cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tethered Dinuclear Europium(III) Macrocyclic Catalysts for the Cleavage of RNA

Dinuclear europium(III) complexes of the macrocycles 1,3-bis[1-(4,7,10-tris(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane]-m-xylene (1), 1,4-bis[1-(4,7,10-tris(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane]-p-xylene (2), and mononuclear europium(III) complexes of macrocycles 1-methyl-,4,7,10-tris(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (3), 1-[3′-(N,N-diethylaminomethyl)benzyl]-4,7,10-tris(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (4), and 1,4,7-tris(carbamoylmethyl)-1,4,7,10-tetraazacyclododecane (5) were prepared. Studies using direct excitation (7F0 → 5D0) europium(III) luminescence spectroscopy show that each Eu(III) center in the mononuclear and dinuclear complexes has two water ligands at pH 7.0, I = 0.10 M (NaNO3) and that there are no water ligand ionizations over the pH range of 7−9. All complexes promote cleavage of the RNA analogue 2-hydroxypropyl-4-nitrophenyl phosphate (HpPNP) at 25 °C (I = 0.10 M (NaNO3), 20 mM buffer). Second-order rate constants for the cleavage of HpPNP ...
Fundamental Limits on the Mobility of Nanotube‐Based Semiconducting Inks

[∗] N. Rouhi , D. Jain , K. Zand Prof. P. J. Burke Integrated Nanosytems Research Facility Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science University of California-Irvine Irvine, CA, USA; pburke@uci.edu Carbon-nanotube-based semiconducting inks offer great promise for a variety of applications including fl exible, transparent, and printed electronics and optics. A critical drawback of such inks has been the presence of metallic nanotubes, which causes high-mobility inks to suffer from poor on/off ratios, preventing their applications in a wide variety of commercial settings. Here, we report a comprehensive study of the relationship between mobility, density, and on/off ratios of solution-based, deposited semiconducting nanotube ink used as the channel in fi eld effect transistors. A comprehensive spectrum of the density starting from less than 10 tubes μ m − 2 to the high end of more than 100 tubes μ m − 2 have been investigated. These studies indicate a quantitative trend of decreasing on/off ratio with increasing density and mobility, starting with mobilities over 90 cm 2 V − 1 s − 1 (approaching that of p-type Si MOSFETs) but with on/off ratios ∼ 10, and ending with on/off ratios > 10 5
Higgs fields and the origin of gravity

Abstract By way of a simple example it is shown that if a broken symmetry solution of the Yang-Mills equations in a higher-dimensional flat spacetime is assumed to vary only in a curved four-dimensional spacetime subspace, one is led naturally to the Einstein action.
A distributed resource management framework for interference mitigation in OFDMA femtocell networks

Next generation wireless networks (i.e., WiMAX, LTE) provide higher bandwidth and spectrum efficiency leveraging smaller (femto) cells with orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA). The uncoordinated, dense deployments of femtocells however, pose several unique challenges relating to interference and resource management in these networks. Towards addressing these challenges, we propose RADION, a distributed resource management framework that effectively manages interference across femtocells. RADION's core building blocks enable femtocells to opportunistically find the available resources in a completely distributed and efficient manner. Further, RADION's modular nature paves the way for different resource management solutions to be incorporated in the framework. We implement RADION on a real WiMAX femtocell testbed deployed in a typical indoor setting. We extensively evaluate two solutions integrated with RADION, both via prototype implementation and simulations and quantify their performance in terms of quick and efficient self-organization.
Evidence for genetic influences on neurotransmitter content of identified neurones of Lymnaea stagnalis.

Abstract 1. Neurotransmitter content was measured in two identified giant neurones in isogenic and wild-type populations of the freshwater pond snail Lymnaea stagnalis . 2. The paired serotonergic cerebral giant neurones (LCl and RCl) have higher transmitter levels and less variability in inbred animals than in wild-type animals. 3. The transmitter content of the unpaired dopaminergic right pedal giant neurone (RPeDl) does not differ between inbred and wild-type animals in either level or variability. 4. It is proposed that serotonin content of the cerebral giant neurones is under partial genetic control, and that animals of the wild-type population may possess a number of different alleles for the genes influencing serotonin levels. 5. Inbreeding resulted in fixation of an allele promoting high serotonin levels. 6. This particular wild-type population is probably already isogenic for genes influencing dopamine content in the right pedal giant neurone.
The electrical basis for contraction and relaxation in canine fundal smooth muscle

1. Mechanical and intracellular electrical activities were recorded simultaneously from canine fundal and antral smooth muscle preparations.2. Most fundal preparations displayed no spontaneous electrical or mechanical activity. The tissue had a space constant of 1.5 mm and a time constant of 189 msec and showed outward rectification in response to depolarizing current.3. Transmural nerve stimulation of fundal preparations demonstrated the presence of cholinergic excitatory and non-cholinergic, non-adrenergic inhibitory neural inputs to the tissue. The cholinergic nerve response consisted of a small, graded depolarization accompanied by a slow graded contraction; the inhibitory nerve response consisted of a graded hyperpolarization accompanied by a slow relaxation.4. The excitatory fundal nerve response was abolished or greatly diminished by D(600) and Mn(2+). D(600) and Mn(2+) also decreased basal tone. The inhibitory nerve response was unaffected by either agent.5. The excitatory nerve response in the fundus was contrasted with the excitatory nerve response in the antrum. In the fundus, stimulation of cholinergic motor nerves produced a depolarization which always produced a contraction. In the antrum, stimulation of cholinergic motor nerves between action potentials produced graded depolarizations of antral cells; however, there were no associated contractions. Stimulation of cholinergic motor nerves during spontaneous action potentials increased the amplitude and duration of the plateau phase of the action potential; this was associated with an augmentation of the spontaneous contractions.6. Voltage-tension curves were determined for antral and fundal preparations using K(+) depolarization as a means of controlling membrane potential. Antral preparations displayed a voltage threshold for contraction at a membrane potential approximately 30 m V positive to the resting potential. In cntrast, fundal resting potentials were at or more positive than their voltage thresholds.7. These differences in electromechanical coupling provide an explanation for the marked differences in the responses of fundal and antral smooth muscles to nerve stimulation and account for their physiologic function in vivo.
Examining Antecedents of Clean Indoor Air Policy Support: Implications for Campaigns Promoting Clean Indoor Air

This investigation sought to examine the association between knowledge of the risks associated with environmental tobacco smoke and voter support for clean indoor air policies. In doing so, 2 antecedents were employed to enhance understanding of this relationship: attitudes and subjective norms. In addition, differences between nonsmokers and smokers were assessed across the aforementioned variables. The study sampled participants (N = 550) living in the Appalachian foothills as a means of conducting formative research prior to developing messages promoting clean indoor air policies. The study controlled for tobacco usage, age, biological sex, and income. Results revealed that awareness of risk is a good predictor of attitudes and social norms, and in return, attitudes and social norms are good predictors of support for clean indoor air policies. In addition, results reveal that nonsmokers maintain a significantly stronger belief in the dangers associated with environmental tobacco smoke, as well as more ...
Human glucagon‐like peptides 1 and 2 activate rat brain adenylate cyclase

Two human glucagon-like peptides, GLP-1 and GLP-2, which are coencoded with pancreatic glucagon in the preproglucagon gene, do not significantly inhibit [125I]monoiodoglucagon binding to rat liver and brain membranes and do not activate adenylate cyclase in liver plasma membranes. Nevertheless, GLP-1 and GLP-2 were each found to be potent stimulators of both rat hypothalamic and pituitary adenylate cyclase. Only 30-50 pM concentrations of each peptide elicited half-maximal adenylate cyclase stimulation. Our data suggest that GLP-1 and GLP-2 may be neurotransmitters and/or neuroendocrine effectors, which would account for their high degree of sequence conservation through vertebrate evolution.
Teaching Tree-Thinking to Undergraduate Biology Students

Evolution is the unifying principle of all biology, and understanding how evolutionary relationships are represented is critical for a complete understanding of evolution. Phylogenetic trees are the most conventional tool for displaying evolutionary relationships, and “tree-thinking” has been coined as a term to describe the ability to conceptualize evolutionary relationships. Students often lack tree-thinking skills, and developing those skills should be a priority of biology curricula. Many common student misconceptions have been described, and a successful instructor needs a suite of tools for correcting those misconceptions. I review the literature on teaching tree-thinking to undergraduate students and suggest how this material can be presented within an inquiry-based framework.
Multiple sclerosis immune complexes: An analysis of component antigens and antibodies

Serum immune complexes were isolated from 21 patients with multiple sclerosis and 23 control subjects, who were normal or had other neurological diseases, and then probed for neurotropic viral and brain-reactive components. Multiple sclerosis complexes contained antibody to herpes simplex (13 cases), measles (8 cases), cytomegalovirus (5 cases), and rubella virus (5 cases). In some complexes, herpes simplex or cytomegalovirus antigen was detected along with antibody. Myelin basic protein or antibody to myelin basic protein was found in the complexes of 7 patients with multiple sclerosis and 2 patients with other neurological diseases. Serum complexes containing antibody reactive with galactocerebroside and ganglioside were present in 12 patients with multiple sclerosis and 3 with other neurological diseases. Over 60% of the multiple sclerosis group had IgM and IgA serum complexes, including 5 patients with very high IgA complex levels. This study suggests that patients with multiple sclerosis have ongoing systemic virus production with resultant immune complex formation. In addition, they often have serum complexes that contain brain-reactive components.
A study of the relationship between photoperiod and pinealocyte granulated vesicles in the golden Syrian hamster.

Previous studies in rabbits and mice have revealed distinct circadian rhythms in the number of pinealocyte granulated vesicles (PGVs) and control of their synthesis and/or secretion by sympathetic nerves. The present study demonstrates the absence of a circadian rhythm in PGV content in hamsters “functionally pinealectomized” by maintenance under long photoperiod (L/D=14/10 h). On the other hand, a highly significant rhythm of low amplitude was noted in PGVs of hamsters placed in photoperiods (<12.5 h) which are known to initiate pineal antigonadotropic activity. Bilateral optic enucleation, which also leads to pineal-mediated gonadal atrophy in the hamster, produced a significant decrease in the number of perivascular PGVs when compared to intact control animals. Daily late afternoon injections of melatonin produced no significant difference in the number of PGVs between treated and control animals at any sample time examined.
Phased arrays for radars

An array antenna can enlarge the capability of a radar system by contributing beam-pointing agility as well as providing a way of handling large power. The fundamental theory of such antennas was outlined in IEEE Spectrum exactly four years ago.1 Advances in the art have been so impressive that this month's Proceedings of the IEEE is a special issue on Electronic Scanning. The present article discusses the principles of operation and the most general applications of one very important class of array antennas.
FRAMEWORK FOR RECYCLING OF WASTES IN CONSTRUCTION

Waste and recycled materials (WRM) that are used in structural systems are required to satisfy material strength, durability, and leachability requirements. These materials exhibit a wide variety of characteristics, owing to the diversity of industrial processes that produce them. Several laboratory-based investigations have been conducted to assess the pollution potential and load-bearing capacity of materials such as petroleum-contaminated soils, coal combustion ash, flue-gas desulphurization gypsum, and foundry sand. For full-scale systems that incorporate WRM, although environmental pollution potential and structural integrity are interrelated, comprehensive schemes have not been widely used for integrated assessment of the relevant field-scale performance factors. In this paper, a framework for such an assessment is proposed and presented in the form of a flowchart. The proposed framework enables economic, environmental, worker safety, and engineering factors to be addressed in a number of sequential steps. Quantitative methods and test protocols that have been developed can be incorporated into the proposed scheme for assessing the feasibility of using WRM as partial or full substitutes for traditional materials in construction.
Using Department Protocols as Indicators of Emergent Organizational Reality in a Ground‐Level Administrative Subunit A Modest but Important Basic Research Development

This study examines administrative protocols established by a ground‐level subunit in a complex organization during a 13‐year period. The protocols are identifiable, verifiable, and (for the questions examined in this study) objectively interpretable. The authors report tangible evidence that the subunit developed some of its own emergent organizational characteristics, consistent with predictions using a loose coupling model. Copresent, however, clear manifestations are also found of the subunit at certain times merely acting out unitary executive–style policy decisions that have been made at higher administrative levels in the organization.
Imaging findings in Down syndrome

Down syndrome, or trisomy 21, is the most common chromosomal anomaly and is characterized by intellectual disability and a typical facies. People with Down syndrome can have abnormalities of multiple organ systems. Cardiac and respiratory system involvement is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality, although every organ system can be affected. Patients may present prenatally with findings on screening sonography. If the diagnosis is not made prenatally, it is apparent at birth because of the characteristic facial features and musculoskeletal findings. Children with Down syndrome present to the radiology department at various ages depending on the severity of the specific finding. The purpose of this paper is to review the most common antenatal and postnatal imaging findings of Down syndrome as they manifest throughout the body.
Interrelafionships between Spot and Futures Markets: Some Implications of Rational Expectations

The view that futures contract prices for storable agricultural commodities are rationally held expectations of subsequent cash prices has been widely accepted since Holbrook Working first explained commodity market intertemporal price behavior in these terms in 1958. Subsequent analyses by Brennan, Weymar, Tomek and Gray, and others adopted and extended Working's interpretation. Yet, despite its acceptance, implications of the rational expectations view have been all but ignored in econometric modeling efforts directed at explaining and predicting intertemporal price relations. The purpose of this paper is (a) to propose an econometric modeling approach that recognizes the role of rational expectation formation in joint determination of commodity cash and futures prices, and (b) to explore the implications of such an approach for the following issues: (i) the direction and magnitude of changes in cash and futures prices occurring in response to changes in economic information, and the direction of causality between cash and futures prices; and (ii) the function of futures markets as agencies for forecasting price and the probable forecasting performance of futures contract prices. Some issues addressed here have implications for all futures traded commodities. The arguments presented, however, relate most clearly to storable, continuously inventoried commodities. The nature of storage behavior and, thus, the relation between cash and futures prices for some commodities-livestock in particular--has not yet been resolved satisfactorily, but these issues are not addressed here. Working's theory of anticipatory prices (1958) asserts that decisions on cash and futures prices take into account all available and relevant information concerning historical relationships as well as current and expected supply-demand conditions. According to this theory, the current period futures price for a contract maturing in time t + T is the current market expectation of the subsequent cash market price in t + T. With only slight modification, this interpretation can be considered equivalent to the more current "rational expectations" or equally redundant "efficient market" hypothesis. Formally stated, the rational expectations hypothesis (Muth's extended version) asserts that expectations of individual market participants (the subjective probability distribution of price outcomes) tend to be distributed for the same information set about the predictions of the theory (the objective probability distribution of price outcomes). In another interpretation it is simply asserted that economic agents use the appropriate economic model in forming their expectations of future prices. If valid, this latter interpretation has clear implications for the construction of econometric models of futures traded commodities. To explore these implications, we posit a model which assumes rational expectation formation.
Robotic ultrasound systems in medicine

Robots ultrasound (RUS) can be defined as the combination of ultrasound imaging with a robotic system in medical interventions. With their potential for high precision, dexterity, and repeatability, robots are often uniquely suited for ultrasound integration. Although the field is relatively young, it has already generated a multitude of robotic systems for application in dozens of medical procedures. This paper reviews the robotic ultrasound systems that have been developed over the past two decades and describes their potential impact on modern medicine. The RUS projects reviewed include extracorporeal devices, needle guidance systems, and intraoperative systems.
Multimarker panel to rule out acute coronary syndromes in low-risk patients.

Objectives: To test novel markers of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP), myeloperoxidase (MPO), C-reactive protein (CRP), and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in low-risk emergency department (ED) patients who were evaluated for ACS in a chest pain unit (CPU). Methods: A convenience sample of 414 patients underwent CPU evaluation, including provocative testing, and were followed prospectively for 45 days for ACS, which was defined as death, myocardial infarction (MI), revascularization, or >60% coronary artery stenosis prompting new medical treatment, adjudicated by three blinded reviewers. Published diagnostic thresholds were used to calculate diagnostic indices for each marker and for the multimarker panel. Results: The prevalence of ACS was 7 in 414 (1.7%; 95% CI = 0.7% to 3.5%). Only MCP demonstrated a negative likelihood ratio [LR(–)] of less than 0.5, with a sensitivity of 85% (95% CI = 42% to 99%), specificity of 72% (95% CI = 67% to 76%), and LR(–) of 0.20 (95% CI = 0.04 to 0.71). For MPO, CRP, and BNP, LR(–) was 0.89 (95% CI = 0.26 to 2.05), 0.79 (95% CI = 0.40 to 1.01), and 0.90 (95% CI = 0.51 to 1.03), respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, and LR(–) of an abnormal multimarker panel were 86% (95% CI = 42% to 100%), 17% (95% CI = 13% to 21%), and 0.84 (95% CI = 0.15 to 3.12), respectively. Conclusions: The prevalence of ACS was very low but was similar to reports from other CPUs. BNP and CRP had high specificities, but had limited sensitivities, whereas MPO had a low specificity. Only MCP had a low LR(–) and should be studied further. The combined multimarker panel had an unexpectedly low sensitivity and specificity, yielding an LR(–) of 0.84, suggesting that the panel would not be an efficient screening test to decrease unnecessary CPU testing.
Phylogenetic classification of prokaryotic and eukaryotic Sir2-like proteins.

Sirtuins (Sir2-like proteins) are present in prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Here, two new human sirtuins (SIRT6 and SIRT7) are found to be similar to a particular subset of insect, nematode, plant, and protozoan sirtuins. Molecular phylogenetic analysis of 60 sirtuin conserved core domain sequences from a diverse array of organisms (including archaeans, bacteria, yeasts, plants, protozoans, and metazoans) shows that eukaryotic Sir2-like proteins group into four main branches designated here as classes I-IV. Prokaryotic sirtuins include members of classes II and III. A fifth class of sirtuin is present in gram positive bacteria and Thermotoga maritima. Saccharomyces cerevisiae has five class I sirtuins. Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila melanogaster have sirtuin genes from classes I, II, and IV. The seven human sirtuin genes include all four classes: SIRT1, SIRT2, and SIRT3 are class I, SIRT4 is class II, SIRT5 is class III, and SIRT6 and SIRT7 are class IV.
The Heterogeneity of the World Assumptions of Older Adults in Prison: Do Differing Worldviews Have a Mental Health Effect?

The purpose of this study was to develop a set of profiles on incarcerated older adults, which map the association between world assumptions, trauma, and indicators of mental health, including stre...
Structures of reagent residues resulting from reactions of divinyl sulfone with cotton cellulose

Cotton cellulose in fabric form was crosslinked with divinyl sulfone by catalysis with solutions of sodium hydroxide of normalities ranging from 0.1 to 4.0. The molecular chains of cellulose were hydrolyzed with sulfuric acid to yield hydrolyzates from which simple substituted glucoses (i.e., those bonded to a single unit of DVS), the simple crosslinked glucoses (i.e., those joined together by a single unit of DVS), and complex structures (i.e., those substituted or crosslinked with more than one unit of DVS in the chain) were isolated and measured. The fractions of the reagent residues in the forms of the structures noted above were found to change substantially with the concentration of base employed to catalyze the reaction. The constitution of the reagent residues resulting from reaction in 0.1N base was remarkably simple: 82% of the DVS residues in the form of simple crosslinks and 18% in the form of simple substituents. Complex structures accounted for as much as 70% of the DVS residues under other conditions of reaction.
Solving the gate packing problem using a concurrent network

The layout problem of gate matrices and one-dimensional logic arrays is composed of two major tasks: to find a permutation of gates which minimises the number of tracks required and to layout/pack gates based on the ordering. A parallel algorithm is presented in the Letter which can pack n gates within O(1) time, whereas the conventional near-optimum algorithm needs O(n2) time. The simulation results show that the increase of the problem size does not degrade the solution quality.
Excitonic superradiance to exciton-polariton crossover and the pole approximations

We examine the relationship between atomic and excitonic superradiance in thin and thick slab geometries. We demonstrate that superradiance can be treated by a unified formalism for atoms, Frenkel excitons, and Wannier excitons. It is well known that in sufficiently thick slabs, the normal modes of the system are polaritons, a superposition of the slab exciton, and photon modes. We specifically examine the crossover from superradiance to polariton modes and derive both the crossover slab length and the maximum superradiative decay rate. We show that the exciton and polariton pole approximations, which give simple expressions for superradiance and polariton mode decay rates, give excellent agreement with the exact expressions for the pertinent thicknesses for which the approximations are valid.
Design and analysis of a video-on-demand server

The availability of high-speed networks, fast computers and improved storage technology is stimulating interest in the development of video on-demand services that provide facilities similar to a video cassette player (VCP). In this paper, we present a design of a video-on-demand (VOD) server, capable of supporting a large number of video requests with complete functionality of a remote control (as used in VCPs), for each request. In the proposed design, we have used an interleaved storage method with constrained allocation of video and audio blocks on the disk to provide continuous retrieval. Our storage scheme interleaves a movie with itself (while satisfying the constraints on video and audio block allocation. This approach minimizes the starting delay and the buffer requirement at the user end, while ensuring a jitter-free display for every request. In order to minimize the starting delay and to support more nonconcurrent requests, we have proposed the use of multiple disks for the same movie. Since a disk needs to hold only one movie, an array of inexpensive disks can be used, which reduces the overall cost of the proposed system. A scheme supported by our disk storage method to provide all the functions of a remote control such as "fast-forwarding", "rewinding" (with play "on" or "off"), "pause" and "play" has also been discussed. This scheme handles a user request independent of others and satisfies it without degrading the quality of service to other users. The server design presented in this paper achieves the multiple goals of high disk utilization, global buffer optimization, cost-effectiveness and high-quality service to the users.
Major ion chemistry of some large Chinese rivers

There is very little information available in the western literature on the chemical compositions of the major rivers of the People's Republic of China1,2. Since these include the largest in terms of sediment transport3 (Huang He or Yellow), the third largest in terms of flow4 (Chiang Jiang or Yangtze) and major streams draining the Tibetan plateau, this lack of data represents a significant gap in our knowledge of the chemical denudation rates of the continents as a whole and of south, central and eastern Asia in particular. To begin to rectify this situation, advantage has been taken of recent visits by US scientists to the People's Republic of China to collect suitable samples for analysis. It was found that the chemistry of such rivers is dominated by the weathering of carbonates and evaporites, with no pronounced effects of the degradation of aluminosilicates.
Neuroendoscopy for spinal disorders: a brief review

Neuroendoscopy has grown rapidly in the last 20 years as a therapeutic modality for treating a variety of spinal dis- orders. Spinal endoscopy has been widely used to treat patients with cervical, thoracic, and lumbosacral disorders safe- ly and effectively. Although it is most commonly used with minimally invasive lumbar spine surgery, endoscopy has gained widespread acceptance for the treatment of thoracic disc herniations and for anterior release and rod implanta- tion in the correction of thoracic spinal deformity. The authors review the use of endoscopy in spine surgery and in the treatment of spinal disorders as well as in the treatment of intrathoracic nonspinal lesions. Endoscopy has some sig- nificant advantages over open or other minimally invasive techniques in that it can allow for better visualization of the lesion, smaller incision sizes with reduced morbidity and mortality, reduced hospital stays, and ultimately lower cost. In addition, spinal endoscopy allows observers and operating room staff to be more involved in each case and fosters education. Spinal endoscopy, like any novel modality, carries with it additional risks and the surgeon must always be prepared to convert to an open procedure. The learning curve for spinal endoscopy is steep and the procedure should not be attempted alone by a novice surgeon. Nevertheless, with training and experience, the spine surgeon can achieve better outcomes, reduced morbidity, and better cosmesis with spinal endoscopy, and the operating times are compara- ble to open procedures. As technology evolves and more experience is obtained, neuroendoscopy will likely achieve further roles as a mainstay in spine surgery. KEY WORDSendoscopyspinal disorderlumbosacral spine
The Suburban Stream Syndrome: Evaluating Land Use and Stream Impairments in the Suburbs

Development is known to impair stream water quality at moderate to high levels of urbanization, but the effects of low-density urban expansion, the kind occurring on the outskirts of many cities, remain unclear. We examined five suburban headwater streams in Duchess County, New York whose watersheds contained between 4.7% and 34% impervious surface cover. We measured Cl- and nitrate-N (NO3-N) concentrations in water samples taken at four to six sites on each stream in winter and summer. Even at low levels of population and impervious cover, concentrations of both Cl- and NO3-N exceeded reference levels found in cleaner streams in the region. Chloride levels were elevated in upper reaches and remained elevated or continued to increase downstream, with a linear response to impervious cover. Nitrate-N increased downstream in all watersheds, indicating that NO3-N inputs exceeded natural denitrification and uptake in both winter and summer. Nitrate-N responded logarithmically to impervious surface cover, with ...
Using databases for studying and comparing health care costs and resource use.

Data sources such as medical insurance claims are increasingly used in health outcomes research. We present opportunities and limitations associated with the use of such data for conducting studies of health care costs and resource use. We also provide examples on using databases for conducting research when the primary objective is to study costs or resource use. This information is intended to be helpful to experienced health services researchers and to those new to the field of either outcomes research or cost effectiveness research. We examine the reasons for using databases to study costs and resource use, desirable attributes of databases used for this purpose, potential pitfalls, other issues associated with conducting cost and resource use studies with databases, and appropriate methods for this research. Through examples and references, we examine issues to be considered in each of these areas, and make recommendations. Strengths and limitations of databases are indicated. Research using claims data to determine health care cost and resource use should be carried out responsibly. Limitations must be acknowledged for research using databases, and appropriate methods must be used. Still, databases represent a rich opportunity to conduct research in health care costs and resource use, and much can be learned using databases. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mechanism of baryon number violation around a monopole in an SU(5) grand unified model

Abstract The baryon number symmetry around a monopole in an SU(5) grand unified model is examined in Rubakov's approximation. It turns out to be spontaneously broken due to condensation of operators with chirality four around the monopole. The baryon number violating processes consistent with the kinematics of the J = 0 sector are counted up.
Clinical utility of the modified segmental boost technique for treatment of the pelvis and inguinal nodes.

Purpose Low-lying pelvic malignancies often require simultaneous radiation to pelvis and inguinal nodes. We previously reported improved homogeneity with the modified segmental boost technique (MSBT) compared to that with traditional methods, using phantom models. Here we report our institutional clinical experience with MSBT. Methods and Materials MSBT patients from May 2001 to March 2007 were evaluated. Parameters analyzed included isocenter/multileaf collimation shifts, time per fraction (four fields), monitor units (MU)/fraction, femoral doses, maximal dose relative to body mass index, and inguinal node depth. In addition, a dosimetric comparison of the MSBT versus intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) was conducted. Results Of the 37 MSBT patients identified, 32 were evaluable. Port film adjustments were required in 6% of films. Median values for each analyzed parameter were as follows: MU/fraction, 298 (range, 226–348); delivery time, 4 minutes; inguinal depth, 4.5 cm; volume receiving 45 Gy (V45), 7%; V27.5, 87%; body mass index, 25 (range, 16.0–33.8). Inguinal dose was 100% in all cases; in-field inhomogeneity ranged from 111% to 118%. IMRT resulted in significantly decreased dose to normal tissue but required more time for treatment planning and a higher number of MUs (1,184 vs. 313 MU). Conclusions In our clinical experience, the mono-isocentric MSBT provides a high degree of accuracy, improved homogeneity compared with traditional techniques, ease of simulation, treatment planning, treatment delivery, and acceptable femoral doses for pelvic/inguinal radiation fields requiring 45 to 50.4 Gy. In addition, the MSBT delivers a relatively uniform dose distribution throughout the treatment volume, despite varying body habitus. Clinical scenarios for the use of MSBT vs. intensity-modulated radiation therapy are discussed. To our knowledge, this is the first study reporting the utility of MSBT in the clinical setting.
Molecular Dynamics Simulations Support the use of Methyl Generalized Order Parameters in the “Entropy Meter”

Conformational entropy is a potentially important thermodynamic parameter contributing to protein function. Unfortunately, conformational entropy has been difficult to measure experimentally. We have been working towards using measures of fast internal motion as a proxy for conformational entropy. Implementation of this approach has been impeded by the apparent need to employ a model-dependent interpretation of the obtained generalized order parameters. We have recently proposed that the quantitative relationship between generalized order parameters and conformational entropy could be determined empirically and effectively create an ‘entropy meter’ (Marlow et al. Nat. Chem. Biol. 6, 353). This approach has initially employed methyl symmetry axis order parameters that can be obtained relatively easily. The approach then rests on the coupling between motion of the methyl bearing side chains and the rest of the amino acids being sufficient to report on the whole protein. Here, we examine the generality of this assumption using molecular dynamics simulations of a number of proteins. The MD simulations performed with the NAMD suite showed excellent agreement between the calculated and experimental side chain order parameters for all the proteins, a marked improvement from previous studies. We find a general correlation between the internal dynamics of protein and the protein conformational entropy. The calculated protein conformational entropy showed excellent linear correlation to both the calculated NMR order parameter of methyl groups as well as the experimentally measured NMR methyl order parameters. Supported by NIH grant GM102447 and a grant from the Mathers Foundation.
Galton Lecture. Behaviour genetic studies of intelligence, yesterday and today: the long journey from plausibility to proof.

When asked whether he would discuss man in the Origins of the Species, Darwin replied, ‘I think I shall avoid the subject, as so surrounded with prejudices, though I fully admit it is the highest and most interesting problem for the naturalist’. Galton on the other hand replied to the same question, ‘I shall treat man and see what the theory of heredity of variations and the principles of natural selection mean when applied to man’ (Pearson, 1914–30, Vol. II, p. 86).
Effects of perceptual training of sequenced line movements

The effects of consistent training on sequential stimuli were examined in a series of six experiments. A stimulus consisted of three line segments which occurred one after another such that each line segment’s orientation and position on the visual channel could be different from the other lines of the stimulus. Subjects practiced these sequences in search and detection tasks for 17 h in both varied mapping (VM) and consistent mapping (CM) conditions. Subsequent experiments compared performance on the two practice conditions with results of previous experiments which used letters and digits as stimuli. The results indicated that the CM stimuli required less attention than the VM stimuli. The differences seen, however, were smaller than those found in previous experiments with letter and digit stimuli. Large differences between the CM and VM groups were found when the individual line segments of the sequential stimuli were manipulated. Shortening and lengthening the line durations had little effect on CM stimuli and large effects on VM stimuli. When the line segments were overlapped with each other, subjects indicated, in a subjective ratings task, that the CM and VM stimuli were perceived differently. Finally, presenting rotated versions of the trained stimuli destroyed any performance advantages the CM stimuli had over the VM stimuli.
Longitudinal Analysis of Age-Related Slowing: BLSA Reaction Time Data

Reported are preliminary findings from analyses of cross-sectional and longitudinal reaction time data collected on 865 male and 453 female volunteers who ranged in age from 20 to 96 years. Evident in both simple and disjunctive reaction time measures was a consistent slowing with age. In nearly all cases, males were faster than females but gender differences were negligible for the simple reaction time (SRT) compared to disjunctive reaction time (DRT). Repeated testing within subjects over 2–8 years also showed age-related slowing across decades. Cross-sectional studies have been criticized for overestimating the actual age-related slowing found in longitudinal analysis. However, this was not the case in the present research. Similar effects were observed in analyses of data from all subjects on their first visit (n = 1318 subjects) compared to data from all subjects over all of their visits (n = 3855 subject visits) compared to data from only those subjects across decades who were tested repeatedly over...
Ribosomal DNA methylation in a flax genotroph and a crown gall tumour

The methylation patterns of two flax lines are described. One, a genotroph S1, has 800 rNA genes per haploid cell while FT37/1, a crown gall tumour incited on S1, has only 300. Using the enzymes EcoRII, BstNI and ApyI to assess CXG methylation and HpaII and MspI for CG, we show that the methylation patterns of the rDNAs of both lines are identical. Both lines contain 3 fractions; the first contains repeats that are methylated at all sites examined and the second has some unmethylated sites. The third fraction contains repeats that are fully methylated but contain a discrete hypomethylated site at the 5' end of the pre-rRNA. The number of repeats which show these hypomethylated sites is constant in both lines despite the copy number difference. These may represent the active rRNA gene repeats.
Enzymic synthesis of glucose-4-tritium and glucose-3-tritium

Abstract Dihydroxyacetone phosphate and d -glyceraldehyde phosphate were labeled with tritium in position 1 by enzymic exchange and isomerization in tritiated water. The labeled trioses were condensed by means of aldolase to fructose-1,6-diphosphate labeled with tritium either in position 3 or 4. Labeled glucoses were prepared from the phosphate esters. The labeled sugars were obtained with a yield of 25% and specific activities of 5 μC per μmole.
A Hierarchical Job Analysis System for Assessing Physical Work Barriers

Knowledge of physical work requirements is necessary for determining if a job can be performed by a given person or population. It is also necessary for assessing the risk of fatigue, discomfort and musculoskeletal disease. We have proposed a hierarchical job analysis system that includes four levels of analysis. Level I is based on worker and supervisor interviews and provides descriptions of work tasks, materials, equipment, work environment and activities that may challenge a given person's work capacity or result in excess risk of injury or illness. A Level II analysis is based on direct work site observations and measurements and provides additional quantification of the data obtained from Level I. A Level III analysis is based on expert ratings of ergonomic stresses: repetition, force, contact stress and posture of each task. A Level IV analysis uses instrumentation, e.g., goniometers, electromyography, force gages and accelerometers, to provide quantification of specific task attributes.
Novel nuclear receptor coactivator is a candidate for the del(5q) Leukemia tumor suppressor gene

Abstract Interstitial deletion or loss of chromosome 5 is frequent in myeloid leukemias and dysplasias, suggesting the presence of a tumor suppressor gene (TSG) within the consistently-deleted region at 5q31. We report a novel gene at 5q31, 5qNCA, as a candidate for this TSG. 5qNCA spans 23 exons and produces a 7.4-kb transcript with a 5,286-kb open reading frame that is expressed in heart, skeletal muscle, lung, and placenta as well as CD34+ cells and AML cell lines. The gene contains a highly conserved C-terminus with putative transcriptional regulatory activity, a signature motif for a nuclear receptor co-activator, and a zinc finger (ZF). 5qNCA is homologous to TRIP8, human/murine hairless, KIAA0742, and drosophila CG815 in the ZF and transactivation domains. The ZF has the unique spacing CysX2-Cys-X7-His-X2-Cys-X2-Cys-X4-Cys-X2-Cys, which may define a new family, resembling both LIM and PHD ZF domains, which regulate chromatin structure and are often involved in leukemia. KG-1, an AML cell line with del(5q), shows a mutation in exon 6 resulting in a THR to ALA substitution of unknown significance; additional sequencing is in progress in clinical del(5q) samples. We propose 5qNCR as a likely candidate for the del(5q) TSG based on its protein homologies, expression, and mutation.
Articulation of /s/ as a Function of Cluster and Word Frequency of Occurrence

This study examined frequency-of-occurrence effects on the articulatory productions of /s/ in words by 76 normal and 18 /s/-defective second graders. The stimuli, monosyllabic CCVC and CVCC words, ...
Equilibrium surface segregation for Ni15%Cr(110)

Abstract The surface segregation of an atomically clean binary Ni15%Cr(110) was studied using AES, It was shown that Ni segregated preferentially to surface in vacuum at temperatures between 500 and 650°C, and heat of segregation was 2500 cal/mol. Based on theoretical models and the data commonly used to predict the segregating species, Cr rather than Ni would be expected to surface segregate. We have therefore used this system to demonstrate two important points; first the surface energy of solids rather than liquids must be used to properly predict surface segregation, the segregating species should be predicted based upon the surface energy per unit atom rather than on the basis of a unit area.
Life history of the sandy-beach amphipod Dogielinotus loquax (Crustacea: Dogielinotidae) from the outer coast of Washington, USA

Dogielinotus loquax Barnard, a common intertidal macroinvertebrate on exposed ocean beaches near Grays Harbor, Washington, USA, is distributed from mid to mean high tidal levels, with a mean density of 1 830 m-2 in 1975–1976. Location of maximum density within the intertidal zone is related to surf intensity and varies seasonally. The species is iteroparous and has an average sex ratio of 1:1. Temperature constraints on growth and egg development rates apparently influence the timing of reproduction. Two dominant recruitments occur per year, one in early spring (the summer generation) and another in late summer (the overwintering generation). The sampling design and density estimates permitted estimation of the mortality rate for the summer generation. Shorebird predation is suspected to affect summer generation abundance.
Multiple scattering corrections for space and airborne laser remote sensing of the atmosphere and surface

Multiple scattering corrections for space and airborne laser remote sensing of the atmosphere and surface The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System is an atmospheric lidar and surface altimeter to be launched in late 2002. An essential part of the surface and atmospheric analysis is correction for cloud and aerosol multiple scattering. Calculations and algorithms have been developed applicable nadir laser sensing. The Geoscience Laser Altimeter System is an atmospheric lidar and surface altimeter launching in late 2002. An essential part of the surface and atmospheric analysis is correction for cloud and aerosol multiple scattering. Calculations and algorithms have been developed.
DEVELOPMENT AND PRELIMINARY TESTING OF A DRIVING HAZARD QUESTIONNAIRE

A questionnaire that assesses hazard perception in automobile drivers was developed. Its items consist of 60 one- or two-sentence descriptions of commonly encountered driving situations, each of which a respondent rates for danager of an accident on a 7-point rating scale. Results showed that women rated the situations as being more hazardous than the men did, and that the younger group rated them as being more hazardous than did the older group. Some significant correlations between rating and numbers of self-reported accidents and traffic violations were found. These showed that individuals having had no accidents or violations in the immediately prededing 5 years generally rated the driving situations as being more dangerous than those having had at least one during that time.