cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
f-Element/crown ether complexes: 21. Conformational changes in metal complexed versus hydrogen bonded benzo-15-crown-5 in the structure of [Y(OH2)3(NCMe)-(benzo-15-crown-5)][ClO4]3·benzo-15-crown-5·CH3CN

Crystalline [Y(OH2)3(NCMe)(benzo-15-crown-5)][ClO4]3·benzo-15-crown-5-CH3CN can be obtained by slowly cooling a reaction mixture of Y(ClO4)3·n H2O with benzo-15-crown-5 in a solution of acetonitrile and methanol (3 : 1) from 60°C to room temperature. The crystal structure of this complex has been determined at −150 and 20°C. The complex is triclinic,P\(\bar 1\). At −150°C the cell parameters area = 11.986(4),b = 12.071(7),c = 16.364(5) A, α = 93.56(3),β = 98.68(3),γ = 109.68(4)°, vol = 2187 A3, andDcalc = 1.61 g cm−3 forZ = 2 formula units. 3633 independently observed [Fo ⩾ 5σ(Fo)] reflections were used in the final least-squares refinement leading to an agreement index ofR = 0.048. The Y(III) ion coordination geometry approximates a tricapped trigonal prism with three water molecules and three benzo-15-crown-5 oxygen atoms forming the prism, with the two remaining benzo-15-crown-5 oxygen atoms and the acetonitrile molecule completing the coordination as capping atoms. The three water molecules hydrogen bond a second crown ether molecule and two of the perchlorate anions. The two acetonitrile molecules have contacts with perchlorate oxygen atoms close enough for some weak interaction. One perchlorate is ordered, one is partially disordered as is the coordinated solvent molecule, and the third anion is totally disordered. The two unique crown ether molecules have distinctively different conformations.
Sequence-dependent conformations of short polypeptides in a hydrophobic environment.

Surfactants, which provide a hydrophobic environment, may induce an ordered conformation in polypeptides and proteins that contain a sequence with helix- or β-forming potential. This hypothesis has been illustrated in circular dichroic studies of oligopeptides and short polypeptides. These peptide-surfactant complexes can form (1) a helix, (2) a β-form, (3) either form (depending on experimental conditions), or can remain in (4) an ordered form. The induced helix is stable in a surfactant solution below or above its critical micellar concentration, whereas the induced β-form is usually converted back to an unordered form when the surfactant used is above its critical micellar concentration, or it is transformed into a helix in excess surfactant solution if the peptide has both the helix- and β-forming potential. In most cases the observed conformations agree with those predicted from the amino acid sequences of the peptides. The induced conformation of a peptide can be destabilized by charges on the side groups having the same sign as that of surfactant ions. Disulfide bonds can inhibit the formation of induced conformation because of steric hindrance. The terminal effect can prevent a peptide from forming an ordered conformation near the NH2- and COOH-terminus.
Distribution and bioaccumulation of heavy metals from produced water discharges to the gulf of mexico

Produced water, the largest volume waste generated during production of offshore gas and oil, is typically discharged into the ocean at the sea surface. Concentrations of some heavy metals, such as Cd, Pb, Fe and Ba, are enriched in produced water from the Gulf of Mexico relative to ambient seawater by factors of about 10 to >10,000. In contrast, concentrations of other metals in produced water, including Hg, Ni and V, are generally close to or less than those in seawater. Concern for enhanced bioaccumulation of metals from water surrounding oil platforms was addressed by analyzing mollusks collected within 10 m of the discharge pipe. No statistically significant differences in tissue levels of Ba, Cd, Hg, Ni, Pb or V were identified for clams ( Chama macerophylla ) or oysters ( Crassostrea virginica ) collected from production platforms with variable loadings of heavy metals. Sediment in discharge areas from the Gulf of Mexico often had elevated levels of Pb and Ba relative to Al; however, such enhancement is unlikely to be solely related to produced water.
Point-based standard optimization with life cycle assessment for product design

Abstract There has been a proliferation of building and product sustainability standards based on the success of the LEED™ program from the green building council for new commercial building construction. A feature of these standards is the accumulation of points for undertaking various activities of different types, such as improving energy efficiency. The combined points total leads to certification of the product at different performance levels. The question is whether the standards actually promote products that are better from a life cycle perspective, or whether the standards are biased towards certain activities based on a perception that some activities are inherently better than others (recycling or bio-based materials for example). In this work, we used optimization methods coupled with life cycle inventory information to explore this question. A carpet standard is used to compare the life cycle optimization against an optimization to earn the maximum number of points in the standard.
A stable, rapidly converging conjugate gradient method for energy minimization

We apply Shanno's conjugate gradient algorithm to the problem of minimizing the potential energy function associated with molecular mechanical calculations. Shanno's algorithm is stable with respect to roundoff errors and inexact line searches and converges rapidly to a minimum. Equally important, this algorithm can improve the rate of convergence to a minimum by a factor of 5 relative to Fletcher-Reeves or Polak-Ribiere minimizers when used within the molecular mechanics package AMBER. Comparable improvements are found for a limited number of simulations when the Polak-Ribiere direction vector is incorporated into the Shanno algorithm.
Preferred Freedoms: The Progressive Expansion of State Power and the Rise of Modern Civil Liberties Jurisprudence:

In this article I explore the origins of the tradition in constitutional law where by judges identify and extend special protections to a set of "preferred freedoms." I argue that American judges in the nineteenth century were in terested in constructing general protections for liberty broadly defined rather than special protections for a handful of particularly important liberties. They accomplished this by allowing legislative interferences with liberty only when it could be shown that the legislation promoted certain judicially approved public purposes. This limit on legislative power survived until the turn of this century when, in response to industrialization, progressive reformers agitated for an expansion of government powers beyond the limits established in traditional police powers jurisprudence In the 1920s and 1930s, those justices who helped usher in the expansion of state power drew on their familiarity with American pragmatism and their experiences with totalitarianism to forge a new consti...
Six-fermion ( B- L)-violating operators of arbitrary generational structure

Abstract We enumerate and construct the complete set of six-fermion SU(5)-invariant operators of arbitrary generational structure and prove that they, and, more generally, all six-fermion SU(3)c×SU(2)L×U(1)Y-invariant operators, violate (B−L) and, in the standard theory with no νR's, do so by ±2 units. The process for which the six-fermion SU(5)-invariant operators are most important is the n ↔ n transition. Accordingly, we enumerate and construct the complete set of multigenerational six-quark B − B operators which are invariant under SU(3)c×SU(2)L×U(1) and SU(3)c×U(1)e.m. and determine which of these contribute to n ↔ n transitions. An interesting result of this analysis is that the contributions of certain six-fermion operators containing higher-generation fields can dominate over those of entirely first-generation operators, despite mixing-angle suppression, because of much larger coefficient functions. Finally, we comment on the absolute n ↔ n transition rate and derive a new lower bound on the masses of color sextet (B−L)-violating Higgs bosons.
Src Homology 2 Domain-containing Phosphatase 2 (Shp2) Is a Component of the A-kinase-anchoring Protein (AKAP)-Lbc Complex and Is Inhibited by Protein Kinase A (PKA) under Pathological Hypertrophic Conditions in the Heart

Pathological cardiac hypertrophy (an increase in cardiac mass resulting from stress-induced cardiac myocyte growth) is a major factor underlying heart failure. Our results identify a novel mechanism of Shp2 inhibition that may promote cardiac hypertrophy. We demonstrate that the tyrosine phosphatase, Shp2, is a component of the A-kinase-anchoring protein (AKAP)-Lbc complex. AKAP-Lbc facilitates PKA phosphorylation of Shp2, which inhibits its protein-tyrosine phosphatase activity. Given the important cardiac roles of both AKAP-Lbc and Shp2, we investigated the AKAP-Lbc-Shp2 interaction in the heart. AKAP-Lbc-tethered PKA is implicated in cardiac hypertrophic signaling; however, mechanism of PKA action is unknown. Mutations resulting in loss of Shp2 catalytic activity are also associated with cardiac hypertrophy and congenital heart defects. Our data indicate that AKAP-Lbc integrates PKA and Shp2 signaling in the heart and that AKAP-Lbc-associated Shp2 activity is reduced in hypertrophic hearts in response to chronic β-adrenergic stimulation and PKA activation. Thus, while induction of cardiac hypertrophy is a multifaceted process, inhibition of Shp2 activity through AKAP-Lbc-anchored PKA is a previously unrecognized mechanism that may promote compensatory cardiac hypertrophy.
Linearly and nonlinearly chirped Bragg gratings fabricated on curved fibers

We can introduce chirping, or a variation in the periodicity of a Bragg grating, into an optical fiber by writing gratings on curved optical fibers. By precisely specifying the curvature, we can obtain linear, quadratic, and square-root chirped gratings. Experimental and numerical verifications of the relationships between curvature and grating characteristics are presented.
AN INTRODUCTION TO ALLAN GIBBARD’S HARVARD SEMINAR PAPER

This note provides an introduction to the accompanying article by Allan Gibbard that was originally written for the 1968–69 Harvard graduate seminar conducted by Kenneth Arrow, John Rawls and Amartya Sen.
Performance of Fluorescent Molecular Tomography in Highly Heterogeneous Media

We study the influence of absorption heterogeneity and background fluorescence in three-dimensional fluorescent tomographic reconstruction. We further experimentally demonstrate methods that yield highly accurate tomographic performance appropriate for in-vivo imaging.
Effects of immobilization on Achilles tendon healing in a rat model.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of immobilization and mobilization on the functional and biomechanical recovery of injured Achilles tendons. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were allocated randomly into four groups: (a) sham operation, (b) division only (surgical transection of the Achilles tendon without immobilization), (c) “dummy” external fixation (division of the Achilles tendon and application of Kirschner wires), and (d) rigid external fixation (division of the Achilles tendon and immobilization with Kirschner wires connected by two triangular frames). All procedures were performed on the right lower limb; the left, uninjured, lower limb served as an internal control. Kirschner wires and external fixators were removed on day 12. Functional performance was determined from measurements of hind pawprints of rats walking preoperatively and on postoperative days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, and 15. On day 15, the animals were killed and biomechanical evaluations were performed on both the injured and the uninjured Achilles tendon constructs. No functional or mechanical deficits were observed in the sham-operation group. Animals subjected to division of the Achilles tendon had an initial functional deficit that returned to near normal by day 15. The application of Kirschner wires was associated with an impairment of the functional performance of the rat as well as of the mechanical properties of the tendon-bone constructs. Immobilization by connection of the Kirschner wires to an external frame had an additional, highly significant (p < 0.001) detrimental effect on the functional and mechanical recovery of Achilles tendon-calcaneal complexes.
Finite Element Analysis and Experiment Validation of Highly Reliable Silicon and Glass Interposers-to-Printed Wiring Board SMT Interconnections

Interposers that support high input/output density are becoming critical for system miniaturization and high performance. Silicon and glass are emerging as the primary candidates for such high-density interposers, due to their outstanding dimensional stability, which enables layer-to-layer wiring with small vias. However, silicon and glass have very low coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE), 3–8 ${\rm ppm}/^{\circ}{\rm C}$ , compared with organic printed wiring board (PWB), which has a CTE of 12–18 ${\rm ppm}/^{\circ}{\rm C}$ . The large CTE mismatch between interposer and board raises reliability concern with the ball grid array interconnections. In this paper, compliant dielectric build-up layers laminated on silicon and glass interposers are explored as stress buffers to reduce the strain accumulated in solder interconnections. Finite element method was used to analyze the thermo-mechanical reliability of the interconnections, and predict the fatigue life of solder joints. Three types of low-CTE interposer materials were studied, low-CTE glass (3 ${\rm ppm}/^{\circ}{\rm C}$ ), high-CTE glass (8 ${\rm ppm}/^{\circ}{\rm C}$ ), and silicon (2.7 ${\rm ppm}/^{\circ}{\rm C}$ ). Test vehicles with the above three interposers at a size of 7.2 mm $\times\,$ 7.2 mm with 25- $\mu{\rm m}$ -thick polymer stress buffers laminated on both sides were fabricated, and assembled on organic FR-4 boards using Sn96.5Ag3Cu0.5 solder. The reliability of the solder interconnections, with the three different test vehicles, was studied using thermal cycling test from ${-}{40}^{\circ}{\rm C}$ to 125 $^{\circ}{\rm C}$ . The high-CTE glass sample was observed to survive 1800 thermal cycles before the first failure was detected in one of the corner joints. Experimental results of fatigue life of interconnections agreed well with finite element modeling results, and reliable interconnections between low-CTE interposer and organic PWB using stress buffers were demonstrated. Based on the validated model, parametric study was conducted to explore the influence of geometry and material properties of interposer on the thermo-mechanical reliability of the solder interconnections, as a guideline for interconnection design of similar interposers.
Global maternal mortality: contributing factors and strategies for change.

Worldwide every minute of every day a woman dies as a result of pregnancy or childbirth; this is more than half a million women a year worldwide. This article based on this author’s invited talk to the United Nations explores the topic of global maternal mortality. It describes the most common causes of maternal death (hemorrhage infection unsafe abortion pregnancy induced hypertension and obstructed labor) explains why maternal mortality remains so high in developing countries and also invites the readers to look beyond the statistics and to visualize the faces of women and listen to the individual stories of women’s lives. The author argues that a model for reduction of global maternal mortality should be based on the knowledge skills and healthcare practices of the woman her family the community and healthcare delivery systems. Globally levels of maternal mortality have remained stable since 1995 (World Health Organization [WHO] 2001). Why do women continue to die during pregnancy and childbirth when we have the knowledge skills and technology to prevent these deaths? The purpose of this article is to provide a definition of terms and a statistical profile of global maternal mortality discuss the challenges in the accurate measurement of maternal mortality review the causes of global maternal mortality present data on what factors are associated with reduction in maternal mortality and describe innovative strategies currently being implemented that can meet identified needs need little technology are relatively inexpensive and are sustainable. (excerpt)
Novel use of monodisperse granules to deconvolute impacts of granule size versus granule solid fraction on tablet tensile strength

Abstract Dry granulation processes such as roller compaction produce granules that are poly-disperse in both size and solid fraction, making it difficult to deconvolute the effect of granule size and solid fraction on tablet compaction. To overcome this issue, small cylindrical compacts of microcrystalline cellulose are used as model dry granules which have the advantage of being monodisperse in both size and solid fraction. In addition, size and solid fraction of monodisperse granules can be independently varied and precisely controlled. Monodisperse granules of microcrystalline cellulose with solid fractions in the range 0.4–0.8 were compressed to give tablets with solid fractions in the range 0.72–0.84. Tablet tensile strength was measured by diametrical compression of the tablets. Results showed a strong linear relationship (with negative slope) between the tablet tensile strength and granule solid fraction. Tensile strength increased linearly with the apparent deformation potential (difference between the tablet solid fraction and initial granule solid fraction) for all tablet solid fractions. Results also showed that contrary to popular perception, granule size had no statistical impact on the tablet tensile strength.
OUT OF SIGHT, OUT OF MIND: Thoughts on Gary Marx's Essay on “Thomas I. Voire”

(2002). Out of Sight, Out of Mind: Thoughts on Gary Marx's Essay on “Thomas I. Voire”. The Sociological Quarterly: Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 435-438.
Progress in dietary behavior change.

SYNOPSIS Nutrition has important influences on health and mortality. Public response to current dietary guidance is indicated by positive movement on some indicators, notably reductions in calories from fat and in blood cholesterol levels. Downstream case finding and intensive educational and behavioral interventions are often effective for high risk and motivated subjects and for persons with diet-related disease. Midstream environmental changes (e.g., in grocery stores, schools) proffer improved nutritional choices and supports. Individualized dietary counseling has yet to become the norm. Despite recent upstream success in developing broad dietary guidance and improving nutrition labeling policies, numerous avenues remain open for aggressive national policy developments. Emerging studies and continuing improvement in intervention methods, measurement, and research design will help realize the preventive effects of healthful diets.
Replacement of a summation by an integration in structural acoustics

An analytical formulation of a transfer function pertaining to a simple structural model is used both to examine the result of replacing a summation by an integration and to interpret this result. The model consists of a coated plate immersed in fluid media on either side. The first fluid interfaces the coating atop and is semi-infinite in extent. The second fluid interfaces the bottom of the plate and terminates at a baffle that defines a reflection coefficient. An external drive is placed on a plane that lies in the fluid between the plate and the baffle. Focus is centered on the transfer function between a spectral component in the external drive and a spectral component on the interface with the top fluid. The presence of the baffle generates resonances and anti-resonances in this transfer function. These are discernible in those regions of the frequency domain in which the modal overlap parameters are less than unity. In those regions of the frequency domain in which the modal overlap parameters approach and exceed unity the resonances and the anti-resonances merge into values that are the same as those in the absence of the cavity. It transpires that replacing a summation by an integration is tantamount to artificially merging the resonances and the anti-resonances also in those regions in which the modal overlap parameters are less than unity. The merging, again, are into values that are the same as those in the absence of the cavity. It follows then that in those regions of the frequency domain where resonances and anti-resonances are present under summations, these resonances and anti-resonances are suppressed when the summations are replaced by integrations.
Visual neglect during intracarotid armobarbital testing

The unilateral suppression of hemispheric function by sodium amobarbital may result in hemispatial visual neglect, as measured by performance on a random letter cancellation task. Our study not only investigates this hypothesis but also attempts to identify more precisely the anatomic locus of control for directed attention to extrapersonal space by correlating scanning performance with EEG activity. Forty-eight consecutive patients with epilepsy underwent preoperative intracarotid amobarbital tests. The results indicated that disruption of scanning and contralateral neglect occurred only after right- hemisphere suppression and seemed specifically related to changes in right frontal lobe EEG activity. This pattern of perfor- mance held not only for right-handed subjects, but also for those who were left-handed, and even for those who had right- hemisphere language dominance.
Accurate and efficient evaluation of Green's functions for multilayer normally biased ferrite structures

This paper presents the closed form of the transmission matrix for a normally biased ferrite slab. Using this transmission matrix, Green's functions for multilayer ferrite structures can be numerically obtained in an accurate and efficient manner. The development of these Green's functions can be viewed in terms of simple analogous circuits. Green's functions obtained for several multilayer structures are compared to previously published results, and excellent agreement is achieved. As an application, the propagation constant for a single ferrite substrate is computed numerically using method of moments and compared to previously published results, and good agreement is achieved.
Latin American terrorism and the Soviet connection revisited

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, a number of scholars and journalists argued that the USSR was sponsoring terrorism as a means of low‐intensity conflict against the non‐communist world. This view was endorsed by the Reagan administration. This article assesses what substance there is behind such charges as they relate to Latin America. Its main argument is that sponsorship of terrorists has usually occurred as a byproduct of Soviet support of armed revolution as a tactic rather than for terrorism as such. Soviet willingness to assist armed struggle has varied over the last three decades. The article concludes that, given the current priorities of Soviet Latin American policy, Moscow's sponsorship of armed struggle, including terrorism, is decreasing and will almost certainly continue do so.
Some network thermodynamic models of coupled, dynamic physiological systems

Abstract A network thermodynamic method is presented which utilizes SPICE2, a computer program for simulating nonlinear electrical circuits, to model and simulate a number of nonlinear, dynamic physiological systems. Ordinary circuit diagrams are presented along with bond graph representations to facilitate translation into the simulation language. Examples discussed are a compartmental model of sodium flow in frog skin, coupled salt and volume flow in kidney proximal tubule and a cancer chemotherapeutic agent's permeation and metabolism in a cancer cell.
Stability of green fluorescent protein using luminescence spectroscopy: is GFP applicable to field analysis of contaminants?

Green fluorescent protein (GFP) was first isolated in the early 1970s for experimental use from coelenterates or the Pacific jellyfish, Aequorea victoria (Morin and Hastings, 1971). GFP has since become a favored biomarker in the photophysical analysis of molecular and cell biology because of its strong intrinsic visible fluorescence and the feasibility of fusing it to other proteins without affecting their normal functions (Creemers et al., 2000). Here we report using Bacillus subtilis expressing GFP to evaluate the influence of different environmental pH conditions on GFP fluorescence. Emission acquisitions were configured to excite at 471 nm and detect at an emission from 490 to 650 nm at 1-nm increments. Fluorescence intensity was significantly better at pH 7 (4.2×105 cps; P-value<0.01) than at acid or alkaline conditions. GFP is a good biomarker for environments near netural conditions: however, GFP may be unsuitable where soils or waters are below or above pH 7 because of loss in fluorescence intensity. Alternative fluorescent markers and delivery systems must be examined in different environments to optimize responses from bioreporter molecules.
The stability of a characterization of the bivariate Marshall-Olkin distribution

Abstract A new characterization of the bivariate Marshall-Olkin distribution is presented: it is shown that if a distribution possesses a certain bivariate NBU property, it is Marshall-Olkin if and only if a given function of the first and second moments and the hazard rates at the origin vanishes. The theory of probability metrics is utilized to analyze the stability of this characterization.
A region to the N-terminal side of the CTCF zinc finger domain is essential for activating transcription from the amyloid precursor protein promoter.

Transcription from the amyloid precursor protein (APP) promoter is largely dependent on a nuclear factor binding site designated as APBβ. The protein that binds to this site is the multifunctional transcription factor CTCF, which consists of 727 amino acids and contains a domain of 11 zinc finger motifs that is flanked by 267 amino acids on the N-terminal side and 150 amino acids on the C-terminal side. Depleting HeLa cell nuclear extract of endogenous CTCF specifically reduced transcriptional activity from the APPpromoter. However, transcriptional activity was restored by replenishing the depleted extract with recombinant CTCF. Deleting 201 amino acids from the C-terminal end of CTCF had no detrimental effect on transcriptional activation, whereas deleting either 248 or 284 amino acids from the N-terminal end abolished transcriptional activation. Competing endogenous CTCF in vivo was accomplished by cotransfecting COS-1 cells with a plasmid overexpressing CTCF constructs and a reporter plasmid containing the APPpromoter. Under these conditions, an N-terminal deletion of CTCF reduced expression from the APP promoter, whereas the C-terminal deletion had no effect. These results demonstrate that CTCF activates transcription from the APP promoter and that the activation domain is located on the N-terminal side of the zinc finger domain.
Damping theory and its application to neutron scattering by anharmonic crystals

The damping theory is developed in terms of projection operators, and an expression for the transition probability per unit time which is suitable to line-shape studies in general is obtained. This expression replaces the usual energy-conserving delta-function by a Lorentzian distribution whose width is equal to the difference of the widths of the initial and final states. Using this expression, a formula for the scattering cross-section of slow neutrons by an anharmonic crystal is derived. Expressions for the width and shift of lines corresponding to multiphonon events in general, and to a one-phonon event as a special case, are obtained, and investigated in the zero- and high-temperature limits. The results are compared to those obtained previously. It is found that the inverse of the phonon lifetime is expressible in terms of the difference of the widths of the crystal states, as obtained by Brout. The shift formula is shown to be in agreement at all temperatures with that obtained by Maradudin and Fein, and others. The width formula agrees with theirs only in the zero-temperature limit. In the high-temperature limit, the present formula predicts a quadratic temperature-dependence in contrast with the linear dependence predicted by theirs. This discrepancy is discussed in terms of the concept of phonon lifetime. The present theory predicts a larger width at finite temperatures, and therefore is expected to yield a better agreement with the large experimental widths observed by Brockhouseet al., than that reported by Maradudin and Fein.
Spatially Averaged one-way Diffraction

The previous chapter established the Fourier equivalence of the arccos and Lommel diffraction formulations as an approximate Fourier transform pair. In this chapter, we exploit this Fourier equivalence and derive a set of general, closed-form, frequency-domain expressions describing spatially averaged one-way diffraction for unfocused piston transmitters and receivers. The expressions derived are general in the sense that the area of the receiver may be less than, equal to, or greater than that of the transmitter. In the time-domain, we present a novel derivation of a closed-form description of one-way diffraction with a finite receiver. Both the time-domain and frequency-domain derivations are followed by discussions and analysis which serve to unify and extend existing theory. Results obtained from the time-domain expressions are compared with those obtained from the frequency-domain expressions. Portions of the material in this chapter first appeared in References [23]–[25] and is reprinted here with permission. Finally, some focused frequency-domain results are derived in Chapter 7.
Elusive Stability: Essays in the History of International Finance, 1919-1939

List of tables List of figures List of charts Acknowledgements 1. Introduction 2. Real exchange rate behavior under alternative international monetary regimes 3. Understanding 1921-27: inflation and economic recovery in the 1920s 4. Bank rate policy under the interwar gold standard with Mark W. Watson and Richard S. Grossman 5. The Bank of France and the sterilization of gold, 1926-1932 6. International policy coordination in historical perspective: a view from the interwar years 7. The economic consequences of the Franc Poincare with Charles Wyplosz 8. Sterling and the tariff, 1929-32 9. Exchange rates and economic recovery in the 1930s with Jeffrey Sachs 10. The gold-exchange standard and the Great Depression 11. Hegemonic stability theories of the international monetary system Notes References Index.
Negative life events and cognitive performance in a population of older adults.

Objectives: This study examined the association between negative life events in the past year and cognitive performance in a population of older adults. Methods: Secondary data analysis was conduct...
Population Density and Growth of the Freshwater Mussel Anodonta californiensis in a Flow-Fragmented Stream

ABSTRACT I studied the endemic California floater (Anodonta californiensis) density and growth in pools of a flow-fragmented stream that differed in amount of surface water inflow. Mussel densities, estimated using mark-and-recapture, were lowest in pools having intermittent summer inflows, and in one of those pools a length-frequency histogram of mussel shell lengths was truncated compared to measurements from pools with perennial inflows. In a summer experiment to measure monthly responsiveness of mussel growth to the range of temperature, dissolved oxygen, and pH conditions present in three pools with differing inflows, mean monthly instantaneous growth of caged mussels, based on whole body weight, ranged from 0.22%/day to 0.99% day and was significantly higher in a pool with intermittent inflows than in those with perennial inflows. Mussel shell growth and percentage of dry tissue weight, an indicator of energy stores in mussels, were also highest in the pool with intermittent inflows. Caged mussel gr...
Therapy of factor VIII deficiency

In spite of the numerous complications of transfusion therapy, there is no doubt that development of convenient clotting factor concentrates for home care has revolutionized the care of patients with hemophilia. With the obvious exception of HIV infections and chronic hepatitis, the majority of patients have few clinically significant adverse side effects in spite of years of replacement therapy. The development of improved viral attenuation processes may have eliminated the viral contamination of these products, but this is yet to be confirmed. The recent breakthrough in the development of highly purified, genetically engineered FVIII products will, it is hoped, eliminate all of the complications of therapy with the exception of inhibitor development. The development of recombinant FVIII replacement should ultimately lead to the availability of reasonably priced products in potentially unlimited supply. If this can be achieved, we may be able to look forward to prophylactic infusion therapy for patients with severe FVIII deficiency and eliminate the significant complications that continue to occur even with prompt treatment of hemorrhage and thrombosis.
A RAPID, INEXPENSIVE METHOD FOR THE DECONTAMINATION OF SCINTILLATION COUNTING VIALS.

Abstract A method for the rapid, easy, and inexpensive reclamation of scintillation counting vials has been presented. A quick and thorough methanol rinse after emptying is the key step in the procedure.
Are Incident Durations and Secondary Incidents Interdependent

Incidents impose substantial social and personal costs on drivers. Some of the larger incidents that cause delays are also associated with secondary incidents. However, the nature of interdependence between primary and secondary incidents is not fully known. The objective of this study is to understand how primary incident duration and secondary incident occurrence are related. Specifically, secondary incidents are more likely to occur if the primary incident lasts a long time; at the same time, the durations of primary incidents are expected to be longer if secondary incidents occur. After traffic incident and road inventory data in the Hampton Roads, Virginia, area were obtained, secondary incidents were then identified. Secondary incidents were defined as incidents occurring on the same roadway segment (which average 1 mi in length) as the primary incident and within the actual duration of the primary incident. If the primary incident blocked lanes, then the actual duration plus 15 min was used as the threshold. Models for primary incident durations and whether a secondary incident occurs are estimated. The interdependence is modeled by considering incident duration as endogenous in the secondary incident occurrence models. Results show statistical evidence for interdependence, but when it is taken into account, no substantial differences in the magnitudes and statistical significance for the estimated independent variables are found (compared with when the interdependence is not accounted for). Statistically significant correlations found between secondary incident occurrence and other variables allow the recommendation of specific operational strategies.
Inhibition of movement, attachment, and cytokinesis by autogenous substances in the amoeba Hartmannella.

Abstract By ultrafiltration of conditioned synthetic medium from Hartmannella cultures through membranes of decreasing pore diameter, six fractions of large molecular substances were obtained. These fractions can be divided into two classes with different physiological properties (molecular weight above and below 30 000). The fractions of higher molecular weight, when added to Hartmannella cultures, temporarily inhibit cell adhesion to the substratum, cell motility and cytokinesis, without interfering with nuclear division; as a result polynuclear cells are formed. Amoebae adapt quickly to the changed medium; attachment and movement are resumed within hours, and polynuclear cells disappear within a few days.
Targeting of SIR1 protein establishes transcriptional silencing at HM loci and telomeres in yeast

Previous studies suggest that the yeast SIR1 protein is involved in the establishment of transcriptional silencing at the HM mating-type loci. Here we show that a GAL4 DNA-binding domain-SIR1 hybrid protein (GBD-SIR1), when targeted to an HMR locus containing GAL4-binding sites (UASG), can establish silencing and bypass the requirement for the silencer element HMR-E. Silencing mediated by GBD-SIR1 requires the trans-acting factors that normally participate in repression, namely, SIR2, SIR3, SIR4, and histone H4. However, GBD hybrids with SIR2, SIR3, or SIR4 cannot establish silencing. Telomeric silencing, which does not require SIR1 and is normally unstable, is greatly improved by tethering GBD-SIR1 to the telomere. These experiments support a model in which native SIR1 protein is brought to the HM loci by proteins bound to the silencers. Telomeres appear to lack the ability to recruit SIR1, and that is why telomeric silencing is unstable.
Beyond ANOVA, basics of applied statistics

One Sample Normal Theory Nonnormality Effect Dependence Exercises Two Samples Normal Theory Nonnormality Unequal Variances Dependence Exercises One-Way Classification Fixed Effects Normal Theory Nonnormality Unequal Variances Dependence Random Effects Normal Theory Nonnormality Unequal Variances Dependence Exercises Two-Way Classification Fixed Effects Normal Theory Nonnormality Unequal Variances Dependence Mixed Effects Normal Theory Departures from assumptions Random Effects Normal Theory Departures from Assumptions Exercises Regression Regression Model Normal Linear Model Nonlinearity Nonnormality Unequal Variances Dependence Errors-in-Variables Model Normal Theory Departures from Assumptions Exercises Ratios Normal Theory Departures from Assumptions Exercises Variances Normal Theory Nonnormality Dependence Exercises
Evidence-based sepsis therapy: a hospitalist perspective.

BACKGROUND Severe sepsis and septic shock are common and associated with a 30–50% mortality rate. Evidence-based therapies for severe sepsis supported by international critical care and infectious disease societies exist, but are inconsistently employed. METHODS The epidemiology and definitions of sepsis syndromes are reviewed; sepsis therapies supported by definitive studies in the field, along with the supporting literature, are summarized and presented from a hospitalist perspective. CONCLUSIONS Compelling observational data supports the importance of early, effective antibiotics. Well-designed randomized controlled trials and/or meta-analyses demonstrate the impact of activated protein C, early goal-directed therapy, stress-dose steroids, and intensive insulin in well-defined subgroups of patients. These therapies reduce the absolute mortality risk associated with severe sepsis by 9.5–16%; the corresponding numbers needed to treat to save one life are 6.25–10.5. While major trials are ongoing and the evidence for several sepsis therapies are limited to single trials, the available evidence indicates that appropriate use of these treatments can substantially reduce mortality from severe sepsis. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2006;1:285–295.
Structure-based mutagenesis reveals distinct functions for Ras switch 1 and switch 2 in Sos-catalyzed guanine nucleotide exchange.

Ras GTPases function as binary switches in signaling pathways controlling cell growth and differentiation. The guanine nucleotide exchange factor Sos mediates the activation of Ras in response to extracellular signals. We have previously solved the crystal structure of nucleotide-free Ras in complex with the catalytic domain of Sos (Boriack-Sjodin, P. A., Margarit, S. M., Bar-Sagi, D., and Kuriyan, J. (1998)Nature 394, 337–343). The structure demonstrates that Sos induces conformational changes in two loop regions of Ras known as switch 1 and switch 2. In this study, we have employed site-directed mutagenesis to investigate the functional significance of the conformational changes for the catalytic function of Sos. Switch 2 of Ras is held in a very tight embrace by Sos, with almost every external side chain coordinated by Sos. Mutagenesis of contact residues at the switch 2-Sos interface shows that only a small set of side chains affect binding, with the most important contact being mediated by tyrosine 64, which is buried in a hydrophobic pocket of Sos in the Ras·Sos complex. Substitutions of Ras and Sos side chains that are inserted into the Mg2+- and nucleotide phosphate-binding site of switch 2 (Ras Ala59 and Sos Leu938 and Glu942) have no effect on the catalytic function of Sos. These results indicate that the interaction of Sos with switch 2 is necessary for tight binding, but is not the critical driving force for GDP displacement. The structural distortion of switch 1 induced by Sos is mediated by a small number of specific contacts between highly conserved residues on both Ras and Sos. Mutations of a subset of these residues (Ras Tyr32 and Tyr40) result in an increase in the intrinsic rate of nucleotide dissociation from Ras and impair the binding of Ras to Sos. Based on this analysis, we propose that the interactions of Sos with the switch 1 and switch 2 regions of Ras have distinct functional consequences: the interaction with switch 2 mediates the anchoring of Ras to Sos, whereas the interaction with switch 1 leads to disruption of the nucleotide-binding site and GDP dissociation.
A middleware‐transparent approach to developing distributed applications

An innovative middleware-transparent approach to developing distributed applications is presented. The approach uses an aspect-oriented software development technique to separate an application's middleware-independent functionality from its middleware-specific functionality. Application elements that are specific to the middleware are localized in aspects that can be seamlessly integrated into middleware-independent application designs. The middleware-transparent approach is used to decouple business functionality from middleware-specific functionality. The decoupling allows developers to change middleware application elements without significantly modifying business functionality. Middleware technologies such as Java Remote Method Invocation (RMI), Jini, Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP) remote procedure call (RPC) and .Net are used as examples to illustrate the approach. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
miRNAs are required for generating a time delay critical for the circadian oscillator.

Summary Background Circadian clocks coordinate an organism's activities and regulate metabolic homeostasis in relation to daily environmental changes, most notably light/dark cycles. As in other organisms, the timekeeping mechanism in mammals depends on a self-sustaining transcriptional negative feedback loop with a built-in time delay in feedback inhibition. Although the time delay is essential for generating a slow, self-sustaining negative feedback loop with a period close to 24 hr, the exact mechanisms underlying the time delay are not known. Results Here, we show that RNAi mediated by microRNAs (miRNAs) is an essential mechanism in generating the time delay. In Dicer -deficient (and thus miRNA-deficient) cells and mice, circadian rhythms were dramatically shortened (by ∼2 hr), although the rhythms remained robust. The period shortening was caused by faster PER1 and PER2 translation in the Dicer -deficient cells. We also identified three specific miRNAs that regulate Per expression and showed that knockdown of these miRNAs in wild-type cells also shortened the circadian period. Conclusions Consistent with the canonical function of miRNAs as translational modulators of target genes and their widespread roles in cell physiology, circadian rhythms are also modulated by miRNA-mediated RNAi acting on posttranscriptional regulation of key clock genes. Our present study definitively shows that RNAi is an important modulator of circadian rhythms by controlling the pace of PER synthesis and presents a novel layer of regulation for the clock.
Fast forward: Supramarginal gyrus stimulation alters time measurement

The neural basis of temporal processing is unclear. We addressed this important issue by performing two experiments in which repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) was administered in different sessions to the left or right supramarginal gyrus (SMG) or vertex; in both tasks, two visual stimuli were presented serially and subjects were asked to judge if the second stimulus was longer than the first (standard) stimulus. rTMS was presented on 50% of trials. Consistent with a previous literature demonstrating the effect of auditory clicks on temporal judgment, rTMS was associated with a tendency to perceive the paired visual stimulus as longer in all conditions. Crucially, rTMS to the right SMG was associated with a significantly greater subjective prolongation of the associated visual stimulus in both experiments. These findings demonstrate that the right SMG is an important element of the neural system underlying temporal processing and, as discussed, have implications for neural and cognitive models of temporal perception and attention.
Results from ORNL Characterization of Nominal 350 ?m NUCO Kernels from the BWXT 69300 Composite

This document is a compilation of characterization data obtained on the nominal 350 {micro}m natural enrichment uranium oxide/uranium carbide kernels (NUCO) produced by BWXT for the Advanced Gas Reactor Fuel dEvelopment and Qualification Program. 5 kg of kernels were produced. G73B-NU-69300R was a 4.9 kg composite. G73B-NU-69301 was a 100 g composite. Size, shape, density, and microstructural analysis were performed on samples riffled from a 100 g sublot (69300R-38) riffled by BWXT from the 69300 composite. Measurements were made using optical microscopy to determine the size and shape of the kernels. Hg porosimetry was performed to measure density. The results are summarized in Table 1-1. Values in the table are for the composite and are calculated at 95% confidence from the measured values of a random sample taken from the 69300R-38 sublot. The NUCO kernel composite met all the specifications in Table 1-1 except the aspect ratio specification. This failure was due in part to broken kernels and in part to very irregularly shaped (bumpy) kernels which apparently came from one batch used for the composite. This abnormally shaped batch made up about 1/4 of the composite. The average open porosity of the kernels was fairly low (0.34 {+-} 0.14%). more » There appeared to be some closed porosity throughout the kernels but a quantitative measure was not obtained. A brief study of the microstructure of the kernels in the composite showed an oxide outer layer of varying thickness related to the process batch surrounding a center region of carbide and oxide zones. X-ray diffraction showed a phase distribution of around 69-74 wt% oxide versus 26-31 wt% carbide. Most of the carbide was in the form of uranium monocarbide (UC). « less
Brachioradialis tendon transfers that restore wrist extension: evaluating outcome in different joint postures

After cervical spinal cord injury, brachioradialis, a non-paralyzed elbow flexor, can be surgically attached to a paralyzed wrist extensor, most frequently the extensor carpi radialis brevis, to restore voluntary wrist extension. We hypothesize that the function of brachioradialis at the elbow joint can limit post-operative wrist function. We quantified wrist range of motion, wrist extension strength, elbow extension strength, and the elbow flexion moment produced during wrist extension to evaluate how the transferred brachioradialis functions in different elbow postures. Our data suggest that wrist extension strength needs to be increased when the elbow is flexed and the wrist is extended to improve surgical outcomes.