cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ground-state and thermal properties of a long-range Josephson array

The ground-state and thermal properties of a two-dimensional array of Josephson coupled superconducting wires is studied. For rational values of the magnetic flux per plaquette, mean-field theory provides an accurate description and the system makes a transition to a vortex state. For small values of the magnetic flux per plaquette, mean-field theory also provides an adequate description. The measurement of critical currents can provide information on the ground state.
Hard Bigotry, Low Expectations and Soft Support: Educating American African Boys in the United States with the Warrior Method

Educating American Africans boys has been a mixture of political rhetoric, educational pedagogy, and historical neglect. Although American African educators have produced several models for effectively educating Black boys, most of them are dismissed as too “radical” by White researchers who have little understanding or experience in observing these models in action. A brief review of educational approaches involving American African boys concludes that “epistemological racism” inhibits understanding how cultural differences influence learning among American African boys. The warrior method is one such model and is presented as just one alternative to traditional methods of educating Black boys.
Using a Hands-On Method To Help Students Learn Inorganic Chemistry Nomenclature via Assembly of Two-Dimensional Shapes

Learning chemical nomenclature is part of many students’ first contact with chemistry. Generation after generation of students has come to love chemistry after successfully overcoming the “barriers” of the first difficulties in the learning process. Other students fail and abandon the study of chemistry forever. A tool named FORMula, which is a combination of the words FORM (i.e., shape) and formula, has been developed to reduce or eliminate barriers in the process of learning inorganic chemistry nomenclature. The method uses two-dimensional polygonal or circular shapes and panels (representing ions) that can be assembled only in ways permitted by the rules of nomenclature to create compounds. This method can be used to help students in determining the name of a compound given its chemical formula and in determining a chemical formula of a compound when given its name. This method can help any new chemistry student, but particularly students affected by color-vision deficiencies, severe visual impairments...
Control of X chromosome transcription by the maleless gene in Drosophila

In Drosophila, a large group of structural genes exhibit coordinate regulation, not because they function in a common developmental pathway but because they happen to reside on the X chromosome. These genes are subjected to the regulatory mechanism of dosage compensation which insures that their phenotypic products are identical in the sex with one and in the sex with two X chromosomes. This equalization of gene products is achieved by regulating the level of transcription of both X chromosomes in females and of the single X chromosome in males1. We report here that, reasoning that sex-specific lethal mutations may represent lesions in the processes controlling the transcription of X-linked loci, we sought and recovered several male-specific lethal mutations and noted that they affect the levels of X-linked enzyme activities in crude extracts of homozygous male larvae. Autoradiographic monitoring of RNA synthesis in larval polytene chromosomes of males homozygous for one of these mutations, mlets, reveals a significant reduction in the rate of X chromosome transcription.
Reminding-based category learning

Abstract Four experiments examine a reminding-based generalization view of category learning. According to this proposal, when subjects categorize a new instance by the use of an earlier instance, they learn about the aspects common to the two instances and this knowledge may be used in later categorizations. Experiment 1 demonstrates that which earlier instance is used to categorize a new instance affects performance on a later category test. Two assumptions of this view are then tested. Experiment 2 provides evidence for the necessity of distinct instance representations to obtain this effect. Experiment 3 shows that the reminding effect is due to the presence of the common aspects and not simply to the increased availability of the instance of which one is reminded. The final experiment extends the reminding-based learning idea to a situation in which feature relevance is provided. This study shows that the reminding determines whether this relevance has an effect later on categorization time for individual features. Discussion focuses on the implications of these results for theories of category learning.
Stabilization policies in developing countries: What have we learned?

Abstract The paper reviews the recent experience with stabilization programmes in Latin America in the light of traditional and monetarist models of inflation and the exchange rate. The traditional model links both inflation and payments problems to budget deficits. The monetarist model, too, believes that inflation is caused by fiscal deficits, but it takes a more optimistic view of stabilization. Full purchasing power parity and perfect capital mobility make stabilization just a question of the appropriate exchange rate policy and the proper rate of domestic credit creation. The traditional view is substantially right as a long-run model, but it fails in the dynamics. The monetarist model is, as we know now, fundamentally wrong as a short-run description of the possibilities of inflation control. There is need and room for a paradigm that places emphasis on the debt/money mix in financing the budget, on the stickiness of inflation rates, and on the place of short-run real exchange rate and real interest rate variations. That these are key features of the transition phase is amply borne out by the devasting and unsuccessful experiences with monetarist stabilization in Argentina, Chile and Brazil.
Expression of Recombinant Bovine γB-, γC- and γD-Crystallins and Correlation with Native Proteins

Abstract Despite the use of bovine γ-crystallins in numerous biophysical and chemical studies, characterization of these proteins at the molecular level is incomplete. Bovine lenses have at least six γ-crystallin protein fractions currently assigned as γs/I, γA/IVb, γB/II, γC/IIIb, γD/IIIa and γE/IVa. A lack of primary sequence data for corresponding γ-crystallin genes and proteins, however, has made these assignments tenuous. To clarify these assignments, we have over-expressed recombinant bovine γ-crystallin proteins in Escherichia coli using complementary DNAs corresponding to γB-, γC-, and γD-crystallin genes. The recombinant crystallins were characterized by chromatographic and spectroscopic comparisons with native bovine crystallin fractions γII, γIIIa and γIIIb. The elution of recombinant γB and native γII proteins was identical on cation-exchange chromatography as expected; however, recombinant γC co-eluted with γIIIa and recombinant γD co-eluted with γIIIb. Sequential Edman degradation through the first 29 residues of the native γIIIa and γIIIb polypeptides confirmed the colinearity of their sequences with those predicted from the γC- and γD-crystallin genes, respectively. Absorption and UV circular dichroism (CD) spectra of the recombinant proteins were almost identical to those of their native counterparts, indicating that the secondary and tertiary structures of the recombinant proteins were characteristic for γ-crystallins. Based on these data the bovine γ-crystallins proteins and genes are correlated as follows: II/γB, IIIa/γC and IIIb/γD. The assignment of γIIIb (previously characterized as having a low critical temperature for phase separation) with γD rather than γC proves an exception to the hypothesis that the γABC-crystallin group is more resistant to phase separation than the γDEF group. These corrected assignments should provide a more substantial base for investigations of residues responsible for phase separation and other biophysical characteristics. Additionally, expression of recombinant γ-crystallins with structures similar to native proteins may prove to be useful in probing specific structure-function relationships of the γ-crystallins.
Studies on the mechanism of amphetamine-induced lipolysis in the rat

Abstract d-Amphetamine, and to a much lesser extent l-amphetamine, increased serum FFA levels in fed but not in fasted rats. This increase was not altered by adrenalectomy, a finding which distinguishes an amphetamine-induced lipolysis. Hypophysectomy, thyroidectomy or pretreatment of the intact rat with cortisone abolished the lipolytic effect of amphetamine. With respect to the mechanism by which amphetamine elevates serum FFA, these findings rule out an action by the release of adrenal catecholamines and argue against catecholamine release from adrenergic nerves in adipose tissue. The data favor a central action of amphetamine involving neural or hormonal mediation.
Calculating exact top-event probabilities using ΣΠ-Patrec

In this paper a method for calculating top-event exact probability is presented. The method combines the ΣΠ algorithm of Corynen and the pattern recognition scheme of Koen et al. The PC-based program that is based on this method is called ΣΠ-Patrec and computes the exact probability of the top-event of a system fault tree model as defined by its cut sets. The ΣΠ module of the program partitions and disjoints the cut sets and solves the resultant sub-models recursively. The pattern recognition module of the code reduces the computational complexity by recognizing repeated sub-models in the calculation process and thus avoiding repeated evaluations. ΣΠ-Patrec can evaluate both coherent and incoherent fault trees. The input to ΣΠ-Patrec is a collection of cut sets in disjunctive normal form and need not be minimal. The description of the algorithm is presented through an example problem. The results of several experiments with large accident sequences are also presented.
Numerical Simulation Of The Diocotron Instability In Planar Diode Geometry

The diocotron instability for sheared, relativistic electron flow in a planar diode geometry with major fields Ex(x), Bz(x), and Vv(x) has been studied numerically by using a two-dithensional electromagnetic relativistic particle-in-cell code. The growth rate and real oscillation frequency are obtained and compared to the analytical results for a tenuous electron flow.
Water Dissociation on Pt(111) and (100) Anodes: Molecular Orbital Theory

Cluster models and the atom superposition and electron delocalization molecular orbital (ASED-MO) band shift technique have been used to study the electrochemical potential dependence of H2O(ads) decomposition to OH(ads) and H(ads) on Pt(111) and (100) anodes. The water molecule is found to bind most stably to the 1-fold site of the (111) surface and the 2-fold bridging site of the (100) surface. The transition state structure is closer to the 1-fold structure, which explains our result of lower activation energy over the Pt(111) surface. This finding provides an interpretation for results of electrochemical measurements in the literature.
The effects of substrate rotation on thermal plasma chemical vapor deposition of diamond

Abstract The effects of substrate rotation on the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) of diamond is investigated utilizing a Triple Torch Plasma Reactor (TTPR) activation source. Diamond deposition experiments are conducted with an Ar–H2–CH4 plasma gas mixture at reduced pressures. Substrate rotation is achieved by means of a variable speed DC gear motor used to rotate the substrate shaft. Rotation of the substrate during deposition, as well as rotation and offsetting the substrate axis from the converging plasmajet axis, is found to increase the average mass deposition rate as well as the average area of deposit when compared to a stationary substrate. Film and crystal size uniformity of the deposit are found to be enhanced, and deposit roughness decreased by rotating, and rotating plus offsetting the substrate when compared to a stationary substrate. Rotational speed and offsetting the substrate results in negligible differences compared to pure axial rotation. The effect of rotation on substrate temperature is believed to be more significant than the effect of substrate rotation on plasma fluid dynamics.
Dopamine and norepinephrine in the brains of hepatectomized rats

Abstract After complete hepatectomy in rats, there was a profound depletion of norepinephrine throughout the brain, whereas dopamine concentrations remained within the normal range. This suggests that in liver failure there is inhibition of norepinephrine synthesis at one of two processes subsequent to the formation of dopamine--that is, either the uptake of dopamine by vesicles or the hydroxylation of dopamine may be inhibited. However, other factors could contribute to the depletion of norepinephrine, including degeneration of its specific storage sites, displacement by false neurotransmitters, or an increased rate of catabolism. The present experiments do not allow a selection among these possibilities.
Atrioventricular block after reciprocating atrioventricular junctional tachycardia

Short runs of symptomatic atrioventricular (A-V) block occurred after spontaneous cessation of reciprocating A-V junctional tachycardia in a patient with right bundle branch block, normal H-V interval and sinus nodal dysfunction. These episodes were characterized by long (more than 1 sec) P-P intervals during which the A deflections were not followed by His bundle electrograms. Three possible explanations are: (1) a posttachycardia-induced period of abnormally prolonged A-V nodal refractoriness; (2) pseudo-A-V block produced by concealed A-V junctional tachycardia, or (3) bradycardia-dependent (phase 4) A-V block at the "upper" His bundle, above the site from which the H deflection was recorded.
The potential of mean force surface for the alanine dipeptide in aqueous solution: a theoretical approach

Abstract Results of an application of integral equation theory to the determination of the intramolecular potential of mean force for the alanine dipeptide. N-methyl alanine acetamide, in aqueous solution are presented. The calculations are based on Ornstein—Zernike-like equations for polar systems with an intramolecular superposition approximation. The solvated free energy surface for the dipeptide as a function of the dihedral angles φ and ψ (Ramachandran plot) is determined and compared with the vaccum surface calculations. Conformations that are essentially forbidden in vaccum are found to be significant in aqueous solution. The solvent contributions to the free energy surface are decomposed into enthalpic and entropic terms. Possible applications and extensions of the method are outlined.
An empirical bayes approach to point estimation in adaptive control

The Empirical Bayes approach to parameter estimation problems is discussed; and, in particular, two classes of distribution functions are presented where it is always possible to find a consistent sequence of estimators for E ( θ k | z = ( z 1 , z 2 ,…, z n )). The advantage of the Empirical Bayes approach is that it does not assume a specific prior distribution. This paper generalizes earlier work to include a larger class of conditional distributions. This theory is then applied to the problem of adjusting the gain of a positional servomechanism. The problem reduces to finding a consistent sequence to estimate φ ( z ) = e −2Tθ . It is shown that in the following three prior-conditional cases: (1) gamma-poisson; (2) beta-negative binomial; (3) gamma-exponential; the Empirical Bayes estimator for φf ( z ) approaches the Bayes estimator φ G ( z ) as the number of past observations z n gets large.
PHOTOPEROXIDATION OF LENS LIPIDS: INHIBITION BY ASPIRIN

— Rat lenses have been organ cultured in light and dark, and peroxidative degradation of lipids studied in the presence and absence of aspirin. The extent of peroxidative degradation has been assessed by measurement of malonaldehyde. The light-stimulated peroxidative degradation of the tissue lipids has been found to be preventable by aspirin. Aspirin thus appears to be a potential agent against light damage to the tissue.
Inhibition of lens aldose reductase by flavonoids--their possible role in the prevention of diabetic cataracts.

Abstract Flavonoids, also referred to as vitamin P, were found to be highly potent inhibitors of aldose reductase, the enzyme that initiates cataract formation in diabetes. Over forty flavone derivatives were tested and found to be active but the two most potent ones were quercitrin and quercitrin 2″-acetate, which inhibit the enzyme activity by 50 per cent at 10 −7 and 4 × 10 −8 M respectively. The potency of these two compounds surpassed that of all the previosly known inhibitors of aldose reductase. Studies were conducted to determine how structural alteration in the basic flavonoid moiety affected their inhibitory ctivity. It is possible that further search may reveal even more potent analogues of this ubiquitously distributed group of plant polyphenols which may ultimately be useful in diabetic patients.
Costameres: The Achilles' heel of Herculean muscle

Like the ancient Greek hero Hercules, striated muscle is famous for performing impressive feats of strength. The procurement of food, breathing, and defense or escape from harm all depend on force production by skeletal muscle whereas contraction of cardiac muscle drives the circulatory system. As with the powerful Achilles, however, striated muscle possesses a small but mortal weakness. That weakness resides in the costamere, a relatively obscure element of the cortical cytoskeleton in striated muscle. The costamere has garnered new attention because several of its constituent proteins are defective in muscular dystrophies and cardiomyopathies. Furthermore, many costameric proteins physically interact with Z-disk or sarcolemmal proteins, which also cause myopathies when missing or defective. Finally, several newly identified costameric proteins suggest a role for the costamere/Z-disk axis in converting mechanical stimuli to alterations in cell signaling or gene expression. Here, I will summarize current understanding of costamere structure and function as well as its role in diseases of striated muscle.
Examining the Effects of Entrepreneurs’ Intelligence and Educational Attainment on Venture Outcomes

Intelligence or general mental ability (GMA) is a strong predictor of job performance across most occupations. However, there has been little research on the effect of entrepreneurs’ GMA on venture...
The Natural Seasons of Western Oregon and Washington

Abstract In an effort to recognize specific key dates which identify the natural seasons of the year, the thermal record of western Oregon and Washington is subjected to automated clustering techniques. Individual natural seasons of the year are recognized by the manner in which weekly temperature maxima, minima, and means are grouped using automated clustering techniques. Beginning and ending dates of the natural seasons of western Oregon and Washington are presented.
Unwed Fathers and Adoption Custody Disputes.

Abstract The phenomenon of unwed fathers seeking custody of their offspring is a recent development in the adoption custody process. The motives of these young men are varied and not necessarily related to the child's “best interests,” as can be seen in several case studies cited. Their intervention, moreover, often creates custody disputes with the prospective adoptive parents that can have unfortunate consequences for the infants involved and that raise many questions about parental rights and children's rights. The latter are explored in terms of their implications for therapists and attorneys.
Induction and the Ramsey policy

Abstract We examine the classic policy problem of Ramsey (1927) modeled as an infinitely repeated game (Stokey, 1991) between the government and the private sector where the private sector consists of a continuum of identical households. We assume that the private sector is boundedly rational in the sense that its behavior is dictated by a forecasting scheme which is ‘inductive’. Instead of assigning a particular forecasting scheme to the players, we let each player choose one from a class of ‘inductive’ forecasting schemes. By focusing on the actions dictated by forecasting schemes selected by the player, we identify the Ramsey policy as the unique solution of the game where players do not discount future payoffs. When players discount future payoffs, the Ramsey policy is the only solution which is robust against small changes in the discount factor in the neighborhood of one (Kalai, Samet, and Stanford, 1988). If we modify the model so that the private sector incurs memory costs in forecasting the action of the government, we obtain that the only equilibrium outcome is to play the Ramsey outcome every period.
Perinatal morbidity: a comparison of vacuum delivery and spontaneous delivery

Objectives: To compare the risk of perinatal complications in vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery (VAC) and spontaneous vaginal delivery (SVD). Methods: We did a retrospective chart review of a random sample of women delivering via VAC at our center between 1995 and 1999 and frequency-matched the sample to an SVD group of the same gestational age, birth weight, maternal age, parity, and ethnic background. Results: A total of 710 patients’ charts (355 patients in each arm) were selected for review. We made a preliminary review of 56 VAC charts and 54 SVD charts. The two groups were comparable with respect to maternal age (mean ± SD in SVD versus VAC; 26.8 ± 5.9 years versus 25.8 ± 6.3 years), gestational age (39.1 ± 2.0 weeks versus 39.0 ± 1.6 weeks), and birth weight (3,222 ± 461 g versus 3,232 ± 526 g). Using logistic regression, gravidity was not statistically predictive of mode of delivery (P = 0.80) and neither was parity (P = 0.58). A woman who had a vacuum delivery was six times more likely to have epidural analgesia (OR = 6.6, 95%CI [2.6,16.6]), and babies delivered by vacuum were almost four times more likely to be admitted to an intensive care unit (OR = 3.7, [1.3,9.6]). There was no difference in the likelihood of meconium (OR = 1 .16,[0.4,3.0]) or laceration (OR = 1.1,[0.4–2.5]). Conclusion: Although commonly used, vacuum deliveries appear to present increased risks to newborns when compared with spontaneous vaginal deliveries. These risks are evidenced by increased intensive care unit admissions.
Cox receives Ewing Medal

The Ewing Medal, given by AGU and the U.S. Navy for leadership in geophysics, was presented to Charles S. Cox at the 1992 AGU Fall Meeting Honors Ceremony on December 9, 1992. The meeting was held in San Francisco. The award citation, delivered by Michael Gregg, as well as Cox's response, are presented here.
Hepatic Expression of Apolipoprotein E Inhibits Progression of Atherosclerosis without Reducing Cholesterol Levels in LDL Receptor-Deficient Mice

Apolipoprotein E (apoE) is a multifunctional protein synthesized by the liver and by tissue macrophages. Plasma apoE (derived primarily from the liver) regulates plasma lipoprotein metabolism, but macrophage-derived apoE was shown to slow the progression of atherosclerosis independent of plasma lipid levels. We utilized liver-directed gene transfer to test the hypothesis that hepatic expression of human apoE would inhibit atherogenesis even in a model in which apoE expression has little effect on plasma lipoproteins. LDL receptor-deficient mice fed a western-type diet for 5 weeks were injected with a second-generation recombinant adenovirus encoding human apoE3 or control virus. Plasma cholesterol levels were not significantly different in the two groups of mice after virus injection. Four weeks after injection, atherosclerosis was examined using three independent assays. Expression of apoE was associated with significantly reduced atherosclerosis compared with control mice in both the aortic arch (decreased by 43%) and the aortic root (decreased by 59%). In summary, hepatic overexpression of apoE inhibited progression of atherosclerosis in LDL receptor-deficient mice without reducing plasma cholesterol levels. This finding indicates that liver-derived plasma apoE can influence early atherogenesis through mechanisms other than modulation of lipoprotein metabolism and that liver-directed gene transfer and overexpression of apoE may be a therapeutic approach to atherosclerosis.
Characterization of a cDNA Clone from Salt-Tolerant Alfalfa Cells that Identifies Salt-Inducible Root-Specific Transcripts

Summary A novel cDNA clone has been isolated by differential screening of a cDNA library from salt-tolerant alfalfa ( Medicago sativa ) cells using cDNA probes derived from poly-A + RNAs from salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant callus. This clone, which is designated pA9, contains a 600 bp insert that hybridizes to a 1.6 kb RNA transcript. The concentration of this transcript increases in salt-tolerant callus cells in response to either NaCl or abscisic acid (ABA). By contrast, the concentration of transcripts hydridizing to pA9 decreases in salt-sensitive callus cells in response to salt or ABA. In whole plants, the transcripts detected by clone pA9 occur specifically in roots and cannot be found in leaves. The concentration of these transcripts increases in both salt-sensitive and salt-tolerant plant roots in response to NaCl. There are only a small number of copies of the gene corresponding to pA9 in the alfalfa genome. The sequence of the pA9 insert suggests that it represents a gene encoding a protein related to proline-rich cel1 wall proteins previously found in tomato, maize, and carrot. Clone pA9 thus identifies a potentially important gene that is regulated in a tissue-specific manner by NaCl.
Fluorescence lifetime discrimination of cellular DNA and RNA using various intercalating dyes and flow cytometric analysis

Previously we showed that the fluorescence lifetimes of ethidium and propidium iodide were different when intercalated into cellular double-stranded DNA or RNA. Current studies of four ethidium derivatives showed that the lifetime difference of DNA and RNA bound dyes existed in all four compounds, and that the magnitude of the difference was dependent on the dye structure, the staining concentration, and the conditions in which flow cytometry (FCM) analysis of stained cells was performed. The fluorescence lifetime of both DNA and RNA bound fluorochromes was reduced with increasing dye concentration; however the level of decrease varied in different dyes. Further analysis of stained cellular DNA in dye-free solution, which favors only high affinity binding, led to elevated fluorescence lifetime values compared to lifetime values obtained from analysis in the dye solution under equilibrium binding conditions. The changes of fluorescence lifetime value reflect the difference in dye structure and distinct interaction between the dyes and nucleic acids. The staining and analysis variables used in these studies may potentially provide additional information on differences in nucleic acid conformation and function in cell populations.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
WE-D-304A-09: Characterization of Multi-Beam Field Emission X-Ray Source for Stationary Digital Breast Tomosynthesis

Purpose: The current prototype digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) scanners are based on the regular full‐field digital mammography systems and require partial isocentric motion of a mammography x‐ray tube over certain angular range to record the projection views needed for reconstruction. This prolongs the scanning time and in turn degrades the imaging quality due to motion blur. We are developing a stationary DBT (s‐DBT) scanner to mitigate the above limitations. Method and Materials: The proposed s‐DBT system is based on the carbon nanotube multi‐pixel field emission x‐ray (MBFEX) technology demonstrated by our group. The pixilated and spatially distributed MBFEX source can generate x‐ray radiation from multiple views without any mechanical motion of the source, detector, or object. This enables the design of tomography systems with great flexibility in source configuration and imaging sequence. It further enables multiplexing imaging — simultaneously collection of multiple images using one detector.Results and Conclusions: To demonstrate the feasibility of the s‐DBT scanner, we have designed and constructed a proof‐of‐concept full‐field s‐DBT system. The configuration of the system, in terms of angular coverage, number of views, and dose, etc., closely resembles the Siemens DBT scanner for a more realistic comparison. In the Siemens DBT scanner, the x‐ray tube moves along an arc with the exposure points evenly distributed along the rotation route. Our s‐DBT scanner is designed with the MBFEX pixels positioned in a straight line parallel to the detector plane. We will report a detailed study on the design and the performance characteristics of the MBFEX source. In particular evaluation on key parameters including the x‐ray flux, the lifetime of the x‐ray source, effective x‐ray focal spot size, variation between different source, system spatial resolution, and x‐ray energy spectrum will be reported. These preliminary results demonstrate the feasibility of the proposed s‐DBT scanner.
Staged endourologic and endovascular repair of an infrarenal inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm presenting with forniceal rupture

We present the case of a 79-year-old female who presented with severe left flank pain and a pulsatile abdominal mass. She was diagnosed with left peripelvic urinary extravasation and forniceal rupture secondary to an intact infrarenal inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysm with extensive periaortic fibrosis. Successful operative repair was performed with staged ureteral and endovascular stenting with subsequent resolution of periaortic inflammation and ureteral obstruction, and shrinkage of the aneurysm sac. Inflammatory abdominal aortic aneurysms (IAAAs) represent 5% to 10% of all abdominal aortic aneurysms. The distinguishing features of inflammatory aneurysms include thickening of aneurysm wall, retroperitoneal fibrosis, and adhesions to adjacent retroperitoneal structures. The most commonly involved adjacent structures are the duodenum, left renal vein, and ureter. Adhesions to the urinary system can cause hydronephrosis or hydroureter and result in obstructive uropathy. An unusual case of IAAA presenting with forniceal rupture is presented, with successful endovascular and endourologic repair.
Reliability study of a GaAs MMIC amplifier

Accelerated aging was used to investigated the reliability of a 2-18 GHz monolithic microwave integrated circuit amplifier. A mean time between failures of 2.5*10/sup 5/ h at a channel temperature of 125 degrees C was estimated from high-temperature accelerated RF lifetest results. Failure analysis revealed that degradation and burnout were caused by leakage currents at the GaAs surface/passivation-layer interface. >
Rearing honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in vitro: effects of feeding intervals on survival and development

SummaryA new and simple technique was developed to rear honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) in vitro. One day old larvae were grafted into Petri dishes and fed a basic diet at six different time intervals. There were no differences in the larval weights, survival rates or ovariole numbers of the bees among the groups that were fed at different intervals, but they were heavier and had larger ovaries than hive reared bees. It was shown that honey bees can be reared in vitro without replenishing their food daily. This simple mass provisioning technique reduces the labour involved, and enables the researcher to raise large number of bees in vitro.
Race, Genetic Ancestry, and Health

Knowledge from human genetic research continuously challenges the notion that race and biology are inextricably linked, with implications across biomedical and public health disciplines. However, biomedical research continues to explore health and disease under a racial framework ignoring and at times confounding the identification of true biological and/or environmental risk factors. Within this article, we present a brief overview of the use of race in biomedical research and studies of human genome variation and how genetic ancestry may help us understand health disparities. We believe that the casual use of “race” to define groups in biomedical research has contributed to our limited understanding of complex disease etiology and risk factors driving health disparities.
Seasonal Growth Periodicity of Tissue Explants from Woody Perennial Plants in vitro

Secondary phloem explants removed to standard aseptic culture in the spring proliferate most extensively. Explants taken successively through the growing season proliferate less. The decreasomg growth trend reverses some months before bud break, and the increasing growth in winter is not dependent on the breaking of dormancy in the terminal buds.
Smoking rate, carboxyhemoglobin, and body mass in the Second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II)

The relationship of body mass and triceps skinfold thickness to both reported number of cigarettes smoked per day and carboxyhemoglobin levels was examined in healthy cigarette smokers in the NHANES II. Among both men and women, higher carboxyhemoglobin levels were related to lower body mass and thinner skinfolds, whereas higher levels of reported daily cigarette smoking were related to increased body mass and thicker skinfolds among men only. These relationships were independent of age, education, caloric intake, physical activity, and exercise. The opposite effects of number of cigarettes smoked per day and a biological index of cigarette smoke exposure on body mass suggest that increased cigarette smoking may covary with factors that would favor increased body weight among men, whereas decreases in body weight with increases in carboxyhemoglobin may reflect the effects of nicotine exposure on energy expenditure in both men and women.
Superconductivity and macroscopic quantum phenomena

Abstract It is often asserted that superconducting systems are manifestations of quantum mechanics on a macroscopic scale. In this review article it is demonstrated that this quantum assertion is true within the framework of the microscopic theory of superconductivity.
Targeting protein–protein interactions: Lessons from p53/MDM2

The tremendous challenge of inhibiting therapeutically important protein-protein interactions has created the opportunity to extend traditional medicinal chemistry to a new class of targets and to explore nontraditional strategies. Here we review a widely studied system, the interaction between tumor suppressor p53 and its natural antagonist MDM2, for which both traditional and nontraditional approaches have been reported. This system has been a testing ground for novel proteomimetic scaffold-based strategies, i.e., for attempts to mimic the recognition surface displayed by a folded protein with unnatural oligomers. Retroinverso peptides, peptoids, terphenyls, beta-hairpins, p-oligobenzamides, beta-peptides, and miniproteins have all been explored as inhibitors of the p53/MDM2 interaction, and we focus on these oligomer-based efforts. Traditional approaches have been successful as well, and we briefly review small molecule inhibitors along with other strategies for reactivation of the p53 pathway, for comparison with oligomer- based approaches. We close with comments on an emerging dichotomy among protein-protein interaction targets.
A simple local-sufficiency condition based on the second variation

A local-sufficiency condition for optimality based on the second variation is derived. The condition is applied to the familiar-linear system and quadratic-criteria case.
The solid-state molecular structure of the S-nitroso derivative of L-cysteine ethyl ester hydrochloride

Abstract Nitrosation of protein sulfhydryl groups to form thionitrites (S-nitrosothiols) has been reported to be important in the biochemistry of nitric oxide. Such S-nitrosation of protein thiol residues has been shown to alter the function of some proteins. In this brief communication, we report the X-ray crystal structure of S-nitroso- l -cysteine ethyl ester hydrochloride. Two rotamers with respect to the N C C S moiety are present in the crystal: the major rotamer is in the gauche+ conformation, and the minor rotamer is in the rare anti (trans, antiperiplanar) conformation for a cysteinyl compound. Importantly, the C S N O groups for both rotamers are in the syn (cis, synperiplanar) form. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported high-resolution solid-state structure of an S-nitroso derivative of a cysteine or cysteinyl-containing compound.
Induction VArhour and solid-state VArhour meters performances on nonlinear loads

Experimental measurements of solid-state and induction VArhour meters operating in the presence of steady-state nonsinusoidal currents are presented. A computer-based data-acquisition and analysis system is used to determine the various electrical quantities of some common nonlinear three-phase loads. The basic operating principles of the VArhour meters are reviewed along with the nature of reactive power and energy for nonsinusoidal waveforms. Test results confirm that for nonlinear loads driven by sinusoidal voltages, both types of VArhour meters register the fundamental displacement voltampere hours only and do not respond to distortion voltampere hours. >
Co-localization of AMPA receptor subunits in the nucleus of the solitary tract in the rat.

AMPA-type glutamate receptors in the caudal portions of nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) are critical for responses to excitatory afferents from the viscera, including baroreceptors. Using immunocytochemistry combined with electron microscopy, the cellular distributions of different AMPA receptor subunits in the caudal NTS were found to be distinct. GluR2/3 was found at pre- and postsynaptic sites, and in astrocytic glia; while GluR1 was found primarily in small dendrites and spines. In dual-labeling studies, GluR1 and GluR2 were co-localized in large dendrites, but GluR1 was more often found alone in dendritic spines. Therefore, single neurons in the NTS contain both subunits, but there is differential trafficking of GluR1 to potential sites for synaptic plasticity.
Gcn5 Promotes Acetylation, Eviction, and Methylation of Nucleosomes in Transcribed Coding Regions

Summary We report that coactivator SAGA, containing the HAT Gcn5p, occupies the GAL1 and ARG1 coding sequences during transcriptional induction, dependent on PIC assembly and Ser5 phosphorylation of the Pol II CTD. Induction of GAL1 increases H3 acetylation per nucleosome in the ORF, dependent on SAGA integrity but not the alternative Gcn5p-HAT complex ADA. Unexpectedly, H3 acetylation in ARG1 coding sequences does not increase during induction due to the opposing activities of multiple HDAs associated with the ORF. Remarkably, inactivation of Gcn5p decreases nucleosome eviction from both GAL1 and a long (∼8 kb) ORF transcribed from the GAL1 promoter. This is associated with reduced Pol II occupancy at the 3′ end and decreased mRNA production, selectively, for the long ORF. Gcn5p also enhances H3-K4 trimethylation in the ARG1 ORF and bulk histones. Thus, Gcn5p, most likely in SAGA, stimulates modification and eviction of nucleosomes in transcribed coding sequences and promotes Pol II elongation.
LISTEN: sounding uncertainty visualization

Integrated presentation of data with uncertainty is a worthy goal in scientific visualization. It allows researchers to make informed decisions based on imperfect data. It also allows users to visually compare and contrast different algorithms for performing the same task or different models for representing the same physical phenomenon. We present LISTEN-a data sonification system that has been incorporated into two visualization systems: a system for visualizing geometric uncertainty of surface interpolants; and a system for visualizing uncertainty in fluid flow. LISTEN is written in C++ for the SGI platform. It works with the SGI internal audio chip or a MIDI device or both. LISTEN is an object-oriented system that is modular, flexible, adaptable, portable, interactive and extensible. We demonstrate that sonification is very effective as an additional tool in visualizing geometric and fluid flow uncertainty.
Functional Amino Acids in Growth, Reproduction, and Health

Amino acids (AA) were traditionally classified as nutritionally essential or nonessential for animals and humans based on nitrogen balance or growth. A key element of this classification is that all nonessential AA (NEAA) were assumed to be synthesized adequately in the body as substrates to meet the needs for protein synthesis. Unfortunately, regulatory roles for AA in nutrition and metabolism have long been ignored. Such conceptual limitations were not recognized until recent seminal findings that dietary glutamine is necessary for intestinal mucosal integrity and dietary arginine is required for maximum neonatal growth and embryonic survival. Some of the traditionally classified NEAA (e.g. glutamine, glutamate, and arginine) play important roles in regulating gene expression, cell signaling, antioxidative responses, and immunity. Additionally, glutamate, glutamine, and aspartate are major metabolic fuels for the small intestine and they, along with glycine, regulate neurological function. Among essential AA (EAA), much emphasis has been placed on leucine (which activates mammalian target of rapamycin to stimulate protein synthesis and inhibit proteolysis) and tryptophan (which modulates neurological and immunological functions through multiple metabolites, including serotonin and melatonin). A growing body of literature leads to a new concept of functional AA, which are defined as those AA that regulate key metabolic pathways to improve health, survival, growth, development, lactation, and reproduction of organisms. Both NEAA and EAA should be considered in the classic "ideal protein" concept or formulation of balanced diets to maximize protein accretion and optimize health in animals and humans.
Attacking “Sinful Inequalities”

Post–World War II political science in America has been described (by me, that is) as an excuse, concocted by college professors, for avoiding actual political engagement while not actually achieving science. Too much work by too many colleagues over too many decades deserves that dismissive characterization, but not so for the report penned by the professors who led the American Political Science Association Task Force on Inequality and American Democracy. Theirs—ours!—is arguably the most important and timely report ever produced by APSA. As I told the task force when I served as one of its discussants, the report is terrific and makes me proud to be a card-carrying member of APSA.At Penn, John J. DiIulio Jr. serves as faculty director of the Program for Research on Religion and Urban Civil Society. In 2001 he served as the first director of the White House Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. He is coeditor with E. J. Dionne of What's God Got to Do With the American Experiment?
Monolithic Nd:YAG fiber laser

A single-crystal Nd:YAG fiber with polished and coated endfaces has been operated as a monolithic, guided-wave laser oscillator. The 47-microm-diameter, 7-mm-length fiber oscillator operated with a threshold of 3.7 mW and a slope efficiency of 10.5%. Seventy-five percent of the laser power was in the fundamental spatial mode.
Clock generation and distribution for the third generation Itanium/spl reg/ processor

The clock generation and distribution system for the third generation Itanium/spl reg/ processor operates at 1.5 GHz with a skew of 24 ps. Clock optimization fuses enable post-silicon speed path balancing for higher performance.
Adaptive runlength coding

Runlength coding is the standard coding technique for block transform based image/video compression. A block of quantized transform coefficients is first represented as a sequence of RUN (number of consecutive zeros) / LEVEL (the value of the following nonzero coefficient) pairs which are then entropy coded. We point out in this paper the inefficiency of conventional runlength coding and introduce a novel adaptive runlength coding scheme that encodes RUN and LEVEL symbols separately using context based adaptive binary arithmetic coding. We aim to maximize compression efficiency by adaptively exploiting the characteristics of block transform coefficients and the dependency between RUN and LEVEL. Coding results show that, with the same level of complexity, the proposed adaptive runlength coding algorithm outperforms the conventional runlength coding scheme by a wide margin in the rate-distortion (R-D) sense.
A kriging based method for the solution of mixed-integer nonlinear programs containing black-box functions

In this paper a new methodology is developed for the solution of mixed-integer nonlinear programs under uncertainty whose problem formulation is complicated by both noisy variables and black-box functions representing a lack of model equations. A branch-and-bound framework is employed to handle the integer complexity whereby the solution to the relaxed nonlinear program subproblem at each node is obtained using both global and local information. Global information is obtained using kriging models which are used to identify promising neighborhoods for local search. Response surface methodology (RSM) is then employed whereby local models are sequentially optimized to refine the problem's lower and upper bounds. This work extends the capabilities of a previously developed kriging-response surface method enabling a wider class of problems to be addressed containing integer decisions and black box models. The proposed algorithm is applied to several small process synthesis examples and its effectiveness is evaluated in terms of the number of function calls required, number of times the global optimum is attained, and computational time.
Effective fiber hypertrophy in satellite cell-depleted skeletal muscle.

An important unresolved question in skeletal muscle plasticity is whether satellite cells are necessary for muscle fiber hypertrophy. To address this issue, a novel mouse strain (Pax7-DTA) was created which enabled the conditional ablation of >90% of satellite cells in mature skeletal muscle following tamoxifen administration. To test the hypothesis that satellite cells are necessary for skeletal muscle hypertrophy, the plantaris muscle of adult Pax7-DTA mice was subjected to mechanical overload by surgical removal of the synergist muscle. Following two weeks of overload, satellite cell-depleted muscle showed the same increases in muscle mass (approximately twofold) and fiber cross-sectional area with hypertrophy as observed in the vehicle-treated group. The typical increase in myonuclei with hypertrophy was absent in satellite cell-depleted fibers, resulting in expansion of the myonuclear domain. Consistent with lack of nuclear addition to enlarged fibers, long-term BrdU labeling showed a significant reduction in the number of BrdU-positive myonuclei in satellite cell-depleted muscle compared with vehicle-treated muscle. Single fiber functional analyses showed no difference in specific force, Ca2+ sensitivity, rate of cross-bridge cycling and cooperativity between hypertrophied fibers from vehicle and tamoxifen-treated groups. Although a small component of the hypertrophic response, both fiber hyperplasia and regeneration were significantly blunted following satellite cell depletion, indicating a distinct requirement for satellite cells during these processes. These results provide convincing evidence that skeletal muscle fibers are capable of mounting a robust hypertrophic response to mechanical overload that is not dependent on satellite cells.