cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
BUREAUCRATIC MALAISE IN THE MODERN SPY NOVEL: DEIGHTON, GREENE, AND LECARRE

Modern espionage novels and particularly those of Deighton, Greene, and LeCarre provide exceptional insights into bureaucratic politics. As well as offering a wealth of material about bureaucratic structure and behaviour, their works speak to the negative consequences and effects of bureaucratic pressures and ideologies on the human spirit. Specifically, these novelists posit that in a bureaucratic world heroism is flawed: that principles no longer flow from moral purpose, and that the evil which needs to be conquered can no longer be identified solely with an externalized enemy. The conclusion drawn is that the bureaucratic state, which substitutes technique for purpose and principle, and bureaucratic personality for individual initiative and motivation, is largely responsible for this malaise. The world which remains reflects, paradoxically, both order and disorder — the image is that of a universal clock winding its way down to an uncertain, yet organizationally dominated future.
A new approach to the cumulus parameterization issue

Can the superensemble methodology provide improved precipitation forecasts by combining existing physical parameterizations? We recently addressed this question in the context of Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP). We feel, however, that the information provided here may be useful for seasonal climate modeling as well. In the NWP context, we have developed multi-model forecasts from six versions of the Florida State University global spectral model (at a horizontal resolution of 170 waves, triangular truncation). These different versions deployed six different cumulus parameterization schemes; these models were identical in all other aspects, including the initial states. Making the assumption that differences in short-range (one day) forecasts of precipitation arise largely from differences in the cumulus parameterization, a superensemble methodology, following a recent study, was deployed to assign geographically distributed weights to convective heating for the different cumulus parameterization schemes. This was done after completion of some 85 experiments for each model for the training phase of the superensemble. A new single spectral model was next designed that included the weighted sum of the six cumulus parameterization schemes strung out within this model. This model was next shown to outperform in NWP forecasts of precipitation compared to any of those models that used a single cumulus parameterization scheme. This merely suggests that no single, present scheme is superior to all other schemes over the entire tropical belt; they all seem to have some virtues over different geographical regions. This Unified collective scheme is physically based since it does carry mechanisms such as mass flux, moisture convergence, cloud detrainment, downdrafts, effects of sea surface temperature etc. that are explicitly carried within one or the other schemes. This collective scheme is, however, based on optimized weights for these processes that vary geographically. It is our premise that even if a new breakthrough in cumulus parameterization were to occur from the development of a new scheme, that scheme, at best, may only achieve a skill ranking of number three for precipitation forecasts. The first place, we noted, still belongs to a multi-model superensemble, based on the optimal combination of six separate models. The second place belongs to the single model that utilizes a strung out weighted sum of many cumulus parameterization schemes within it. The individual member models have larger precipitation forecast errors compared to the two above. The skills, here, are evaluated using standard metrics such as correlations, root mean square errors and the equitable threat scores; finally we also present the vertical profiles of the apparent heat source and the apparent moisture sink that also confirm these above findings.
An Allelic Series Uncovers Novel Roles of the BRCT Domain-Containing Protein PTIP in Mouse Embryonic Vascular Development

Pax transactivation domain-interacting protein (PTIP, or PAXIP1) is required for mouse development and has been implicated in DNA damage responses and histone modification. However, the physiological roles of PTIP during embryogenesis remain unclear due to early embryonic lethality of null mutants. We describe two N-ethyl N-nitrosourea-induced hypomorphic missense alleles of Ptip, each of which alters one of the six encoded BRCT domains. Phenotypic characterization of these mutants revealed important functions of PTIP in vasculogenesis and chorioplacental development that appear unrelated to activities in DNA repair or global histone modification. The results of gene expression profiling and in vitro angiogenesis assays indicated that PTIP modulates a transcriptional program, centered around Vegfa, that drives the migration of endothelial cells to properly form the embryonic vasculature. These and other data suggest that PTIP has multiple functions, one of which is to promote the formation of transcriptional complexes that provide specificity of developmental gene expression.
Significance of re-resecting T1 bladder tumors: single-institution analysis in a modern cohort of patients

adjuvant chemotherapy–leaving 54% ineligible due to renal insufficiency. Ineligible patients had an average eGFR of 43.2 compared to 78.5 for eligible patients. Caucasians (vs. African Americans) were more likely to be ineligible (62% vs. 14%;p 0.002). Older patients ( 70y) were nearly twice as likely to be ineligible as younger patients ( 70y) (70% v 40%;p 0.01).No differences were observed when analyzed by gender (p 0.37).
A Prospective Evaluation of Two Defibrillation Safety Margin Techniques in Patients with Low Defibrillation Energy Requirements

Low-Energy Defibrillation. Introduction: In patients undergoing defibrillator implantation, an appropriate defibrillation safety margin has been considered to be either 10 J or an energy equal to the defibrillation energy requirement. However, a previous clinical report suggested that a larger safety margin may be required in patients with a low defibrillation energy requirement. Therefore, the purpose of this prospective study was to compare the defibrillation efficacy of the two safety margin techniques in patients with a low defibrillation energy requirement. Methods and Results: Sixty patients who underwent implantation of a defibrillator and who had a low defibrillation energy requirement (≤ 6 J) underwent six separate inductions of ventricular fibrillation, at least 5 minutes apart. For each of the first three inductions of ventricular fibrillation, the first two shocks were equal to either the defibrillation energy requirement plus 10 J (14.6 ± 1.0 J), or to twice the defibrillation energy requirement (9.9 ± 2.3 J). The alternate technique was used for the subsequent three inductions of ventricular fibrillation. For each induction of ventricular fibrillation, the first shock success rate was 99.5%± 4.3% for shocks using the defibrillation energy requirement plus 10 J, compared to 95.0%± 17.2% for shocks at twice the defibrillation energy requirement (P = 0.02). The charge time (P < 0.0001) and the total duration of ventricular fibrillation (P < 0.0001) were each approximately 1 second longer with the defibrillation energy requirement plus 10 J technique. Conclusion: This study is the first to compare prospectively the defibrillation efficacy of two defibrillation safety margins. In patients with a defibrillation energy requirement ≤ 6 J, a higher rate of successful defibrillation is achieved with a safety margin of 10 J than with a safety margin equal to the defibrillation energy requirement.
Treatment of pemphigus with intravenous immunoglobulin.

Abstract Background: Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) has recently been advocated as a treatment for pemphigus, but the results of published studies are in conflict. This study was conducted to re-examine the effectiveness of IVIg for the immediate control of active disease and to study the mechanisms of its action. Methods: Six patients with active pemphigus vulgaris unresponsive to conventional therapy with high doses of corticosteroids were treated with IVIg (400 mg/kg per day for 5 days) and concurrently given cyclophosphamide (100-150 mg/d). The primary end points were healing of skin lesions and changes in the level of intercellular antibodies and steroid dose. Results: New lesions ceased to form within 1 week of initiating IVIg therapy, and within 2 weeks the extent of existing skin lesions was reduced by 80% or more in all but one patient. Within 3 weeks, steroid doses were reduced by an average of 41%. The improvement was more rapid than that in patients previously treated with similar doses of steroids and cytotoxic agents at the same institution. Clinical improvement was associated with a rapid decline in pemphigus antibodies whose levels decreased by 72% within 1 week of initiation of IVIg therapy. The rapidity and extent of this decline were similar to those achieved with intensive plasmapheresis. The decline was not due to blocking the synthesis or the immunologic activity of intercellular antibodies by IVIg, suggesting that it resulted from increased immunoglobulin catabolism. Conclusions: These results indicate that IVIg can effectively and rapidly control active pemphigus unresponsive to conventional therapy and suggest that the mechanism of its action is decreasing serum levels of intercellular antibodies. (J Am Acad Dermatol 2002;47:358-63.)
Health education using microcomputers: Initial acceptability

Abstract A group of conversational computer programs has been developed to increase public awareness of good health habits. These include two programs on specific health topics, the risk factors for coronary heart disease, and desirable weight and weight control. Two other programs promote more general health concerns. These programs were evaluated by 420 noncomputer-oriented volunteers. Data were collected on both the relative popularity of each module and its helpfulness. The programs covering a broad range of health topics were more popular than the ones aimed at specific topics, and differences were found in helpfulness as well. Overall, however, the programs were acceptable to this general population. The rapidly decreasing cost of microcomputer systems thus may make them a cost-effective supplement to more traditional health education models.
A cytological study of the pleuropodia of Melanoplus differentialis (Orthoptera, Acrididae) which furnishes new evidence that they produce the hatching enzyme

In an earlier paper (Slifer, '37) experiments were reported which showed that in Melanoplus differentialis eggs the hatching enzyme, which destroys the white cuticle, is secreted by the pleuropodia (appendages of the first abdominal segment of the embryo) during the last few days of incubation. In the present report the development and differentiation of the pleuropodia, together with the cytological changes which occur in them before, during and after they become functional, have been followed. The time at which the secretion granules are discharged from the pleuropodial cells was found to be closely correlated with the time at which the tough, white cuticle begins to disintegrate. The cytological evidence, then, supports the author's earlier conclusion, based upon experimental work, that the pleuropodia secrete the hatching enzyme.
Lower Class Insurgency and the Political Process: The Response of the U.S. Unemployed, 1890- 1940

This paper examines the level of protest activity by the unemployed in the United States between 1890 and 1940 as a test of the value of a political process model for explaining social movement activity. Data on protest events and elite attitudes towards the unemployed were collected from newspaper articles. Voting behavior was used as an indicator of contested elections and unemployment levels were reflected by available indicators. Consistent with previous research on lower- and working-class mobilization, a change in the political environment was key to the extensive protest by the unemployed in the 1930s. Toward the end of the 1920s, and especially in the early 1930s, elites were no longer simply making public statements about the problem of unemployment, but were also discussing the need for aid programs. In the context of this new political environment, elections were once again contested in the 1930s, and extensive protest began in 1930, even before unemployment hit its high point in 1933. Thus, it was not simply deprivation, but the changed political environment which legitimized the issue of unemployment and created prospects for reform, which in turn helped produce the massive protest of the 1930s.
Ligand-Based Reduction and Electron-Transfer-Induced Tub-to-Chair Isomerization of Cyclooctatetraene Ligand in Rh(η5-C5Ph5)(η4-C8H8)

The electrochemical reduction of Rh(η5-C5Ph5)(η4-C8H8), 1, has been studied in THF/0.1 M [NBu4]A, where A = [PF6]- or [CF3SO3]-. Cyclic, differential pulse, and square-wave voltammetry establish th...
CREUTZFELDT-JAKOB DISEASE: AN EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT PRESENTATION OF A RARE DISEASE

Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD) is one of a group of neurodegenerative disorders causing spongiform encephalopathies. CJD is the most common human transmissible spongiform encephalopathy, or prion disease, but has an annual incidence of only 0.4-1.8 cases per million population worldwide. The prognosis for this disease is very poor and there is currently no cure. Patients typically present with non-specific neurological or psychiatric complaints and often have multiple physician visits before diagnosis, which requires histological examination of brain tissue. This patient had serial presentations to our Emergency Department, with progressive symptoms and multiple laboratory and radiological tests as well as consults, but her diagnosis remained unclear until her disease rapidly progressed and a brain biopsy was performed. With increasing concerns about prion diseases such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE)-or mad cow disease-and CJD, awareness of the symptoms and diagnostic challenges associated with these diseases will be helpful to emergency physicians.
High-power pulsed GaAs laser diodes operating at room temperature

The fabrication and characteristics of a high-power GaAs injection laser for room-temperature operation are described. A single laser emits 70 watts peak power from one facet at four times the threshold current. The diodes are fabricated from epitaxial wafers prepared by the solution-growth process. Scaling from work on low-power (7-watt) units to this high power has been accomplished by increasing the junction width, which requires general improvement in the crystalline quality and in the control of the doping. Data are given on the effect of doping density, crystal quality, and imperfections near the junction, as well as junction width. The reduced yield in high-power diodes, of which only one-third from a single batch give the desired output, is associated with filamentary lasing and with super-radiant walk-off modes, neither of which is under full control. Preliminary data on life tests show that long-lived units can be made, but that apparently identical units from the same batch show wide variations in the rate of degradation.
Seasonal distribution and changes in the nutritive quality of living, dead and detrital fractions of Zostera marina L.

Abstract Samples of eelgrass, Zostera marina L., were collected monthly from December 1974 through December 1975 in a shallow embayment near Beaufort, N.C., and separated into green leaves, dead leaves, and leaf detrital material. Each component was analysed for dry weight, organic matter, inorganic and organic carbon, nitrogen and amino compounds. The standing crop of green and dead blades reached a maximum in April through June, while detrital matter had peaks in December, April and July–September. Inorganic carbon in the three grass fractions showed seasonal variations similar to those observed for epiphytic biomass in previous years, and represented 14, 24, and 30% of the total carbon associated with the green and dead leaves and detrital fragments, respectively. Organic carbon represented a decreasing proportion of the dry weight of these three fractions on a dry weight basis while there was a significant increase in organic carbon on an ash-free dry weight basis in the detrital fragments relative to the head dead blades. During senescence there was a loss of nitrogen from the leaves and an increase in the nitrogen content of the organic matter of the detritus relative to the dead leaves. The latter suggests that there was microbial growth on the detritus and subsequent nitrogen immobilization from the surrounding medium. There were significant decreases of lysine, histidine, arginine, glycine, tyrosine, and glucosamine in the dead leaves relative to the detritus. The glucosamine, derived from N-acetyl-glucosamine, a product of murein which is a component of microbial cell walls, had a seasonal distribution similar to that of the epiphytic community and available inorganic nitrogen in the surrounding water. The relative proportions of N-acetyl-glucosamine, nitrogen and organic carbon were all higher in the fall and winter.
Introduction: Neural tube defects

This volume of Neurosurgical Focus covers an array of topics useful to many specialists who care for patients with neural tube defects and related abnormalities. These patients have specific needs at each stage of the lifespan. Today, many individuals with significant developmental abnormalities of the spinal cord are leading full lives. For example, it is important for obstetricians and anesthesiologists to be cognizant of the underlying abnormalities associated with a lipomyelomeningocele or myelomeningocele to optimally care for a woman with one of these lesions during the delivery of her child. These lesions are exceedingly interesting from a developmental perspective, and a better understanding of the pathophysiology will continue to improve our management. The paper by Kalani et al. focuses primarily on the pathophysiology of intradural spinal teratomas. Dr. Vogel and associates describe recent advances in our understanding of how primary cilia contribute to the pathogenesis of neural tube defects and hydrocephalus. Dr. Sarris and colleagues provide a useful review of the pathology, treatment, and outcomes of lipomyelomeningoceles. A review of the management of urologic dysfunction in patients with neural tube defects by Amarante and colleagues will be useful to providers from a wide range of specialties. Maintaining optimal urologic health is a challenge throughout life. Finally, Dr. Cox and colleagues describe an unusual presentation of bilateral paramedian cutaneous dermal sinus tracts that caused multiple episodes of infection prior to definitive neurosurgical treatment. (http://thejns.org/doi/abs/10.3171/2012.8.FOCUS12285)
Investigation of sagittal image acquisition for 4D-MRI with body area as respiratory surrogate.

Purpose: The authors have recently developed a novel 4D-MRI technique for imaging organ respiratory motion employing cine acquisition in the axial plane and using body area (BA) as a respiratory surrogate. A potential disadvantage associated with axial image acquisition is the space-dependent phase shift in the superior–inferior (SI) direction, i.e., different axial slice positions reach the respiratory peak at different respiratory phases. Since respiratory motion occurs mostly in the SI and anterior–posterior (AP) directions, sagittal image acquisition, which embeds motion information in these two directions, is expected to be more robust and less affected by phase-shift than axial image acquisition. This study aims to develop and evaluate a 4D-MRI technique using sagittal image acquisition. Methods: The authors evaluated axial BA and sagittal BA using both 4D-CT images (11 cancer patients) and cine MR images (6 healthy volunteers and 1 cancer patient) by comparing their corresponding space-dependent phase-shift in the SI direction ( δ SPS SI ) and in the lateral direction ( δ SPS LAT ) , respectively. To evaluate sagittal BA 4D-MRI method, a motion phantom study and a digital phantom study were performed. Additionally, six patients who had cancer(s) in the liver were prospectively enrolled in this study. For each patient, multislice sagittal MR images were acquired for 4D-MRI reconstruction. 4D retrospective sorting was performed based on respiratory phases. Single-slice cine MRI was also acquired in the axial, coronal, and sagittal planes across the tumor center from which tumor motion trajectories in the SI, AP, and medial–lateral (ML) directions were extracted and used as references from comparison. All MR images were acquired in a 1.5 T scanner using a steady-state precession sequence (frame rate ∼ 3 frames/s). Results: 4D-CT scans showed that δ SPS SI was significantly greater than δ SPS LAT (p-value: 0.012); the median phase-shift was 16.9% and 7.7%, respectively. Body surface motion measurement from axial and sagittal MR cines also showed δ SPS SI was significantly greater than δ SPS LAT . The median δ SPS SI and δ SPS LAT was 11.0% and 9.2% (p-value = 0.008), respectively. Tumor motion trajectories from 4D-MRI matched with those from single-slice cine MRI: the mean (±SD) absolute differences in tumor motion amplitude between the two were 1.5 ± 1.6 mm, 2.1 ± 1.9 mm, and 1.1 ± 1.0 mm in the SI, ML, and AP directions from this patient study. Conclusions: Space-dependent phase shift is less problematic for sagittal acquisition than for axial acquisition. 4D-MRI using sagittal acquisition was successfully carried out in patients with hepatic tumors.
Use of a vacuum filtration technique to study leaching of indigenous viruses from raw wastewater sludge

Abstract The relative efficiences of a buffered beef extract solution, sewage secondary effluent, and distilled water, were compared in a study designed to simulate leaching of indigenous enteric viruses from raw primary sewage sludge. The initial sludge liquid fractions, termed sludge liquor, and leachates from five successive washings with one of the three test fluids were removed from the sludge samples by vacuum filtration through stainless steel mesh screens. The highest calculated efficiency for virus leaching was 2.8 ±1.4% obtained with the beef extract solution. This indicated leaching to be a very inefficient process and may suggest that viruses present in sewage sludges will remain highly solids-associated following land disposal. The ratio of indigenous viruses in the leachates vs sludge liquor, for any particular sample, was found to be statistically dependent upon the square of the sludge samples original percentage solids content. Together, the developed leaching technique and statistical equation provide a simple way to compare the relative amounts of leachable viruses present in samples of raw wastewater sludge.
Effect of Temperature on AuPd Nanoparticles Produced by Inert Gas Condensation

Bimetallic nanoparticles of AuPd were synthesized using the inert gas condensation technique, where the material is sputtered from a target and the particles are formed in an inert condensation zone. Throughout the synthesis process and jointly with the control of the atmosphere conditions, the region after the condensation chamber was kept at a fixed temperature, and several experimental runs were performed at 700 and 1000 °C. The synthesis conditions were set to produce particles of 5 nm of diameter, and almost all of the resulting nanoparticles were icosahedral in shape with small deviations from the mean size. We analyzed the particles by high-angle annular dark field and bright field scanning electron microscopy imaging with a resolution high enough to acquire atomic detail and to measure the distance between planes. From the micrographs and their fast Fourier transform patterns, we found that the lattice detail depends on the thermal treatment with larger lattice fringe displacements in the particles produced at 700 °C. Electron energy loss spectroscopy analysis in one and two dimensions shows that irrespective of the temperature the particles keep their icosahedral shape, and both chemical species are distributed nonuniformly all over the volume of the particles, but without forming core-shell structures.
Impedance/Dielectric Spectroscopy of Electroceramics-Part 1: Evaluation of Composite Models for Polycrystalline Ceramics

In the microcrystalline regime, the electrical (impedance/dielectric) behavior of grain boundary-controlled electroceramics is well described by the “brick-layer model” (BLM). In the nanocrystalline regime, however, grain boundary layers can represent a significant volume fraction of the overall microstructure. Simple boundary-layer models no longer adequately describe the electrical properties of nanocrystalline ceramics. The present work describes the development of a pixel-based finite-difference approach to treat a “nested-cube model” (NCM), which is used to investigate the validity of existing models for describing the electrical properties of polycrystalline ceramics over the entire range of grain core vs. grain boundary volume fractions, from the nanocrystalline regime to the microcrystalline regime. The NCM is shown to agree closely with the Maxwell-Wagner effective medium theory.
Directional dependence of fracture in copper/sapphire bicrystal

Abstract Two cracks that propagate along the interface of a copper/sapphire bicrystal in opposing directions exhibit a directionally dependent fracture behavior. Rice, Suo and Wang, using the Rice–Thomson model, suggested that the phenomenon could be explained on the basis of crack tip dislocation nucleation concepts. We show that the experimentally observed orientation of directional dependence is opposite that of the prediction. Further, it is shown that Beltz and Wang, who had previously reported the experimentally observed orientation to be in accord with predictions, incorrectly measured the orientation. The crack opening displacement profile of the two cracks, as measured interferometrically and via AFM, is shown to exhibit a directional dependence. The results of finite element simulations of the specimen offer an explanation for the directional dependence of fracture on the basis of the continuum crack tip fields.
Neural Correlates of Personal Space Intrusion

A parietal-frontal network in primates is thought to support many behaviors occurring in the space around the body, including interpersonal interactions and maintenance of a particular “comfort zone” or distance from other people (“personal space”). To better understand this network in humans, we used functional MRI to measure the responses to moving objects (faces, cars, simple spheres) and the functional connectivity of two regions in this network, the dorsal intraparietal sulcus (DIPS) and the ventral premotor cortex (PMv). We found that both areas responded more strongly to faces that were moving toward (vs away from) subjects, but did not show this bias in response to comparable motion in control stimuli (cars or spheres). Moreover, these two regions were functionally interconnected. Tests of activity-behavior associations revealed that the strength of DIPS-PMv connectivity was correlated with the preferred distance that subjects chose to stand from an unfamiliar person (personal space size). In addition, the magnitude of DIPS and PMv responses was correlated with the preferred level of social activity. Together, these findings suggest that this parietal-frontal network plays a role in everyday interactions with others.
A study of CO, NO, and H2 adsorption on model Pt/CeO2 catalysts

Abstract Model catalysts consisting of Pt particles on an amorphous CeO 2 film have been investigated to determine the effect of ceria on the adsorption properties of Pt for CO, NO, and H 2 . The catalysts were prepared by vapor deposition of Pt and the film growth was characterized by Auger electron spectroscopy. Film growth for Pt is the same on both ceria and an oxidized Al foil and appears to be three-dimensional at room temperature on both substrates. Temperature programmed desorption (TPD) results show strong variations in the adsorption properties for CO, NO, and H 2 as a function of particle size; however, the results for the model Pt/ceria catalysts were found to be identical to results for Pt on both oxidized Al or α-Al 3 O 2 (0001) when particles of the same size are compared. The results suggest that interactions between Pt and ceria are relatively weak within the temperature and pretreatment conditions studied and that the presence of ceria does not substantially affect the adsorption properties of Pt.
Influence of sodium balance on the ability of diuretics to inhibit tubular reabsorption. A study of factors that influence renal tubular sodium reabsorption in man.

Chlorothiazide and ethacrynic acid were given to normal humans and patients with cirrhosis and ascites, with replacement of urinary losses, to obtain information on (1) the influence of different states of sodium balance and excretion on the effectiveness of the drugs in blocking tubular reabsorption and promoting excretion of sodium, and (2) the influence of different states of sodium balance on reabsorption of sodium by different segments of the nephron of man. The results demonstrated that in normal man the natriuretic response to these agents is markedly influenced by the existing state of sodium balance. The differences in response to the drugs related both to differences in the filtered load of sodium and to differences in the fraction of filtered sodium reabsorbed at the diuretic-sensitive distal tubular sites. Sodium loading in the presence of a mineralocorticoid was associated with a thiazideinduced increment in the excretion of sodium which was 10 times greater than that observed during sodium depletion. This effect is suggestive of decreased proximal tubular reabsorption. In patients with cirrhosis and sodium retention the fraction of filtered sodium reabsorbed at both diuretic-sensitive tubular sites was diminished, suggesting increased proximal tubular reabsorption. In addition to demonstrating a striking influence of sodium balance on the natriuretic response to the diuretics, the results suggest that in man sodium diuresis is associated with decreased fractional reabsorption by the proximal tubule and increased fractional and absolute sodium reabsorption by the distal tubule. In patients accumulating edema and ascites, an increase in the fractional reabsorption of sodium appears to occur in the proximal tubule and could account for limited effectiveness of the diuretic agents.
Mo K- and L-edge X-ray absorption spectroscopic study of the ADP.AlF4--stabilized nitrogenase complex: comparison with MoFe protein in solution and single crystal.

The utility of using X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) to study metalloproteins and, specifically, the enzyme complex nitrogenase, is highlighted by this study comparing both the structural and Mo-localized electronic features of the iron-molybdenum cofactor (FeMoco) in isolated MoFe protein and in the ADP·AlF_4^--stabilized complex of the MoFe protein with the Fe protein. No major differences are found at Mo between the two protein forms. The excellent quality of the data at both the Mo K and L edges will provide a baseline for analysis of other intermediates in the nitrogenase cycle. A new capability to delineate various contributions in the resting state of FeMoco is being pursued through polarized single-crystal XAS. The initial results point to the feasibility of using this technique for the analysis of scattering from the as yet unidentified atom at the center of FeMoco.
Atlas-derived perfusion correlates of white matter hyperintensities in patients with reduced cardiac output.

Reduced cardiac output is associated with increased white matter hyperintensities (WMH) and executive dysfunction in older adults, which may be secondary to relations between systemic and cerebral perfusion. This study preliminarily describes the regional distribution of cerebral WMH in the context of a normal cerebral perfusion atlas and aims to determine if these variables are associated with reduced cardiac output. Thirty-two participants (72 ± 8 years old, 38% female) with cardiovascular risk factors or disease underwent structural MRI acquisition at 1.5 T using a standard imaging protocol that included FLAIR sequences. WMH distribution was examined in common anatomical space using voxel-based morphometry and as a function of normal cerebral perfusion patterns by overlaying a single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) atlas. Doppler echocardiogram data was used to dichotomize the participants on the basis of low (n = 9) and normal (n = 23) cardiac output. Global WMH count and volume did not differ between the low and normal cardiac output groups; however, atlas-derived SPECT perfusion values in regions of hyperintensities were reduced in the low versus normal cardiac output group (p < 0.001). Our preliminary data suggest that participants with low cardiac output have WMH in regions of relatively reduced perfusion, while normal cardiac output participants have WMH in regions with relatively higher regional perfusion. This spatial perfusion distribution difference for areas of WMH may occur in the context of reduced systemic perfusion, which subsequently impacts cerebral perfusion and contributes to subclinical or clinical microvascular damage.
Negative internal causal attributions of a specific offense and forgiveness

Causal attributions are important social-cognitive predictors of forgiveness. This article presents the Transgression Attribution Questionnaire (TAQ), a measure of one's negative internal causal attributions of a specific offense. In 4 studies, scores on the TAQ showed initial evidence of estimated internal consistency, temporal stability, and construct validity. Negative internal attributions for the cause of a transgression predicted lower levels of empathy and forgiveness. Furthermore, scores on the TAQ predicted forgiveness over and above the hurtfulness of the offense, relationship commitment, and a general measure of internal causal attributions in relationships. The current research bridges research on internal causal attributions and forgiveness. Implications for the social-cognitive study of forgiveness and the measurement of causal attributions are discussed.
CpG DNA Induces Maturation of Dendritic Cells with Distinct Effects on Nascent and Recycling MHC-II Antigen-Processing Mechanisms

Murine bone marrow cultured with GM-CSF produced dendritic cells (DCs) expressing MHC class II (MHC-II) but little CD40, CD80, or CD86. Oligodeoxynucleotides (ODN) containing CpG motifs enhanced DC maturation, increased MHC-II expression, and induced high levels of CD40, CD80, and CD86. When added with Ag to DCs for 24 h, CpG ODN enhanced Ag processing, and the half-life of peptide:MHC-II complexes was increased. However, Ag processing was only transiently enhanced, and exposure of DCs to CpG ODN for 48 h blocked processing of hen egg lysozyme (HEL) to HEL(48-61):I-A(k) complexes. Processing of this epitope required newly synthesized MHC-II and was blocked by brefeldin A (BFA), suggesting that reduced MHC-II synthesis could explain decreased processing. Real-time quantitative PCR confirmed that CpG ODN decreased I-A(beta)(k) mRNA in DCs. In contrast, RNase(42-56):I-A(k) complexes were generated via a different processing mechanism that involved recycling MHC-II and was partially resistant to BFA. Processing of RNase(42-56):I-A(k) persisted, although at reduced levels, after CpG-induced maturation of DCs, and this residual processing by mature DCs was completely resistant to BFA. Changes in endocytosis, which was transiently enhanced and subsequently suppressed by CpG ODN, may affect Ag processing by both nascent and recycling MHC-II mechanisms. In summary, CpG ODN induce DC maturation, transiently increase Ag processing, and increase the half-life of peptide-MHC-II complexes to sustain subsequent presentation. Processing mechanisms that require nascent MHC-II are subsequently lost, but those that use recycling MHC-II persist even in fully mature DCs.
Propagation of Misinformation About Frequencies of RFTs/RCTs in Education A Cautionary Tale

In this article, the authors examine the interconnections among education researchers’ misconceptions about the quality of the education research literature. Specifically, the authors catalog the sequence of events that, when taken together with a series of contradictory graphs presented by influential scholars in prominent settings, may have gratuitously damaged the already fragile reputation of education research as a field. The authors’ “take-home” messages emphasize the importance of both critically evaluating the claims and warrants of our scholar colleagues and being aware of our natural tendencies, often unconscious, toward confirmation bias.
Down-Modulation of TCR Expression by Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium

T cell-mediated adaptive immunity is required to help clear infection with the facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium), yet development of T cell-mediated adaptive immunity to S. Typhimurium has been described as slow and inefficient. A key step in inducing T cell-mediated adaptive immunity is T cell priming; the activation, proliferation, and differentiation of naive T cells following initial encounter with Ag. We previously demonstrated that S. Typhimurium had a direct inhibitory effect on naive T cells from mouse, blocking their proliferation. In this study, we show that S. Typhimurium down-modulates expression of the TCR β-chain, a molecule that is essential for Ag recognition and T cell function. Specifically, we demonstrate that reduced amounts of surface and intracellular TCR-β protein and decreased levels of tcrβ transcript are expressed by T cells cultured in the presence of S. Typhimurium. We further show that the down-modulation of TCR-β expression requires contact between S. Typhimurium and the T cells and that once contact occurs, a factor capable of reducing TCR-β expression is secreted. These results provide new insight into the mechanism by which S. Typhimurium may inhibit T cell priming and avoid clearance by the adaptive immune system.
Methanol steam reformer on a silicon wafer

A study of the reforming rates, heat transfer and flow through a methanol reforming catalytic microreactor fabricated on a silicon wafer are presented. Packed bed microchannel reactors were fabricated using silicon DRIE, followed by wafer bonding. The reactor bed was subsequently filled with catalyst particles. Thermal control is achieved through on-chip resistive heaters, whereby methanol steam reforming reactions were studied over a temperature range from 180-300 degC. Three simulations of varying complexity, including three-dimensional (3-D), quasi-3-D, and 1-D models, were developed. Comparison of the models with experimental results shows good agreement over a range of operating conditions. We found that Amphlett's kinetics for methanol reforming provided accurate results, and that for our operating conditions the reforming reaction could be modeled without mass transport considerations. The 1-D model provided a rapid analytical tool to assess the performance of the microreactor. Use of such computationally efficient design tools provides an effective means to analyze the performance of microreactor designs prior to fabrication and test. Hence, reformer geometry, catalyst loading, and operating parameters can be optimized to afford the desired hydrogen output and conversion. Concepts for insulating the reactor while maintaining small overall size are further analyzed
Solution phase n-doping of C60 and PCBM using tetrabutylammonium fluoride

The solution phase n-doping of C60 and PCBM with tetrabutylammonium fluoride is shown to occur via an initial chemical reaction followed by electron transfer to a second fullerene molecule. The formation of ionic and radical intermediate species has significant implications for the use of ionically functionalized materials as electron-selective interface layers in OPVs.
Measuring electrostatic fields in both hydrogen-bonding and non-hydrogen-bonding environments using carbonyl vibrational probes.

Vibrational probes can provide a direct readout of the local electrostatic field in complex molecular environments, such as protein binding sites and enzyme active sites. This information provides an experimental method to explore the underlying physical causes of important biomolecular processes such as binding and catalysis. However, specific chemical interactions such as hydrogen bonds can have complicated effects on vibrational probes and confound simple electrostatic interpretations of their frequency shifts. We employ vibrational Stark spectroscopy along with infrared spectroscopy of carbonyl probes in different solvent environments and in ribonuclease S to understand the sensitivity of carbonyl frequencies to electrostatic fields, including those due to hydrogen bonds. Additionally, we carried out molecular dynamics simulations to calculate ensemble-averaged electric fields in solvents and in ribonuclease S and found excellent correlation between calculated fields and vibrational frequencies. These...
A realist epistemology of faith

In this paper, I analyse and interpret Thomas Aquinas's account of faith in order to show how Thomistic faith is a veridical cognitive state that directs the mind to God, and consequently constitutes a distinct form of knowledge of God. By assenting to the revealed propositions of faith (which express the truth about God), and thereby forming true beliefs about God under the authority and guidance of God's grace, the possessor of faith comes to know or apprehend truly something about God, even if she fails to ‘see’ or know fully the truth that she believes. A further task of the paper is to show how Thomistic faith qualifies (at least potentially) as knowledge from a contemporary epistemological standpoint, insofar as it consists of true belief that is appropriately justified and warranted, by virtue of being supernaturally informed and generated. By expositing and defending this central claim – focusing specifically on faith as a form of knowledge – I show how Aquinas offers an epistemologically realist account of faith.
Chlorophyll Response to Nutrients and Non-algal Seston in Missouri Reservoirs and Oxbow Lakes

Abstract When unaggregated summer chlorophyll data (Chl) from 184 Missouri reservoirs are plotted against total phosphorus (TP) a ‘bow’ in the distribution develops among a group of points with low Chl:TP ratios (averaging <0.05). Low Chl:TP is mostly associated with turbid, nutrient-rich inflows in reservoirs across the entire trophic range. Non-algal seston (NAS) is our best metric of these inflows and is a co-variable in Chl-TP regressions. This influence is most prominent in years of high runoff and is distinctly seasonal, being most prevalent in early summer prior to full stratification. In late summer, inflows typically enter as subsurface density currents, and nitrogen accounts for more variation in Chl-TP than NAS. Neither variable, however, greatly influences the long-term relation between Chl and TP, which is linear, relatively consistent, and matches the global pattern. In several oxbow lakes, high NAS caused by sediment resuspension is a chronic condition; it seems neither light nor flushing g...
Three notes on proximity theory

It seems worthwhile to point out that a few of the theorems in (2) can, as indeed one would expect in a paper of such length and scope, be somewhat generalized or simplified. This note uses the notation of (2) and all references are to that paper.
GENETIC AND MOLECULAR ANALYSIS OF DNA DAMAGE REPAIR AND TOLERANCE PATHWAYS.

Alterations of the structural genes coding for DNA repair enzymes can have severe effects on the organisms, whether a simple bacterium, or a higher plant or person. Modern biochemical and molecular biological approaches allow determination of the molecular origin of radiation sensitivity, including those resulting from deficiencies in DNA repair.
Antigen Delivered by Anthrax Lethal Toxin Induces the Development of Memory CD8+ T Cells That Can Be Rapidly Boosted and Display Effector Functions

Memory CD8+ T cells are essential for protective immunity against many intracellular pathogens; therefore, stimulation of this population of cells is an important goal of vaccination. We have previously shown that a detoxified derivative of Bacillus anthracis anthrax lethal toxin (LT) can deliver heterologous CD8+ T-cell epitopes to the major histocompatibility complex class I processing and presentation pathway of murine host cells and that immunization of mice with these LT-antigen fusion proteins leads to the induction of antigen-specific CD8+ T cells. In this report we extend these findings to include a detailed characterization of the phenotypic and functional properties of the T cells stimulated by the LT-based system. We found that after an initial period of expansion and contraction, antigen-specific CD8+ T cells differentiated into a pool of memory cells that produced gamma interferon and displayed in vivo cytotoxic activity. The transition to memory cells appeared to be quite rapid based on an analysis of the phenotypic marker CD127 and the effectiveness of a booster immunization administered early after the initial immunization. We also investigated the composition of the memory T-cell pool induced by this system and found that while one immunization induced a mixture of effector memory T cells (CD62Llow) and central memory T cells (CD62Lhigh), a second immunization preferentially elevated the effector memory T-cell frequency. Finally, we demonstrated that mice that received prime-boost immunizations of LT-antigen proteins were more protected in a Listeria monocytogenes challenge model than mice that received only one immunization.
Stance balance control with orthoses in a group of children with spastic cerebral palsy.

Although ankle-foot orthoses (AFOs) are frequently prescribed to correct skeletal malalignment in children with spastic diplegia, their effect on standing balance abilities has not been documented. This study investigated balance differences related to the presence of pathology and orthotic conditions during conditions of unexpected stance perturbation by comparing four children aged between 3 and 15 years with spastic cerebral palsy and four control children matched for years of independent walking experience. Electromyographic and kinematic data were collected and compared between groups and in three orthotic conditions (no AFOs, solid AFOs, dynamic AFOs). Results revealed that balance responses of children with spasticity were characterized by: increased coactivation of muscles as opposed to distal to proximal recruitment, decreased presence of upright posture in stance, increased use of‘on-toes’strategies, and different sway characteristics compared with the typically developing children. In both groups of children, the use of solid AFOs during perturbed stance resulted in: decreased activation of gastrocnemius muscles, disorganized muscle-response patterns, decreased use of ankle strategies, and increased joint angular velocities at the knee compared with conditions without AFOs or with dynamic AFOs. These preliminary results support the use of dynamic AFOs to correct skeletal malalignment in children with spastic diplegia.
Okasha’s evolution and the levels of selection: toward a broader conception of theoretical biology

The debate about the levels of selection has been one of the most controversial both in evolutionary biology and in philosophy of science. Okasha’s book makes the sort of contribution that simply will not be able to be ignored by anyone interested in this field for many years to come. However, my interest here is in highlighting some examples of how Okasha goes about discussing his material to suggest that his book is part of an increasingly interesting trend that sees scientists and philosophers coming together to build a broadened concept of “theory” through a combination of standard mathematical treatments and conceptual analyses. Given the often contentious history of the relationship between philosophy and science, such trend cannot but be welcome.