showed that the intake of anti-aromatase chemicals from red wine was capable of suppressing MCF-7aro-mediated tumor formation in nude mice and aromatase-induced hyperplasia in a transgenic mouse model in which aromatase is over-expressed in the mammary tissue.
508 COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS (CNS) BACTEREMIA - OBSERVATIONS ON MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY

508 COAGULASE-NEGATIVE STAPHYLOCOCCUS (CNS) BACTEREMIA - OBSERVATIONS ON MORTALITY AND MORBIDITY