cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synucleins are a novel class of substrates for G protein-coupled receptor kinases.

G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) specifically recognize and phosphorylate the agonist-occupied form of numerous G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), ultimately resulting in desensitization of receptor signaling. Until recently, GPCRs were considered to be the only natural substrates for GRKs. However, the recent discovery that GRKs also phosphorylate tubulin raised the possibility that additional GRK substrates exist and that the cellular role of GRKs may be much broader than just GPCR regulation. Here we report that synucleins are a novel class of GRK substrates. Synucleins (α, β, γ, and synoretin) are 14-kDa proteins that are highly expressed in brain but also found in numerous other tissues. α-Synuclein has been linked to the development of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. We found that all synucleins are GRK substrates, with GRK2 preferentially phosphorylating the α and β isoforms, whereas GRK5 prefers α-synuclein as a substrate. GRK-mediated phosphorylation of synuclein is activated by factors that stimulate receptor phosphorylation, such as lipids (all GRKs) and Gβγ subunits (GRK2/3), suggesting that GPCR activation may regulate synuclein phosphorylation. GRKs phosphorylate synucleins at a single serine residue within the C-terminal domain. Although the function of synucleins remains largely unknown, recent studies have demonstrated that these proteins can interact with phospholipids and are potent inhibitors of phospholipase D2 (PLD2) in vitro. PLD2 regulates the breakdown of phosphatidylcholine and has been implicated in vesicular trafficking. We found that GRK-mediated phosphorylation inhibits synuclein's interaction with both phospholipids and PLD2. These findings suggest that GPCRs may be able to indirectly stimulate PLD2 activity via their ability to regulate GRK-promoted phosphorylation of synuclein.
Elevated C-reactive protein is associated with severe periodic leg movements of sleep in patients with restless legs syndrome

Background Restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sleep disorder in which urges to move the legs are felt during rest, are felt at night, and are improved by leg movement. RLS has been implicated in the development of cardiovascular disease. Periodic leg movements (PLMs) may be a mediator of this relationship. We evaluated systemic inflammation and PLMs in RLS patients to further assess cardiovascular risk.
A comparative first-principles study of structural and electronic properties among memantine, amantadine and rimantadine

Memantine, amantadine and rimantadine are structurally derived from the same diamondoid, adamantane. These derivatives demonstrate therapeutic efficacy in human diseases: memantine for Alzheimer's disease and amantadine and rimantadine for influenza. In order to better understand some of the properties that distinguish these three compounds, we conduct first-principles calculations on their structure and electronic properties. Our results indicate that protonation has a significant effect on the dipole moment, where the dipole moment in protonated memantine is over eight times larger than in the deprotonated form.
Measurement of chemical reaction rates following electron transfer. An empirical approach using ring-disk electrodes

Summary An empirical calibration procedure for the rotatedring-disk electrode has been developed, following a suggestion by Albery and Bruckenstein . This allows the precise measurement of the rates of simple EC processes (Electron transfer followed by Chemical reaction) of moderate rates. A rather wide-gap carbon-paste ring-disk electrode, which is not too difficult to construct, is described.
Outpatient sedation for ocular examination

Outpatient sedation of infants, uncooperative children and, rarely, adults provides an opportunity to perform certain ophthalmologic diagnostic procedures such as tonometry, ophthalmoscopy and various electrophysiological studies (e.g., electroretinography and visual evoked response testing) without the expense and usage of an operating room. Many drugs have been recommended and used; all have limitations. The advantages and disadvantages of the more commonly used agents are reviewed. The known effects of these drugs on ocular function are presented.
Sex differences in the organizational effects of corticosterone in the egg yolk of quail

Previously, we found that experimentally elevated plasma corticosterone was transferred to egg yolk by female Japanese quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica), and that the chicks hatched from these eggs grew more slowly than controls and had higher responsiveness of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis as adults. Here, we tested whether exposure to high yolk corticosterone was responsible for the slowed growth and elevated HPA responsiveness by manipulating the steroid content of eggs directly. Eggs were injected prior to incubation with a dose of corticosterone calculated to increase total yolk corticosterone concentration by two standard deviations. We found that elevated yolk corticosterone slowed growth in male but not female chicks and decreased the HPA responsiveness of female but not male adults, in contrast to the results of elevated corticosterone in laying females. Our results are consistent with others that demonstrate sex differences in the organizational effects of glucocorticoids. The mechanisms and adaptive value of such differences have yet to be determined.
Nonaqueous diazotization of 5‐amino‐1‐aryl‐1H‐pyrazole‐4‐carboxylate esters

5-Amino-1-aryl-1H-pyrazole-4-carboxylate esters are converted to the corresponding desamino, chloro, bromo, iodo, and methylthio esters by processes involving nonaqueous diazotization. Diazotizing agents are alkyl nitrites except in the case of chlorine where nitrosyl chloride is used. Evidence is presented that the latter reagent leads to the formation of cationic rather than radical intermediates.
Fragrance material review on hexadecanolide

Abstract A toxicologic and dermatologic review of hexadecanolide when used as a fragrance ingredient is presented. Hexadecanolide is a member of the fragrance structural group macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives. The fragrance ingredient described herein is one of 12 structurally diverse C14, C15, and C16 compounds that include (7) saturated mono-and (2) saturated di-ester lactones and (3) unsaturated lactones. For the latter, the double bond is not adjacent to (in conjugation with) the ester group. This review contains a detailed summary of all available toxicology and dermatology papers that are related to this individual fragrance ingredient and is not intended as a stand-alone document. Available data for hexadecanolide were evaluated, then summarized, and includes: physical properties; acute toxicity; skin irritation; mucous membrane (eye) irritation; skin sensitization; phototoxicity; and genotoxicity data. A safety assessment of the macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives will be published simultaneously with this document. Please refer to Belsito et al. (2011) for an overall assessment of the safe use of this material and all macrocyclic lactone and lactide derivatives in fragrances. Belsito, D., Bickers, D., Bruze, M., Calow, P., Dagli, M., Fryer, A.D., Greim, H., Hanifin, J.H., Miyachi, Y., Saurat, J.H., Sipes, I.G., 2011. A Toxicologic and Dermatologic Assessment of Macrocylic Lactones and Lactide Derivatives When Used as Fragrance Ingredients.
The 2010 Benjamin Franklin medal in Computer and Cognitive Science presented to Shafrira Goldwasser, Ph.D.

Abstract The Franklin Institute, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, awards the 2010 Benjamin Franklin Medal in Computer and Cognitive Science to Professor Shafrira Goldwasser for fundamental work contributing to the theoretical foundation of modern cryptography and leading to techniques that mathematically guarantee secure access to the internet. More precisely, she is recognized for key contributions in provable security and in particular for interactive and zero-knowledge proofs and their application to cryptography and complexity theory.
R-factor, Free R, and Complete Cross-Validation for Dipolar Coupling Refinement of NMR Structures

NMR structure determination of macromolecules involves a minimization problem in which atomic models, subject to restraints relating to idealized covalent geometry and nonbonded contacts, are fitted to experimental observables. The latter comprise restraints between atoms separated by ≤6 A, such as NOE-derived interproton distances, torsion angles, coupling constants, and chemical shifts, as well as restraints that provide direct information on long-range order such as dipolar couplings. An expression for the dipolar coupling R-factor is derived which provides a quantitative and readily interpretable measure of the agreement between observed and calculated dipolar couplings. The dipolar R-factor expresses the ratio of the observed rms difference between observed and calculated values with that expected for a totally random distribution of vectors. The latter can be calculated exactly from the magnitude of the alignment tensor. The dipolar R-factor scales between 0 and 1, where a value of 0 indicates perfe...
535 RISING INFANT MORTALITY IN AN AREA OF HIGH ACCESS TO NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE

Reports from several cities have suggested recent increases in infant mortality (IM). We studied recent trends in Boston, a city where 93% of infants are born in centers with Level III neonatal intensive care. Linked birth/death vital statistics files were analyzed, and infant and maternal medical records for all resident infants who died from 1980 through 1983 were reviewed. The data suggest a plateauing in the survival of low birth weight (LBW) infants and recent increases in high birth weight (HBW) and postneonatal mortality. These increases were related to conditions generally associated with poor access to medical care. Birthweight distributive effects were minimal over this time period. These data suggest that in populations with longstanding access to high quality neonatal intensive care, annual incremental improvements in LBW survival may become minimal. In this setting observed increases in HBW and postneonatal mortality may cause overall infant mortality rates to rise.
Network-aware scheduling of mapreduce framework ondistributed clusters over high speed networks

Google's MapReduce has gained significant popularity as a platform for large scale distributed data processing. Hadoop [1] is an open source implementation of MapReduce [11] framework, originally it was developed to operate over single cluster environment and could not be leveraged for distributed data processing across federated clusters. At multiple federated clusters connected with high speed networks, computing resources are provisioned from any of the clusters from the federation. Placement of map tasks close to its data split is critical for performance of Hadoop. In this work, we add network awareness in Hadoop while scheduling the map tasks over federated clusters. We observe 12% to 15 % reduction of execution time in FIFO and FAIR schedulers of Hadoop for varying workloads.
Agriculture in recent development theory

Abstract This paper is a critical review of recent contributions to the literature on agriculture in development theory. It considers and compares the main lines of advance made within neoclassical, neo-Marxian and structuralist approaches. Recent neo-Marxian and structuralist studies of agrarian development reveal that traditional agriculture is neither stationary nor efficient, that resource allocation cannot be separated from wealth distribution or production organization, that forms of surplus appropriation do not necessarily follow the dictates of efficiency, that the social relations of production may inhibit accumulation and determine the forms of technological change, that the state's role in primitive accumulation is more economic than explicitly coercive/political, and that political and macroeconomic constraints preclude a simple ‘get the prices right’ view of the intersectoral terms of trade. The thrust of these developments is to challenge both neoclassical and some orthodox Marxian formulations of agrarian development issues and add to the insights to be gleaned from a political economy of development.
Phase stability, sintering, and thermal conductivity of plasma-sprayed ZrO2–Gd2O3 compositions for potential thermal barrier coating applications

Abstract Structural changes resulting from sintering and phase transformation limit the high-temperature durability of ZrO2-based thermal barrier coatings (TBCs). The objective of this study was to investigate the use of Gd2O3 as a stabilizer for ZrO2-based TBC compositions. The influence of Gd2O3 concentration (4–20 mol.%) on the sintering and phase stability of plasma-sprayed ZrO2 powders was investigated and the data were compared with those for the state-of-the-art Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2. At an equivalent concentration (4 mol.%), Gd2O3-stabilized ZrO2 sintered more slowly but had a lower resistance to destabilization of the metastable tetragonal (t′) phase, when compared to Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2. The thermal conductivity of Gd2O3-stabilized ZrO2 was lower than that of Y2O3-stabilized ZrO2. Factors influencing the sintering and phase transformation of plasma-sprayed Gd2O3-stabilized ZrO2 are discussed.
Germanium telluride nanowires and nanohelices with memory-switching behavior.

We report the synthesis of single-crystalline GeTe nanowires (NWs) and nanohelices (NHs) using a vapor transport method assisted by metal catalysts. The NWs have typical diameters of 65 ± 20 nm and lengths reaching up to 50 μm, while NHs have an average helix diameter of 135 ± 30 nm, with widely varying pitches. Electron microscopy and diffraction measurements show that these NWs and NHs are single crystalline and exhibit a rhombohedral structure. The devices incorporating individual GeTe NWs exhibit nonvolatile resistance changes associated with voltage-driven crystalline−amorphous transitions, suggesting that these NWs can be the basis of an electrically driven nonvolatile memory.
Punctate keratoses of the palms and soles and keratotic pits of the palmar creases

Punctate keratosis of the palms and soles and keratotic pits of the palmar creases are frequently confused. A prospective study of 283 patients revealed a prevalence of 11% and 3%, respectively, in a metropolitan county hospital dermatology clinic. Punctate keratosis of the palms and soles and keratotic pits of the palmar creases are similar in size, number of lesions per palm, aggravation by trauma, and predominance in blacks and in men. These entities are different in appearance, distribution, age at onset, prevalence, symptoms, and prognosis. Punctate keratosis of the palms and soles and keratotic pits of the palmar creases should be considered independent entities. To help eliminate confusion, we propose that punctate keratoses refer only to the hyperkeratotic papules scattered diffusely in the palms and occasionally in the soles and that keratotic pits of the palmar creases refer only the hyperkeratotic, conical depressions confined to the palmar creases.
Radiology's ethical responsibility for healthcare reform: Tempering the overutilization of medical imaging and trimming down a heavyweight

In this review we describe the problem of overutilization of high-cost imaging modalities, especially magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT). The overuse of CT is numerically more dramatic and also carries with it the not insignificant risk of harm to patients, namely, induction of radiation-induced malignancies. We report what is known of these risks in various imaging scenarios. The use of Radiology Business Managers is described as a means adopted to control overuse and the limitations of this strategy. The imperative of appropriate utilization is focused on, with emphasis placed on computer-based medical decision support. Impediments to appropriate use, however, exist, with concerns of medicolegal liability high on the list of these issues. Finally, we recommend that radiologists take the lead in the reform process by implementing strategies such as decision support.
Evaluations of Whole Chopped Kenaf and Kenaf Core Used as a Broiler Litter Material

Abstract Various physical and chemical properties of a mixture of pine shavings and sawdust (PS), kenaf core (KC), and whole chopped kenaf (WK) were determined in two successive broiler trials. In Trial 1, each material was placed into pens at a depth of approximately 11 cm. Litter from four replicate pens of each material was analyzed periodically for pH, N, and moisture. Body weight, feed consumption, breast blisters, manure burns, and litter caking scores were determined at the end of each trial. Prior to Trial 2, all litter was turned and WK and KC were topdressed to attain similar litter weights in pens among treatments. In both trials, litter N and moisture increased at each sampling time. The WK and KC had higher moisture and N content throughout both trials. Litter pH increased throughout Trial 1 and reached a maximum value of 8.75 at the end of the trial. In Trial 2, pH values were inconsistent but values over 8.0 were maintained. Litter type had no effect on body weight, feed conversion, breast blister, and manure burn scores in either trial. The WK and KC exhibited significantly more caking than PS.
Atomic arrangement at the AlN/SiC interface

The lattice structure of the AlN/SiC interface has been studied in cross section by high-resolution transmission-electron microscopy. Lattice images show planar and crystallographically abrupt interfaces. The atomic arrangement at the plane of the interface is analyzed based on the image characteristics. Possible bonding configurations are discussed. Variations in local image contrast and interplanar separations are used to identify atomic bonding configurations consistent with the lattice images. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
Aseismic base isolation: review and bibliography

Abstract The idea that a building can be uncoupled from the damaging effects of the ground movement produced by a strong earthquake has appealed to inventors and engineers for more than a century. Many ingenious devices have been proposed to achieve this result, but very few have been tried and the concept now generally referred to as base isolation or seismic isolation has yet to become acceptable to the engineering profession as a whole. Although most of the proposed systems are unacceptably complicated, in recent years a few practical systems have emerged and have been implemented. While some of these systems have been tested on large-scale shaking tables, none has to date been tested as built by a strong earth tremor. The shake testing and related static testing of full-scale components such as isolation bearings, however, has led to a certain degree of acceptance by the profession and it is possible that the number of practical implementations of base isolation will increase quite dramatically in the next few years. This review summarizes much of the literature on theoretical aspects of seismic isolation, describes testing programmes and enumerates those isolation systems which have been used in buildings completed or under construction. It describes the characteristics of the various implemented systems with an indication of their range of applicability and some assessment of their development as backed by research. A bibliography of all papers published on the topic from 1900 to 1984 is included. The bibliography is as complete as possible, but, due to the rapid increase in research interest in the topic in the past few years, there may be a substantial degree of omission in the later years.
Soft X-ray emission from a CO2 laser-heated Z-pinch plasma

We report results of soft X-ray measurements in which a high-power (1010–1011 W/cm2) CO2 laser was used to heat a near critical density (<1019 cm−3) helium Z-pinch plasma. Frequency-integrated X-ray data show that the unheated Z-pinch plasma is Maxwellian with a temperature of about 30 eV. During laser heating, the X-ray emissions were enhanced over the unheated emissions. Analysis of the experimental X-ray spectra indicate that the low-energy portion of the X-ray emission spectrum (up to 600 eV) is enhanced over the baseline 30 eV Maxwellian emissions. This result is consistent with an inverse bremsstrahlung-modified distribution which results when the plasma heating rate is more rapid than the collisional thermalization rate. These results suggest that it may be possible to enhance the soft X-ray yield of a plasma lithographic source with laser heating.
Expression of transforming growth factors-α and β1 messenger RNA and product by eosinophils in nasal polyps☆

Nasal polyps are thought to develop as a manifestation of a chronic inflammatory process involving the upper airways. The eosinophil characteristically represents a prominent component of the inflammatory cell infiltrate of these lesions. However, the major clinical problem associated with nasal polyps, nasal obstruction, reflects the proliferation of the stromal and epithelial elements, which constitute the bulk of these lesions. We recently reported that blood eosinophils of patients with hypereosinophilia can produce the cytokines transforming growth factors-alpha (TGF-alpha) and beta 1 (TGF-beta 1). These cytokines have many biologic activities, which include the regulation of epithelial proliferation, the promotion of extracellular matrix formation, and the induction of angiogenesis. We therefore used in situ hybridization to determine whether the eosinophils that infiltrate nasal polyps express TGF-alpha and/or TGF-beta 1 messenger RNA and used immunohistochemistry to determine whether these eosinophils also express TGF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 proteins. We found that eosinophils represented a major source of both transforming growth factors in each case of nasal polyposis examined and that in most cases the majority of all eosinophils expressed both TGF-alpha and TGF-beta 1. These results suggest that production of TGF-alpha and TGF-beta 1 by the infiltrating eosinophils may contribute to some of the pathologic changes observed in nasal polyposis, such as thickening of the epithelial basement membrane, stromal fibrosis, angiogenesis, and epithelial and glandular hyperplasia.
Idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation – treatment with anti-D immunoglobulin

A 38-year-old man developed idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) 8 months following allogeneic BMT while being treated for cGVHD with corticosteroids and tacrolimus (FK506). He received two courses of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IvIG) which resulted in transient improvement. A single dose of intravenous anti-D immunoglobulin induced a durable response. Anti-D immunoglobulin is better tolerated, less complicated to administer, and less expensive than a course of IvIG.
“Where can Americans talk politics: Civil society, intimacy, and the case for deep citizenship”

Voluntary associations are often said to be the fount of democracy. They are said to foster all sorts of goods in citizens, simultaneously: solidarity and trust, wide‐ranging deliberation, political knowledge, broadened horizons, and political power. This essay explores the tensions between these different goods. First, using Michael Schudson's historical study, The Good Citizen, and my own fieldwork in a range of voluntary associations as springboards for questioning, the essay asks how people in everyday conversations create these different, possibly incompatible goods. The essay argues that contemporary speech genres for voluntary associations resonate deeply with the very discrepant, clashing forms of citizenship Schudson discovered in past eras of American history. Finally, using some tentative ethnographic evidence from intimate settings and bureaucratic settings, the essay asks how people might cultivate some of these goods in institutions that are not “voluntary associations,” that do not just mee...
Race, Concentrated Poverty, Social Isolation, and Political Behavior

The author examines the relative impact of concentrated-poverty neighborhoods and social isolation on the political behavior of white and black inner-city residents. She demonstrates that social isolation undermines the political participation of blacks and that residence in concentrated-poverty neighborhoods is most detrimental to the political participation of whites. The effects of social isolation and concentrated-poverty neighborhoods exert substantively and statistically significant effects on the political behavior of whites as well as blacks above and beyond the influences of human capital characteristics and sociopolitical resources.
Rare Diseases Research: Expanding Collaborative Translational Research Opportunities

Extensive public-private partnerships, including the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the rare diseases community, which is seeing a renewed industry interest in smaller niche markets, have resulted in an increase of interventions for rare diseases. Significant collaborative efforts are required among the pharmaceutical industry, foundations, patient-advocacy groups, academic and government investigators and funding programs, regulatory scientists, and reimbursement agencies to meet the unmet diagnostic and treatment needs for approximately 25 million people in the United States with 7,000 rare diseases. The expanding role and outreach activities of patient-advocacy groups have increased public awareness. In the United States, a rare disease is defined as a disorder or condition with a prevalence of $3.5 billion for rare diseases research, including $750 million for orphan product development activities, nearly 11.4% of the NIH research budget. Several research institutes and centers of the NIH, including the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, have initiated varied translational research efforts to address the absence of preclinical and clinical data required for regulatory review purposes. Clinicians can expect to see significant increases in requests from patients and their families to participate in patient registries and natural history or observational studies to gather specific information from a larger pool of patients on the progression of the disease or response to treatments. An expanding emphasis on rare diseases provides hope for the millions of patients with rare diseases.
A standard-based context sensitive service architecture for digital object dissemination

This paper describes a context sensitive service architecture for digital object dissemination based on OpenURL and MPEG-21 Digital Item Adaptation (DIA). This architecture entails representing service requests using the OpenURL ContextObjects and conveying the ContextObject Representations with the OpenURL Transport. The rich expressiveness of the Usage Environment Description (UED) tool defined in the MPEG-21 DIA standard can then be incorporated into the OpenURL ContextObject by means of OpenURL extensibility mechanism, and the MPEG-21 DIA adaptation engine can be used to construct highly customizable and adaptive context sensitive dissemination services for institutional repositories.
Energy density of diets reported by American adults: association with food group intake, nutrient intake, and body weight.

Recent reports suggest that dietary energy density may play a role in regulation of food intake. However, little is known about the energy density of diets consumed by free-living populations; therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine demographic, health, and nutritional correlates of energy density of self-reported diets. Using data from the NHANES III (n=13 400), dietary energy density was defined three ways: (1) energy content (kJ/g) of all foods and beverages reported or ED1, (2) energy content (kJ/g) of all foods and energy yielding beverages or ED2, and (3) energy content (kJ/g) of all foods (no beverages) or ED3. Multiple linear or logistic regression methods were used to examine the association of energy density with intake of energy, nutrients, food groups, and body mass index (BMI). We computed the ratios of within- to between-person variance for the three energy density variables using the second recall obtained from the second exam subsample of NHANES III (n=1037). The mean ED1, ED2, and ED3, respectively, were 3.84±0.02, 5.45±0.03, and 8.03±0.03. Dietary intakes of energy, fat, and low-nutrient-density foods were related positively, but amounts of micronutrients, fruit, and vegetables were related inversely with all types of energy density (P<0.0001). ED2 and ED3 were modest positive predictors of BMI in both men and women (P≤0.03). The ratios of within- to between-person components of variance for ED1, ED2, and ED3 were 1.34, 2.05, and 1.53, respectively. High-energy-density diets in the US were characterized by low fruit and vegetable intake, and high BMI.
Computerized Solution for Calculating Calcite Compression and Tension Axes

A computer program has been written in FORTRAN IV to calculate compression and tension axes for calcite. The basic procedure involves solution of a series of spherical triangles from universal-stage input data.
A system of two Heavisidian Monopoles

In this letter, using a Heavisidian potential energy equal to -h 0 2 /r in the Schrodinger equation, we roughly calculate the energies involved in a system of two Heavisidian monopoles.
Sex Offender Registries A Content Analysis

A handful of highly publicized sexual assault cases served as the impetus for the passage of sex offender legislation, culminating in the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act (2006), which ca...
Performance of DS/SSMA communications in impulsive channels. II. Hard-limiting correlation receivers

For pt.I see ibid., vol.COM-35, no.11, p.1179-88 (1987). In part I it was demonstrated that impulsive channel noise can be a serious detriment to the performance of direct-sequence spread-spectrum multiple-access (DS/SSMA) communications when conventional linear correlation reception is used. Here, a hard-limiting correlator as an alternative for reception of multiple-access transmission in impulsive channels is considered. For K asynchronous binary PSK DS/SSMA users sharing a linear channel corrupted by impulsive noise that is modeled at the output of the front-end filter of the receiver, techniques are developed for analyzing bit error probabilities of this hard-limiting receiver by exact computation for short spreading sequences, by approximation for longer spreading sequences, and by asymptotic limits for infinitely long spreading sequences. Performance is compared to that of the linear correlator under a variety of conditions, showing that hard-limiting correlation reception can offer substantial improvement over conventional systems in impulsive channels. However, the linear receiver is more effective against multiple-access noise only, and so a tradeoff emerges between rejection of impulsive noise and rejection of multiple-access interference. >
Paranophrys marina n. g., n. sp., a New Ciliate Associated with a Hydroid from the Northeast Pacific (Ciliata: Hymenostomatida)*

SYNOPSIS. The ciliate, Paranophrys marina n. g., n. sp., is described from a marine hydroid, Plumularia sp., collected in the San Juan Archipelago, Washington. Morphological studies were made on specimens treated with the Chatton-Lwoff silver impregnation technique. Particular attention is given to the infraciliature of the buccal apparatus and its importance in generic and familial assignment within the order HYMENOSTOMATIDA.
Heterogeneous clearance of antithymocyte globulin after CD34+-selected allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation

Antithymocyte globulins (ATG) are purified, concentrated preparations of polyclonal immunoglobulin G from hyperimmune serum of horses or rabbits immunized with human thymus lymphocytes. Both the horse and the rabbit products induce immunosuppression as a result of lymphocyte depletion and immune modulation. The exact mechanism of action is unknown but may include T-cell clearance from the circulation and modulation of T-cell activation, homing, and cytotoxic activities. Both horse and rabbit ATG include multiple antibodies against T-cell surface antigens and have been used extensively in allogeneic hematopoietic progenitor cell transplantation (HPCT) for the treatment and prevention of graft-versus-host disease or graft rejection. To quantify the active ATG after HPCT, we developed a flow-based assay to measure residual ATG capable of binding to lymphocytes. In contrast to prior assays that measure total rabbit or horse immunoglobulin, this assay quantitates only the antibody capable of binding to lymphocytes, which presumably reflects the functionally active fraction of the xenoantiserum. Thirty patients with hematologic malignancies underwent T cell-depleted HPCT and had ATG levels assayed during the peritransplantation period. The time required for ATG levels to decay to background was quite variable (mean, 46 days; range, 14-91 days), although most patients demonstrated a rapid early clearance followed by a slower decline. The actual mean half-life was 6.8 days (range, 2.4-14.0 days). The persistence of ATG for months after administration has significant implications for the pace of immune reconstitution after transplantation and is a potentially confounding variable in any study that involves early administration of donor lymphocyte infusions or other cellular transfer. These findings indicate that ATG levels should be explicitly measured in studies that involve early donor lymphocyte administration so that proper conclusions regarding dose, safety, and efficacy can be reached.
Plastic scintillator centrality detector for BRAHMS

Abstract An array of 40 tiles of thin plastic scintillators is used to construct the outer layer of the charged particle multiplicity detector for the BRAHMS experiment at the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC). Each tile is a square with 12 cm long sides and 5 mm thickness. The light from each of the scintillators is collected by wavelength shifting fibers embedded on the periphery. The light collection is uniform within 5% over the tile with the edge effect limited to 4 mm along the edge. The response is found to be linear in the high-multiplicity environment at RHIC with Au+Au beams at s NN of 200 GeV .
Effect of background detail on CD curve slope in CT head images

ABSTRACT The purpose of this work was to analy ze the influence of background structure on the slopes of contrast-detail (CD) curves in CT images acquired in unifor m phantoms, anthropomorphic head phantoms, and in clinical head CT images. Alternative forced-choice (AFC) studies were performed using CT images acquired in uniform (water) phantoms, anthropomorphic (RANDO and ATOM) phantoms, and clinical head scans. The AFC experiments measure the lesion contrast (I 92% ) that corresponds to 92% detection efficiency. The AF C experimental results were plotted as a function of lesion size to produce CD curves, and the slopes of the curves determined when plotted on log-log axes. The Rose model of detection predicts a slope of -1.0 for disk lesions in uniform backgrounds and white noise. CD curve slopes showed a progression that depends on the complexity of the background structure in the CT images. For uniform water phantom images, the slope averaged -0.9, which is close to that predicted by the Rose model. For the anthropomorphic phantoms, the slope averaged -0.56, and for the patient scan s the average slope was -0.20. The slope of CD curves depends strongly on the background structure of the images in which the lesions are embedded, with increased background structure leading to decreased CD curve slopes. The Rose model reasonably predicts the slopes for CD curves acquired in unif orm phantoms, but is a poor predictor of slopes in clinical head images. Key Words: CT; observer performance; a lternative forced choice; lesion detection
The effects of testosterone implants on ovarian morphology in the bluehead wrasse, Thalassoma bifasciatum (Bloch) (Teleostei: Labridae)

The effects of exogenous testosterone pellet implants at 21 and 40 days on the ovary of Thalassoma bifasciatum, a protogynous marine fish, are described. The characteristic markings of the terminal blue phase appeared by 4 to 5 days and were complete by 18 days. There was no shift in sex ratio in the treated fish when compared to an untreated control group. None of the ovaries showed signs of precocious transformation, i.e., spermatogenic tissue was lacking, and there was no evidence of duct formation. Instead, however, the ovaries of the treated fish showed marked degenerative changes characterized by oocyte breakdown, fat infiltration, vacuolization, the accumulation of fibrous PAS+ material and the appearance of small eosinophilic cells. These findings conflict with earlier studies on the same organism that employed different procedures. However, they resemble more closely the results obtained from work on another protogynoid, the ricefield eel, Monopterus albus. They add new light on the role of sex hormones in the reversal process of T. bifasciatum and hermaphroditic fishes in general.
Water-selective spectral-spatial contrast-enhanced breast MRI for cancer detection in patients with extracapsular and injected free silicone.

Abstract Objective This study investigates the use of contrast-enhanced, T1-weighted, water-selective spectral–spatial 3D gradient echo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) with magnetization transfer (3DSSMT) for detecting breast cancer in patients with intraparenchymal silicone. Conclusion Water-selective 3DSSMT provides superior fat and silicone suppression in patients with free silicone as compared with conventional fat saturation. It enables direct, high-quality, high-spatial-resolution, T1-weighted breast MRI of contrast enhancement without the need for subtraction processing and aids diagnosis of cancer in the breast with free silicone.
Multi-color, multi-user operation at the Stanford free electron laser center

Abstract Requests for beam time at the Stanford Picosecond Free Electron Laser Center far exceed the amount available. We describe our efforts to increase the available beam time by interleaving pulse trains of different wavelengths and delivering these to different users, and present some of our results.
Simulation and economic evaluation of a solar evaporation system for concentrating sodium chloride brines

Abstract An hourly simulation program has been developed for detailed modeling of an evaporation surface (ES) and an evaporation pond (EP) for reconcentration of a solar pond's (SP's) surface brine. The results are relevant to other systems in which it is desirable to concentrate a brine. The simulation results are used in three ways: first, for a general comparison of brine reconcentration performance for a variety of locations; second, development of an ES design method based on long term monthly averaged weather data; and third, an economic comparison between ESs and EPs. The results show that regions with moderate to high precipitation favor ESs over EPs. Dry climates will generally favor EPs for brine reconcentration.
Functional integration of fetal cortical grafts into the afferent pathway of the rat somatosensory cortex (SmI).

Abstract The Somatosensory area of fetal (E15–16) Sprague-Dawley rat neocortex was implanted into the barrel receptor area of adult first somatosensory cortex (SmI) to determine if it could be integrated into the host vibrissa-cortical pathway. Functional integration was tested 3–6 months later using the 2-deoxyglucose [44,45] (2-dg) method for estimation of glucose utilization. A variety of control grafts (cerebellum in SmI cortex, neocortex outside the host SmI cortex and appropriately placed neocortex in non-stimulated hosts) all had uniform 2-dg uptake (70 ± 10 μ mol/100 g/min) throughout each graft which averaged 42% less than nonstimulated host SmI cortex (121 ± 6 μ mol/100 g/min; p μ mol/100 g/min; p μ mol/100 g/min) than control grafts ( p
RHIC electron detector signal processing design

The RHIC gold beam intensity is presently limited by pressure rise at some warm sections, and the main cause is thought to be the electron cloud. For the FY2003 RHIC run, a system has been installed to characterize the electron cloud, if it exists. The system is comprised of electron detectors, high voltage bias supplies, signal amplifiers, and data acquisition electronics, all integrated into the control system. The 11 detectors are grouped into four locations, one in an interaction region and three in single beam straight sections. This paper describes the signal processing design of the detector system, and includes data collected from the FY2003 run.
Effect of magnetic viscosity on the angular dependence of coercive field in particulate recording media

In order to demonstrate the effect of magnetic viscosity on the angular dependence of a coercive field, H/sub c/, the authors measured H/sub c/ as a function of the angle of the applied field for IBM 3480 CrO/sub 2/ tape, JVC Super-VHS Co- gamma Fe/sub 2/O/sub 3/ tape, and a 0.3 mu m Co-Cr film with perpendicular anisotropy, at 4.2 K, 77 K, and 300 K. The data are compared to the numerical simulation of a modified Stoner-Wohlfarth model which includes thermally activated reversals of the magnetic moments of an ideal assembly of particles. The model suggests that, as temperature increases, H/sub c/ is reduced by a larger factor when the angle between the applied field and the alignment direction is small. Experimental evidence for this behavior is found in the CrO/sub 2/ and Co-Cr samples. It is concluded that, for some common magnetic recording media magnetic viscosity effects must be evaluated before one can infer a magnetization reversal mechanism from H/sub c/ vs. angle data. >
NUMERICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF A NEW NONLINEAR ENERGY SINK FOR PASSIVE SHOCK MITIGATION

A new device functioning as an efficient nonlinear energy sink (NES) is explored here. The device consists of a mass coupled to a two-story linear test structure through a single-sided vibro-impact (VI) nonlinearity in one direction and a weak linear spring in both directions. This design is found to be more efficient for passive targeted energy transfer (TET) than existing NESs. It absorbs and rapidly dissipates a significant amount of the impulsive energy induced in the linear structure. In addition, some of this initial energy is pumped to higher modes of the structure and efficiently dissipated there. The numerical results have verified that the proposed single-sided VI NES maintains high level of performance over a broad range of high input energies. It performs near to its optimum even for severe induced shocks. Moreover, the numerical results have been experimentally verified; good agreement between numerical predictions and experimental findings was observed.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Biotic disturbance and benthic community dynamics in salmon‐bearing streams

1. Organisms can impact ecosystems via multiple pathways, often with positive and negative impacts on inhabitants. Understanding the context dependency of these types of impacts remains challenging. For example, organisms may perform different functions at different densities. 2. Anadromous salmon accumulate > 99% of their lifetime growth in marine ecosystems, and then return to spawn, often at high densities, in relatively confined freshwaters. While previous research has focused on how salmon nutrients can fertilize benthic communities, we examined how an ecosystem engineer, sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, influences seasonal dynamics of stream benthic communities through their nest-digging activities in south-western Alaska, USA. Benthic invertebrate and algal abundance were quantified every 7-14 days during the open water seasons of 10 streams in riffle and run habitats across multiple years, leading to 25 different stream-year combinations that spanned a large gradient of salmon density. 3. In streams with few or no salmon, benthic algal and insect biomass were fairly constant throughout the season. However, in streams with more than 0.1 salmon m(-2), algal and insect biomass decreased by an average of 75-85% during salmon spawning. Algal biomass recovered quickly following salmon disturbance, occasionally reaching pre-salmon biomass. In contrast, in streams with more than 0.1 salmon m(-2), aquatic insect populations did not recover to pre-salmon levels within the same season. We observed no positive impacts of salmon on algae or insects via fertilization from carcass nutrients. 4. Salmon, when their populations exceed thresholds in spawning density, are an important component of stream disturbance regimes and influence seasonal dynamics of benthic communities. Human activities that drive salmon densities below threshold densities, as has likely happened in many streams, will lead to altered seasonal dynamics of stream communities. Human activities that alter animal populations that are sources of biogenic disturbance can result in shifts in community dynamics.
Evolution of amber suppressor tRNAs for efficient bacterial production of proteins containing nonnatural amino acids

Open in a separate window Regions of the M. jannaschii tyrosyl tRNACUA thought to interact with elongation factor Tu were randomized, and the resulting tRNA libraries were subjected to in vitro evolution. The tRNAs identified resulted in significantly improved unnatural amino acid-containing protein yields. In some cases, the degree of improvement varied in an amino acid-dependent manner.
Direct and Moderating Effects of Human Capital on Strategy and Performance in Professional Service Firms: A Resource-Based Perspective

The current study examines the direct and moderating effects of human capital on professional service firm performance. The results show that human capital exhibits a curvilinear (U-shaped) effect and the leveraging of human capital a positive effect on performance. Furthermore, the results show that human capital moderates the relationship between strategy and firm performance, thereby supporting a resource-strategy contingency fit. The results contribute to knowledge on the resource-based view of the firm and the strategic importance of human capital.
Building Successful Home/School Partnerships: Strategies for Parent Support and Involvement

(1996). Building Successful Home/School Partnerships: Strategies for Parent Support and Involvement. Childhood Education: Vol. 72, No. 4, pp. 194-200.
Fabrication of a Babington-Type Nebulizer for ICP Sources

We describe a method for fabricating a Babington-type nebulizer which can be used for the analysis of clear, dilute solutions, solutions with suspended solids, and solutions containing high percentages of dissolved solids. The forerunner of this nebulizer has previously been described and although it performed satisfactorily, it was relatively difficult to fabricate and orifice sizes were limited by the problems associated with using very small diamond drills.
A Longitudinal Study of the Calcium Intake of Children from One to Eighteen Years of Age

vals and of the percentages of total protein derived from animal protein as well as of the percentages of each child’s caloric intake derived from total protein.4 The amounts of calcium consumed by the boys and girls of the Maturity Series are of interest and are reported in a manner similar to that used in the previous papers to which reference has been made. The methods used for collecting and analyzing the dietary intakes have already been described.2 The Burke Dietary History Method’ was used at each routine visit of the child to the clinic, semiannually in the early years and annually in the later years. The dietary data covering the entire childhoods of these 125 children are based on 2,707 nutrition histories, each history providing a quantitative appraisal of the average daily dietary of a child for the preced