cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gene complementing xeroderma pigmentosum group A cells maps to distal human chromosome 9q

Phenotypic complementation of xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XP-A) cells by microcell-mediated transfer of a single rearrangedneo-tagged human chromosome from a human-mouse somatic cell hybrid designated K3SUB1A9-3 was reported previously. Extended growth of this human-mouse hybrid in culture led to deletion of the small arm of the human chromosome, with concomitant loss of complementing ability when introduced into XP-A cells by microcell-mediated chromosome transfer. Cytogenetic analysis of both hybrids suggests that the complementing locus is on chromosome 9q22.2-q34.3, and Southern blot analysis confirms the presence of distal chromosome 9q sequences.
Fault diameter of interconnection networks

Abstract We introduce the concept of fault diameter of interconnection networks. The motivation is to estimate the degradation of performance under maximally fault conditions. We derive fault diameter of specific classes of commonly used interconnection networks and various types of product graphs.
High finesse compound optical ring filter for parametric multicasting RF channelization

An integrated optical compound ring filter for use in a multicast and slice channelizer/spectrum analyzer is presented. We discuss design and implementation of a SiO2 based photonic filter with 250 MHz resolution bandwidth, a flattened passband, and finesse greater than 100, enabling channelization of instantaneous bandwidths above 10GHz.
A Computational and Experimental Approach To Investigate Bepridil Binding with Cardiac Troponin

Cardiac troponin is a Ca(2+)-dependent switch for the contraction in heart muscle and a potential target for drugs in the therapy of heart failure. Bepridil is a drug that binds to troponin and increases calcium sensitivity of muscle contraction. Because bepridil has been well studied, it is a good model for analysis by computational and experimental methods. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations were performed on troponin complexes of different sizes in the presence and absence of bepridil bound within the hydrophobic pocket at the N-terminal domain of troponin C. About 100 ns of simulation trajectory data were generated, which were analyzed using cross-correlation analyses and MMPBSA and MMGBSA techniques. The results indicated that bepridil binding within the hydrophobic pocket of cardiac TnC decreases the interaction of TnC with TnI at both the N-domain of TnC and the C-domain of TnC, and decreases the correlations of motions among the segments of the troponin subunits. The estimated calcium-binding affinities using MMPBSA showed that bepridil has a sensitizing effect for the isolated system of TnC, but loses this effect for the complex. Our experimental measurements of calcium dissociation rates were consistent with that prediction. We also observed that while bepridil enhanced the troponin-tropomyosin-actin-activated ATPase activity of myosin S1 at low calcium concentrations it was slightly inhibitory at high calcium concentrations. Bepridil increases the ATPase activity and force generation in muscle fibers, but its effects appear to depend on the concentration of calcium.
Olfactomedin 2, a novel regulator for transforming growth factor-β–induced smooth muscle differentiation of human embryonic stem cell–derived mesenchymal cells

Transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) plays an important role in smooth muscle (SM) differentiation, but the downstream target genes regulating the differentiation process remain largely unknown. In this study, we identified olfactomedin 2 (Olfm2) as a novel regulator mediating SM differentiation. Olfm2 was induced during TGF-β-induced SM differentiation of human embryonic stem cell-derived mesenchymal cells. Olfm2 knockdown suppressed TGF-β-induced expression of SM markers, including SM α-actin, SM22α, and SM myosin heavy chain, whereas Olfm2 overexpression promoted the SM marker expression. TGF-β induced Olfm2 nuclear accumulation, suggesting that Olfm2 may be involved in transcriptional activation of SM markers. Indeed, Olfm2 regulated SM marker expression and promoter activity in a serum response factor (SRF)/CArG box-dependent manner. Olfm2 physically interacted with SRF without affecting SRF-myocardin interaction. Olfm2-SRF interaction promoted the dissociation of SRF from HERP1, a transcriptional repressor. Olfm2 also inhibited HERP1 expression. Moreover, blockade of Olfm2 expression inhibited TGF-β-induced SRF binding to SM gene promoters in a chromatin setting, whereas overexpression of Olfm2 dose dependently enhanced SRF binding. These results demonstrate that Olfm2 mediates TGF-β-induced SM gene transcription by empowering SRF binding to CArG box in SM gene promoters.
Small Town Sustainability: Economic, Social, and Environmental Innovation. Paul Knox and Heike Mayer

(2010). Small Town Sustainability: Economic, Social, and Environmental Innovation. Paul Knox and Heike Mayer. Urban Geography: Vol. 31, No. 8, pp. 1150-1151.
Generalized BCH codes

A new class of error-correcting codes, which generalizes the BCH codes and the polynomial codes of Goethals is constructed. These new codes have associated designed distances, which give lower bounds for their error-correcting capability. We also give a new construction of orthogonal idempotents, and hence of minimal ideals, in any semisimple commutative algebra.
Thermal activation of photoinduced defects in an intermediate strength quasi-one-dimensional charge density wave solid: PtBr

Abstract Photoinduced defects in the intermediate strength charge density wave bromide-bridged platinum linear chain (PtBr) have been examined by resonance Raman and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopies. A photogenerated signal is observed by the former technique at 130 cm −1 and by the latter at g = 2.3. However, the observed diminishments in these signal intensities upon warming reveal that the Raman feature is not associated with a paramagnetic site. The loss of the 130 cm −1 peak upon warming and its nearly complete recovery upon recooling suggest the presence of defect interconversion, possibly an electron bipolaron/polaron equilibrium, while the behavior of the EPR signal upon warming suggests the presence of a range of pinning potentials that lead to distributed kinetic behavior for activation of the paramagnetic sites. The number of defects is dependent upon the phase in which the PtBr sample were crystallized, with the crystals originating in the higher temperature orthorhombic phase supporting greater levels and varieties of defects than those grown in the monoclinic phase.
The barbiturate thiopental reduces ATP levels during anoxia but improves electrophysiological recovery and ionic homeostasis in the rat hippocampal slice

Abstract The barbiturate anesthetic thiopental enhances recovery of the evoked population spike recorded from rat hippocampal slices after short periods of anoxia. Thiopental reduces changes in sodium, potassium and calcium but enhances the fall in ATP levels during anoxia. The postsynaptic population spike recorded from the CA1 pyramidal cell region of the slices treated with thiopental (600 μM) recovered to 67% of the preanoxic amplitude after 3.5 min of anoxia. There was less recovery (24%) when a lower concentration of thiopental (250 μM) was used. Untreated slices recovered to only 10% of their preanoxic amplitude after 3.5 min of anoxia. Other studies have demonstrated that maintaining ATP levels during anoxia may be an important mechanism of protection. In contrast to those studies, thiopental was protective although it enhanced the fall of ATP levels after 3.5 min of anoxia in the CA1 region and after 3.5 and 5 min in the dentate region. Thus enhanced recovery of the population spike with thiopental is not due to its preservation of ATP levels. This result allows a clear separation of improved ATP levels during anoxia from other mechanisms of protection. We therefore looked for other mechanisms of protection. Sodium and potassium levels were measured after 10 min of anoxia. In untreated tissue, sodium levels in the slice rose and potassium levels fell significantly. In thiopental-treated tissue, changes in sodium and potassium caused by anoxia and by veratridine under normoxic conditions were significantly reduced. During anoxia calcium-45 uptake increases; thiopental significantly reduces this uptake. We have found that high concentrations of thiopental protect against short periods of anoxia. Thiopental does not protect by attenuating the fall in ATP during anoxia. We conclude that thiopental blocks sodium, potassium and calcium changes during anoxia and we postulate that this may be a mechanism by which it improves recovery after anoxia.
An experimental investigation, using stomatal conductance and fluorescence, of the flood sensitivity of Boltonia decurrens and its competitors

Summary Boltonia decurrens, a perennial floodplain species endemic to the Illinois River Valley, USA, is threatened with extinction due to destruction of habitat. Extant populations of B. decurrens have become isolated and restricted to human-disturbed, alluvial soil habitats. In sites that are not disturbed, B. decurrens is replaced by competing vegetation after 3–5 years. If further decline in size and number of populations is to be avoided, strategies for management of the species must be developed. To assess the feasibility of using controlled flooding to reduce competition in sites where B. decurrens occurs, we compared the effects of 10 weeks of root-zone saturation on mortality, biomass, stomatal conductance and the ratio of variable to maximum fluorescence (the fluorescence ratio) in B. decurrens and three of its competitors: an annual, Conyza canadensis; a non-rhizomatous perennial, Aster pilosus; and a rhizomatous perennial, Aster ontarionis. Boltonia decurrens was unaffected by the 10-week treatment, but all other species showed increases in mortality, reduction or re-allocation of biomass, and decreases in stomatal conductance. There was no effect of flooding on the fluorescence ratio. Because reductions in stomatal conductance were accompanied by changes in mortality and biomass, we concluded that measurement of stomatal conductance could be used as a non-destructive technique to determine differential flood tolerance. The order of tolerance among species in this study was B. decurrens > A. ontarionis > A. pilosus > C. canadensis; therefore, controlled flooding may be an effective management tool in preserving populations of B. decurrens.
Sequence‐specific interaction of U1 snRNA with the SMN complex

The survival of motor neurons (SMN) protein complex functions in the biogenesis of spliceosomal small nuclear ribonucleoprotein particles (snRNPs) and prob ably other RNPs. All spliceosomal snRNPs have a common core of seven Sm proteins. To mediate the assembly of snRNPs, the SMN complex must be able to bring together Sm proteins with U snRNAs. We showed previously that SMN and other components of the SMN complex interact directly with several Sm proteins. Here, we show that the SMN complex also interacts specifically with U1 snRNA. The stem–loop 1 domain of U1 (SL1) is necessary and sufficient for SMN complex binding in vivo and in vitro. Substitution of three nucleotides in the SL1 loop (SL1A3) abolishes SMN interaction, and the corresponding U1 snRNA (U1A3) is impaired in U1 snRNP biogenesis. Microinjection of excess SL1 but not SL1A3 into Xenopus oocytes inhibits SMN complex binding to U1 snRNA and U1 snRNP assembly. These findings indicate that SMN complex interaction with SL1 is sequence-specific and critical for U1 snRNP biogenesis, further supporting the direct role of the SMN complex in RNP biogenesis.
Fear is not critical to classically conditioned analgesia: The effects of periaqueductal gray lesions and administration of chlordiazepoxide

A high correlation between fear and analgesia classically conditioned to footshock in rats has been reported in the literature. However, it has never been directly tested whether or not fear is in fact causal to the production of conditioned analgesia. We therefore tested whether conditioned analgesia could be elicited in the absence of fear by employing two independent methods of fear suppression. First, areas of the periaqueductal gray (PAG) previously implicated in fear were selectively lesioned. Lesions of the dorsolateral PAG significantly attenuated conditioned analgesia and markedly decreased fear responses. Second, fear was attenuated via administration of chlordiazepoxide (CDP). Rats which had been conditioned while in the presence of CDP showed no reduction in conditioned pain inhibition. These results demonstrate that: (1) fear is not causal to classically conditioned analgesia and (2) the anatomical substrates for fear and conditioned analgesia are distinct but partially overlapping. The fact that fear is not a critical antecedent for classically conditioned analgesia suggests that classical conditioning techniques may be applied clinically to increase the effectiveness of some analgesic manipulations.
Product Correlation when Original Variables are Jointly Distributed Multivariate Normal: a Comparison With Sum Correlation

Product correlation was studied under the condition that the original variables are jointly distributed multivariate normal with equal coefficients of variation. Dependent upon the value of the common coefficient of variation, product correlation was shown to be a quantity ranging between two extremes: (a) sum correlation; and (b) either the value zero or an unfamiliar function of the intercorrelations among the original variables. Product correlations calculated by systematically varying the common coefficient of variation and the common intercorrelation among all original variables revealed the similarity between product correlation and sum correlation for many data applications.
Effects of Ambient Water Quality on the Endangered Lost River Sucker in Upper Klamath Lake, Oregon

Abstract Populations of the Lost River sucker Deltistes luxatus have declined so precipitously in the Upper Klamath Basin of Oregon and California that this fish was recently listed for federal protection as an endangered species. Although Upper Klamath Lake is a major refuge for this species, fish in the lake occasionally experience mass mortalities during summer and early fall. This field study was implemented to determine if fish mortalities resulted from degraded water quality conditions associated with seasonal blooms of phytoplankton, especially Aphanizomenon flos-aquae. Our results indicated that fish mortality did not always increase as water temperature, pH, and un-ionized ammonia concentration increased in Upper Klamath Lake. Little or no mortality occurred when these water quality variables attained their maximum values. On the other hand, an inverse relation existed between fish mortality and dissolved oxygen concentration. High mortality (>90%) occurred whenever dissolved oxygen concentration...
Effects of Backfill Soil on Excessive Movement of MSE Wall

AbstractThe use of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) retaining walls has gained popularity as an alternative to conventional cast-in-place concrete walls. The construction of MSE walls is cost effective, requires less site preparation, and is technically more feasible compared with conventional concrete retaining walls. However, use of backfill with high fine content and poor drainage behavior can cause excessive wall movement or even failure. The current paper presents the case study of a MSE wall located at State Highway 342 in Lancaster, Texas. The top of the MSE wall has moved as much as 300–450 mm only 5 years after construction. An extensive site and laboratory investigation testing program was conducted to determine the possible causes of the MSE wall movement. The site investigation included soil test boring and resistivity imaging (RI). Perched water zones were identified at a few locations in the backfill area using RI. The bulging of the MSE wall facings was observed where the perched water z...
Use of the fluorescent dye, pyrene, to study the dynamic aspects of membrane structure.

Lateral diffusion of the fluorescent molecule, Pyrene, in phospholipid vesicles and mitochondrial membranes is demonstrated. Pyrene forms excited state dimers (excimers) in a diffusion limited reaction which depends upon membrane composition, temperature and pyrene concentration. The results obtained show that the classical theory of diffusion are not exactly applicable. The emission spectrum of the pyrene monomer in the membrane phase is highly structured and at 77 K a Shpol'skii spectrum is obtained (Shpol'skii, 1960). The formation of excimers in membranes affords evidence for the fluid mosaic model for membrane structure.
Simultaneous plasma and magnetic-field measurements of probable tangential discontinuities in the solar wind

Plasma and magnetic field measurements of tangential discontinuities in solar wind by Pioneer 6, considering velocity shears and rotation of sun
Community participation in health: perpetual allure, persistent challenge

The concept of community participation continues to capture the attention of international health policymakers and analysts nearly a quarter of a century after it was formally introduced at the Alma Ata Conference. This paper reviews trends in the participation literature of the 1990s, drawing examples primarily from Latin America. The following topics are discussed: sustainability, new methods for operationalizing and evaluating participation, the significance of local and cultural variability in determining outcomes, participatory self-determination as raised in the social movements literature, the increasing importance of intersectoral linkages, and continuing impediments posed by biomedical ideologies and systems. While the rhetoric and practice of participation have become fully integrated into mainstream health and development discourses, the paper concludes that ideological and political disagreements continue to divide pragmatists, who favour utilitarian models of participation, from activists, who prefer empowerment models.
Further evaluation of isotopic equilibration between labeled pyruvate and lactate

Abstract To evaluate the extent of lactate-pyruvate interconversion, we infused six anesthetized dogs with 1- 13 C-lactate and U- 13 C-pyruvate in the basal state ( n = 3) or during a hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp ( n = 3). Blood samples were collected for measurement of both 1- 13 C- and U- 13 C-lactate enrichment during and after stopping the isotope infusions. After normalization of infusion rates, there were no significant differences between the enrichments of 1- 13 C- and U- 13 C-lactate over time in arterial, venous, or mixed central venous blood in both basal and hyperinsulinemic conditions. We conclude that extensive and very rapid labeling of blood lactate occurs during an infusion of a pyruvate tracer. Given the large mass of the circulating lactate pool relative to the pyruvate pool, it can be concluded that most infused pyruvate tracer circulates in the lactate pool. Because labeled lactate is rapidly converted to pyruvate ( Am. J. Physiol. 254, E532–E535, 1988), these two circulating metabolites can be considered to comprise a single metabolic pool.
A Model-Based Layer-to-Layer Control Algorithm for Ink-Jet 3D Printing

Ink-jet 3D printing is a promising technology for additive manufacturing, with the potential for impacting a wide variety of industries. In traditional ink-jet 3D printing, the part is built up by depositing droplets layer upon layer in an open-loop manner. Droplet and edge dimensions are typically predicted experimentally and are assumed to remain constant through the printing process. However, there is no guarantee of consistent droplet shape and dimensions or the smoothness of the finished parts due to uncertainties in the manufacturing process. To address this issue, we propose a model-based feedback control law for ink-jet 3D printing that uses a height sensor for measuring profile height after each layer for determining the appropriate layer patterns for subsequent layers. Towards this goal, a simple model describing the relationship between profile height change and droplet deposition in the layer building process is first proposed and experimentally identified. Based on this model, a closed-loop layer-to-layer control algorithm is then developed for the ink-jet printing process. Specifically, the proposed algorithm uses a model prediction control algorithm to minimize the difference between the predicted height and the desired height and the predicted surface unevenness after a fixed number of layers. Experimental results show that the algorithm is able to achieve more consistent shapes between layers, reduced edge shrinking of the part, and smoother surface of the top layer.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Surface Acoustic Wave Devices for Use in a High Performance Television Tuner

Two key components in a high performance tuner/IF system for television are described; a surface acoustic wave (SAW) low loss filter and a surface acoustic wave resonator. The low loss filter provides the adjacent channel rejection and ultimate spurious signal suppression with accurate amplitude and phase control that are the cornerstones for the high performance receiver. The resonator is the frequency control element for a stable, low-cost local oscillator for down converting the TV signal after it is cleaned up by the fixed frequency low loss filter. In this paper the characteristics of the SAW ccnponents are described.
Effect of combustion on near-critical swirling flow

This paper examines the manner in which heat release resulting from premixed combustion alters the nature of near-critical, axisymmetric, swirling flow in a straight circular pipe. Attention is confined to dilute premixtures so that exothermicity is weak and a small-disturbance approach applicable. The weak exothermicity is found to have a considerably larger effect on the flow. In the absence of combustion, the columnar solution loses stability via a transcritical bifurcation as the level of swirl rises beyond a critical value. Exothermicity splits the bifurcation portrait into two branches separated by a gap in the level of swirl; within this gap steady, near-columnar solutions cease to exist. As a result the critical value of swirl for a combusting flow is smaller than that for the cold flow. For a certain range of swirl below this critical value and for small enough heat release, the solution branch is double-valued and yields two equilibria, one corresponding to a near-columnar state and the other po...
A TIMOSHENKO BEAM ELEMENT FOR LARGE DISPLACEMENT ANALYSIS OF PLANAR BEAMS AND FRAMES

A Timoshenko beam element for large displacement analysis of planar beam and frame structures is formulated in the context of the co-rotational method. The shallow arch expression is adopted for the local strain, and cubic and quadratic polynomials obtained from the field consistence approach are respectively employed to interpolate the transversal displacement and rotation. The numerical examples show that the proposed element is capable of furnishing accurate results with a smaller number of elements as compared to the elements previously used in the examples. It has also shown that the nonlinear term in the expression of the local strain plays an important role in the accuracy of the element in the large displacement analysis of beam and frame structures.
Picosecond rotational reorientation of cresyl violet in polymer solution

Abstract Picosecond absorption spectroscopy has been used to study the rotational reorientation of cresyi violet in methanol solutions containing poly(ethylene oxide). The increase in the rotational reorientation time with increasing polymer concentration can be attributed to the short-range hydrodynamic interactions between the dye and entangled polymer chains.
Blood Conservation During Myocardial Revascularization

A prospective study of blood utilization in 50 consecutive patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass was undertaken. Blood was removed from all patients during induction of anesthesia and reinfused after bypass (mean, 675 ml). Intraoperatively, all discard suction was routed through a regionally heparinized collecting and processing system, and the resulting red cell concentrate was transfused. At the conclusion of bypass, all blood remaining in the pump oxygenator was retained for transfusion. After operation, shed mediastinal blood was collected in a sterile, filtered collection system and transfused. Normovolemic anemia was accepted in hemodynamically stable patients. The mean amount of patients' blood salvaged by the intraoperative system was 259 ml (range, 0 to 724 ml) and by the postoperative system, 194 ml (range, 0 to 564 ml). Ninety-four percent (47/50) of the patients received no bank blood or blood products during their hospital stay. No patients received bank blood intraoperatively or during the first 24 hours following operation. There were no complications attributable to blood salvage techniques.
Circles with two tandem LTRs are precursors to integrated retrovirus DNA

Abstract Infection of susceptible cells by retroviruses results in the synthesis of linear DNA with two long terminal repeats (LTRs), circular DNA with a single LTR, and circular DNA with two tandem LTRs. To determine which of these unintegrated molecules serves as the precursor to the provirus, we inserted into a retrovirus vector a 49 by fragment containing the junction formed by in vivo blunt-end ligation of two LTRs. Infection of chicken embryo fibroblasts with virus recovered from this vector and subsequent characterization of the proviral DNA revealed that efficient integration can occur from this introduced junction sequence. Therefore, circular DNA with two tandem LTRs is a precursor to the provirus.
Wind power in northeastern Brazil: Local burdens, regional benefits and growing opposition

Latin America's largest state for wind energy is Ceara, Brazil, with 520 MW of operational capacity. This article presents the impacts of this rapid wind industry growth on local rural development and regional economic development. The article also describes a growing opposition movement against the wind industry. This research was based on 129 qualitative interviews with local and regional stakeholders in Ceara. According to many local residents, wind power plants have created few local benefits and many negative local impacts, including blocked access to fishing areas and damage to homes from construction equipment. In contrast, the largest benefits of wind power are on a regional scale, including some job creation and mitigated pollution. Local protests against wind projects have levied serious costs on the wind industry. With support from some academics and non-governmental organizations, a dedicated opposition movement is spreading to towns where wind projects have merely been proposed. Wind develope...
The stepwise gray P-1 approximation for multi-dimensional radiative transfer in molecular-gas—particulate mixtures

Abstract The stepwise gray method is the simplest method for incorporating the effects of absorption-emission bands in radiative heat transfer calculations. The non-gray character of the mixture is replaced by an “equivalent” stepwise gray character. A method to obtain this equivalent gray character by utilizing the mean beam length is outlined. This method is coupled with the P-1 approximation, resulting in a simple model to deal with radiation from gas-particulate media in multi-dimensional geometries. To validate the accuracy of the method, it is applied to a few simple 1-D problems, i.e., to isothermal plane-parallel and spherical media as well as to plane-parallel media at radiative equilibrium. Absorption and scattering behavior are studied for both black and gray walls. Results are compared with those obtained from Monte Carlo calculations incorporating the exponential-wide-band model, indicating good accuracy for all conditions studied, within the limitations of the P-1 approximation.
Identifying strategic technology directions in a national laboratory setting: A case study

We present a case study of strategic technology planning in a large, mission-oriented division of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The Division, Nonproliferation and International Security, was strongly oriented around its eponymous mission. The challenge for our planning process was one of scale: identifying a manageable handful of science and technology thrusts that would drive that mission forward. Based on a detailed analysis of future missions and technology possibilities, we identified three strategic directions: (1) computer-enabled understanding, (2) networked and intelligent sensors, and (3) physics applied to sensors. The lessons we learned apply to strategic planning in other diverse R&D organizations.
Enthalpy changes in oxidative addition reactions of iodo compounds with trans-[IrCl(CO)(PMe3)2] and determination of a relative scale of iridium-ligand bond energies

Abstract Enthalpy changes of oxidative addition of a series of eight iodo compounds to trans-[IrCl(CO)(PMe3)2] have been measured in 1,2-C2H4Cl2 solution and the data used in conjunction with other thermochemical data to calculate ΔH° and a relative scale of D (IrR) values.
Radiation induced nucleation of nanoparticles in silica

Abstract There is a threshold implantation dose, after which some of the implanted species will tend to spontaneously form nanoclusters, over-dose-implantation . Similarly, there is a threshold implantation dose for the implanted species in a layer of the host material, such that after high temperature annealing the nanoclusters can nucleate before the implanted material can dissolve in the host material (during such heat treatments). In this paper, we present the results of our investigation of producing nanoclusters of gold in silica at fluences of two orders of magnitude less than what is traditionally used. This is accomplished by implanting 2.0 MeV Au into silica followed by MeV bombardment by MeV Si ions. This process was used to reduce the threshold implantation dose by at least two orders of magnitude. To follow the formation of nanoclusters, we used both indirect measurement methods such as optical absorption spectrophotometry (non-destructive), and direct methods such as transmission electron microscopy (destructive). The size of the nanoclusters, ranging from 1 to 10 nm, are controlled by the implantation dose and by the total electronic energy deposited by each post-bombarding ion in the implanted layer. We will show how and at what concentrations species such as gold nucleates to form nanoclusters, either by induced strain or by radiation-enhanced nucleation at a dose below that needed for spontaneous nanocluster formation.
Ocular effects of dipivalyl esters of epinephrine and α-methylepinephrine

Abstract The intraocular pressure (IOP) and pupillary effects of dipivalyl esters of epinephrine and α-methylepinephrine were compared after topical application in conscious rabbits. Both dipivalyl-α-methylepinephrine (DPαmeE) and dipivalylepinephrine (DPE) produced a dose-dependent pupillary dilation (PD) and decrease in IOP. The onset of PD was approximately 30 min for both agents and reached maximal plateau within 1 and 2 hr for DPE and DPαmeE, respectively. Duration of mydriatic effect was also dose-related, although more prolonged with DPαmeE. This probably reflects differences in rate of inactivation of these compounds. The onset of IOP lowering effect of DPαmeE was more rapid (35–45 min) when compared with DPE (1·5-2 hr) which may be due to the initial ocular hypertensive response seen with DPE. The initial rise in IOP was prevented by transection of three rectus muscles. DPαmeE produced initial ocular hypertension only at the highest doses. The decrease of IOP lasted more than 6 hr for both drugs, returning to normal by 24 hr. No pupillary or IOP effects were seen in the contralateral eye. Denervation supersensitivity to both the pupillary and IOP responses to DPαmeE was seen after superior cervical ganglionectomy. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that the pupillary and IOP responses to DPαmeE do not require intact adrenergic innervation to the eye, and that these effects are mediated by activation of postjunctional α-adrenoceptors. It is concluded that DPαmeE is a potent adrenergic ocular hypotensive agent. In comparison to DPE, DPαmeE has a more rapid onset, longer duration of action, less pupillary effect, and produces ocular hypotension with less initial ocular hypertension.
Effects of attentional and stressor manipulations on the P50 gating response

The decline in amplitude of the P50 component of the event-related potential to the second of paired clicks has been suggested as a measure of preattentional gating. Two experiments were conducted to assess the effects of attention and a psychological stressor on P50. Experiment 1 included two choice reaction time tasks designed to direct attention selectively to the first or second click in each pair. Results suggest that the N100 component was responsive to attentional manipulations, whereas P50 was not affected. Experiment 2 examined the impact of a brief psychological stressor on the P50 response. Parallel mental arithmetic tasks were administered silently and orally. Self-report and measures of autonomic activity were used to assess the level of stress occurring during the performance of the mental arithmetic tasks. Results indicate that P50 suppression was sensitive to the acute stressor, the oral mental arithmetic task. Implications of these findings for studies of P50 suppression in schizophrenia are discussed.
Selective loss of c-Rel compromises dendritic cell activation of T lymphocytes.

Abstract Dendritic cells initiate the immune response by presenting antigen in the context of varying levels of costimulation. The maturation state of the dendritic cell determines the quantity and quality (Th1, Th2) of the subsequent T cell response. Members of the NF-κB family of transcription factors have previously been implicated in dendritic cell development. Here, we used a mouse with a homozygous c-Rel deletion to investigate the role of c-Rel in the function of bone marrow derived dendritic cells. When direct presentation was evaluated, we found c-Rel −/− dendritic cells induce less allogeneic T cell stimulation than c-Rel +/+ dendritic cells. In addition, T cell encounters with c-Rel −/− dendritic cells generate less IFN-γ and IL-4 when compared to those with c-Rel +/+ DCs. A similar degree of functional compromise was observed in antigen-specific T cells that were stimulated by c-Rel −/− dendritic cells. Functional deficits were not linked to differences in the ability to undergo maturation per se, as LPS exposure induced similar morphologic and cell surface changes in both c-Rel +/+ and cRel −/− DCs. Although LPS induced a compensatory increase in the nuclear activity of fellow NF-κB family members, RelB and p65, LPS exposure was unable to negate the deficiencies in autologous T cell proliferation and cytokine production associated with the loss of c-Rel in dendritic cells. Taken together, our study supports a unique and non-redundant role for c-Rel in dendritic cell costimulatory capacity.
Business failures in the construction industry

The objective of the research presented in this paper is to explore the factors associated with company failures in the context of the construction industry. To that end, the four quadrants of an ‘environment/response’ matrix developed by Boyle & Desai (1991. Journal of Small Business Management, 29, 33–42) are populated with Dun and Bradstreet's US business failure data for the construction industry. The study indicates that budgetary and macroeconomic issues represent 83% of the reasons for construction company failures. This implies that firms that take vigorous administrative measures to address budgeting issues and that react promptly to economic conditions by implementing appropriate strategic policies should be able to avoid failure. On the other hand, issues of adaptability to market conditions and business issues appear to have limited effects on company survivability (6% of the reasons for failure). This implies that administrative measures to fend off internal conflicts that originate for reasons beyond management's control and long‐term strategic decisions to regulate the firm's adaptation to market conditions can also help to prevent failure. An ‘input/output’ model appears to explain the business failure phenomenon better than the ‘environment/response’ one.
Spontaneous Emission and Nonadiabatic Electron Transfer Rates in Condensed Phases

In this paper we explore the non-Condon effect of fluctuations of the tunneling matrix element caused by a condensed medium on the rates of nonadiabatic electron transfer (ET) and spontaneous emission from an excited electronic state. For a charge-transfer complex immersed in a polar polarizable liquid, the solvent effect renormalizes the ET matrix element due to (i) the instantaneous field of the solvent nuclear polarization and (ii) equilibrium solvation by the electronic solvent polarization. Fluctuations of the classical electric field of the solvent affect the form of the preexponential factor in the ET rate constant. In the new expression for the rate preexponent the vacuum ET matrix element is multiplied by the factor θ forming an effective ET matrix element in condensed phases. The parameter θ is controlled by the magnitude and orientation (relative to the differential solute dipole) of the diabatic transition dipole of the charge-transfer complex. The theory predicts a possibility of localization...
Effects of acute and chronic fenfluramine on self-stimulation and its facilitation by amphetamine.

Abstract DL-Fenfluramine (20 mg/kg) releasing serotonin and amphetamine (2 mg/kg) releasing dopamine were given to adult rats trained to bar press for electrical stimulation to the medial forebrain bundle. Amphetamine treatment enhanced lever-pressing for 1–2 h. A single fenfluramine treatment rapidly suppressed self-stimulation with slow recovery in 5–7 days to a rate below the initial basal rate. A second treatment a week later again suppressed response rate and rates returned to a still lower baseline. Combined fenfluramine-amphetamine treatment at this time transiently abolished lever pressing for 1–3 h followed by 9–11 h of enhanced responding. The serotonin antagonist, ketanserine (0.1 mg/kg), but not cyproheptadine (0.1 mg/kg i.p.), partially protected against the effects of fenfluramine. The serotonin agonist, quipazine (0.5 mg/kg), but not dimethoxyiodophenylisopropylamine (DOI) (2.2 mg/kg), partially substituted for fenfluramine in the combined treatment. Fenfluramine markedly depleted serotonin and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in frontal cortex, hippocampus, and caudate putamen. Ventral and midline midbrain regions were less affected. Combined fenfluramine and amphetamine treatment elevated dopamine levels in frontal cortex, hippocampus and caudate-putamen, but not in midbrain. These findings support a serotonin-dopamine interaction in self-stimulation behavior and suggest that repeated fenfluramine treatment results in chronic low level serotonergic stimulation and diminished serotonin storage capacity.
Feasibility of tobacco interventions in anesthesiology practices: a pilot study.

Background Abstinence from smoking can improve postoperative outcomes, and surgery is also an excellent opportunity for smokers to permanently quit. One strategy for perioperative tobacco interventions is that anesthesiologists Ask, Advise, and Refer (AAR) -- Ask their patients about tobacco use, Advise them to abstain, and Refer them to resources such as telephone quit-lines. This pilot project determined the feasibility and acceptability of the AAR strategy in anesthesiology practices. Methods An educational program, including presentations, written materials, and Web-based resources, was developed and disseminated to 14 U.S. anesthesiology practices, representing both academic and private practices, who agreed to implement the AAR strategy as a part of their routine clinical practice. Three months after implementation, a survey was administered to those members of these practices who were instructed in the AAR strategy. Results There were 97 respondents (75% response rate). Since the pilot project began, 91%, 79%, and 58% of respondents reported that they frequently or almost always asked, advised, and referred their patients who smoke, respectively. The majority of respondents (56%) agreed that they were responsible for helping patients get the help they need to quit smoking. Most (74%) also agreed that they planned to incorporate the AAR strategy into their routine practice. Conclusion These results suggest that the AAR strategy is potentially feasible and well-accepted in anesthesiology clinical practice. Further work will be needed to define whether these practices and attitudes can be sustained and whether they are ultimately effective in modifying perioperative smoking behavior in surgical patients.
Cross‐linking of surface IgM activates NF‐xB in B lymphocyte

In B lymphocytes, cross-linking of surface IgM activates changes in both the cell cycle and differentiation. In normal B cells and B cell tumors, many stimuli induce the activation of NF-kappa B and its translocation from the cytoplasm to the nucleus. In this study we sought to determine if cross-linking of surface IgM led to the activation of NF-kappa B. Our results show that activation of B cells by cross-linking anti-IgM antibodies activated NF-kappa B in the murine B lymphoid cell lines 70Z/3 and M12, and in the dense fraction of splenic cells. The activation of NF-kappa B required optimal doses of anti-IgM antibodies and took 5 to 10 min to reach maximal levels. Cross-linking of IgM has also been shown to activate protein kinases including protein kinase C (PKC). To test whether PKC activation was required for NF-kappa B translocation, we treated 70Z/3 cells for 18 h with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate, a procedure which depletes these cells of functional PKC. This treatment did not abrogate the nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B following anti-IgM cross-linking. These results indicate that the nuclear translocation of NF-kappa B is rapidly induced by surface IgM cross-linking and that this activation appears to use a pathway which does not require PKC.
Providing insight into the successful process of military base transition with a PERT simulation model

Military base closures will affect more than 100 communities across the United States during the next five years. The potential for economic hardship is significant. However, the experience of communities where military bases have closed suggests that the efforts of individual communities during the transition can significantly affect the economic outcome. A PERT simulation model is developed in SLAMSYSTEM to provide a tool for communities that illustrates recovery, takes the impact of job loss into account and gives insight into the implications for a manufacturing organization. An engineering analysis is applied to a problem that has previously been modeled strictly by economists. The PERT simulation model combines the network modeling and continuous modeling concepts in SLAM. It allows the initial conditions and activity times in the base transition process model to control the governing equation for jobs created at a site. Data is collected through a survey of community representatives in communities where the transition is already completed. It is determined that simulation modeling is a reliable method of understanding community influences on successful military base transitions.
Effects of Persantin (RA8), A New Coronary Vasodilator, on Coronary Blood Flow and Cardiac Dynamics in the Dog

The effect of a new coronary vasodilator (Persantin), which produces a marked increase in coronary blood flow (up to 159 per cent in normal animals) without increasing cardiac contractility or cardiac work, has been studied in the experimental animal. This is associated with a marked decrease in coronary resistance. There is an increase in the coronary venous oxygen content and a decrease in the coronary A-V oxygen difference; the cardiac output is only slightly affected. Increase in the coronary blood flow has also been observed in dogs in which coronary in sufficiency has been produced by coronary ligation and by narrowing of the lumen of the coronary artery by the application of casein rings. This was accompanied by no significant increase in cardiac work.
The Physiological Types of Bacteria in Milk in Relation to Reduction of Methylene Blue

Summary 1.Over 1,000 milk samples were studied for physiological types of bacteria present in relation to reduction time of methylene blue. 2.The samples studied were shown to contain on the average of 6.27 percent acid-coagulating bacteria, 55.82 per cent acid-not-coagulating, 11.59 per cent acid-coagulating-gas-proteolytic, 16.56 per cent acid-proteolytic, 2.28 per cent alkaline, 2.83 per cent inert bacteria and 4.25 per cent of our tubes were blank. 3.There is a wide seasonal variation in physiological types of bacteria in milk. 4.Acid-not-coagulating bacteria are poor reducers of methylene blue but are predominant in most high quality milk. 5.Proteolytic types of bacteria are good oxygen absorbers and play an important part in reduction. 6.There is an associative action between bacteria which usually overshadows individual variations of reduction power. 7.Marked variations in physiological types of bacteria present in individual samples failed to have any material effect on reduction time. 8.Acid-coagulating, alkaline and inert bacteria seem to have no special effect on reduction rates, unless present in unusually large numbers.
Detecting epigenetic motifs in low coverage and metagenomics settings

It has recently become possible to rapidly and accurately detect epigenetic signatures in bacterial genomes using third generation sequencing data. Monitoring the speed at which a single polymerase inserts a base in the read strand enables one to infer whether a modification is present at that specific site on the template strand. These sites can be challenging to detect in the absence of high coverage and reliable reference genomes. Here we provide a new method for detecting epigenetic motifs in bacteria on datasets with low-coverage, with incomplete references, and with mixed samples (i.e. metagenomic data). Our approach treats motif inference as a kmer comparison problem. First, genomes (or contigs) are deconstructed into kmers. Then, native genome-wide distributions of interpulse durations (IPDs) for kmers are compared with corresponding whole genome amplified (WGA, modification free) IPD distributions using log likelihood ratios. Finally, kmers are ranked and greedily selected by iteratively correcting for sequences within a particular kmer's neighborhood. Our method can detect multiple types of modifications, even at very low-coverage and in the presence of mixed genomes. Additionally, we are able to predict modified motifs when genomes with "neighbor" modified motifs exist within the sample. Lastly, we show that these motifs can provide an alternative source of information by which to cluster metagenomics contigs and that iterative refinement on these clustered contigs can further improve both sensitivity and specificity of motif detection. https://github.com/alibashir/EMMCKmer