cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EFFECT OF ALKALINE‐EARTH METAL SALTS ON FLOCCULENCE IN SACCHAROMYCES CEREVISIAE

Flocculation in three strains of Saccharoymces cerevisiae is inhibited by two classes of ionic substances: (1) the alkaline-earth metal ions Sr and Ba, and (2) Ca complexing substances. Sr appears to be competitive with Ca in the flocculence mechanism because the extent of inhibition depends mainly on the ratio of Sr and Ca concentrations. The observations imply that the Ca requirement for flocculation is by a specific, unique process, and not by the commonly presumed charge neutralization or Ca salt-bridging mechanism.
Review: Sampson and McCarthy (eds, 2005) Corpus Linguistics: Readings in a Widening Discipline London: Continuum

In Corpus Linguistics: Readings in a Widening Discipline, Geoffrey Sampson and Diana McCarthy present a diverse yet accessible collection of forty-two previously published papers, which introduce, discuss and exploit the methods of corpus linguistics. The volume can be divided into those papers that investigate language based on the analysis of corpora and those papers that discuss how a corpus should be compiled and analysed. The most straightforward introduction to corpus construction is John Sinclair’s (1987) paper Corpus Creation, which considers the significance of a variety of factors such as medium, corpus size and sample size. A more technical treatment of representativeness in corpus design is found in a 1992 paper by Douglas Biber. Papers that discuss actual corpora include W. Nelson Francis’s 1965 description of the Brown Corpus, the first electronic corpus of English; Burnage and Dunlop’s outline of the compilation and annotation of the 100-million-words British National Corpus; and Tent and Mugler’s 1996 defence of the Corpus of Fijian English, a component of the International Corpus of English. The Editors also include Adam Kilgarriff’s 2001 paper Web as Corpus – an approach to corpus linguistics which will undoubtedly become more common in future research. The majority of papers included in this collection, however, report the results of research based on corpus analyses, and the majority of these papers report the results of grammatical corpus studies. The volume opens with an excerpt from Charles C. Fries’s 1957 The Structure of English – an early empirical description of English grammar, based on a manual analysis of a corpus of recorded telephone conversations. The collection also includes F.G.A.M. Aarts’ 1971 study which demonstrates that English object noun phrases tend to be more complex than subject noun phrases – a result that challenges the assumption, inherent in standard phrase structure rules, that the position of a noun phrase is structurally insignificant. The collection also includes more recent papers which discuss grammatical issues such as treebanks and automatic parsing techniques. Geoffrey Sampson, an editor of the collection, includes an introductory paper, which argues for the importance of treebanks – a corpus where each sentence is associated with a parse tree. The construction of the Penn
The dynamics of long-term business-to-business exchange relationships

A framework for business-to-business interaction is proposed that integrates approaches to bargaining from social psychology and economics to provide a conceptual paradigm emphasizing long-term exchange relationships rather than individual transactions. The authors propose a classification of negotiation behavior along two continuous dimensions and examine the mechanics of the dyadic negotiation process that translate negotiation behavior into long-term relationships. They suggest that exchange relationships are formed by achieving mutually beneficial outcomes from a series of exchange transactions and that there is a bi-directional link between negotiation behavior and exchange relationships mediated by negotiation outcomes. The framework also explores the determinants of negotiation behavior in dyadic negotiations between businesses in terms of organizational, individual, and “other party” influences. Propositions are developed, using both role theory and economic bargaining theory, to support the overall framework. Finally, the classification of negotiation behavior is revisited to examine the evolution of exchange relationships over time.
How the discipline of geography exacerbates poverty in the Third World

Abstract Conventional wisdom informs us that poverty represents a lack of development; naturally economic development is seen as the answer to the problem. Contrary to that, I claim that poverty is a form of scarcity induced by the very process of development. The materiality of the poverty problem does not exist independent of discourses we have constructed to understand it. By concealing how development induces scarcity, social science discourse is implicated as a causative agent of poverty. Using a poststructural framework of reasoning, I demonstrate this argument by examining how mainstream geographers (in the spatial tradition) have looked at the topics of poverty and development.
Helping Field Instructors Become More Effective Group Work Educators

Process recording can be a powerful tool for strengthening the link between theory and practice in group work education. The S.O.D.A. recording form (Summary, Observation, Developmental stage, Assessment) was developed by the authors as a tool for helping students and field instructors conceptualize group work practice. The article describes the S.O.D.A. format and its potential effectiveness in overcoming contemporary obstacles in group work field education. The need for a broad strategy involving collaborative efforts to promote and strengthen group work education in the classroom and the field is also discussed.
Pleistocene Pteropods in Pelagic Sediments

PLEISTOCENE stratigraphy of deep-sea cores has been based chiefly on fauna analysis of planktonic foraminifera1–4, or oxygen isotope measurements of palaeotemperature5–7. I describe a further method of studying Pleistocene biostratigraphy by the detailed analyses of pteropod fauna of six long cores in the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean, Mediterranean and Red Sea (Table 1). The Pleistocene pteropod zones can be correlated with planktonic foraminifera zones, oxygen isotope analyses and 14C dating.
Computed tomography in lacrimal outflow obstruction.

Background: Acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction is a common ophthalmologic problem. Despite widespread understanding of treatments available for nasolacrimal duct obstruction, few authors have commented on its etiology. Because the nasolacrimal system is anatomically related to important nasal and sinus structures, the authors postulated that acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction and its complications might occur simultaneous to, and possibly as a consequence of, rhinologic or sinus disease. Materials and Methods: Twenty-three patients with acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction and 100 control patients were evaluated by coronal computed tomography for evidence of sinus disease or nasal abnormalities. Specifically, five findings were noted: ostiomeatal complex disease, ethmoidal opacification, agger nasi cell opacification, concha bullosa, and nasal septal deviation. Results: Overall, 20 (87%) patients with acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction demonstrated one or more radiologic finding of sinus disease or rhinologic abnormality whereas 63 (63%) control subjects exhibited these findings. This difference was determined to be statistically significant ( P Conclusion: These data demonstrate a correlation between computed tomography findings of sinus disease or nasal abnormality and the presence of acquired nasolacrimal outflow obstruction. This association between radiologic evidence of sinorhinologic disorders and lacrimal outflow obstruction may imply that dacryocystitis, like sinus disease, may be produced by disease of the lateral nasal wall. When evaluating a patient with acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction, the physician should consider evaluation for concomitant nasal and sinus disease.
Predicted Highly Expressed Genes of Diverse Prokaryotic Genomes

Our approach in predicting gene expression levels relates to codon usage differences among gene classes. In prokaryotic genomes, genes that deviate strongly in codon usage from the average gene but are sufficiently similar in codon usage to ribosomal protein genes, to translation and transcription processing factors, and to chaperone-degradation proteins are predicted highly expressed (PHX). By these criteria, PHX genes in most prokaryotic genomes include those encoding ribosomal proteins, translation and transcription processing factors, and chaperone proteins and genes of principal energy metabolism. In particular, for the fast-growing species Escherichia coli, Vibrio cholerae, Bacillus subtilis, and Haemophilus influenzae, major glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle genes are PHX. In Synechocystis, prime genes of photosynthesis are PHX, and in methanogens, PHX genes include those essential for methanogenesis. Overall, the three protein families—ribosomal proteins, protein synthesis factors, and chaperone complexes—are needed at many stages of the life cycle, and apparently bacteria have evolved codon usage to maintain appropriate growth, stability, and plasticity. New interpretations of the capacity of Deinococcus radiodurans for resistance to high doses of ionizing radiation is based on an excess of PHX chaperone-degradation genes and detoxification genes. Expression levels of selected classes of genes, including those for flagella, electron transport, detoxification, histidine kinases, and others, are analyzed. Flagellar PHX genes are conspicuous among spirochete genomes. PHX genes are positively correlated with strong Shine-Dalgarno signal sequences. Specific regulatory proteins, e.g., two-component sensor proteins, are rarely PHX. Genes involved in pathways for the synthesis of vitamins record low predicted expression levels. Several distinctive PHX genes of the available complete prokaryotic genomes are highlighted. Relationships of PHX genes with stoichiometry, multifunctionality, and operon structures are discussed. Our methodology may be used complementary to experimental expression analysis.
Hormonal control of tanning in the American cockroach—IV. Preliminary purification of the hormone

Abstract The tanning hormone ‘bursicon’ has been partially purified from the central nerve cord by centrifugation, ammonium sulphate fractionation, and gel filtration. An eightyfold purification was achieved but the limited protein concentration prohibited further isolation. Subsequent purification procedures utilized intact newly moulted cockroaches and a 1700-fold purification was realized. Separation involved the use of differential centrifugation, ammonium sulphate fractionation, gel filtration on P-30 and P-60 polyacrylamide gels, and column chromatography on DEAE cellulose.
Building KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel models and probing their interactions by molecular-dynamics simulations.

The slow delayed rectifier (IKs) channel is composed of KCNQ1 (pore-forming) and KCNE1 (auxiliary) subunits, and functions as a repolarization reserve in the human heart. Design of IKs-targeting anti-arrhythmic drugs requires detailed three-dimensional structures of the KCNQ1/KCNE1 complex, a task made possible by Kv channel crystal structures (templates for KCNQ1 homology-modeling) and KCNE1 NMR structures. Our goal was to build KCNQ1/KCNE1 models and extract mechanistic information about their interactions by molecular-dynamics simulations in an explicit lipid/solvent environment. We validated our models by confirming two sets of model-generated predictions that were independent from the spatial restraints used in model-building. Detailed analysis of the molecular-dynamics trajectories revealed previously unrecognized KCNQ1/KCNE1 interactions, whose relevance in IKs channel function was confirmed by voltage-clamp experiments. Our models and analyses suggest three mechanisms by which KCNE1 slows KCNQ1 activation: by promoting S6 bending at the Pro hinge that closes the activation gate; by promoting a downward movement of gating charge on S4; and by establishing a network of electrostatic interactions with KCNQ1 on the extracellular surface that stabilizes the channel in a pre-open activated state. Our data also suggest how KCNE1 may affect the KCNQ1 pore conductance.
Regulation of JC virus by the POU-domain transcription factor Tst-1: implications for progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy.

Abstract Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy results from an opportunistic infection of myelin-producing oligodendrocytes by the glia-specific human papovavirus JC. In this report, evidence is presented that the glial transcription factor Tst-1, a member of the POU-domain family, stimulates transcription of both early and late viral genes. Stimulation was dependent on site-specific binding of Tst-1 to the JC viral regulatory region and on the presence of an intact amino-terminal transactivation domain within Tst-1. Because of its ability to increase the expression of viral large tumor antigen, Tst-1 stimulated viral DNA replication, without participating directly in the replication event. Our results suggest that Tst-1 is one of the determining factors in the glia specificity of JC virus.
Claim radicalization? The 1989 protest cycle in the GDR

While commonly observed, the process of claim transformation or, as it is sometimes called, “claim radicalization,” is seldom described or explained systematically in contemporary social movement theory. In this article, I describe claim transformation in the 1989 protest cycle of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) following the most systematic model available, Tarrow's analysis of the 1965–1975 Italian cycle. Despite the aptness of Tarrow's (1989b) categories for analyzing claims, the lack of fit between a model developed from protest cycles in democratic systems and that of a disintegrating Leninist regime are readily apparent. The sharp contrast between the two offers an opportunity to explore different uses of the “radical” family of concepts and the implications for protest cycles and claim radicalization of the constraints posed by authoritarian regimes. Following earlier examples of protest event analysis, I rely primarily on coded data from two West German newspapers, the Suddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) and the Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung (FAZ). Data on event participation, violence, and arrests are a composite from these and four English language papers.
Homozygous deletion of p16INK4a and tobacco carcinogen exposure in nonsmall cell lung cancer.

promoter has been shown to be associated with increased tobacco carcinogen exposure, little investigation of any similar association of homozygous deletion or mutation of p16 INK4a and tobacco use has been completed. In 177 consecutive NSCLCs, we examined the determinants of p16 INK4a homozygous deletion and mutation, including the pattern of tobacco smoking and asbestos exposure. We observed that p16 INK4a homozygous deletion occurred at a higher frequency in never smokers as compared to former and current smokers (p 5 0.01). This observation suggested that tumors from these patients might be more prone to DNA deletion events; consistent with this, epigenetic silencing of the DNA double-strand break repair genes FancF and BRCA1 was also associated with homozygous deletion of p16 INK4a (p 5 0.002 and p 5 0.06, respectively). Finally, mutation of p16 INK4a was rare and only occurred in patients who were smokers. Hence, the character of somatic alteration in the Rb pathway (deletion, mutation or methylation silencing) in NSCLC is associated with the pattern of tobacco exposure, suggesting that susceptibility to lung cancer is, at least in part, mediated by the biological mechanism that selects for the character of the induced somatic lesion. ' 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Effects of Induction Heating Conditions on Controlling Residual Stresses in Welded Pipes

Induction heating for stress improvement (IHSI) is a method for reducing the tensile weld induced stresses on the inner surfaces of the girth welded pipes. The process entails inductively heating the outside of a welded pipe while cooling the inner surface with flowing water. A 10-in. Schedule 80 Type 304 stainless steel pipe was selected for this study. Residual stresses due to welding were first determined using a finite element computational model. Several IHSI treatments subsequent to welding are then examined computationally to determine the effect of induction coil length and maximum outer surface temperatures on the final residual stress state. All IHSI treatments gave reduced inside surface tensile weld induced stresses on the inner surface. Longer coils and higher outer surface temperatures led to inner surface stresses that were more compressive.
Computer Architecture for a Surrogate File to a Very Large Data/Knowledge Base

This article presents techniques for managing a very large data/knowledge base to support multiple inference-mechanisms for logic programming. Because evaluation of goals can require accessing data from the extensional database, or EDB, in very general ways, one must often resort to indexing on all fields of the extensional database facts. This presents a formidable management problem in that the index data may be larger than the EDB itself. This problem becomes even more serious in this case of very large data/knowledge bases (hundreds of gigabytes), since considerably more hardware will be required to process and store the index data. In order to reduce the amount of index data considerably without losing generality, the authors form a surrogate file, which is a hashing transformation of the facts. Superimposed code words (SCW), concatenated code words (CCW), and transformed inverted lists (TIL) are possible structures for the surrogate file. since these transformations are quite regular and compact, the authors consider possible computer architecture for the processing of the surrogate file.
Neutron Scattering Study of Elementary Excitations in Liquid Helium-3

The neutron inelastic scattering function of liquid helium-3 at 0.015 K has been measured for wave vectors in the range $0.8{\AA{}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}l~ql~2.2{\AA{}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. For $ql1.4$ ${\mathrm{\AA{}}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, the scattering function contains two peaks. The peak at lower energy is due to spin-fluctuation scattering in the particle-hole region while the peak at higher energy is identified to be the zero sound mode. By comparing the measured structure factor with the x-ray structure factor, the spin-dependent scattering cross section and the corresponding structure factor are determined.
HLA ANTIGENS IN END-STAGE REFLUX NEPHROPATHY (ESRN)

It has been suggested that primary vesicoureteral reflux (VUR) and/or the susceptibility to develop renal damage from VUR might be determined by gene(s) in linkage disequilibrium with the major histocompatibility complex (MHC). To test this hypothesis, we compared the frequencies of HLA antigens in 44 patients with ESRN with those observed in 526 blood donors used as controls (C). The frequencies of the individual antigens, as well as all possible combinations of HLA-A and HLA-B antigens, were studied. HLA-BW15, HLA-B12 and HLA-B8 individually or in combination, tended to occur in higher than normal frequency in ESRN. These results suggest that there is an association between the MHC and a genetic predisposition to develop VUR or renal damage from VUR. This finding might add a new insight into the pathogenesis of reflux nephropathy, since the antigens involved have been found in association with organ specific autoimmune and atopic diseases.
Vortical flow over an elliptical-body missile at high angles of attack

Numerical solutions to the Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes equations are given for the flow about an elliptical body missile (3:1 ellipse) at a Mach number of 2.5 and a Reynolds number of 4.66 x 10 based on body length. At high angles of attack, the flow is dominated by large-scale free vortices that occur in the leeside flowfield due to crossflow boundary-layer separation. Emphasis is focused on the accurate prediction of the leeside vortical flow. Solutions are presented for both symmetric and asymmetric (body rolled 45 deg) configurations at 10 and 20 deg angles of attack. The computed results are compared with experimental surface pressure measurements and vaporscreen photographs. Excellent agreement is obtained in all cases.
Ecological factors affecting group and territory size in white-throated Magpie-Jays

White-throated Magpie-Jays (Calocitta formosa) breed cooperatively and de- fend permanent, all-purpose group territories. We measured territory area, resource levels, resource dispersion, group size, and group reproductive success for 14 groups over a three- year period in Costa Rica. Larger groups possessed larger territories containing more bull- horn acacia trees (Acacia cornigera and A. collinsii), which provided a critical food resource during the dry season. On a per capita basis, however, the number of acacia trees and ter- ritory area were the same for group members regardless of group size, and survivorship did not vary significantly with group size. Variation in reproductive success among groups was influenced by two factors: (1) larger groups produced more successful nests per year, and (2) territories with a higher density of acacia trees fledged more offspring per successful nest. Magpie-jays bred in pasture and foraged primarily in woodland; both habitat types were patchily distributed. The dispersion of woodland and pasture patches in the landscape ap- peared to constrain where jays could form territories, whereas the amount of acacia and other food resources determined the size that groups could attain. We conclude that ecolog- ical factors are critical to understanding the White-throated Magpie-Jay social system, along with other social and demographic constraints typically found in avian cooperative breed- ers. Received 4 February 1997, accepted 20 August 1997.
Flow and distension in the carotid artery from magnetic resonance imaging

ABSTRACT Hemodynamic conditions in the carotid artery may be associated with progression of carotid artery (CA) disease and with the risk of stroke. A methodology for objective measurement of distension (D CA ) and blood-flow (Q CA ) waveform from phase-contrast (PC) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging is presented. Measurement of D CA is obtained using a modified Hough Transform (mHT) applied to the magnitude-component of the PC MR. The mHT is based on the optimization of an objective function which is the sum of the gradient magnitude of the image sampled at 10 o increments around the circle using bilinear interpolation. The mHT detects the boundary of the vessel in the cross-sectional image at 0.05-pixel resolution. Measurement of Q CA is obtained by integration of the image intensity in the phase-component of the PC MR within the circular region detected by the mHT. Keywords: Phase contrast magnetic resonance imaging, Hough Transform, Flow Quantification, Carotid Artery 1. INTRODUCTION
Small bowel herniation through trocar site after operative laparoscopy

Small bowel herniation after operative laparoscopy is an uncommon but serious complication that can result in bowel resection. Therefore, it is important to prevent and diagnose early. We experienced a case of small bowel herniation through trocar site and present with a brief review of literatures.
Edge-preserving image restoration based on robust stabilizing functionals

The regularization of the least-squares criterion has been established as an effective approach in linear image restoration. However, the quadratic smoothing functions employed in this approach degrade the detailed structure of the estimate. This paper introduces the concept of robust estimation in regularized image restoration, and addresses its potential in preserving the detailed structure. Robust estimation schemes have been used in the suppression of artifacts created by long-tailed noise processes. In this paper it is demonstrated that a robust objective function allows the existence of sharp signal transitions in the estimate, by alleviating the penalty on the error associated with such transitions. The optimization approach introduced modifies the stabilizing term of the regularized criterion according to the notion of M- estimation. Thus, an influence function is employed to restrain the contribution of large estimate-deviations in the optimization criterion. Moreover, the utilization of a new entropic criterion as the stabilizing functional is explored. The general structure of this criterion shares many common characteristics with the functions employed in robust M-estimation. The robust criteria provide nonlinear estimation schemes which efficiently preserve the detailed structure, even in the case of an over-estimated regularization parameter.
Why the Operation I Prefer is Silastic™ Ring Vertical Gastroplasty

The author prefers Silastictrade mark ring vertical gastroplasty because it is a rapid and safe method for vertical gastroplasty, with minimal complications and a success rate comparable to the other operations.
High-pressure studies of cyclohexane to 40 GPa.

We present data from two room temperature synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction studies of cyclohexane up to ∼40 and ∼20 GPa. In the first experiment, pressure cycling was employed wherein pressure was varied up to ∼16 GPa, reduced to 3.5 GPa, and then raised again to 40 GPa. Initially, the sample was found to be in the monoclinic phase (P121/n1) at ∼8.4 GPa. Beyond this pressure, the sample adopted triclinic unit cell symmetry (P1) which remained so even when the pressure was reduced to 3.5 GPa, indicating significant hysteresis and metastability. In the second experiment, pressure was more slowly varied, and the monoclinic unit cell structure (P121/n1) was observed at lower pressures up to ∼7 GPa, above which a phase transformation into the P1 triclinic unit cell symmetry occurred. Thus, the pressure onset of the triclinic phase may be dependent upon the pressurizing conditions. High-pressure Raman data that further emphasize a phase transition (probably into phase VI) around 10 GPa are also presented. W...
Rates of molecular desoption from solid surfaces: Adsorption site dependence for CO on Ni(100)

The role of different adsorption sites on the rate of desorption of CO from Ni(100) surfaces has been studied using the classical stochastic diffusion theory (CSDT) formulation. The microscopic parameters of the system (force constants and bond energies) have been obtained form ab initio cluster calculation (Ni 14 and Ni 20 clusters) with generalized valence bond wavefunctions. In good agreement with experiment, our calculations show that desorption occurs in two temperature ranges: 400–600 K and 150–250 K. In the higher-temperature range, the one-fold and two-fold sites are primarily responsible for the desorption rate, while for the lower-temperature range, the four-fold (weakest binding site) is dominant (experimentally achieved by poisoning the surface with S).
Development of long-lifetime metal-ligand probes for biophysics and cellular imaging

Metal-ligand complexes containing ruthenium, osmium, or rhenium display a high photostability, with polarized emission and decay times from 100 ns to 100 Μs. Such probes have considerable potential in biophysics, clinical chemistry, and fluorescence microscopy. In this review we sumrecent developments from this laboratory on the spectral properties of conjugatable metalligand complexes. We also suggest how improved probes can be developed based on the selection of organic ligands.
NEW APPROXIMATE INFERENTIAL METHODS FOR THE RELIABILITY PARAMETER IN A STRESS-STRENGTH MODEL: THE NORMAL CASE

Abstract This article considers the problem of testing and interval estimation of the reliability parameter P(Y 1 > Y 2), where Y 1 and Y 2 are independent normal random variables with unknown means and variances. A new approximate method is proposed, and is compared with two existing approximate methods and a generalized variable method. Simulation studies indicate that the sizes of the existing approximate tests exceed the nominal level considerably in some situations while the new method controls the sizes satisfactorily in all situations considered. The studies also indicated that the generalized variable test is too conservative for small samples. A confidence limit for the reliability parameter based on the new approximate test is also given. The results are extended to the case where Y 1 and Y 2 depend on some explanatory variables. The methods are illustrated using three examples, and some recommendations are made regarding what method should be used for practical applications.
Artificial cranial deformation and fossil Australians revisited

Based on cranial characters shared by Homo erectus in Java and Homo sapiens in Australia, Australasia is widely considered the strongest case for a regional origin of modern humans. However, artificial vault deformation has been suggested to be the cause of "archaic" characters such as frontal recession in key fossil Australian crania. We use log-log plots of cranial arc versus chord measurements and we score nonmetric traits often thought to be associated with artificial deformation to make systematic comparisons across groups and deformation types to identify universal consequences of artificial deformation. Based on our large comparative sample (n = 588) apparatus-deformed crania have flatter frontals and occipitals and usually more angulated parietals in the sagittal plane than undeformed crania, regardless of deformation type. Fossil Australian samples exhibit evidence of both undeformed and deformed individuals. The sample from Coobool Creek provides evidence that undeformed individuals had more rounded frontals than recent Australians. However, many individuals from Coobool Creek, Kow Swamp, and Nacurrie exhibit modification of one or more cranial contours. The Kow Swamp individuals in particular plot with deformed crania from all regions. In addition, the frequency of hyperostotic traits such as bregmatic eminence, metopic and sagittal keels in H. sapiens is influenced by both artificial deformation and pathological hypervascularity/hyperostosis. Thus it is unwise to use cranial contours and these nonmetric traits to infer genetic relatedness between Fossil Australians and Indonesian H. erectus.
On the integral relationship for mean angular momentum of gravity waves in finite-depth water

In his recent papers, Longuet-Higgins derived a relation of mean angular momentum for gravity waves in deep water. In this paper, an expression for the mean Eulerian angular momentum in water of arbitrary depth is derived. It differs from Longuet-Higgin's expression by an additive term 2IB/g accounting for finite-depth effects, where I is the density of mean horizontal momentum, B the Bernoulli constant and g the gravitational acceleration. In addition, the present derivation appears to be simpler and more straightforward.
Determination of plutonium and other transuranic elements by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry: A historical perspective and new frontiers in the environmental sciences

Abstract Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICPMS), particularly with sector field mass analyzers (SF-ICPMS), has emerged in the past several years as an excellent analytical technique for rapid, highly sensitive determination of transuranic elements (TRU) in environmental samples. SF-ICPMS has advantages of simplicity of sample preparation, high sample throughput, widespread availability in laboratories worldwide, and relatively straightforward operation when compared to other competing mass spectrometric techniques. Arguably, SF-ICPMS is the preferred technique for routine, high-throughput determination of 237Np and the Pu isotopes, excepting 238Pu, at fg-pg levels in environmental samples. Many research groups have now demonstrated the SF-ICPMS determination of 239 + 240Pu activities, 240Pu/239Pu and other Pu atom ratios in several different application areas. Many studies have examined the relative contribution of global fallout vs. local/regional Pu sources in the environment through measurement of 240Pu/239Pu and, in some cases, 241Pu/239Pu and 242Pu/239Pu. “Stratospheric fallout”, which was deposited from thermonuclear tests, conducted largely during the 1952–1964 time period, is characterized by a well-defined 240Pu/239Pu of ~ 0.18, while most other sources have different ratios. Examples of local/regional Pu sources are the Nevada Test Site, the Chernobyl plume, and accidents at Palomares, Spain and Thule, Greenland. The determination of Pu activities and atom ratios has stimulated much interest in the use of Pu as a marine tracer; several studies have shown that Pu is transported over long distances by ocean currents. 240Pu/239Pu ratios > 0.20 in sediments and seawater of the North Pacific are ascribed to ocean current transport of fallout from the Pacific Proving Ground. In nuclear forensics, much effort is focused on detection and fingerprinting of small amounts of TRU in environmental samples consisting of bulk material or individual isolated particles. Activity measurements of 239 + 240Pu, determined by SF-ICPMS, have the potential to supplement and/or replace 137Cs as a tracer of erosion, deposition, and sedimentation. Undoubtedly, the application of SF-ICPMS in TRU analysis will continue to expand, witness new developments, and generate interesting unforeseen applications in upcoming years.
A COMPARISON OF THE INFLUENCE OF SOME CRYSTALLINE HORMONES OF THE ADRENAL CORTEX ON THE DEPOSITION OF GLYCOGEN IN THE LIVER

THE DEVELOPMENT of a method for the bioassay of the hormones of the adrenal cortex which influence the deposition of glycogen in the liver of the fasted rat (Reinecke and Kendall, 1942) has afforded an opportunity to compare the action of various crystalline steroids isolated from the adrenal cortex with each other, with desoxycorticosterone and with an extract of the gland. In the first experiment (fig. 1), the effect of a given dose of extract was compared with that of compounds A, B, E, G, H and n-desoxycorticosterone acetate. The compounds were given in equal dosage by weight. Since the desoxycorticosterone acetate was dissolved in sesame oil, its action was compared with that of extract and compound E dissolved in this same oil. In the second experiment (fig. 2), the dosage of the desoxycorticosterone acetate was increased tenfold to bring out any trace of activity that it might possess.
Evolutionary and Mechanistic Insights into ABC Exporters

A prevalent model holds that ABC transporter function involves an ATP-driven conformational cycle in which ATP hydrolysis dissociates a tight dimer of nucleotide binding domains (NBDs), so propelling the transmembrane domain (TMD) conformation from outward to inward facing. Detailed characterization of these TMD events lags behind those in the NBDs because the TMDs are structurally diverse and more refractory to structural analysis. Recently we developed a bioinformatic approach that predicts evolutionarily conserved interactions between pairs of sequence positions. Like other approaches, ours gauges how, at each position, amino acid variation across aligned homologous sequences correlates with that at any other position. Distinctively, our approach exploits structural input to optimize performance through a side-chain contact prediction test. We applied this approach separately to the ABCB and ABCC subfamilies (represented by Pgp and CFTR) that are clearly, albeit distantly, homologous for all domains. Their TMD dimers contain 2x6 transmembrane helices in distinct bundles: two ‘wings’ at the extracellular side and two pairs of intracellular ‘loop’ (ICL) extensions. Comparing inward to outward facing structures suggests that rigid body motions of these bundles underlie transport mechanism. In our bioinformatic analysis, the precise pattern of predicted position pairs differed between subfamilies, alluding to their deep evolutionary segregation. But some general patterns were shared: pairs separated by one helical turn, and those between helices of the same bundle, were frequently predicted and may provide stability and rigidity to bundles throughout the transport cycle. On the other hand, a few predicted pairs between bundles exhibited strikingly different spatial separation in opposing conformations, such as Q179-V260 (ICL1-ICL2), separated by 5.7 Angstroms in CFTR modeled in the outward conformation but 16.1 Angstroms in the inward conformation. Thus, this approach provides detailed evolutionary and mechanistic insights into large classes of ABC exporters. [DK51767].
Doctoral Theses in Progress

Advanced doctoral students whose dissertations are substantially concerned with the history of cartography are invited to contact the editor of this section (Dr Elizabeth Baigent, Wycliffe Hall, Ox...
Rapid progression of multiple splanchnic artery aneurysms.

THAT INCLUDED LONG-STANDING MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY presented with moderate-to-severe epigastric and mid-back pain. Family history was noncontributory. The patient worked as a full-time computer instructor. He was a social drinker and denied a history of cigarette smoking or illicit drug use. At initial presentation, vital signs were normal except for a blood pressure of 148/105 mm Hg. Physical examination revealed moderate epigastric tenderness without rebound or guarding. Laboratory findings were unremarkable, and the hemoglobin was 12.4 g/dL (hematocrit, 37%). A computed tomography of the abdomen and pelvis demonstrated a retroperitoneal hemorrhage that involved the mesenteric circulation. A mesenteric arteriogram (Fig 1) was performed that revealed high-grade stenosis of the celiac artery origin with retrograde filling via superior mesenteric artery (SMA) collaterals as well as aneurysms of the celiac artery trifurcation and inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (IPDA)
ART based clustering of bag-of-features for image classification

This paper proposes Adaptive Resonance Theory (ART) based clustering of bag-of-features for image classification. ART is an unsupervised clustering technique. Bag-of-features along with SURF signatures is one of the widely used techniques used in CBIR systems and in other computer vision tasks like classification, recognition etc. KMeans clustering has been one of the traditional techniques used for clustering. Unlike KMeans the number of clusters is not required to be pre-specified in ART based clustering. This advantage of ART has been exploited in this paper for clustering of bag-of-features.
Environmental fluctuations and extinction—Single species

Abstract The time until a logistically growing population crosses an “extinction threshold” is considered, using a realistic nonwhite environmental noise. A qualitatively accurate expression for the cumulative probability of extinction is derived in terms of a product of the species growth rate and the environmental correlation time. When this product is near unity, there is a much greater probability of rapid extinction. This appears to mark a natural division between r - and K -selected species and to suggest a reinterpretation of how their growth parameters evolve. The process is a form of extinctive evolution.
Luminescence response of SrS:CeF/sub 3/ ACTFEL devices to various pulse waveforms

The steady-state luminescence responses of SrS:CeF/sub 3/ ACTFEL devices to voltage plus trains of simple pulse, stepped-pulse, and notched-pulse waveforms are presented. The results are interpreted in terms of a model that ascribes the leading-edge luminescence peak to impact excitation or ionization of the activators and the downstep luminescence peak to the release of electrons from the shallower interface states, followed by trapping in the bulk phosphor and subsequent transfer to an activator-trap complex where luminescence is produced by radiative recombination. The steady-state current and luminescence response of the device to a trapezoidal waveform are in accord with the predictions of the model. >
Enchanted Encounter: Gender Politics, Cultural Identity, and Wang Tao’s (1828–97) Fictional Sino-Western Romance

Wang Tao (1828–97) was a late Qing translator, political commentator, and fiction writer who spent time in England, France and Scotland, and served as an important literary link between China and the West. In examining Wang’s tales of Sino-Western encounters and drawing from the long literary tradition of depicting foreign “Others,” this paper shows that Wang’s image of the West in his literary tales is ambivalent. Further, it argues that Wang’s gender positioning of the Chinese “Self” and Western “Other” is rather ambiguous. By interpreting his representation of the West against his immediate historical context (e.g., a China facing unprecedented political and cultural challenges), this study investigates Wang’s use of various rhetorical strategies from an existing discourse on foreign “Others” (particularly the theme of “foreign woman marrying Chinese man”) to appropriate, domesticate and even contain the West. It also shows how Wang complicates and even subverts these older rhetorical strategies as a way to cope with the new historical reality.
Solution combustion synthesis of metal nanopowders: Nickel—Reaction pathways

Nanopowders of pure nickel were directly synthesized for the first time by conventional solution combustion synthesis (SCS) method. In this article, a specific reaction pathway is suggested to describe the metallic phase formation during SCS. It is proposed that the exothermic reaction between NH3 and HNO3 species formed during the decomposition of glycine and nickel nitrate acts as the source of energy required to achieve the self-sustained reaction regime. A thermodynamic analysis of the combustion synthesis reaction indicates that increasing glycine concentration leads to establishing a hydrogen rich reducing environment in the combustion wave that in turn results in the formation of pure metals and metal alloys. TGA of reaction systems and XRD analysis of products in the quenched combustion wave show that the formation of oxide phases occurs in the reaction front, followed by gradual reduction of oxide to pure metallic phases in the postcombustion zone. A methodology for SCS of pure metals and metal alloys nanoparticles can be inferred from the results presented. © 2010 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 2011
The effect of antiestrogens on the nuclear binding of the estrogen receptor.

Abstract Experiments were designed to determine whether or not various antiestrogens in direct competition with estradiol-17β (E2) would inhibit the translocation of the estrogen receptor complex from the cytoplasm to nuclei in rat uterine tissue. Incubation of the antiestrogens CI-628, cis -clomiphene, U-11,100A and MER-25 with rat uteri caused the nuclear uptake of the antiestrogen receptor complex which was greatest for most antiestrogens at concentrations of 1 × 10−6 to 1 × 10−5M. At higher concentrations of CI-628, cis -clomiphene, and U-11,100A the nuclear binding of the antiestrogen receptor complex was greatly decreased. Incubation of the antiestrogens with E2 resulted in a dramatic inhibition of the nuclear uptake of the estrogen receptor. Trans -clomiphene, a weak estrogen, did not inhibit the movement of the uterine cytoplasmic receptor into the nuclear fraction.
Exact basic geometric operations on arbitrary angle polygons using only fixed size integer coordinates

As the semiconductor technology is scaling down to nanometer regime, accurate layout analysis requires operations with simulated contours of VLSI layouts which are non-rectilinear.The basic operations on non-rectilinear shapes include "intersection", "difference", "union", "find connected components" and "find boundary". Whatever precision one would choose for the representation of vertices of shapes A and B the exact representation of, say, A∩B would require an even higher precision. Consequently rounding of intermediate results of a chain of basic operations seems to be inevitable. The presence of rounding errors is unacceptable because the implementation of algorithms for all operations which involve topology, such as "find connected components", " find boundary", etc, becomes impossible or extremely complexWe present a complete solution to the following problem: Let a VLSI design or a simulated through a lithography process image of a VLSI design be given by a number of two-dimensional point sets. Each point set consists of polygons with arbitrary (not necessarily 90°) angles and with vertices on an integer grid. Perform any amount of sequential basic operations so that:• The resulting point sets are mathematically exact, that is no rounding errors are allowed. In particular the connectivity of the point sets remains intact, the boundaries remain undistorted and the statements like "A = (A \ B) ∪ (A ∩ B)", "(A \ B) is disjoint with B" and "A ∩ B ⊂ A" always hold.• The amount of time and memory per one basic geometric operation on elementary polygons (trapezoids) is constant. For example it would not be an acceptable solution to represent the vertices of the new shapes which appear as a result of the operations of intersection, difference, etc, by unlimited length rational numbers.
Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Safety of the 5-HT1B/1D Agonist Eletriptan following Intravenous and Oral Administration

Four separate studies were conducted to examine the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics (PK), and pharmacodynamics (PD) of eletriptan, a 5-HT(1B/1D) receptor agonist being developed for the treatment of migraines, after oral and intravenous administration. Fifty-five males received oral (1.5-30 mg or 30-120 mg) or intravenous (1.67-50 microg/kg or 50-102 microg/kg) eletriptan in four double- and single-blind, placebo-controlled, ascending-dose crossover studies. The maximum plasma concentration (Cmax) and area under the concentration curve (AUC) appeared linear over all dose ranges, with an apparent terminal half-life of 4 to 5 hours. Clearance and volume of distribution remained constant with dose. The time to first occurrence of Cmax (tmax) for oral eletriptan was approximately 1 hour and was unaffected by dose. Comparison of AUC values suggested an absolute bioavailability of approximately 50%. A linear PK/PD model, fitted to the data, predicted small, transient elevations in diastolic blood pressure following eletriptan doses > or = 60 mg. These effects were considered unlikely to be clinically significant. Eletriptan was well tolerated, and treatment-related adverse events were mild to moderate and transient. These PK properties should result in eletriptan having a rapid onset and sustained duration of action in terms of migraine efficacy.
Do laparoscopic skills transfer to robotic surgery

Abstract Background Identifying the set of skills that can transfer from laparoscopic to robotic surgery is an important consideration in designing optimal training curricula. We tested the degree to which laparoscopic skills transfer to a robotic platform. Methods Fourteen medical students and 14 surgery residents with no previous robotic but varying degrees of laparoscopic experience were studied. Three fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery tasks were used on the laparoscopic box trainer and then the da Vinci robot: peg transfer (PT), circle cutting (CC), and intracorporeal suturing (IS). A questionnaire was administered for assessing subjects' comfort level with each task. Results Standard fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery scoring metric were used and higher scores indicate a superior performance. For the group, PT and CC scores were similar between robotic and laparoscopic modalities (90 versus 90 and 52 versus 47; P > 0.05). However, for the advanced IS task, robotic-IS scores were significantly higher than laparoscopic-IS (80 versus 53; P versus 105; P versus 69 ± 15 and 95 ± 3 versus 92 ± 10; P > 0.05). The robot was favored over laparoscopy for all drills (PT, 66.7%; CC, 88.9%; IS, 94.4%). Conclusions For simple tasks, participants with preexisting skills perform worse with the robot. However, with increasing task difficulty, robotic performance is equal or better than laparoscopy. Laparoscopic skills appear to readily transfer to a robotic platform, and difficult tasks such as IS are actually enhanced, even in subjects naive to the technology.