cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Power Tools for an Effective and Responsible Presidency

The Clinton administration has made frequent and significant use of executive orders and other tools that are available to presidents on problems as diverse as the Mexican peso crisis and labor disputes over striker replacements. The tools of presidential direct administration are complex devices that often overlap and pose wide-ranging consequences. This article seeks to present a useful survey and analysis of the basic tools of presidential direct administration and points out the dangers as well as the opportunities presented by these devices.
A novel reconfigurable patch antenna with both frequency and polarization diversities for wireless communications

A novel reconfigurable patch antenna that applies the PASS concept is presented in this paper to obtain both frequency and polarization diversities for wireless communications. With single patch and single feed, the antenna operates at two different frequencies with a frequency ratio of 1.055, similar radiation pattern and opposite circular polarizations. Experiments are carried out to demonstrate the feasibility of the design, and satisfactory axial ratios of 1.86 dB and 1.99 dB are obtained. The presented methodology is very promising in antenna design for satellite and mobile communications, which require multi-frequency operation to enhance the channel capacity, and different polarizations to prevent crosstalk between the channels.
Early growth response-1 transcription factor promotes hepatic fibrosis and steatosis in long-term ethanol-fed Long-Evans rats.

Background Previous studies demonstrated that the Long-Evans (LE) rats exhibited liver injury and lipid metabolic abnormalities after 8 weeks of ethanol feeding. Aims The goal of this study was to investigate if the LE rats develop more advanced hepatic abnormalities (e.g., fibrosis) after long-term feeding with an ethanol-containing Lieber–DeCarli diet. In addition, the contribution of early growth response-1 (EGR1) transcription factor to these pathological changes was assessed. Methods Long-Evans rats were fed an ethanol-containing or isocaloric control liquid diet for 18 months. Livers were processed for histological analyses, studies of fibrosis-related gene expression, cell fractionation and triglyceride measurement. Serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were assessed. DNA binding activities of p53 and the sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP1c) were analysed. The abundance of EGR1 and enzymes involved in fatty acid synthesis were determined. Chromatin immunoprecipitation was employed to study EGR1 binding to the SREBP1c promoter region. Results Ethanol feeding generated steatosis, chicken wire fibrosis and ALT elevations in the LE rats. Fibrosis was associated with the upregulation of EGR1 and its downstream target genes. EGR1 upregulation was associated with enhanced p53 activity and an increase in the cellular p66shc abundance. Steatosis was linked to the activation of SREBP1c. Importantly, EGR1 upregulation paralleled the expression and transcriptional activity of SREBP1c. Finally, EGR1 was shown to bind to the SREBP1c promoter region. Conclusions Long-term ethanol feeding promoted steatosis and fibrosis in LE rats via EGR1 activation. The highly abundant EGR1 bound to the SREBP1c promoter and contributed to the steatosis observed in the LE rat model.
Designing Intracellular Organization for Optimization of Sustainability

Biology presents us with an array of design principles. From studies of both simple and more complex systems, we understand some of the fundamentals of how Nature works. We are interested in using the foundations of biology to engineer cells in a logical and predictable way to perform certain functions. By necessity, the predictable engineering of biology requires knowledge of quantitative behavior of individual cells and communities and the ability to construct reliable models. By building and analyzing synthetic systems, we learn more about the fundamentals of biological design as well as engineer useful living devices with myriad applications. For example, we are interested in building cells that can perform specific tasks, such as remembering past events and thus acting as a biological computer. Moreover, we design cells with predictable biological properties that serve as cell-based sensors, factories for generating useful commodities and improved centers for carbon fixation. We have recently constructed synthetic intracellular protein/RNA structures to increase the efficiency of biological reactions. In doing so, we have made new findings about how cells interact with and impact their environment.
Escherichia coli tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase mutants selected for tryptophan auxotrophy implicate the dimer interface in optimizing amino acid binding

Tryptophan auxotrophs of Escherichia coli in which mutations were mapped to the trpS locus (encoding tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase) have been previously isolated. We have investigated the tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (TrpRS) purified from six auxotrophic strains for changes in amino acid activation and aminoacylation. Steady-state kinetic analyses show that these mutant TrpRS proteins have increases in the apparent KM for tryptophan, decreases in turnover number, or both, without significant changes in the apparent KM for ATP or tRNA(Trp). The crystal structure of a highly homologous tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase from Bacillus stearothermophilus in a complex with the cognate aminoacyl adenylate allowed us to place the mutations in a structural context. The mutations in the enzymes are located in the KMSKS loop (M196I), in or near the active site (D112E, P129S, A133E) or far from the active site. The last three mutants (T60R, L91F, G329S) could not be predicted by examination of the protein structure as they line an interface between the C-terminal alpha-helix of one subunit and the Rossmann folds of both subunits, thus affecting a specific region of the dimer interface. These results support a role for dimerization in properly configuring the two active sites of the dimeric enzymes in the Trp/Tyr subclass of class I aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases in order to achieve optimal catalysis.
On the Role of Coastal Landscape Evolution in Detecting Fish Weirs: A Pacific Northwest Coast Example From Washington State

ABSTRACT In North America's Pacific Northwest, archaeologists have extensively researched coastal fish weirs—one of several types of mass fish capture technologies used by precontact peoples—and their role in the development of delayed return economies and implications for social organization. Fish weirs, however, are typically situated in areas that are susceptible to a range of geomorphic and anthropogenic factors that affect their preservation and visibility. Given the importance of these capture facilities to understanding the histories of coastal peoples, a better understanding of these factors, and how they affect the archaeological record, is needed. Using the recently augmented coastal fish weir record in Washington State as a case study, we explore these factors by compiling an expanded database of 22 sites and 36 radiocarbon dates and systematically consider how coastal geomorphological processes operating along the Northwest Coast affect the age and distribution of fish weirs. Through this anal...
Multicomponent phase diagrams applicable to austenitic stainless steels at 600 and 650°c

The experimental Fe-Ni-Cr ternary diagrams are extended into the quaternaryX-field forX = Mo, Ti, Mn, Si, Nb, Ta using pair potential models for the fcc, bcc and sigma phases and free energy relations deduced for the Fe-Ni-Cr system by Kaufman and Nesor. The constrained diagrams for constant pctX are in agreement with observations made by others. Also, a correlation is found between the calculated effect of a given addition ofX on the difference in energies between the sigma and fcc phases and its Cr equivalent deduced empirically from impact energy measurements by Hull. It is suggested that the procedures developed in this investigation should have wide applicability in alloy design. In particular, it may be helpful in discovering sigma free compositions for stainless steels.
Behavioural and cardiovascular effects of disrupting the angiotensin II type-2 receptor gene in mice

ANGIOTENSIN II, a potent regulator of blood pressure and of water and electrolyte balance, binds to two different G-protein-coupled receptors. The type-1 receptor (AT1,) mediates the vasopressive and aldosterone-secreting effects of angiotensin II, but the function of the type-2 receptor (AT2; refs 1, 2) is unknown, although it is expressed in both adult3 and embryonic4 life. To address this question, we have generated mice lacking the gene encoding the AT2 receptor. Mutant mice develop normally, but have an impaired drinking response to water deprivation as well as a reduction in spontaneous movements. Their baseline blood pressure is normal, but they show an increased vasopressor response to injection of angiotensin II. Thus, although the AT2 receptor is not required for embryonic development, it plays a role in the central nervous system and cardiovascular functions that are mediated by the renin-angiotensin system.
A further validation of the children's behavioral classification project inventory.

Summay.-To add evidence of the validity of the Children's Behavioral Classificauon Inventory, the responses of parents and teachers were compared on a set of 110 items of the inventory which describe behaviors equally observable to both groups. The two sets of data were subjected in Phase I to principal components analysis to extract two facrors in each case which were compared by means of the Ahmavaara transformation and found to be highly comparable. In Phase 11, predictions were made from factor weights of 36 items measuring six factors in the original standardizauon of the invenrory to both sets of respondents' data by means of confirmatory factor analysis. The formal indices of comparability were nor generally in acceptable ranges; however, subscantively the six hctors were definitely replicated in the two samples. The purpose of the study reported here was to provide additional evidence of the vddity of the inventory developed for the Children's Behavioral Classification Project (CBCP; Dreger, 1964, 1977, 1982, 1994). For the present study, it was anticipated that comparing parents' and teachers' responses to a subset of the items could establish further vahdity for some of the dimensions of the inventory. If congruences can be shown between the dimensions assessed by both parents and teachers, a stronger case can be made for the validity of the CBCP Inventory in respect to these dmensions. It has long been known that ordmarily responses to behavioral inventories ddfer among dkferent classes of respondents (Brd, 1962; Costelloe, 1974; Cuyler, 1981; Peterson, 1961). Achenbach, McConaughy, and Howell (1987) averaged correlations by r transformations among six classes of respondents in 269 samples of raters, finding that they ranged from a low of .20 between teachers' and self-ratings to a high of .44 between teachers' and peers' ratings (and .74 for test-retest of self-ratings). The ratings of observers from the same class such as teachers or peers were generally much higher. Evidence from research with the Children's Behavioral Classification Project Inventory (CBCP, cf. Apparatus below) tends to support that from others' research in part and in part not. Against this general background of from low to moderate correlation
Managing the fight against corruption: A case study

Corruption is one of the foremost problems facing policy-makers and managers in developing countries, but it is a remarkably difficult one to study. This case study—an actual episode that has been disguised to preserve confidentiality—provides a vehicle for illustrating both the application of analytical tools to corruption and the importance of practical issues of implementation and politics. The case suggests that anti-corruption policies should carefully assess (1) the relative severity of various kinds of illicit activities, including who gains and loses; (2) the relative susceptibility of the various activities to feasible changes in policies and procedures; and (3) the strategic importance of politics, in the narrow sense of bureaucratic politics as well as the wider political realities.
A novel approach to silicon gate CMOS device scaling

Abstract A new approach is reported for fabricating scaled Si-gate CMOS devices using medium temperature (≅900° C) LPCVD deposited SiO 2 as the dielectric interlayer. The film can be deposited from 850 to 1000°C using a graded temperature profile and optimum pressure. A maximum of 100 wafers with 8% variation of thickness per run has been achieved using the process described in this paper. The medium-temperature LPCVD SiO 2 film exhibited step-coverage as good as the conventional low temperature PSG film. Since the new film requires no high temperature treatment, the convetional Si-gate CMOS diffusion process has been used to obtain the micron and submicron junction depths that are required to fabricate scaled CMOS devices. Such a processing approach, converting a 5–6 μm geometry CMOS process to a 3 μm geometry CMOS process, is described.
Heterozygote PCR Product Melting Curve Prediction

Melting curve prediction of PCR products is limited to perfectly complementary strands. Multiple do- mains are calculated by recursive nearest neighbor ther- modynamics. However, the melting curve of an ampli- con containing a heterozygous single-nucleotide variant (SNV) after PCR is the composite of four duplexes: two matched homoduplexes and two mismatched heterodu- plexes. To better predict the shape of composite het- erozygote melting curves, 52 experimental curves were compared with brute force in silico predictions varying two parameters simultaneously: the relative contribution of heteroduplex products and an ionic scaling factor for mismatched tetrads. Heteroduplex products contributed 25.7 ± 6.7% to the composite melting curve, varying from 23%-28% for different SNV classes. The effect of ions on mismatch tetrads scaled to 76%-96% of normal (depend- ing on SNV class) and averaged 88 ± 16.4%. Based on uMelt (www.dna.utah.edu/umelt/umelt.html) with an ex- panded nearest neighbor thermodynamic set that includes mismatched base pairs, uMelt HETS calculates helicity as a function of temperature for homoduplex and heterodu- plex products, as well as the composite curve expected from heterozygotes. It is an interactive Web tool for effi- cient genotyping design, heterozygote melting curve pre- diction, and quality control of melting curve experiments. The application was developed in Actionscript and can be
Neutralization of Virus Infectivity by Antibodies: Old Problems in New Perspectives

Neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) can be both sufficient and necessary for protection against viral infections, although they sometimes act in concert with cellular immunity. Successful vaccines against viruses induce NAbs but vaccine candidates against some major viral pathogens, including HIV-1, have failed to induce potent and effective such responses. Theories of how antibodies neutralize virus infectivity have been formulated and experimentally tested since the 1930s; and controversies about the mechanistic and quantitative bases for neutralization have continually arisen. Soluble versions of native oligomeric viral proteins that mimic the functional targets of neutralizing antibodies now allow the measurement of the relevant affinities of NAbs. Thereby the neutralizing occupancies on virions can be estimated and related to the potency of the NAbs. Furthermore, the kinetics and stoichiometry of NAb binding can be compared with neutralizing efficacy. Recently, the fundamental discovery that the intracellular factor TRIM21 determines the degree of neutralization of adenovirus has provided new mechanistic and quantitative insights. Since TRIM21 resides in the cytoplasm, it would not affect the neutralization of enveloped viruses, but its range of activity against naked viruses will be important to uncover. These developments bring together the old problems of virus neutralization—mechanism, stoichiometry, kinetics, and efficacy—from surprising new angles.
Covert skill learning in a cortical-basal ganglia circuit

We learn complex skills such as speech and dance through a gradual process of trial and error. Cortical-basal ganglia circuits have an important yet unresolved function in this trial-and-error skill learning; influential 'actor-critic' models propose that basal ganglia circuits generate a variety of behaviours during training and learn to implement the successful behaviours in their repertoire. Here we show that the anterior forebrain pathway (AFP), a cortical-basal ganglia circuit, contributes to skill learning even when it does not contribute to such 'exploratory' variation in behavioural performance during training. Blocking the output of the AFP while training Bengalese finches to modify their songs prevented the gradual improvement that normally occurs in this complex skill during training. However, unblocking the output of the AFP after training caused an immediate transition from naive performance to excellent performance, indicating that the AFP covertly gained the ability to implement learned skill performance without contributing to skill practice. In contrast, inactivating the output nucleus of the AFP during training completely prevented learning, indicating that learning requires activity within the AFP during training. Our results suggest a revised model of skill learning: basal ganglia circuits can monitor the consequences of behavioural variation produced by other brain regions and then direct those brain regions to implement more successful behaviours. The ability of the AFP to identify successful performances generated by other brain regions indicates that basal ganglia circuits receive a detailed efference copy of premotor activity in those regions. The capacity of the AFP to implement successful performances that were initially produced by other brain regions indicates precise functional connections between basal ganglia circuits and the motor regions that directly control performance.
Carbon nanotube tips for scanning probe microscopy: fabrication and high aspect ratio nanometrology

The atomic force microscope (AFM) is being adapted by industry as a tool for in line fabrication metrology. The last two decades have witnessed the evolution of the AFM into a versatile instrument, with many new scanning force techniques presently being developed. Consequently, the AFM has wide industrial applications from conventional surface roughness measurement of thin films to the characterization of magnetic domains as related to the information storage industry. There are a number of challenges that must be resolved in order to fully realize the potential of AFM as future nanoscale inspection tools for the information technology industry. Improvement in AFM tip technology is one of the most important factors for AFM to be fully adapted by industry. This paper reviews the development and application of carbon nanotube AFM tips, highlighting the progress from our lab. Many applications for carbon nanotube AFM tips have been demonstrated for scanning probe microscopy; however, herein we focus mainly on the measurement of high aspect ratio nanostructures. The structure of carbon nanotubes will be described in relationship to the application of the AFM tip. Fabrication techniques for carbon nanotube AFM probes will be highlighted, including an example detailing a high throughput large-scale production method. Data demonstrating the capability of carbon nanotube tips for imaging high aspect ratio features will be compared with conventional top-down SEM metrology. This review will also address some of the technical challenges that still remain for the full implementation of carbon nanotube AFM tip technology for industrial applications.
Thermodynamic properties of argon adsorbed on porous glass plus preadsorbed water

Abstract Precise isotherms and calorimetric heats of adsorption have been determined for argon adsorbed on a sample of porous Vycor glass containing one monolayer of preadsorbed frozen water and on the sample containing sufficient water to form a triple layer. Pore size distributions were calculated from the isotherms for these two systems as well as for the bare porous glass adsorbent. Hysteresis effects were observed in the calorimetric heats of adsorption and desorption; these are compared with hysteresis in the isotherms, and in the Clausius—Clapeyron heats. The data indicate that most of the first increment of preadsorbed water is located in micropores and pore necks, but that pore filling occurs when three statistical layers of water are adsorbed.
Modeling the gas absorption in a spray scrubber with dissolving reactive particles

The absorption of a gaseous species into a spherical slurry droplet with internal circulation that contains reactive, sparingly soluble microparticles is studied. The droplet recirculation is assumed to be similar to Hill's vortex flow, and the chemical reaction is assumed to be either instantaneous or of second order. Reactive gas species diffusion, chemical reaction and particle dissolution are numerically modeled using droplet recirculation streamlines as a coordinate. Parametric calculations are performed, and are utilized to assess the adequacy of the widely used film theory, and to examine the effect of particle size variation on the absorption rate. A transient model is also developed that utilizes the aforementioned quasi-steady droplet mass transfer and reaction models and calculates the time variation of the average solid particle size in the droplet. Parametric calculations are presented that confirm the importance of particle size and its variation as a result of dissolution. Transient parametric calculations show a declining total absorption rate with time as a result of the shrinkage of the average particle size. The results are everywhere sensitive to droplet internal circulation, however. Partial suppression of droplet internal circulation leads to significant reduction in absorption rate, even with a high concentration of particles. The calculation results thus demonstrate that several parameters should be considered for optimal design of a slurry spray scrubber.
Enhanced Immune Responses in Broiler Chicks Fed Methionine-Supplemented Diets

Effects of feeding supplementary methionine and choline on broiler growth and immunity were examined by supplementing a corn-soybean diet that contained 21% crude protein, 3,255 kcal metabolizable energy/kg diet, .35% methionine, .37% cystine, and .13% choline. Methionine (.063, .125, .25%) and choline (.125, .25%) were dietary variables. Sulfate (.055%) was added either alone or along with methionine (.125 or .25%) and choline (.125%). In one study, the .25% methionine diet was supplemented with .121% betaine. Sodium and chloride levels were constant in all the diets. Feed and distilled water were supplied ad libitum. Total antibodies, immunoglobulin (Ig) G (2-mercaptoethanol-resistant antibodies) and IgM (2-mercaptoethanol-sensitive antibodies) were determined in 3-wk-old chicks inoculated intraperitoneally with sheep red blood cells. The thymus-derived (T)-cell-dependent in vivo mitogen response to phytohemagglutinin-P (PHA-P) was assessed via wing web swelling. The methionine requirement for growth (0 to 3 wk of age) was approximately .413% of the diet (.35% in the basal diet plus .063% added). Supplementation of the basal diet with .125% choline stimulated growth to the same extent as did the extra .063% of methionine. Addition of .055% sulfate with .125% choline did not improve the ability of the latter to spare methionine. Supplemental methionine resulted in significant (P less than .05) dose-related increases in total antibody, IgG, and response to the mitogen PHA-P, but not in IgM. There were no effects of choline on the immune variables studied. These results suggest that methionine is required for select components of the antibody response, which effect might be related to T-cell help.
Intracellular Adenosine Inhibits IgE-Dependent Degranulation of Human Skin Mast Cells

Purpose Adenosine (ADO) can enhance and inhibit mast cell degranulation. Potentiation of degranulation occurs at relatively low concentrations of ADO (10−6–10−5 M) through triggering of A3AR, whereas, inhibition occurs at higher concentrations of ADO reportedly through triggering of A2aAR. However, the discrepancy in the concentration of ADO that inhibits degranulation and that required to trigger ADORs suggests a different mechanism. The purpose of this study is to determine the mechanism by which ADO inhibits human mast cell degranulation.
Electron-Transfer Properties of Cp*FeP5: Evidence for Dimerization Reactions following both Oxidation and Reduction

The redox reactions of Cp*Fe(η5-P5) (1; Cp* = η5-C5Me5) have been characterized in nonaqueous solvents by electrochemical methods. As anticipated by analogy with ferrocene, 1 may be both oxidized and reduced in one-electron processes. Both processes are irreversible by cyclic voltammetry but reversible by bulk electrolysis. In CH2Cl2 complex 1 oxidizes initially to 17-electron 1+ (Ep,a = 0.57 V vs Fc), which rapidly equilibrates to give the dimeric dication [12]2+. An ESR spectrum attributed to 1+ is consistent with a d5 iron sandwich complex. A dimerization rate constant for 1+ of kD(17) = 1.4 × 104 M-1 s-1 was determined from cyclic voltammetry (CV) data. The dimeric dication quantitatively re-forms neutral 1 upon rereduction. Complex 1 undergoes reduction (E1/2 = −2.00 V) to 19-electron 1-, which also appears to dimerize in THF; kD(19) = ca. 6 × 105 M-1 s-1. Reoxidation of the diamagnetic dimer [12]2- regenerates 1. The shifts in potential induced when replacing a cyclopentadienyl ring by a pentaphosph...
Recovery as a Self-Directed Process of Healing and Transformation

Abstract This paper describes a first person account of recovering from schizophrenia. Recovery is described as a transformative process as opposed to merely achieving stabilization or returning to baseline. The self-directed nature of the recovery process is highlighted with suggestions as to how professionals can support recovery.
Diel cycling of trace elements in streams draining mineralized areas—A review

Many trace elements exhibit persistent diel, or 24-h, concentration cycles in streams draining mineralized areas. These cycles can be caused by various physical and biogeochemical mechanisms including streamflow variation, photosynthesis and respiration, as well as reactions involving photochemistry, adsorption and desorption, mineral precipitation and dissolution, and plant assimilation. Iron is the primary trace element that exhibits diel cycling in acidic streams. In contrast, many cationic and anionic trace elements exhibit diel cycling in near-neutral and alkaline streams. Maximum reported changes in concentration for these diel cycles have been as much as a factor of 10 (988% change in Zn concentration over a 24-h period). Thus, monitoring and scientific studies must account for diel trace-element cycling to ensure that water-quality data collected in streams appropriately represent the conditions intended to be studied.
Grice’s Analysis of Utterance-Meaning and Cicero’s Catilinarian Apostrophe

The pragmatics underlying Paul Grice’s analysis of utterance-meaning provide a powerful framework for investigating the commitments arguers undertake. Unfortunately, the complexity of Grice’s analysis has frustrated appropriate reliance on this important facet of his work. By explicating Cicero’s use of apostrophe in his famous “First Catilinarian” this essay attempts to show that a full complex of reflexive gricean speaker intentions in essentially to seriously saying and meaning something.
Environmental conditions in relation to variability of deciduous forest vegetation — a study from volcanic mountain in central Slovakia

The deciduous forests represent dominant natural vegetation of Central European landscape and an important functional component for maintenance of biological diversity. However, their syntaxonomy and ecological gradients still remain unclear. The numerical classification was conducted to determine the main units of forest vegetation, while ordination techniques were used to explain the structure of vegetation-environmental data matrix consisting of 110 forest stands in the Stiavnicke vrchy Mts (central Slovakia). Ten vegetation types within the phytosociological classes of deciduous forests Quercetea robori-petraeae and Querco-Fagetea were distinguished. The major environmental driver responsible for variation in forest species composition was interpreted as a response to soil moisture which also accounted for a large part of species variability (3.74%). Soil nutrient/acidity complex expressed by pH, Ca and Al concentration was also an important source of vegetation variability. Relevance of soil conditions in relation to plant survival and community distribution was discussed. Along the soil moisture gradient, vegetation types were arranged from the subxerophilous oak forests through the mesophilous beech and ravine forests to the hygrophilous alder ash vegetation.
The influence of the neurohumor serotonin on hibernation in the golden-mantled ground squirrel, Citellus lateralis

Abstract 1. 1. The neurohumor, serotonin, has been shown to be functionally involved in hibernation in the ground squirrel Citellus lateralis. Using the serotonin synthesis inhibitor, para-chlorophenyl amine, hibernation was temporarily abolished. 2. 2. Lesion of 30 per cent of the median raphe nucleus of the midbrain, which is a major locus of serotonin synthesis, caused disruption of hibernation when compared to controls lesioned in the lateral tegmentum. 3. 3. Whole brain serotonin levels decrease significantly during entrance into hibernation. 4. 4. In C. tereticaudus there is a significant difference in whole brain serotonin levels between males and females, which fits the fact that the sexes do hibernate in a different behavioral pattern. 5. 5. A correlation between ability to hibernate and whole brain serotonin levels is shown in three species of ground squirrel.
It's in my genes : Biological discourse and essentialist views of identity among contemporary American jews

During the 19th and early 20th centuries, an era when immigrant groups were seen as divisible into races with distinct physical and mental traits, American Jews thought of themselves as a race. In ...
Homogenized Strain Model for Ni--Mn--Ga Driven with Collinear Magnetic Field and Stress

Prior experimental measurements by the authors demonstrated large reversible strains of ·0.41% along the [001] crystal direction of a cylindrical Ni 50Mn28.7Ga21.3 rod driven with a magnetic field along the same direction and no external restoring force. The origin of the reversibility is attributed to internal bias stresses generated by impurities absorbed during manufacture of the alloy. This article presents a macroscopic constitutive model for Ni—Mn—Ga strain in collinear field and stress configuration. The switching between two variant orientations in the presence of Zeeman energy and the pinning energy of the impurities is formulated through a Gibbs energy function for the crystal lattice. Inhomogeneous local interaction fields and impurity distributions are addressed through stochastic homogenization techniques. Attributes of the model are illustrated through comparison of model results with strain—field measurements collected at various compressive loads. Constrained optimization is used to determ...
The future of delirium research: promising but still room for improvement.

Aging Clin Exp Res, Vol. 19, No. 3 169 Delirium is a common and important issue in medical care of older persons; during the last few decades, increased interest in delirium research has led to major advances in our understanding of delirium in different patient populations and settings. A Medline search for delirium as a keyword identified only 57 articles in 1990; that number grew to 138 in 2000 and 198 for 2006, reflecting growth in delirium research. Patient populations under study have evolved from elderly medical patients initially to any adult surgical, or critically ill, or post-hospitalization nursing home patient. Study methods for delirium research have also evolved. Beginning with early descriptive epidemiological prospective cohort studies, pathophysiological studies came next, and now we see randomized controlled trials. Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions are being studied as well. Our understanding of risk factors for delirium continues to expand (1). Predictive models for delirium show that older, frail persons with higher severity of illness, co-morbid conditions, and preexisting cognitive impairment are much more likely to become delirious during hospitalization or surgery. Additionally, the way we manage these patients in the hospital may predispose them to delirium. Restraints, psychoactive and anticholinergic medications, restricted mobility, and poor sleep and nutrition contribute significantly to the risk of delirium. Prevention strategies, largely as multi-factorial models, have been shown to be effective in reducing the rate and duration of delirium in medical and surgical patients. However, once delirium occurs, management remains difficult. The medical community has also come to realize that delirium is worth preventing; multiple studies have shown that delirium is independently associated with worse outcomes, both in hospital and long-term. Cognitive changes The future of delirium research: promising but still room for improvement
Effects of Stocking Rate, Stocking Size, and Angler Catch Inequality on Exploitation of Stocked Channel Catfish in Small Missouri Impoundments

Abstract Put–grow–take fisheries for channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus provide popular sport fisheries in many small impoundments and lakes throughout the United States. These fisheries are costly to maintain because the fish that are stocked are usually large fingerlings (>175 mm total length). Given the substantial fiscal and human resources required, it is important that these stockings contribute to the fishery. We estimated the exploitation of stocked channel catfish by tagging fish in 14 small impoundments to determine their use. Secondly, we determined whether the stocking rate, stocking size, and angler catch inequality (proportion of tags returned) affected exploitation. Annual exploitation varied more than 10-fold among the impoundments, ranging from 0 to 0.65 for the year after the fall stockings and usually declining thereafter. Cumulative exploitation in the 3 years after stocking ranged from 0 to 0.69, indicating that there is wide variation in the use of the stocked fish. Exploitation was...
Organic light‐emitting diodes with multiple photocrosslinkable hole‐transport layers

We report on photocrosslinkable hole-transport polymers and their use as photodefinable hole-transport layers in organic light-emitting diodes. The polymers were obtained by copolymerization of bis(diarylamino)biphenyl-based acrylate monomers with cinnamate-functionalized acrylate moieties. Polymers with a range of redox potentials were obtained by varying the substitution patterns of the bis(diarylamino)biphenyl units. The 2 + 2 cycloaddition of the cinnamate moieties following UV irradiation renders the material insoluble. This allows for patterning of the polymer and simultaneously enables the fabrication of multilayer structures from solution. Hole mobilities were measured in these copolymers with the time-of-flight technique. Their performance as hole-transport layers in light-emitting diodes, with tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato)aluminum as the emitter and electron-transport layer, is evaluated. Electroluminescent devices with multiple hole-transport layers having different ionization potentials were fabricated from solution, and the quantum efficiency of these devices was greater than that for devices based on a single hole-transport layer. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 41: 2726–2732, 2003
Broadband flexible waveguides for free-electron laser radiation

We refined flexible waveguides previously developed for CO(2) and Er:YAG laser radiation to transmit free-electron-laser (FEL) radiation. One can tune this laser over several segments of the radiation spectrum. This laser has a high peak power of as much as 10 MW with pulse energy of as much as 100 mJ. We made the waveguides of either Teflon or fused-silica tubes internally coated with metal and dielectric layers. We optimized the internal coatings specifications for transmission of various radiation wavelengths in the mid-IR range and enabled transmission of high-peak radiation. We performed experiments in three major FEL sites in the United States over a more than 1-year period when we measured and examined various characteristics of transmission. We used the analysis of these experiments as feedback to further improve these waveguides. The good preliminary results encourage us to invest more effort to further develop these waveguides until a suitable waveguide is obtained for this type of laser and make possible its introduction to the medical field where its characteristics can be exploited in surgical applications.
Phenylalanine hydroxylase activity in foetal hepatic organ culture.

The biphasic pattern of phenylalanine hydroxylase (l-phenylalanine tetrahydropteridine:O2 oxidoreductase (4-hydroxylating) EC 1.14.3.1) activity of foetal and neonatal rat liver is not observed in 20- to 22-day-old hepatic explant culture. Two genetic markers of differentiated hepatic tissue were used to monitor hepatic explant: (a) a high baseline tyrosine aminotransferase activity (l-tyrosine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase, EC 2.6.1.5); and (b) hydrocortisone inducibility of this activity. Pre-existing phenylalanine hydroxylase activity of 22-day-old foetal explants decays with a half-life of 6 h. These observations suggest the need for a hepatic or extrahepatic inductive signal for the synthesis of phenylalanine hydroxylase.
Web-based B2B portals

Abstract A portal development frenzy is sweeping through commerce in an attempt to capture the growing business-to-business (B2B) Internet market. However, the very tactics employed to attract users have blurred the significance and, consequently, the effective utilization of portals in B2B strategies. This research analyzes the development of portals to propose a classification based on the informational/transactional, horizontal/vertical, and public/private dimensions of portals. Clarification of portal dimensions should provide B2B marketing managers with a superior focus in the production of efficient portal strategies for achieving business objectives. Strategic implications for acquiring and maintaining users and a five-step approach for developing an effective B2B portal strategy are presented.
Collaborative innovation networks — How to mint your COINs?

How can you leverage the swarm creativity of Collaborative Innovation Networks? How can you recognize them? How can you join them? This talk introduces Collaborative Innovation Networks, or COINs. COINs are cyberteams of self- motivated people with a collective vision, enabled by technology to collaborate in creating a cool trend - an innovation - by sharing ideas, information, and work. COINs have been around for hundreds of years. Many of us have already been a part of one without knowing it. What makes COINs so relevant today is that the concept has reached its tipping point - thanks to the Internet and the World Wide Web. COINs are powered by swarm creativity. People work together in a structure that enables a fluid creation and exchange of ideas. It may look chaotic from the outside, but the structure of a COIN is like a beehive or ant colony, immensely productive because each team member knows intuitively what she or he needs to do.
Photolysis of nitrosyl chloride in the solar furnace

Abstract The use of the solar furnace as a cool, intense light source has recently been reported. This light source now has been used to initiate the photodissociation of nitrosyl chloride, a reaction proposed by Daniels for the photochemical storage of solar energy. Experiments are reported with three types of light-absorber systems: static, open, and flow systems. The conclusion reached was that fast flow systems will be necessary in order to avoid the back-reaction of the photoproducts.
Ambulatory recording of physiological variables during an ascent of Mt Aconcagua.

The aim of this descriptive case study was to use an ambulatory biosensor system to capture data in real time in a harsh environment and to obtain continuous physiological measurements during an ascent of Argentina's Mt Aconcagua, the highest point in the Western Hemisphere. Between the 5800-m-high camp and the 6962-m summit, a 41-year-old male with previous high-altitude mountaineering experience was measured for minute-by-minute heart rate (60–154 beats/min), respiration rate (2–42 breaths/min), skin temperature (11.7–36.1°C), and core temperature (36.9–38.7°C) (1240 min of data: 417 min rest/sleep; 643 min ascent; 180 min descent). All of the measured variables were significantly correlated with each other ( p
Firsthand cigarette smoke alters fibroblast migration and survival: implications for impaired healing

Although it is known that high levels of cigarette smoke lead to cell death, little is known about the effects of low-to-moderate levels of smoke components that are found in vivo, such as those experienced by cells in tissues. Clinical studies and experimental data show that smokers heal poorly and are more prone to develop fibrotic diseases. Here we show the effects of first-hand cigarette smoke on fibroblasts, cells that are critically involved in these processes. Using doses of smoke found in the tissues of smokers and a variety of cell and molecular approaches, we show that these doses of cigarette smoke do not cause cell death but rather stimulate fibroblasts to produce stress response and survival proteins such as interleukin-8, PKB/Akt, p53, and p21 that in turn contribute to an increase in cell survival. In addition, smoke-treated cells show a decrease in cell migration, which can be explained by the increased cell adhesion and alterations in cytoskeletal elements. We also show that these levels of smoke cause changes in mitochondrial morphology with a minimum loss of function and these changes are the result of exposure to reactive oxygen species. We conclude that the increase in cell survival may lead to a build-up of connective tissue in the area of a wound, potentially leading to delayed healing and/or fibrosis and that the alterations in the cytoskeleton and in cell adhesion result in inhibition of cell migration, a process that could lead to nonclosure of the wound for lack of proper fibroblast migration to form the healing tissue.
Positron-electron angular correlations in internal pair conversion

The internal pair conversion (IPC) of transitions in Pb nuclei has been studied. Recent calculations of IPC for transitions with energies up to 2 MeV predict large differences in the shapes of the angular correlations according to their magnetic or electric character. We have measured absolute pair-conversion coefficients for E1 transitions in {sup 206}Pb and an M1 transition in {sup 207}Pb with uncertainties three to five times smaller than previous measurements. The measured positron-electron angular correlations are in good agreement with the predictions of the recent calculations and display the predicted differences between the electric and magnetic cases. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Streptococcus pyogenes and human neutrophils: a paradigm for evasion of innate host defense by bacterial pathogens

Human polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) are the first line of defense against invading microorganisms. Although most invading bacteria are eliminated by PMNs, some have evolved complex strategies to prevent normal PMN function. This review focuses on the interaction of human PMNs with Streptococcus pyogenes as a paradigm for successful pathogen evasion mechanisms.
Focal Gains of VEGFA: Candidate Predictors of Sorafenib Response in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Focal amplifications in 6p21 containing the VEGFA locus occur in 7%–10% of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). A recent paper describes how VEGF-A stimulates paracrine secretion of hepatocyte growth factor by stromal cells, which induces tumor progression. HCC patients with VEGFA amplification are distinctly sensitive to sorafenib.
Tomography With Minimum Feature Constraints

A fundamental premise of geologic interpretation is that no feature should be present on an interpretation which is not required to explain available data. This may be interpreted as a minimum feature constraint. Tomography with minimum feature constraints provides improved resolution for problems involving detection of anomalous zones in a known background. Potentially appropriate applications include tunnel, ore-body, or localized lithology change detection.
Regulation of Mitochondrial Protein Function by PTMS during Acute Andchronic Nutrient Stress

Mitochondria are complex and dynamic organelles that are essential to the survival of nearly every eukaryotic cell. To generate a foundation for systematic investigations of mitochondrial function and adaptation, we recently established a protein compendium of these organelles across a wide range of tissues from healthy mice. This resource, termed MitoCarta, provides a robust, yet static view of the mitochondrial proteome. We are now applying MitoCarta as a framework for quantifying how mitochondrial proteins and post-translational modifications (PTMs, e.g., phsophorylation and acetylation) change during acute and chronic metabolic perturbations, and to elucidate the role of these changes in regulating mitochondrial activity. To do so, we blend state-of-the art multi-plexed mass spectrometry-based proteomics with focused biochemistry and molecular biology approaches.In particular, we have recently taken this approach to capture the mitochondrial proteome dynamics during fasting, the onset of obesity, aging, caloric restriction and acute iron deprivation. Our analyses have revealed hundreds of dynamic phosphorylation and acetylation events and have produced quantitative, searchable maps of mitochondrial alterations across a spectrum of metabolic states. We have leveraged these data to demonstrate that key steps in ketogenesis, the TCA cycle, branched-chain amino acid degradation and fatty acid oxidation are regulated by reversible PTMs, and that the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation machinery is highly calibrated to cellular iron content. Moving forward, we plan to further elucidate the mitochondrial signaling network by identifying the regulatory enzymes (e.g., kinases, acetyltransferases, etc.) responsible for managing mitochondrial PTMs, and to define the functions of uncharacterized mitochondrial proteins mutated in human disease.
Development of a Titanium Dioxide-Supported Platinum Catalyst with Ultrahigh Stability for Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cell Applications

A significant decrease in performance was observed for commercial Pt/C due to electrochemical oxidation of the carbon support and subsequent detachment and agglomeration of Pt particles. The Pt/TiO(2) cathode catalyst exhibited excellent fuel cell performance and ultrahigh stability under accelerated stress test conditions and can be considered as a promising alternative for improving the reliability and durability of PEMFCs.
Oxygen Transfer From Alcohols to the Thianthrene Cation Radical

Abstract Thianthrene cation radical (Th•+) reacts cleanly with alcohols and diols in acetonitrile solution containing a hindered base. Products from Th•+ are thianthrene and thianthrene 5-oxide. Other products vary with the structure of the alcohol and diol.