cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Anti‐phosphorylcholine‐opsonized low‐density lipoprotein promotes rapid production of proinflammatory cytokines by dendritic cells and natural killer cells

Kikuchi T, El Shikh MM, El Sayed RM, Purkall DB, Elaasser MM, Sarraf A, Barbour SE, Schenkein HA, Tew JG. Anti-phosphorylcholine opsonized low-density lipoprotein promotes rapid production of proinflammatory cytokines by dendritic cells and natural killer cells. J Periodont Res 2010; 45: 720–730. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S Background and Objective: Epidemiological and animal studies suggest that periodontal infections increase atherosclerosis risk. Periodontitis patients have elevated levels of anti-phosphorylcholine (anti-PC) reactive not only with numerous periodontal organisms but also with minimally modified low-density lipoprotein (mmLDL). Dendritic cells (DCs) reside in arterial walls and accumulate in atherosclerotic lesions. The ability of anti-PC to bind mmLDL prompted the hypothesis that opsonized mmLDL would stimulate DCs and enhance the production of proinflammatory cytokines that promote atherogenic plaque development. Material and Methods: Monocyte-derived DCs (mDCs) were generated using granulocyte–macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) and interleukin (IL)-4, then stimulated with mmLDL or with anti-PC-opsonized mmLDL. The anti-PC effect was determined using flow cytometry, cofocal microscopy and cytokine assays. The production of CD83, IL-12p35 mRNA, IL-12p40 mRNA, IL-12p70 and IL-10 by DCs was monitored. Results: Dendritic cells stimulated with mmLDL expressed little CD83 and produced little IL-12p70. However, anti-PC-opsonized mmLDL enhanced DC maturation, as indicated by upregulated CD83 and rapid (≤ 48 h) production of IL-12p70 if a source of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) was available. In leukocyte cultures, natural killer (NK) cells rapidly produced IFN-γ (≤ 48 h) when interacting with IL-12-producing DCs activated by anti-PC-opsonized mmLDL. Moreover, IFN-γ promoted DC IL-12 responses that were further augmented when mmLDL was opsonized with anti-PC. Conclusion: Minimally modified LDL-stimulated DCs and NK cells were mutually stimulatory, with DC IL-12p70 needed by NK cells and with NK cell IFN-γ needed by DCs. Moreover, production of these proinflammatory cytokines was markedly enhanced when LDL was opsonized by anti-PC. In short, the data suggest that the elevated anti-PC levels in periodontitis patients could promote a mechanism that facilitates atherosclerosis.
DNA structural polymorphism modulates the kinetics of superhelical DNA cleavage by BamHI restriction endonuclease.

A compartmental model developed by Hensley (Hensley, P., Nardone, G., Chirikjian, J.G., and Wastney, M. E., (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 15300-15307) for analysis of the time courses of the cleavage of superhelical DNA substrates by the restriction endonuclease, BamHI, has been used to quantify the effects of changes in temperature, ionic strength, superhelical density, and the DNA substrate on the binding and strand cleavage processes. Studies reported here indicate that changes in topology may be introduced into the DNA substrate solely as a result of the plasmid preparation process and in the absence of covalent bond cleavage and ligation. These changes in topology have qualitatively different effects on the kinetics than those promoted by changes in the superhelical density. The former are removed by briefly warming the DNA prior to assay, suggesting that they are only kinetically stable, while the latter changes are not affected by heating. Increasing the [NaCl] from 0.01 M to 0.1 M increases the overall rate of plasmid cleavage by increasing both the rates of cleavage and enzyme DNA association. To describe the decrease in the overall cleavage rate observed in 0.15 M NaCl, an ionic strength-dependent rate-determining structural transition in the DNA substrate was incorporated into the model. The largest changes in the rate of the cleavage process resulted from changes in the DNA substrate. For the SV40 substrate compared to pBR322, the rate constants describing the two association processes and the first bond cleavage event were increased 6- to 7-fold. The rate of the second bond cleavage process was not affected. These changes may be due to differences in the flanking sequences.
Creative Dance and the Gifted

(1978). Creative Dance and the Gifted. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 49, No. 1, pp. 73-74.
An Attempt to Improve Empirical Formulas for (n,p) and (n,α) Cross Sections

AbstractA recent paper analyzed the magnitudes of (n,p) and (n,α) cross sections based on the parameter S = (N – Z)/A. Although this parameter provides a means of fitting a number of such cross sections at 14 MeV, there are some cross sections that deviate substantially from the fit. We examine straightforward extensions of the model to see if the fit can be improved.
Compensation for imperfect switching in a chaotic hybrid oscillator circuit

A modification is derived to compensate for imperfect switching in an exactly solvable chaotic hybrid oscillator. The imperfect switching includes latency and bandwidth effects that limit the maximum frequency for practical circuit realizations of this oscillator. A compensated switching condition is derived and demonstrated using numerical simulation. Consequently, this modification enables the development of a practical chaotic hybrid oscillator circuit for proposed communication and radar applications.
Bidirectional‐Compounding Effects of Rumination and Negative Emotion in Predicting Impulsive Behavior: Implications for Emotional Cascades

Influenced by chaos theory, the emotional cascade model proposes that rumination and negative emotion may promote each other in a self-amplifying cycle that increases over time. Accordingly, exponential-compounding effects may better describe the relationship between rumination and negative emotion when they occur in impulsive persons, and predict impulsive behavior. Forty-seven community and undergraduate participants who reported frequent engagement in impulsive behaviors monitored their ruminative thoughts and negative emotion multiple times daily for two weeks using digital recording devices. Hypotheses were tested using cross-lagged mixed model analyses. Findings indicated that rumination predicted subsequent elevations in rumination that lasted over extended periods of time. Rumination and negative emotion predicted increased levels of each other at subsequent assessments, and exponential functions for these associations were supported. Results also supported a synergistic effect between rumination and negative emotion, predicting larger elevations in subsequent rumination and negative emotion than when one variable alone was elevated. Finally, there were synergistic effects of rumination and negative emotion in predicting number of impulsive behaviors subsequently reported. These findings are consistent with the emotional cascade model in suggesting that momentary rumination and negative emotion progressively propagate and magnify each other over time in impulsive people, promoting impulsive behavior.
ETHIOPIA: REVOLUTION, CLASS, AND THE NATIONAL QUESTION

MANY AFRICANIST scholars seeking to explain the dynamics of political and economic change have pointed to ethnicity as the most salient explanatory variable. There is no doubt that the ethnic factor does explain much in African politics, but the basis of ethnic conflict and just how much it explains are open debates. Initially some scholars argued that ethnic affinities were primordially based,' and that ethnic groups tended to be locked in hard and fast categories based on factors such as language, religion, race and/or assumed blood ties.2 These disparate groups were made to cohere, it was only thought, by the coercive authority of the colonial state. Inter-group conflicts, when they occurred, were conveniently labelled 'tribal conflicts' without much attention devoted to getting at the origins of such conflict. More recently, however, this perspective has come in for a great deal of criticism. First, some scholars, while acknowledging the political saliency of ethnicity, suggest new interpretations of the fundamental forces underpinning contemporary incidents of ethnic conflict in Africa;3 and, second, neo-Marxist class analysts suggest that contemporary incidents of ethnic conflict in Africa are more the product of class contradictions disguised by false consciousness than they are of ancient, primordial antagonisms.4 The first, non-Marxist, set of revisionists generally recognize that most ethnic conflict, instead of being based on primordial sentiments, is based on the competition among various ethnic groups over the scarce resources of the modernizing sector. We might call this phenomenon the new ethnicity. Although kith and kin in rural areas continue to be a salient reference group for urban-based relatives, ethnic conflicts generally occur only in urban areas and involve debates over economic resources found there, such as jobs, patronage, education, and so forth. In addition, revisionists suggest that ethnicity as a variable affecting political behaviour is fluid, intermittent, and experiential.s
Low levels of knowledge and preventive practices regarding vertical hepatitis B transmission among perinatal nurses.

ABSTRACT Objective To evaluate current levels of hepatitis‐B‐related knowledge and clinical practice among perinatal nurses. Design Cross‐sectional study. Setting Santa Clara County, California, home to one of the largest U.S. populations at risk of perinatal hepatitis B transmission. Participants Perinatal nurses ( N = 518) from eight birthing hospitals. Methods In 2008–2010, nurses completed a baseline survey evaluating existing hepatitis‐B‐related knowledge and preventive clinical practices, participated in an educational seminar, received instructional materials about hepatitis B, and completed a follow‐up knowledge survey. Results Eighty percent of perinatal nurses had provided health care to a pregnant woman with chronic hepatitis B, but only 51% routinely provided patients with educational information about hepatitis B. While 75% routinely informed patients about effective methods to prevent mother‐to‐child transmission, only a small minority (17–34%) educated infected women about standard recommendations for protecting themselves and household members. One fourth or fewer nurses correctly answered most questions about hepatitis B prevalence, risks, and symptoms. After the educational seminar, knowledge increased statistically significantly. Conclusion Existing knowledge about hepatitis B is limited, and nationally recommended preventive clinical practices are commonly overlooked by perinatal nurses. This lack of knowledge and preventive care represents a noteworthy gap and an opportunity for targeted training and education to improve perinatal hepatitis B prevention and medical management of infected mothers.
A New Procedure for Determining On-The-Road Vehicle Directional Response Characteristics

A NEW PROCEDURE IS DESCRIBED IN WHICH CONVENTIONAL CONTROL SYSTEM ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES ARE USED TO DERIVE THE TRANSFER FUNCTION RELATING STEER INPUT TO VEHICLE LATERAL MOTION. THE INFLUENCE OF THE DRIVER'S LIMITED TORQUE CAPABILITIES ON THE STEERING SYSTEM INPUT IS INTRODUCED. THIS APPROACH PRODUCES SOMEWHAT DIFFERENT DESCRIPTIONS OF VEHICLE RESPONSE FROM THOSE OBTAINED IN THE PAST WHEN SUCH DESCRIPTIONS DID NOT INCLUDE THIS DRIVER INFLUENCE. SINCE THE RESULTING TRANSFER FUNCTION IS A UNIQUE ON THE ROAD DESCRIPTION OF VEHICLE DYNAMICS, REALISTIC VEHICLE MOTION RESPONSE TO ANY QUANTIFIABLE STEER INPUT CAN BE COMPUTED. /HSL/
The absence of thermal expansion mismatch strengthening in nanostructured metal―matrix composites

A bulk particulate reinforced nanostructured metal–matrix composite (MMC) was synthesized via cryomilling and consolidation. The effect of thermal expansion mismatch strain on strengthening was investigated in detail. The results indicate that, unlike in conventional coarse-grained MMCs, thermal expansion mismatch strengthening does not occur. Transmission electron microscopy demonstrates that formation of geometrically necessary dislocations is constrained to a nanostructured interfacial layer with grains ∼30–50 nm in size, thus limiting strain hardening in the bulk region of the matrix.
Colocalization of TRH mRNA and Fos-like Immunoreactivity in Limbic Structures Following Amygdala Kindling

Previous studies have demonstrated that the immediate-early gene, Fos, and Fos-related antigens (Fras) are increased with discrete anatomical localization following kindled seizures. Other studies have shown that transcription of several neuropeptide genes, which may be regulated by Fos and Fras, is also altered in circumscribed anatomical structures with kindling. The patterns of Fos and thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) mRNA induction following kindling were found to be remarkably similar. The present study examined whether TRH mRNA and Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos-LI), with an antibody that recognizes both Fos and Fras, are colocalized following amygdala kindling. Rats were sacrificed 5 h after a generalized kindled seizure and the brains processed for in situ hybridization of TRH mRNA and immunohistochemistry of Fos-LI. The percentage of Fos-LI cells with TRH mRNA was 70% in the entorhinal cortex, 62% in the pyriform cortex, and 79% in the perirhinal cortex. Very dense expression of Fos-LI and TRH mRNA was also found in the granule cell layer of the dentate gyrus, but the colocalization was too numerous to count. Sham-kindled control rats had fewer Fos-LI cells and almost no TRH mRNA in any of these regions. In contrast to the limbic cortices and the dentate gyrus, Fos-LI and TRH mRNA were expressed in the hypothalamus of both sham and kindled rats, but were not colocalized. These results demonstrate that the induction of Fos, Fras, and TRH mRNA following kindled seizures are colocalized in limbic structures known to be important for kindling.
Instruments for evaluating medication use and prescribing in older adults.

Abstract Objective To describe primarily implicit instruments for assessing medication use in older adults. Data sources Literature was identified via PubMed (1966–2014) and Google Scholar using the following search terms: geriatric/medication use, implicit criteria, inappropriate medication use, inappropriate prescribing, older adults/medication use, and polypharmacy. Reference citations from identified publications were also reviewed. Study selection All articles in English identified from data sources were evaluated. Instruments applicable to pharmacy and multiple medication classes were included. We excluded instruments developed for a single medication or medication class, for a single condition or disease state, as primarily an academic instrument, using primarily explicit criteria, for use primarily by health care practitioners other than pharmacists, or for regulatory purposes. Data synthesis Seven instruments were reviewed by evaluating characteristics, components of prescribing and medication use addressed, and settings in which they have been evaluated and validated. Screening Medications in the Older Drug User (SMOG) is a six-question instrument developed specifically for community pharmacists. The Medication Appropriateness Index (MAI); Assess, Review, Minimize, Optimize, Reassess (ARMOR) tool; and Tool to Improve Medications in the Elderly via Review (TIMER) are more comprehensive instruments, but they require clinical judgment and are time intensive. Assessing Care of Vulnerable Elders-3 (ACOVE-3) and the Good Palliative–Geriatric Practice Algorithm (GPGPA) are useful in determining need for medication continuation in older adults who are closer to the end of life. The Assessment of Underutilization (AOU) is an implicit tool to guide medication initiation. Conclusion Each instrument is unique in design, which may be beneficial in some pharmacy practice settings and present barriers in others. The use of multiple instruments may be necessary to optimize therapy in this vulnerable patient population.
Adsorption—desorption isotherm hysteresis of β-lactoglobulin A with a weakly hydrophobic surface

Adsorption-desorption isotherms of bovine beta-lactoglobulin A (beta-lact A) on a weakly hydrophobic stationary phase (C1-ether) were measured by frontal analysis. The adsorption isotherms obtained at different pH were found to be dramatically different in shape, column capacity and desorption reversibility. At pH 4.5, an S-shaped adsorption isotherm was observed whereas at pH 6.0 a Langmuir isotherm was found. In addition, the desorption isotherm at pH 6.0 was found to overlap with the adsorption isotherm, and the adsorption-desorption process of beta-lact A under this condition could be characterized by a fully reversible Langmuir model. The desorption isotherm at pH 4.5, however, did not retrace the adsorption isotherm, resulting in hysteresis loops. A higher aggregate (tetramer) of beta-lact A is shown to be in an equilibrium with the beta-lact A protomer (dimer) at pH 4.5 whereas the dimer alone is predominant at pH 6.0. It is further shown that changes in the absorption coefficient between the adsorption and the desorption cycles for the tetramer at pH 4.5 can account for the hysteresis. The results demonstrate that pH can be a sensitive parameter in protein adsorption isotherm behavior and ultimately the behavior of species in preparative-scale chromatography.
It's all relative: ranking the diversity of aquatic bacterial communities

Summary The study of microbial diversity patterns is hampered by the enormous diversity of microbial communities and the lack of resources to sample them exhaustively. For many questions about richness and evenness, however, one only needs to know the relative order of diversity among samples rather than total diversity. We used 16S libraries from the Global Ocean Survey to investigate the ability of 10 diversity statistics (including rarefaction, non-parametric, parametric, curve extrapolation and diversity indices) to assess the relative diversity of six aquatic bacterial communities. Overall, we found that the statistics yielded remarkably similar rankings of the samples for a given sequence similarity cut-off. This correspondence, despite the different underlying assumptions of the statistics, suggests that diversity statistics are a useful tool for ranking samples of microbial diversity. In addition, sequence similarity cut-off influenced the diversity ranking of the samples, demonstrating that diversity statistics can also be used to detect differences in phylogenetic structure among microbial communities. Finally, a subsampling analysis suggests that further sequencing from these particular clone libraries would not have substantially changed the richness rankings of the samples.
Development of substantive theory in nursing

The lack of a comprehensive, substantive theory base has resulted in the profession of nursing borrowing theoretical assumptions, concepts, and research instruments from other disciplines to examine nursing phenomena. Nurse researchers have focused their attention primarily on applied research leaving the development of substantive theory to others. If the nursing profession is to develop a scientifically-based practice, nurses will need to engage in debates about the need for and methods of generating substantive theory and shift from the use of borrowed knowledge and methods to original nursing research. In order to broaden the theoretical conceptualisations and directions of nursing research for the development of a substantive theory base, multi-method perspectives are necessary. Triangulation of qualitative and quantitative methods is one way to design research that will allow for development of substantive theory through the use of multiple methodology. This paper describes one method of preparing doctoral nurse students for triangulation of methods and to develop substantive theory for nursing practice.
Reactively sputtered indium oxide diffusion barrier

Abstract Electrical measurements on shallow n + p junction diodes demonstrate that In 2 O 3 films about 80 nm thick prepared by reactive sputtering of an indium target in an O 2 -Ar plasma are excellent diffusion barriers between aluminum and silicon for annealing at up to 650°C for 15 min. The performance of In 2 O 3 barriers is compared with other conducting oxide diffusion barriers such as RuO 2 and Mo 1− x O x .
Statistical method for ROADM cascade penalty

ROADM elements in DWDM optical networks exhibit variations in pass-band amplitude response due to manufacturing variations and supplier diversity. We present a novel statistical approach for ROADM cascade penalty allocation, which reduces OSNR penalty with negligible impact to the worst case penalty estimate.
16q loss of heterozygosity and microsatellite instability in Wilms' tumor.

Abstract Background/Purpose: Wilms' tumor is the most common renal malignancy of childhood. Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at 16q is seen in about 17% of cases and has been associated with a poor prognosis. To more precisely define the pattern of 16q deletion exhibited by Wilms' tumor, the authors performed a detailed LOH analysis of 96 specimens using polymorphic microsatellite repeat markers. The authors also evaluated the neoplasms for the presence of microsatellite instability (MSI). Methods: A total of 96 DNA samples were studied using polymerase chain reaction-based LOH analyses amplifying polymorphic microsatellite repeat markers. Screening for MSI using 2 additional genetic markers also was carried out. Results: The authors found 16q LOH in 14 of the specimens evaluated. Comprehensive analysis of these LOH-positive specimens showed a region of loss spanning 16p11.2-q22.1 and a separate distal region of LOH at 16q23.2-24.2. The distal region of deletion is very small, estimated to be approximately 2.4 megabases. In addition to the observed LOH, 2 specimens were found to consistently exhibit MSI, which has not been reported previously in Wilms' tumor. Conclusions: The smallest consensus region of deletion in our analysis of Wilms' tumor 16q LOH measures 2.4 megabases at 16q23.2-q24.2. Additionally, MSI was present in a subset of tumor specimens suggesting that defects in DNA mismatch repair may contribute to the pathogenesis of Wilms' tumor. J Pediatr Surg 35:891-897. Copyright © 2000 by W.B. Saunders Company.
The Impact of Squamous and Glandular Differentiation on Survival After Radical Cystectomy for Urothelial Carcinoma

Purpose: We investigated the clinicopathological outcomes of patients treated with cystectomy for pure urothelial carcinoma vs urothelial carcinoma, and squamous and/or glandular differentiation.Materials and Methods: We reviewed the records of 1,013 patients who underwent radical cystectomy, including 827 (72%) with pure urothelial carcinoma and 186 (18%) with urothelial carcinoma, and squamous and/or glandular differentiation. Of patients with variant histology 132 had squamous differentiation, 41 had glandular features and 13 had each type. Cancer specific survival was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method. The association of histological differentiation with death from bladder cancer was evaluated using multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analysis.Results: Patients with urothelial carcinoma, and squamous and/or glandular differentiation were more likely to have pT3-T4 tumors (70% vs 38%, p <0.0001) and pN+ disease (20% vs 15%, p = 0.05) than those with pure urothelial carcinoma. Median f...
Pharmacotherapy for intestinal motor and sensory disorders

Motor disorders of the gastrointestinal tract are characterized by definable impairments of gut contractile function. Other conditions exhibit specific disturbances of visceral afferent and efferent activity, which may underlie selected symptom complexes. Medications in several classes have been developed to treat these disorders of gastrointestinal function. Prokinetic agents are effective therapies for ailments with reduced motor function, whereas antispasmodic drugs reduce symptoms in conditions with exaggerated pressure wave activity. Recently, medications designed to blunt transmission in visceral sensory pathways have been proposed for use in the functional bowel disorders. Finally, some patients may benefit from initiation of nonspecific therapies, which have no appreciable effect on gut motor or sensory function.
Solutions for laminar boundary layers with separation and reattachment

Numerical solutions of the laminar, incompressible boundary-layer equations are presented for flows involving separation and reattachment. Regular solutions are obtained with an inverse approach in which either the displacement thickness or the skin friction is specified, and the pressure is deduced from the solution. A stream function/vorticity formulation of the boundary-layer equations is used to eliminate the unknown pressure. Solutions of the resulting finite-difference equations, in which the flow direction is taken into account, are obtained by a successive column iteration scheme. Results are compared with Klineberg and Steger's (1974) separated boundary-layer calculations, and with Briley's (1971) solution of the Navier-Stokes equations for a separated region.
Effect of Self-Threading Pins

The effect of self-threading pins on intracoronal tooth structure was studied with a scanning electron microscope using a replica technique to avoid specimen preparation artifacts. In the duplicate specimen no crazing was found, whereas the original specimen showed miniature cracks, caused by the high vacuum condition under which the specimen was observed.
Serial endoscopic evaluation of experimental gastric cancer

Endoscopy provided the means of serial observation and biopsy of chemically induced gastric cancers and ulcers in dogs. Induced neoplasia in the gastric antrum could be followed from the earliest mucosal changes. Whether this is the counterpart of spontaneous and autonomous cancer is uncertain. Healing of induced ulcers was delayed by simultaneously administered carcinogen, but the ulcers remained "benign," and cancers, when they appeared, developed elsewhere in the gastric mucosa.
Laser-induced stress transients: applications for molecular delivery

Lasers can be used to enhance the delivery of a number of molecules. Other investigators have demonstrated local release of molecules from liposomes following laser irradiation, microbeam disruption of the cell membrane to increase cell transport, microbeam ablation of the zona pellucida surrounding the ovum to increase the chances of fertilization, and increased transcutaneous transport following ablation of the stratum corneum. Our experiments have shown that laser-induced stress transients can be utilized as a vector for intracellular delivery of molecules that may or may not normally cross the cell membrane. These two conditions have been tested with Photofrin and DNA. This technology may have applications in cell and molecular biology, cancer therapy, gene therapy, and others.
Patterning with spacer for expanding the resolution limit of current lithography tool

Double Exposure Technology (DET) is one of the main candidates for expanding the resolution limit of current lithography tool. But this technology has some bottleneck such as controlling the CD uniformity and overlay of both mask involved in the lithography process. One way to solve this problem and still maintain the resolution advantage of DET is using spacers. Patterning with a spacer not only expands the resolution limit but also solves the problems involved with DET. This method realizes the interconnection between the cell and peripheral region by "space spacer" instead of "line spacer" as usually used. Spacer process involves top hard mask etch, nitride spacer, oxide deposition, CMP, and nitride strip steps sequentially. Peripheral mask was additionally added to realize the interconnection region. With the use of spacers, it was possible to realize the NAND flash memory gate pattern with less than 50nm feature only using 0.85NA (ArF).
Iterative accumulation multiplexing Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry.

A multiplexed tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS) technique known as iterative accumulation multiplexing (IAM) has been implemented on a hybrid quadrupole Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometer (Q-FTICR-MS). The IAM experiment resulted in obtaining MS/MS spectra for six analytes in two MS/MS experiments while characteristic resolving power and mass measurement accuracies were maintained. Parent-product ion correlations were graphically represented in a “ratiogram” where each product ion is encoded with a ratio unique to the parent ion from which it was formed. This is the first example of multiplexed MS on a FTICR instrument where the ions are encoded externally to the ICR cell. By performing the encoding external to the ICR cell, one set of ions can be encoded while the previous set of ions is being analyzed in the cell, maximizing the use of the continuous ion current emanating from the electrospray ionization source.
Effect of field-ionization dynamics on time-of-flight mass spectra

Abstract Ion time-of-flight lineshapes are found to be drastically altered by the process of tunneling field ionization in the case of near-threshold photoionization. The delay-time distributions observed correspond directly to the times for tunneling through the field-ionization barrier. Using this effect, field ionization rates can be precisely measured over a wide dynamic range by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Results for threshold ionization of the Al atom in fields of 5–500 V/cm and mean decay time of 0.02 to 20 μs are presented to illustrate the decay profiles and threshold shifts observed. The latter values can be explained using the concept of the classical barrier to field ionization.
Superplastic deformation behavior of 7475 aluminum alloy in an electric field

Abstract The effects of an externally applied d.c. electric field of 2 kV cm−1 on the superplastic deformation behavior of 7475 Al alloy were studied. The flow stress and strain hardening exponent of superplastic deformation were reduced by the electric field while the strain rate sensitivity exponent was increased. No appreciable change in elongation occurred. The possible reasons for these effects are discussed in terms of the influence of an electric field on microstructure and deformation mechanism.
Comparative rates of resolution of QRS changes after operative and nonoperative acute myocardial infarcts

An independently developed and previously validated QRS scoring system for estimating myocardial infarct size has been used to compare the development and regression of changes associated with myocardial infarcts occurring in 2 different clinical settings. It is known that QRS changes suggesting myocardial infarction occur after coronary artery bypass grafting. This study compares the magnitudes and time courses of these QRS changes in 40 patients with the QRS changes observed in a control group of 46 patients with nonoperative acute myocardial infarcts. Only patients in both groups who had a baseline electrocardiogram (ECG) with no evidence of previous myocardial infarcts, ventricular hypertrophy, or bundle branch block were included. Both groups attained similar peak QRS scores during the acute phase but different rates of resolution of scores were observed. During the subsequent 2 months, regression of QRS changes occurred more rapidly in the perioperative group than in the control group (43 versus 19%). Rates of regression were similar in both groups during the remainder of the follow-up period, attaining total decreases of 62% in the operative group and 37% in the nonoperative group by 18 months. These results could mean either that factors other than acute infarction are responsible for the perioperative QRS changes or that the infarct healing process in the 2 clinical settings are quite different.
Reframing Teaching and Learning: Lessons from Learning Communities for Student Affairs

In this chapter, the authors consider various teaching roles that student affairs professionals may fulfill in learning communities, as well as the potential professional development that results from involvement.
An exploratory study of organizational uncertainty in times of changing and transitional public administration in Korea

This research examines perceptions of organizational uncertainty among Korean public employees during an administrative paradigm shift. Using the data from Korean public employees in the central ministries, this article explores the extent to which public employees perceive organizational uncertainty and how separate instances of perceived uncertainty are associated. The findings reveal four dimensions of uncertainty: structural and systematic; new administrative demand; job-related; and unpredictability in the decision-making process. In addition, all of these types of uncertainty are linked; new administrative demand uncertainty has a strong influence on the other three. This research concludes by suggesting the roles of leaders in solving uncertain aspects from an increased burden of administrative reform.Points for practitionersPublic managers need to recognize that when administrative reforms and organizational change take place, employees become anxious about their job prospects, organizational syst...
A Data-Adaptive Sum Test for Disease Association with Multiple Common or Rare Variants

Since associations between complex diseases and common variants are typically weak, and approaches to genotyping rare variants (e.g. by next-generation resequencing) multiply, there is an urgent demand to develop powerful association tests that are able to detect disease associations with both common and rare variants. In this article we present such a test. It is based on data-adaptive modifications to a so-called Sum test originally proposed for common variants, which aims to strike a balance between utilizing information on multiple markers in linkage disequilibrium and reducing the cost of large degrees of freedom or of multiple testing adjustment. When applied to multiple common or rare variants in a candidate region, the proposed test is easy to use with 1 degree of freedom and without the need for multiple testing adjustment. We show that the proposed test has high power across a wide range of scenarios with either common or rare variants, or both. In particular, in some situations the proposed test performs better than several commonly used methods.
Correlation of test and FEA results for elbows subjected to out-of-plane loading

Abstract The objective of this study is to validate a finite element analysis (FEA) simulation methodology to predict the out-of-plane behavior of piping elbows. Two out-of-plane elbow experiments and the corresponding FEA shell and elbow element models are presented. For load–displacements results, all the FEA predictions showed excellent agreement with measured experimental results, and for load–strain behavior, the shell FEA model results correlated quite well with the experimental results.
Functional plasticity in the immature striate cortex of the monkey shown by the [14C]deoxyglucose method

Autoradiographic representation of the local rates of cerebral glucose utilization and local cerebral functional activity by means of the [14C]deoxyglucose technique reveals the existence of the ocular dominance columns in the striate cortex of the monkey in the first day of life. In contrast to the stability of these columns in more mature brain, monocular deprivation for 3 months from the first day of life results in their complete disappearance and a reversion of the autoradiographic pattern to that seen in animals with normal binocular vision. These results are consistent with a reorganization of the representation of the visual fields of the two eyes in the striate cortex and provide additional evidence of the plasticity of the striate cortex of the monkey in early life.
Surface structure and morphology induced by ultrathin Ti films on 6HSiC(0001) and (0001̄)

Abstract We used scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) to study the structure, morphology and reaction when ultrathin Ti films (
Evolution of hospital participation in the National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System, 1986 to 1993

Abstract Objective: To study changes in the use of National Nosocomial Infections Surveillance System (NNIS) surveillance components since 1986 that could reflect an evolution in the way in which NNIS hospitals conduct surveillance of nosocomial infections. Method: We analyzed NNIS data from 1986 to 1993 collected at the 199 US hospitals that participated in the NNIS system during this period. Results: The number of hospitals participating in the NNIS system increased threefold between 1986 and 1993. A parallel increase was noticed in the amount of surveillance data for all NNIS components except for the hospital-wide component. The percentage of all hospitals reporting at least 1 calendar month per year of data from the hospital-wide component decreased from 95% in 1986 to 37% in 1993. During this period, use of the hospital-wide component was greater among the hospitals whose first participation in the NNIS system occurred before 1987. Conclusion: Interest by NNIS hospitals in the hospital-wide component apparently decreased between 1987 and 1993. In contrast, the interest in NNIS components that allow calculation of risk-adjusted nosocomial infection rates (intensive care unit, high-risk nursery, and surgical patient components) increased dramatically after 1986. This increased interest in surveillance with NNIS components that allow risk adjustment and interhospital comparison of infection rates suggests that the feasibility of collection of and interest in such data are high.
Evaluating performance of automatic techniques for subpixel registration of remotely sensed imagery

We describe two approaches of systematic performance assessment of a specific image registration algorithm. One approach involves generating radiometrically different synthetic images by convolving one of them with a point-spread function, while the other consists of registration of three or more images to obtain multiple estimates of registration parameters. We present experimental results that indicate that different-radiometry synthetic data is more difficult to register and so it provides better testing than same-radiometry data used in our previous work. They also show that the multiple-estimate methodology, that we call triangulation, may be used not only to measure self-consistency of a given registration algorithm, but also to obtain estimates of ground truth information for images for which, if available at all, the ground truth is known only approximately.
Fast binary partition tree based variable-size block-matching for video coding

In this work, we develop a fast binary partition tree based variable size video coding system. New adaptive algorithms proposed herein are applied to a video encoder with binary partition trees. First, to reduce the computation for block-matching, an adaptive search area method is described which adjusts the searching region according to the size of each block. Second, an early termination method is introduced which terminates the binary partitioning process adaptively according to the statistics of the peak-signal-to-noise-ratio values during each step of block splitting. Third, we put forward a new model for fast rate-distortion (RD) estimation to decrease the computation of matching pursuit (MP) transform coding. Simulation results show that the proposed techniques provide significant gain in computation speed with little or no sacrifice of RD performance, when compared with non-adaptive binary partitioning scheme.
Optimized algorithm for spectral band selection for rock-type classification

Efficient use of hyperspectral (HS) sensors that can selectively activate individual, narrow spectral bands requires the development of optimized band-selection strategies that are adapted to the needs of specific detection and classification problems. By removing superfluous components of the HS data, optimized band selection significantly reduces the computational burden and improves robustness in classification. In this paper, a new method for selection of a subset of HS bands is proposed that is tailored to the problem of recognition of classes of rocks and minerals. Based on the analysis of the distribution of the amplitudes of the principal components (PCs) for a given training data set. this method identifies subsets of HS bands that provide highest spectral contrast. Three criteria are considered in the band selection process. The first criterion is based on ranking the HS bands according to the minimum distance among their respective PCs' amplitudes. The second criterion is based on ranking the HS bands according to a variant of the Kullback-Liebler divergence between a uniform distribution and the distribution of the amplitudes of the PCs for each HS band. This criterion assigns a high number on HS-bands whose PC-amplitudes' distribution either exhibits a wide range or a strong similarity to the uniform distribution. The third criterion is based on ranking the HS bands according to the empirical relative variances of the inter-amplitude distances of successive amplitudes at each HS band; it ranks high those HS-bands with small inter-amplitude-distance variance and large amplitude range. These band-selection strategies are applied to laboratory HS data of rocks and minerals yielding a subset of thirteen optimal multispectral bands. The classification performance with the reduced number of bands is compared with that of the 13-band Multispectral Thermal Imager showing a moderate improvement in classification.
Functions of Phenylalanine Residues within the β-Barrel Stem of the Anthrax Toxin Pore

Background A key step of anthrax toxin action involves the formation of a protein-translocating pore within the endosomal membrane by the Protective Antigen (PA) moiety. Formation of this transmembrane pore by PA involves interaction of the seven 2beta2-2beta3 loops of the heptameric precursor to generate a 14-strand transmembrane beta barrel. Methodology/principal findings We examined the effects on pore formation, protein translocation, and cytotoxicity, of mutating two phenylalanines, F313 and F314, that lie at the tip the beta barrel, and a third one, F324, that lies part way up the barrel. Conclusions/significance Our results show that the function of these phenylalanine residues is to mediate membrane insertion and formation of stable transmembrane channels. Unlike F427, a key luminal residue in the cap of the pore, F313, F314, and F324 do not directly affect protein translocation through the pore. Our findings add to our knowledge of structure-function relationships of a key virulence factor of the anthrax bacillus.
Some local approximation properties of simple point processes

For simple point processes ξ on a Borel space S, we prove some approximations involving conditional distributions, given that ξ hits a small set B. Beginning with general versions of some classical limit theorems, going back to the pioneering work of Palm and Khinchin, we proceed to prove that, under suitable regularity conditions, the contributions to B and Bc are asymptotically conditionally independent. We further derive approximations in total variation of reduced Palm distributions and show that, when ξ hits some small sets B1,..., Bn, the corresponding restrictions are asymptotically independent. Next we give general versions of the asymptotic relations P{ξ B > 0} ~ Eξ B and prove some ratio limit theorems for conditional expectations E[η | ξ B > 0], valid even when Eξ is not σ-finite and the Palm distributions may fail to exist.
Hα-derived Star Formation Rates for the z = 0.84 Galaxy Cluster Cl J0023+0423B* **

We present Hα-derived star formation rates (SFRs) for the galaxy cluster Cl J0023+0423B at z = 0.845. Our 3 σ flux limits correspond to an SFR of 0.24 h M☉ yr-1, and our minimum reliable Hα + [N ] equivalent width is greater than 10 A, demonstrating that near-infrared narrowband imaging can sample the star-forming galaxy population in distant clusters. Comparison with spectroscopy shows that the number of false detections is low (9% ± 6%) and that our Hα equivalent widths are correlated with spectroscopically determined [O II] equivalent widths. A magnitude-limited spectroscopic survey conducted over the same area missed 70% of the star-forming galaxies and 65% of the integrated star formation. Using Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 Archive images, we fit Sersic profiles to all galaxies with significant narrowband equivalent widths and find that equivalent width decreases as the steepness of galaxy profile increases. We find no significant population of early-type galaxies with ongoing star formation. The integrated SFR per cluster mass of Cl J0023+0423B is a factor of 10 higher than that of the three z ~ 0.2 clusters in the literature with available Hα observations. A larger sample of z ~ 0.8 clusters spanning a range of cluster masses is needed to determine whether this variation is due to a difference in cluster mass or redshift.
Heat of Hydration and Characterization of Reaction Products of Adiabatically Cured Fly Ash and Slag Mixtures

The hydration of cementitious materials is an exothermic process which results in significant temperature increases in large masses of these materials. The thermal environment under these conditions is nearly adiabatic. The heat of hydration of cementitious aluminosilicate blend materials incorporating fly ash and granulated blast-furnace slag was calculated from the adiabatic temperature rise. Additional reaction of siliceous fly ash with alkaline solutions results in the formation of zeolitic reaction products. Studies were carried out to characterize the hydration products by X-ray diffraction and through analysis of solutions. In addition, zeolitic reaction products were prepared by reacting the pure Class F fly ash at 90°C with NaOH and different anions. This study has implications for general thermal properties of hydrating cementitious materials, and for costeffective immobilization of radioactive and chemical waste cations and anions.
Layered Na[Ni1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3]O2 cathodes for Na-ion battery application

Abstract Na-ion batteries were tested with layered Na(Ni1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3)O2 cathodes and carbon anodes in a sodium-salt containing organic ester carbonate electrolyte. Layered single phase Na(Ni1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3)O2 was synthesized from solid-state reaction using a (Ni1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3)C2O4 oxalate precursor and Na2CO3 fired at 850 °C with slow-cooling. The Na-ion NayC/Na1 − y(Ni1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3)O2 cell had an average voltage of ~ 2.75 V, modest capacity of 100 mA h g− 1 for 150 cycles (1.5–4.0 V), and a capacity of 94 mA h g− 1 at a 1 °C rate. X-ray diffraction (XRD) data of extracted cycled electrodes were used to characterize material stability and phases formed upon cycling. It was found that Na1 − y(Ni1/3Fe1/3Mn1/3)O2 (0 ≤ y ≤ 0.46) maintains a layered structure with good crystallinity over 150 cycles. These results bode well for the development and optimization of rechargeable Na-ion batteries.
Predictor for sulfur-aromatic interactions in globular proteins.

The predictor, Y = 2.54 + (4 Met + 2 Arg - Tyr) 83/N, where Y is the number of sulfur-aromatic interactions in a globular protein and N is the total number of amino acids in the protein, accounts for 75% of the variation in this type of interaction that occurs in 22 globular proteins whose three-dimensional structure has been determined. We find that S- interactions are not random events but rather are the outcome of a competition between the dipolar groups, amides and sulfur-containing, for ring neighbors. This outcome is strongly weighted in favor of S- interactions by the presence in the protein of positively charged side-chains; it is not affected by the number of strictly non-polar side-chains.