cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Multi-fields responsive ionic polymer–metal composite

Abstract The multi-fields responsive ionic polymer–metal composites, which have wide applications such as actuators, sensors, and dampers, are synthesized through a standard ion-exchange method using Ni particles doped on a Nafion™ film. SEM, EDS, and XRD were utilized to reveal their crystal shape and type. Dynamic mechanical analysis, vibrating sample magnetometry, and cyclic voltammetry were used to investigate the mechanical, magnetic, and electrical properties of the Ni-doped ionic polymer–metal composites. The nano-sized Ni particles (ca. 300 nm) were successfully synthesized on the Nafion™ film with a 2.5 μm layer. The Ni-doped ionic polymer–metal composites demonstrated good magnetic, electrical, and electro-mechanical responses.
The manipulation of fatty acid composition in L-M cell monolayers supplemented with cyclopentenyl fatty acids.

Abstract Mouse L-M fibroblasts, grown in a serum-free medium, were supplemented with fatty acids of 16 and 18 carbon chain lengths that contain a cyclopentene ring in the ω position. These fatty acids, unnatural to mammalian systems, were incorporated into the major lipid classes of L-M fibroblasts. Supplementation with the cyclopentenyl fatty acids caused an accumulation of neutral glycerolipids and marked inhibition of cell growth. Following the addition of supplement, the cells became more rounded. Of particular interest was the fact that the phospholipid fraction isolated from treated cells contained cyclic fatty acids that accounted for as much as 24% of the total phospholipid acyl groups. Unlike the pattern of distribution displayed by endogenous natural monoenes, the majority of the cyclic acid present was esterified in the sn-1 position of both phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine. The 18-carbon cyclic fatty acid [chaulmoogric acid, 13-(2-cyclopenten-1-yl)tridecanoic acid] was incorporated at the expense of the endogenous C-16:0, C-18:0, and C-18:1 fatty acids of the glycerophospholipids. The esterification altered the ratio of saturated to unsaturated acyl groups in the cellular phospholipids. No biochemical modification of chaulmoogric acid was detected. Our results imply that incorporation of unnatural fatty acid analogs, such as chaulmoogric acid, into cellular membranes would alter the functional properties of biological membranes that are dependent on membrane fluidity and structural organization.
Development of a psychological effectiveness scale.

Summary The present study provided evidence to support the hypothesized trait of psychological effectiveness. The findings indicated that psychological effectiveness can be assessed psychometrically. The Psychological Effectiveness Scale which was developed was observed to have high internal consistency reliability, and to have discriminated among concepts of personality which represented distinctive levels of effective behavior. The results of the present study indicate that the scale has sufficient preliminary reliability and validity evidence to warrant further study and development.
The effect of liver homogenate (s20) concentration on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon activation and mutation induction in the l5178y mouse lymphoma mutation assay.

Abstract Hydrocarbon activation and mutation induction in the L5178Y mouse lymphoma mutation assay were studied as a function of the concentration of an exogenously added rat liver homogenate activation system (S20). Four polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons were tested at constant dosage levels with 4 concentrations of S20 for ability to induce forward mutations at the thymidine kinase (TK) locus. With all 4 hydrocarbons, increasing S20 concentration resulted in a significant (p Within 5 min after the addition of S20 to a reaction mixture containing [ 3 H]benzo [a] pyrene[B(a)P] (3 μ g/ml ) and appropriate cofactors, 70% of the B(a)P was metabolized with a high S20 concentration, whereas only 14% was metabolized with a low S20 concentration. In the absence of S20, the cells did not metabolize B(a)P. Incubation of B(a)P with a low concentration of S20 in the presence of calf thymus DNA (1.5 mg/ml) resulted in twice as much covalently bound B(a)P per mg DNA (33 pmoles/mg) as incubation with a high concentration of S20 (15 pmoles/mg). The amount of the major B(a)P-DNA adduct, (±)-7β, 8α-dihydroxy-9α,10α-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a]pyrene- deoxyguanosine, per mg DNA was 5 times greater with low S20 concentration than with high (11.6 pmoles/mg and 2.1 pmoles/mg, respectively). These results suggest that the decrease in mutation frequency with high S20 concentrations results from the rapid oxidation of the hydrocarbon which reduces the opportunity for mutagenic derivatives that are formed from B(a)P to interact with DNA and induce mutation.
A Linguistics Laboratory Serves Cultural Anthropology

of articles on linguistics and its relations to other fields. Most of these articles (1952) are now classics and are given without question to successive waves of students in courses on language and culture. Their contents are well-known and the Whorfian theses on the relation of language to world-view have alternately shocked and inspired a decade of budding diplomats in the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State. They served as prime inspiration for a conference on Language in Culture (Hoijer, ed. 1954) held in Chicago in the spring of 1953. Courses in Language and Culture incorporating these considerations and many others are now standard in well-rounded Departments of Anthropology throughout the country. That language is a part of culture is now generally conceded. That it is a vehicle of culture is a statement so widely current that to state it again would border on the trite. However, the full implications of the latter statement are seldom explored. Cultural anthropologists exploring the patterns of a culture may either pay lip-service to the value of a knowledge of the local language and then proceed to make use of a contact language or of an interpreter, or-in the
Antiproton annihilations in nuclei may not produce high nuclear temperatures

Abstract Detailed intranuclear cascade calculations are presented which indicate that significant thermalization of the energy released during antiproton annihilations in nuclei does not occur. The exponential tails of the nucleon kinetic energy distributions, dentified by some authors as corresponding to high nuclear temperatures, are shown to be the direct result of the dynamics of the pion-nucleon cascade subsequent to the annihilation, and do not imply a substantial of a large fraction of the nuclear medium.
Comparison of DRP and TOC financial performance within a multi-product, multi-echelon physical distribution environment

This paper propositioned and tested whether a heuristic based on Theory of Constraints logic could improve system financial performance beyond traditional supply chain methods in a multi-product, multi-echelon physical distribution environment exhibiting seasonality and partial lost sales. A review of the literature was conducted about current distribution management and Theory of Constraints techniques. Next, field research was conducted with a major US manufacturer in order to capture the structure of its multi-product, multi-echelon physical distribution system. The field research facilitated the development of a baseline computer simulation of a fully distributed inventory system with orders planned by Distribution Resource Planning. That model served as the basis for development of comparative multi-echelon distribution models, one employing partial centralization of inventory with orders planned by Distribution Resource Planning, the other two models employing a Theory of Constraints-based heuristic...
Looking at Slavery from Broader Perspectives

IN 1944, THE YEAR WHEN ERIC WILLIAMS'S Capitalism and Slavery dramatized some of the broad and central meanings of the Atlantic Slave System, Gunnar Myrdal noted the tendency of Americans "to localize and demarcate the Negro problem," which was nevertheless "an integral part of... the whole complex of problems in the larger American civilization."1 Yet despite such influential voices as Myrdal and Williams, American Negro slavery, often seen as the source of what white Americans termed "the Negro problem," continued to be studied and taught as a chapter in the history of the U.S. South. Even in 1998, after more than three decades of voluminous scholarly research and publication, the average American, upon hearing the words "African-American slavery," will almost certainly think of the South and the Civil War. Many of today's college students would also think of a subject now departmentalized in African-American Studies. I can think of two ways of looking at slavery from broader perspectives that help us move beyond the localizing and demarcating tendencies that Myrdal described. Of course, specialized studies-such as the examinations of slavery in Spanish Florida, French Louisiana, and Dutch New Amsterdam that Ira Berlin drew on for his monumental book Many Thousands Gone-are indispensable for any broader syntheses.2 That said, the first method I have in mind is the comparative approach in which two or more examples of human bondage are compared, analyzed, and contrasted, as in the pioneering works by Frank Tannenbaum and Stanley Elkins.3 The second method is to take a global or multinational view of the origins, development, and abolition of racial slavery in the New World, which can be thought of as a way of gaining broader insight into world history and the human costs of "modernization."4
Group divisible designs with block size four and two groups

We give some constructions of new infinite families of group divisible designs, GDD(n,2,4;@l"1,@l"2), including one which uses the existence of Bhaskar Rao designs. We show the necessary conditions are sufficient for 3=@l"2, then the necessary conditions are sufficient for n=4,5,8(mod12). For each of n=10,15,16,17,18,19, and 20 we indicate a small minimal set of critical designs which, if they exist, would allow construction of all possible designs for that n. The indices of each of these designs are also among those critical indices for every n in the same congruence class mod12.
Parmenides 132c-133a and the Development of Plato's Thought

Examen de la position de G. E. L. Owen que l'un des arguments du Parmenide, a savoir la seconde version de l'argument du troisieme homme refuterait la doctrine des Formes comme paradigmes. Apres le Parmenide, Platon aurait ou bien considere les Formes comme des universaux immanents ou n'aurait pas donne d'interpretation de leur nature. D'ou l'argument que le Timee, ou les Formes sont construites comme des paradigmes, serait anterieur au Parmenide. L'A. refute ces conceptions de Owen.
Acute psychiatric decompensation with sudden loss of vision.

Abstract A 60-year-old woman with Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada syndrome was referred with a four-month history of psychiatric decompensation, acute bilateral visual loss, headaches, intraocular inflammation, and exudative retinal detachment unresponsive to argon laser photocoagulation. She was treated successfully with subtenon's and systemic steroids, pars plana vitrectomy, and chlorambucil with improvement of visual acuity to 20 40 in her left eye and resolution of the psychiatric disorder.
Issues and options for a Martian calendar

Abstract In the past 125 years, more than 70 authors have published ideas for keeping time on Mars, describing how to divide the Martian day and Martian year into smaller units. The Martian prime meridian was established in the mid-19th century, and the design of the Martian clock has been standardised at least since the Viking missions of the 1970s. Scientists can tell time on Mars; however, despite the constant stream of data that is downlinked from Mars these days, there is still no standardised system for expressing the date on Mars. Establishing a standard epoch—at a specific time of year on Mars, and a specific Martian year—should be the next priority in Martian timekeeping as a minimal system required for the physical sciences. More elaborate ideas, including the number and length of weeks and months, and names thereto, can be deferred for the present, but may become important considerations in coming years.
Behavioral Exploration of Career and Specialty Choice in Medical Students.

Understanding the process by which students naturally construct and internalize their educational experiences relating to career development is important to career counseling. The author investigated how exploratory behaviors during a community-based field experience course contributed to the vocational development of 1st-year medical students. Behavioral exploration data regarding medical career development and specialty decision making were collected from 91 first-year medical students before and after they engaged in an exploratory behavioral activity, the Ambulatory Care Experience course. Findings suggest that students had not progressed in their medical career development and that more uncertainty existed among students after completing the course.
Phylogenetic and physiological diversity of sulphate-reducing bacteria isolated from a salt marsh sediment.

Summary The phylogenetic and physiological diversity of sulphate-reducing bacteria inhabiting a salt marsh rhizosphere were investigated. Sulphate-reducing bacteria were isolated from a salt marsh rhizosphere using enrichment cultures with electron donors thought to be prevalent in the rhizosphere of Spartina alterniflora . The relationship between phylogeny and nutritional characteristics of 10 strains was investigated. None of the isolates had 16S rRNA sequences identical to other delta subclass sulphate-reducers, sharing 85.3 to 98.1% sequence similarity with 16S rRNA sequences of their respective closest relatives. Phylogenetic analysis placed two isolates, obtained with ethanol as an electron donor, within the Desulfovibrionaceae . Seven isolates, obtained with acetate, butyrate, propionate, or benzoate, were placed within the Desulfobacteriaceae . One isolate, obtained with butyrate, fell within the Desulfobulbus assemblage, which is currently considered part of the Desulfobacteriaceae family. However, due to the phylogenetic breadth and physiological traits of this group, we propose that it be considered a new family, the “ Desulfobulbusaceae. ” The isolates utilised an array of electron donors similar to their closest relatives with a few exceptions. As a whole, the phylogenetic and physiological data indicate isolation of several sulphate-reducing bacteria which might be considered as new species and representative of new genera. Comparison of the Desulfobacteriaceae isolates' 16S rRNA sequences to environmental clones originating from the same study site revealed that none shared more than 86% sequence similarity. The results provide further insight into the diversity of sulphate-reducing bacteria inhabiting the salt marsh ecosystem, as well as supporting general trends in the phylogenetic coherence of physiological traits of delta Proteobacteria sulphate reducers.
SAEB: A method of conceptualization in the treatment of panic attacks

This article introduces a system for conceptualizing panic attacks and illustrates with a case history how symptom induction and the proposed system for capturing the cognitions, emotions, and behaviors occurring during the panic can facilitate treatment. The system, named SAEB as an acronym for symptoms, automatic thoughts, emotion, and behavior, is a useful aid to guiding the patient first to recognize how certain emotions and cognitions serve to escalate the attack and then to substitute better coping cognitions and emotions. A discussion section addresses when the use of this intervention is most appropriate and provides a review of the steps to be taken when implementing this technique.
Identification of binding sites in the nicotinic acetylcholine receptor for TDBzl-etomidate, a photoreactive positive allosteric effector.

Etomidate, one of the most potent general anesthetics used clinically, acts at micromolar concentrations as an anesthetic and positive allosteric modulator of γ-aminobutyric acid responses, whereas it inhibits muscle-type nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) at concentrations above 10 μm. We report here that TDBzl-etomidate, a photoreactive etomidate analog, acts as a positive allosteric nAChR modulator rather than an inhibitor, and we identify its binding sites by photoaffinity labeling. TDBzl-etomidate (>10 μm) increased the submaximal response to acetylcholine (10 μm) with a 2.5-fold increase at 60 μm. At higher concentrations, it inhibited the binding of the noncompetitive antagonists [3H]tetracaine and [3H]phencyclidine to Torpedo nAChR-rich membranes (IC50 values of 0. 8 mm). nAChR-rich membranes were photolabeled with [3H]TDBzl-etomidate, and labeled amino acids were identified by Edman degradation. For nAChRs photolabeled in the absence of agonist (resting state), there was tetracaine-inhibitable photolabeling of amino acids in the ion channel at positions M2-9 (δLeu-265) and M2-13 (αVal-255 and δVal-269), whereas labeling of αM2-10 (αSer-252) was not inhibited by tetracaine but was enhanced 10-fold by proadifen or phencyclidine. In addition, there was labeling in γM3 (γMet-299), a residue that contributes to the same pocket in the nAChR structure as αM2-10. The pharmacological specificity of labeling of residues, together with their locations in the nAChR structure, indicate that TDBzl-etomidate binds at two distinct sites: one within the lumen of the ion channel (labeling of M2-9 and -13), an inhibitory site, and another at the interface between the α and γ subunits (labeling of αM2-10 and γMet-299) likely to be a site for positive allosteric modulation.
Ab Initio Geometry Determinations of Proteins. 1. Crambin

The geometry of crambin, a protein with 46 residues, was determined by ab initio HF/4-21G geometry optimization. The results are compared with the crystal structure of the compound and with HF/4-21...
Spectrum thermal stability of Nd- and Er-doped fiber sources

The spectral thermal stability of broadband rare-earth-doped fiber sources makes them attractive for fiber sensor applications. We quantify the mean wavelength variation of both Nd- and Er-doped fiber sources operating as superfluorescent fiber lasers. Besides the intrinsic variation of such sources the effects of pump power and pump wavelength are also considered since both the power and wavelength of conventional laser diode pump sources are temperature sensitive. Other types of rare-earth-doped sources are also briefly considered.
Prevention and Management of Cesarean Wound Infection

Cesarean wound infections represent a significant health and economic burden. Several modifiable risk factors have been identified for their development. Understanding these risks and techniques to manage cesarean wounds is essential for providers. In this article, these factors and prophylactic and therapeutic interventions are reviewed.
Radiocarbon dating in the future; Thirty years after inception

The future of Radiocarbon Dating lies largely in the applications to geoscience and archaeology. We now know of many applications which have never been fully tried, many of them requiring samples which are too small for the present measuring techniques. All present techniques require several grams of carbon per sample, and many applications provide samples of only a few milligrams each. Think of sea cores; quite a few millimeters of precious sea core are required to furnish only a few milligrams of organic material. Radiocarbon dating consists of determining the radiocarbon content of the organic matter of once living materials. The ratio of radiocarbon-14 to ordinary carbon-12 in the old sample can be compared with the ratio in living material, and the radiocarbon age thereby computed. Of course one must take all due precautions about cleaning out contaminations f rom modern substances, which have radiocarbon content greater than that of ancient matter. Failure to do so gives a falsely young age. The whole matter of laundering of samples, namely cleaning the sample of modern carbon contamination (or cleaning it f rom oil seeps, millions of years old, which contain no radiocarbon at all) offers enormous opportuni ty for improvement . The elegant techniques of modern analytical chemistry have hardly been brought to bear in full strength on this problem. We have done quite well in the past, finding that samples from different parts of a given site do check, or samples from a given geophysical event, for example the retreat of the last ice age, do check, although collected f rom widely separated areas, in the case of the last ice age from each of the states of the great lakes region. So apparently contaminat ion can be dealt with as we originally envisaged, if samples of large enough size can be obtained. But by pursuing new and heroic modifications of the laundering and of the measuring techniques, for example by isotope enrichment before measuring, it seems likely that Radiocarbon Dates of the future will extend back to a hundred thousand years, and it may be 205 calibrated further by the use of t ime clocks not yet invented and not yet brought to bear on the problem. I have great hopes for chemical clocks such as amino acid dating. What is possible under conditions in the relatively short span of t ime in which we think in Radiocarbon Dating is to learn something about the history of the climate.
Inverse pairs of test matrices

Algorithms that are readily programmable are provided for constructing inverse pairs of matrices with elements in a field, a division ring, or a ring.
Transpalatal greater palatine canal injection: Radioanatomic analysis of where to bend the needle for pediatric sinus surgery.

Injection of the greater palatine canal (GPC) has been well-described in adults for the purposes of controlling posterior nasal hemorrhage, anesthetizing branches of the maxillary division of the trigeminal nerve traversing the pterygopalatine fossa (PPF), and relief of sphenopalatine neuralgia.1–4 Accepted indications include preoperative infiltration for endoscopic sinus surgery and septorhinoplasty, management of refractory epistaxis, regional blocks for dental procedures, and the treatment of sphenopalatine neuralgia.2–4 The canal provides direct access to the contents of the PPF, including the sphenopalatine ganglion, pterygopalatine ganglion, infraorbital nerve, internal maxillary artery, and the pterygoid venous plexus.3,4 Because of the direct communication of the PPF with the infraorbital fissure and the close relationship of these structures to the greater palatine foramen (GPF), this injection carries a significant risk of complications. These may include intravascular injection with associated cardiovascular side effects, blindness due to vasoconstriction of the ophthalmic artery, infraorbital nerve injury, PPF and/or infratemporal fossa abscess, and meningitis.1,2,5 In a case series of >200 patients over a 2-year period describing the use of this technique, Rankow documented the incidence of both transient and permanent blindness resulting from its use.6,7 These risks and an incomplete understanding of the anatomic changes that occur in this region during development have limited the. use of this procedure in pediatric patients. Anatomic elucidation of a safe method for delivering the greater palatine injection in pediatric patients thus constitutes an addition to the armamentarium in the treatment of dental and sinonasal conditions in children. Our group previously established that high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) is an accurate and effective modality for measuring the structures of the anterior skull base in pediatric patients and correlating these clinically.8 Other radioanatomic studies have successfully used HRCT to estimate the length of the GPC in cadaveric specimens and adult patients.1,2,9,10 Cephalometric trends suggest that the most active phase of growth of the anterior skull base occurs during the first 5 years of life, followed by a plateau of growth from 5 to 15 years of age.8,11 Conversely, growth of the midface is relatively quiescent during early childhood, but rapidly increases after the age of 5 years.8,12 In the present study, we used HRCT to measure the thickness of the mucosal plane overlying the GPF, length of the GPC, distance between the base of the PPF and the orbital floor (OF), and the distance between the GPF and the sphenopalatine foramen (SPF) in a series of 50 pediatric patients. We stratified the patients according to age and compared them with a group of 10 adult patients. From this analysis, we describe a safe and clinically applicable method for performing the infiltration of the GPC in pediatric patients.
Fish gut microbiota analysis differentiates physiology and behavior of invasive Asian carp and indigenous American fish.

Fish gut microbiota analysis differentiates physiology and behavior of invasive Asian carp and indigenous American fish
Hispanic Adolescent Girls’ Attitudes Toward School

Hispanic adolescent girls are at elevated risk for dropping out of school. The authors interviewed 54 Hispanic adolescent girls who were attending after-school programs in the New York metropolitan area. The study investigated how the multiple factors of mother–daughter and friend mutuality, coping, acculturation, self-esteem, depression and family environment influenced the way these girls felt about school. The final logistical regression analysis appeared to support our hypothesis that girls who have a higher degree of mutuality with their mothers will be more likely to like school a lot. In addition, girls who liked school a lot were significantly more likely to have higher overall grades and to be somewhat religious. Findings are discussed within the context of the empirical and theoretical literature and implications for prevention of school drop-out are considered.
Clinical Applications of the Bem Sex-Role Inventory with University Women:

The present paper examines current definitions and functions of masculinity and femininity as seen through the experience of university women who seek psychotherapy. Among these clients there appear to be several clinical groupings which reflect the salient categories originally offered by Bem's (1974) Sex-role Inventory: feminine type, masculine type, undifferentiated type, and androgynous type. Each type brings to therapy a differing set of interpersonal and intrapersonal difficulties. A theoretical model is briefly described and utilized to describe the personality dynamics of these four clinical composites and also provides the basis for discussion. Sex-role research is reviewed as it is pertinent to the psychological difficulties of these four types. Descriptions of the clinical profiles are then presented and are followed by a discussion which explores the implications for the psychology of women.
An ab initio study of the use of Ag2− for catalytic oxidation of CO

Abstract The formalisms of density functional theory (DFT) with Perdew and Wang exchange-correlation functional have been employed to study the electronic and geometric structures of silver anion dimer bonded with carbon monoxide and oxygen. Different possible structures for di-silver carbon monoxide and di-silver di-oxide have been investigated in detail. An all electron 6-311++G** basis set for carbon and oxygen and a pseudopotential basis set for silver have been used for performing the calculations. Using silver anion dimer as a catalyst, a full catalytic cycle producing two carbon dioxide molecules has been presented. Also, presence of an intermediate state, di-silver carbonate, which can be detected experimentally, is predicted. Presence of an energy barrier for certain reactions from the catalytic cycle have not been observed. This is noteworthy since it has been claimed in the literature that for the same catalytic cycle to proceed using gold anion dimer as a catalyst, it has to overcome an energy barrier.
Continuous ultrasonic devulcanization of carbon black-filled NR vulcanizates

The continuous ultrasonic devulcanization of natural rubber (NR) filled with various concentrations of carbon black (CB) indicated a minimum of crosslink density and gel fraction at an intermediate amplitude, which is independent of CB content. An attempt was made to improve the efficiency of devulcanization by use of various chemicals (1,3 Diphenylguanidine, 2-Mercaptobenzothiazole, Thianaphthene). However, these experiments did not indicate any improvement in comparison with devulcanization without chemicals. An idea of adding fresh CB into devulcanized compound, which has been shown to improve mechanical properties in the case of styrene–butadiene rubber (SBR), was tested in the present study for CB filled NR compound. The obtained result indicated that an addition of fresh CB to devulcanized CB-filled NR did not lead to an improvement in mechanical properties upon revulcanization. The revulcanization recipe was optimized to improve the mechanical properties of revulcanized CB-filled NR vulcanizates. It was found that CB-filled NR upon revulcanization retained its strain-induced cystallizability with the tensile strength and elongation at break at about 50 and 70% level of the virgin vulcanizates. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 79: 2340–2348, 2001
Honorable Mention — Student Research Award 1995: Signal Transduction Mechanisms in Substance P-Mediated Ciliostimulation:

Substance P is a neuropeptide released by afferent neurons in the respiratory tract during inflammatory reactions. It produces effects on blood vessels, bronchial smooth muscle, nasal glands, and respiratory cilia. We studied the in vitro effect of substance P on the ciliary beat frequency of human adenoid explants and its mechanism of action. Substance P was added to cultured adenoid at concentrations of 10−10, 10−8, 10−6, and 10−4 mol/L. Ciliary beat frequency was determined with phase-contrast microscopy and microphotometry. Substance P increased ciliary beat frequency a maximum of 11.9% ± 3.8% (p < 0.01). Diclofenac (10−6 mol/L) significantly blocked the ciliostimulatory effects of SP (p < 0.022), indicating that prostaglandin synthesis is an intermediate step in the action of substance P on ciliary beat frequency. The L-arginine analogs, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, inhibit nitric oxide synthesis from L-arginine. L-Arginine analogs (10−4 to 10−2 mol/L) inhibited the ...
Constant field approximation for the crystal-assisted pair-creation process

Abstract The electron-positron production rate for the newly predicted crystal-assisted pair creation process is proportinal to squared matrix elements. Each matrix element is governed by the overlap of a channeled electron wavefunction and the wavefunction of a positron which is repelled by the same channeling potential. Closed form expressions for these matrix elements can be obtained by linearizing the channeling potential in the neighborhood of the classical turning points. Results obtained from the linear potential approximation were compared with more accurate numerical results for photons directed along the 〈110〉 axis of diamond. Agreement to within a factor of two was obtained over a wide range of incident energies. These approximate calculations have been extended to yield predictions for the crystal-assisted pair production rate for a number of different crystals, different axis orientations, and a variety of temperatures.
PATTERNS OF TREAD WEAR AND ESTIMATED TREAD LIFE

TIRE WEAR DATA FROM TWO TREAD WEAR TESTS ON DIFFERENT COURSES HAVE BEEN ANALYZED TO DETERMINE HOW PATTERNS OF WEAR ARE AFFECTED BY THE COURSE. THE COEFFICIENT OF VARIATION (CV) WAS USED AS A MEASURE OF IRREGULAR WEAR. TIRES WHICH EXHIBITED IRREGULAR WEAR (LARGE CV) EXHIBITED THE SAME PATTERN OF WEAR ON BOTH COURSES; THAT IS, THE LOCATION OF THE FASTEST WEARING RIBS WAS UNCHANGED. THOSE THAT WORE MORE EVENLY SHOWED DISTRICT DIFFERENCES IN WEAR PATTERN ON THE TWO COURSES ALTHOUGH ALL RIBS WORE AT ABOUT THE SAME RATE. TREAD LIFE WAS PROJECTED FOR TIRES BASED ON THE FASTEST DISAPPEARING GROOVE AND ON THE AVERAGE OF ALL GROOVE DEPTH READINGS. THE RANKINGS OF THE TIRES BY BOTH METHODS ON THE TWO COURSES WERE HIGHLY CORRELATED; THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY ADVANTAGE TO ONE METHOD OVER THE OTHER FOR RELATIVE RATING.
Kinetics of inhibition of acetyl-coenzyme A carboxylase by sethoxydim and haloxyfop☆

The mechanism of inhibition of acetyl-CoA carboxylase by sethoxydim and haloxyfop was examined using a semipurified enzyme preparation extracted from Black Mexican Sweet Maize (Zea mays L.) suspension-culture cells. As determined by SDS-PAGE and Western blotting, the enzyme preparation contained a major biotin-containing polypeptide (Mr 222,000) and a minor biotincontaining polypeptide (Mr 73,400). The kinetics of enzyme inhibition by sethoxydim and haloxyfop were determined for the substrates MgATP, HCO3−, and acetyl-CoA. Sethoxydim and haloxyfop were linear, noncompetitive inhibitors for the three substrates, and the pattern of inhibition was similar for both herbicides. The Kis values for sethoxydim were 1.9, 5.6, and 13.3 μM for acetyl-CoA, HCO3−, and MgATP, respectively. The Kis values for haloxyfop were 0.36, 0.87, and 2.89 μM for acetyl-CoA, HCO3−, and MgATP, respectively. For both herbicides, Kis < Kii for acetyl-CoA, whereas Kii < Kis for MgATP and HCO3−. The kinetic data suggest that the transcarboxylation reaction catalyzed by acetyl-CoA carboxylase (acetyl-CoA → malonyl-CoA) is more sensitive to inhibition than is the biotin carboxylation reaction. Kinetic analysis also indicated that sethoxydim and haloxyfop are reversible, mutually exclusive inhibitors of acetyl-CoA carboxylase.
Immune Modulation of Vascular Resident Cells by Axl Orchestrates Carotid Intima-Media Thickening

Cellular mechanisms of carotid intima-media thickening (IMT) are largely unknown. The receptor tyrosine kinase Axl is essential for function of both bone marrow (BM) and non-BM cells. We studied the mechanisms by which Axl expression in BM-derived cells (compared with non-BM-derived cells) mediates carotid IMT. Partial ligation of the left carotid artery resulted in a similar carotid blood flow reduction in Axl chimeras. Neither irradiation nor bone marrow transplantation had any effect on the 40% difference in carotid IMT between Axl genotypes. Axl-dependent survival is very important for intimal leukocytes; however, Axl expression in BM cells contributes to <30% of carotid IMT. Axl in non-BM cells has a greater effect on carotid remodeling. Expression of Axl in non-BM cells is crucial for the up-regulation of several key proinflammatory signals (eg, IL-1) in the carotid. We found that Axl is involved in immune activation of cultured smooth muscle cells and in immune heterogeneity of medial cells (measured by major histocompatibility complex class II) after carotid injury. Finally, a lack of Axl in non-BM cells increased collagen Iα expression, which may play a critical role in carotid remodeling. Our data suggest that Axl contributes to carotid remodeling not only by inhibition of apoptosis but also via regulation of immune heterogeneity of vascular cells, cytokine/chemokine expression, and extracellular matrix remodeling.
Extinction and recolonization of local populations on a growing shield volcano.

Abstract Volcanic action has resulted in the burial of the surfaces of Mauna Loa and Kilauea, Hawaii, by new lava flows at rates as high as 90% per 1000 years. Local populations of organisms on such volcanoes are continually being exterminated; survival of the species requires colonization of younger flows. Certain populations of the endemic Hawaiian species Drosophila silvestris exemplify such events in microcosm. Local populations at the base of an altitudinal cline were destroyed by two explosive eruptions within the last 2100 years. Natural recolonization restored the cline except for one young population that is genetically discordant with altitude.
Fine structure of the chromatoid body during spermatogenesis in the water-strider, Gerris remigis (SAY)

During spermatogenesis in Gerris remigis, chromatoid bodies appear in the spermatocytes and persist to the-mid-spermatid stage. These structures consist of numerous, parallel tubules, which measure approximately 500 A in diameter. The tubules are arranged in hexagonal array, and contain dense granules that resemble ribosomes. The chromatoid body may be secretory in function, or may be involved in intracellular transport.
A model of transformational superplasticity in the upper mantle

We develop a model of transformational superplasticity of the mantle as it undergoes a solid–solid phase change. By considering various scenarios of the evolution of grain geometry in a polycrystalline material composed of two phases of different densities, we estimate the strain rate associated with the reshaping of the grains required to accommodate the volume change. We relate the deviatoric strain rate of the reshaping grains to the macroscopic dilatation rate of the entire composite, where the latter is evaluated both by applying a kinetic theory of the transformation and by implementing the seismically observed sharpness of the phase transformation. We estimate that, depending on the grain geometry and the kinetics, the deviatoric strain rates can exceed the dilatational strain rates by an order of magnitude. We calculate the degree of softening of the mantle that would occur at the beginning of the phase transformations at 400 and 670 km depths. For a power-law rheology with stress exponent n = 3, mantle viscosity decreases by up to one to two orders of magnitude within the first 1.5 km of the upper transition, and by two to three orders of magnitude within the first 1 km for the transition at 670 km depth. To account for uncertainties in strain rate (or stress) and grain size, we construct a deformation mechanism map for a three-component mantle and a variety of grain sizes, tectonic stresses and strain rates. In the dislocation creep regime, the high transformational stresses place an upper bound on the effective viscosity of the composite. We calculate the transformational-superplasticity (TS) field for a particular mantle flow model and show that variations of effective viscosity of the order of one order of magnitude occur at half of the dominant flow wavelength. We describe the effects of a phase transformation on mantle dynamics as jump conditions on the vertical and lateral velocities across the thin two-phase layer. An abrupt change in the azimuthal velocity would facilitate mixing across the phase-change region and cause refraction of currents passing through this depth. The largest deviation of the flow velocities occurs within the major up- and downwellings. We also show that, when TS is included, the change in the long-wavelength geoid is comparable to that caused by a 50 per cent increase in the viscosity of the lower mantle, and the change in the short-wavelength geoid is similar to an extension of an upper-mantle low-viscosity zone down to 450 km depth.
A molecular dynamics study of methane in zeolite NaY

Molecular dynamics calculations have been used to investigate the effect of temperature on the mobility of methane in faujasite. At room temperature, methane molecules reside mostly in the vicinity of the supercage walls. Migration between supercages of the zeolite structure occurs predominantly via surface diffusion.
ÜberSim: a multi-robot simulator for robot soccer

A robot simulation engine can be a powerful tool for decreasing development time for robot control systems provided it captures the features of robot-environment interactions relevant to robot control. In this paper, we describe a new multi-robot simulation engine, called UberSim, specifically targeted for simulating games of robot soccer. For robot soccer, dynamics, friction, and collisions are integral to robot control thus our simulator must capture these aspects of the environment. Our approach builds on top of a physics simulation engine in order to capture these effects. We describe the current implementation of UberSim, which is a work in progress, and present some empirical comparisons of its performance compared to some real robots.
Is the acetylcholine receptor a rabies-virus receptor?

Recent studies conducted at Yale University School of Medicine have led to the suggestion that acetylcholine receptors serve as receptors for rabies virus. If this is true, it will represent a correlation between a known viral neurotropism and viral attachment to a normal cell membrane constituent.
Modeling the Institutional Foundation of Parliamentary Government Formation

That neither the assumptions nor the predictions of standard government formation models entirely correspond to empirical findings has led some to conclude that theoretical accounts of government formation should be reconsidered from the bottom up. We take up this challenge by presenting a zero-intelligence model of government formation. In our model, three or more parties that care about office and policy make random government proposals. The only constraints that we impose on government formation correspond to the two binding constitutional constraints that exist in all parliamentary systems: an incumbent government always exists and all governments must enjoy majority legislative support. Despite its deliberately limited structure, our model predicts distributions over portfolio allocation, government types, and bargaining delays that approach those observed in the real world. Our analysis suggests that many formation outcomes may result from the institutional foundation of parliamentary democracies, i...
Research Opportunities With Curanderos to Address Childhood Overweight in Latino Families

Curanderos are consulted as an adjunct or alternative to biomedical health care in the greater southwest, although the extent of their involvement in obesity prevention and treatment is poorly understood. Seven curanderos participated in audiotaped interviews about their work with families and beliefs about childhood feeding and overweight. Themes reflected curanderos’ beliefs about their practice and childhood obesity. Curanderos approach their work as a calling, emphasizing elements from nature in etiology and cure. From the curandero’s standpoint, essential elements of obesity management must acknowledge the socially marginalized experiences of Latinos. We encountered working with curanderos as problematic, and this likely reflected our differing personal characteristics and a tension between our healing professions. Curanderos could serve as collaborators in childhood obesity interventions if we craft health messages and delivery modes that resonate with Latino families and address ethical and communi...
Teaching Evidence-Based Medicine in Otolaryngology

Learning to apply the ever-expanding volume of clinical literature to patient care is critical for the next generation of physicians. This evidence-based medicine (EBM) offers much to improve patient care and outcomes, but should enhance rather than restrict the practice of medicine. Although the barriers to the adoption and teaching of EBM lie on many fronts, including institutional and staff limitations, many examples of structured didactics—from journal club to professor rounds—have been reported with good success. Published reviews and online evidence-based guidelines offer excellent synthesis of complex topics as a catalyst for understanding the clinical literature. Beyond academics, this article, in its discussion of what EBM is and how to practice it, presents information of value to practicing clinicians.
The Alzheimer's Family: Helping Caregivers Cope, by Robert B. Santulli

In the opening pages of The Alzheimer's Family: Helping Caregivers Cope, Robert Santulli invites readers to engage with his understanding of Alzheimer's disease as a stigmatized and hopeless condit...
Practical stabilizability of dyadic homogeneous bilinear systems

This paper considers a class of homogeneous bilinear systems in which the rank of the B matrix is equal to one. It uses a transformation to convert the system into a form similar to the companion from. It then considers feedback control laws in the form of variable structure. Results indicate that it is possible to obtain practical stability for a class of dyadic systems. The results are particularly useful for low dimensional systems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley and Sons Asia Pte Ltd and Chinese Automatic Control Society
A 1.5V 0.7-2.5GHz CMOS Quadrature Demodulator for Multi-Band Direct-Conversion Receivers

This paper presents an integrated quadrature demodulator with on-chip frequency divider implemented in a 0.13 ?m CMOS technology. The mixer consists of a transconductance stage, a passive current switching stage, and an operational amplifier output stage. A complementary input architecture has been used to increase the transconductance for a given bias current. From 700MHz to 2.5GHz, the demodulator achieves 10dB DSB NF with 9-33 kHz 1/f-noise corner and 35dB of low frequency voltage gain. The total chip draws 20mA-24mA from a single 1.5V supply.
A Useful Control Model for Tandem Hot Metal Strip Rolling

The tandem hot metal strip rolling process is a highly complex nonlinear system that presents a difficult control challenge. This challenge is exacerbated by the hostile hot metal rolling environment, which precludes the location of sensors to measure variables that are important for control. In addition, the controller must have a structure that offers simplicity of tuning during commissioning by personnel who usually are unfamiliar with advanced process control techniques. Based on our previous work using a state-dependent Riccati equation technique for control of the tandem cold metal rolling process, it is considered that a similar method might also be useful for control of tandem hot strip rolling. For the hot rolling process, the development of a process model in a form that is suitable for control development is a significant and challenging task. This paper describes our work to expand on an initial portion of this model to develop a comprehensive nonlinear model of this process. Based on simulation results, it is determined that the complete model has the potential to be useful in the development of a viable nonlinear control method for significant improvement in the control of the tandem hot rolling process.
An Adaptive photovoltaic-inverter topology

A new inverter topology for Adaptive photovoltaic (PV) system is proposed. An improvement in the power generation of the system during different operating conditions is achieved. The proposed configuration provides flexible connection between the PV modules and the inverters to meet current conditions of PV array. Preliminary simulation results are provided for an adaptive PV array. Efficiency comparison between traditional PV system configurations is discussed. Potential improvement using the proposed adaptive configuration is sited.
Progress in permanent geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in the United States

AbstractThe mission of the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) of the US Department of Energy (DOE) is to manage and dispose of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste in a manner that protects health, safety and the environment, enhances national and energy security and merits public confidence. Consolidation of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste from 126 sites in 39 states and safe disposal at Yucca Mountain are vital to the US national interests. The US geologic repository programme's key objective remains to begin receiving spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) licensed Yucca Mountain repository in 2010. To achieve this objective, the DOE must, in less than 7 years, seek and secure authorization to construct the repository from the NRC, begin constructing the repository and receive a license amendment allowing receipt of radioactive materials and operation of the repository. DOE must also devel...