cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Possible resolution gain in enantioseparations afforded by core–shell particle technology

Whether columns packed with core–shell particles may outperform those packed with fully porous particles for chiral separations is controversial. The potential advantages of such columns are investigated from a theoretical viewpoint. The height equivalent to a theoretical plate (HETP) associated to the slow adsorption-desorption process typical of chiral chromatography was derived from the Laplace transform of the general rate model of chromatography for core–shell particles. The relationship between the resolution factor and the core-to-particle diameter ratio is predicted at constant selectivity. The calculations are based on a complete set of actual kinetic parameters (longitudinal diffusion, eddy dispersion, intra-particle diffusivity, and adsorption-desorption constant) measured for a reference column packed with Lux Cellulose-1 fully porous particles. If we compare columns packed with the best procedure available in either case, the results demonstrate that those packed with core–shell particles may outperform to a degree those packed with fully porous particles. The minimum reduced HETP could decrease from 2.0 to 1.7. The maximum relative gain in resolution is about 10%, which is not negligible for critical enantioselective-separations. This gain is observed only if the packing uniformity of the core–shell particles is achieved.
Nature of the ac conductivity of ionically conducting crystals and glasses

Abstract Many disordered systems, both crystalline and glasses, show ‘universal dynamic response’, in which the ac conductivity as a function of frequency is given by σ(ω) = σ(0) + Aωs. Here σ(0) is the dc conductivity and the exponent s (⪕ 1) generally decreases with increasing temperature, T. For various ionically conducting crystals and glasses, we have obtained two ranges in which s = constant, independent of T: at high temperatures s = s0 (a value near 0.6) called the ‘Jonscher regime’, and at low temperatures s = 1, called the constant-loss regime. For the Jonscher regime, the parameter A is activated with activation energy closely related to that of σ(0). On the other hand, for the constant-loss regime (which extends down to cryogenic temperatures), the parameter A varies only slowly with T and is not activated. For the cases of borate and silicate glasses as well as heavily doped crystalline CaTiO3 and CeO2, careful analysis was carried out over the intermediate regime in which the effective s falls from 1.0 to s0. The results show that this regime can simply be described as a superposition of the Jonscher and constant-loss behaviors. Work by others on silicate glass over a much wider frequency range than that of the present study falls into the same pattern. Finally, a brief review is given of possible mechanisms of both the Jonscher and constant-loss types of behavior.
Toward a public health of situations: the re-contextualization of risk

This paper reviews the role of situational variables in health risk behaviors and the literature on the impact of context and situation in public health. Three postulates for a situational model are presented: that the situation can account for additional variance in explanation of health risk behaviors; that the power of the situation is reciprocal to the degree of individual autonomy; and that the situation is definable and measurable. A situational presentation methodology is presented for measuring situations in public health with preliminary data on its efficacy in the context of sexual behavior and injecting drug use as HIV transmission risks. Interventions which maximize the use of situationally-based information are discussed. It is concluded that situational presentations may offer additional explanatory power in public health and a means for intervening at a situational level.
Estimation of thyroxine secretion rate in the rat by the radioactive thyroxine turnover technique: influences of age, sex and exposure to cold.

Thyroxine secretion rate has been estimated in the rat using the radioactive thyroxine turnover technique. The influences of age and sex have been examined. The thyroxine turnover technique gives values which are comparable with those obtained with methods using thyroxine replacement and restoration of basal metabolic rate, pituitary morphology, blood thyrotropin concentration in thyroidectomized rats, and with measurements based on intrathyroidal thyroxine turnover. In contrast with older methods, the turnover technique measures only thyroxine degradation, not the thyroxine equivalent of the biological effectiveness of secreted thyroxine and triiodothyronine, heretofore referred to in the literature as the “thyroxine secretion rate.” The fractional turnover rate is greater in female than in male rats, both in the Osborne- Mendel strain of age 2–3 months and the Wistar strain of 12 months. Thyroxine degradation per unit body weight is greater in females than males only in the latter group. The distributio...
A Free-market Model for Media Ethics: Adam Smith's Looking Glass

This article points out the challenges to current models for media ethics that arise from the private ownership of public media, and it proposes a new model that integrates Adam Smith's free-market theory and his system of moral reasoning. The model creates moral obligations to maintain the integrity of a system for anyone who profits from it. This model renews an appeal for the contemporary notion of transparency and is built on an analogy between the system of the free market for creating wealth and the system of the free press for producing reliable market information.
Diffusion tensor magnetic resonance tractography of the prostate: feasibility for mapping periprostatic fibers

Objective To evaluate the feasibility of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) tractography of the prostate for mapping of periprostatic neurovascular anatomy. Methods Eight men with prostate cancer scheduled to undergo nerve-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomy (RARP) underwent endorectal multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostate with DTI. Tract mapping was accomplished by positioning spherical regions of interest contiguously along the prostatic capsule at the prostatic apex, midgland, and base. Results DTI tractography of the prostate effectively visualized periprostatic fiber tract anatomy. There was no significant correlation between total tract number and prostate size, however (Spearman's coefficient = 0.33, P = .42). Variation in tract distribution existed. The total fiber mass was highest in the lower prostate hemisphere at the base of the prostate (mean = 36.9 vs 21.1, P = .0004) and in the upper hemisphere at the apex (mean = 41.6 vs 57.9, P = .006). Conclusion DTI tractography successfully visualized fiber tracts around the prostate. Gold standard anatomic correlation is needed.
Abstract B56: The role of Pim kinases and RUNX transcription factors as potential molecular targets of K-Ras signaling in pancreatic cancer cells.

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most common cancer of the pancreas, comprising over 85% of all cases. PDAC has a relative 1-year survival rate of 20% and a 5-year survival rate of 4%, making it the fourth most common cause of cancer deaths in the United States. The presence of oncogenically mutated K-RAS in 90% of human PDAC strongly suggests a critical role for this genetic mutation in the development of this disease. However, there are no anti-Ras therapies that have successfully reached the clinic. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms leading to the development of pancreatic cancer remains a major goal for defining appropriate treatment strategies and early detection. Studies have shown that members of the oncogenic Pim kinase family (Pim-1, Pim-2, and Pim-3) are aberrantly expressed in a variety of solid tumors, including pancreatic cancer. They phosphorylate a host of substrates involved in numerous cellular events, including apoptosis and cell cycle progression. One of the recent substrates found to be phosphorylated by Pim kinases include RUNX transcription factors. Past studies have shown that the Runt-related (RUNX) family of transcription factors (RUNX1, RUNX2, and RUNX3) are involved in cell proliferation and development and expressed in many types of cancers. To attempt to address these observations, we investigated the role of Pim kinases and RUNX proteins, specifically RUNX3, in growth transformation of pancreatic cancer. We hypothesize that decreased expression or phosphorylation of RUNX3 by Pim kinases will be effective in antagonizing the aberrant growth of PDAC. Initially, we demonstrated by western blotting that RUNX3 is expressed in PDAC cell lines and tissues. Also, we found that overexpression or inhibition of oncogenic KRAS correlated with Pim kinases and RUNX3 expression in cell lines, suggesting an important role for K-Ras signaling. Inhibition of RUNX3 by shRNA resulted in a reduction in anchorage-dependent and -independent growth. Additionally, we used a Pim kinase inhibitor to decrease phosphorylation of RUNX3, leading to decrease cell viability of PDAC cells. Results from our studies help characterize the role K-Ras activation plays on the Pim kinase-RUNX3 signaling pathway as it relates to PDAC growth. Furthermore, these findings will allow us to critically validate Pim kinases and RUNX3 as potential targets for drug therapy in pancreatic cancer. Citation Format: Michael G. Cobb, Dana M. Austin, Dapeng Xu, Antonio T. Baines. The role of Pim kinases and RUNX transcription factors as potential molecular targets of K-Ras signaling in pancreatic cancer cells. [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Pancreatic Cancer: Progress and Challenges; Jun 18-21, 2012; Lake Tahoe, NV. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(12 Suppl):Abstract nr B56.
How the cell copes with stress and the function of heat shock proteins

Virtually all cells, including the prokaryotic microorganisms and the highly differentiated eukaryotic cells in human tissues, contain a small set of normally silent genes that are rapidly activated by a heat shock that raises the temperature only 5 to 10% above that of the normal physiologic range for that organism. Concomitantly, many active genes are turned off. Other kinds of stress, such as exposure to alcohol or other organic agents, heavy metals, oxidants, and agents capable of perturbing protein structure, produce a similar response, and many of these activate the same set of genes. The proteins encoded by these stress-activated genes are called heat shock proteins (hsp). They are strongly conserved in structure among widely divergent biologic species, and many function as "molecular chaperones" by forming transient complexes with partially folded or misfolded polypeptides so as to prevent their irreversible denaturation. Most hsp are members of gene/protein families, and isoforms are frequently found under normal physiologic conditions in many compartments of the cell where they act also as chaperones, binding to a variety of polypeptides to facilitate folding, oligomerization, transport, metabolic activity, and degradation. Few of the polypeptide "targets" that complex with stress-induced forms of hsp have been identified, but a number of cellular components have been shown to be particularly stress sensitive.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Pupillary responses and processing resources on the visual backward masking task

Task-evoked pupillary responses were recorded during a visual backward masking task as an index of resource allocation. Increased pupillary dilation indicates increased allocation of processing resources to the task. Consistent with numerous studies, detection accuracy increased with longer interstimulus intervals and approximated no-mask accuracy in the 300-ms condition. Pupillary dilation responses were significantly greater during task performance (cognitive load) than during a passive stimulus viewing condition (no-load) and were significantly greater in the 300-ms condition than the no-mask condition. Consistent with models of early visual information processing, the results suggest that the mask demanded extra processing resources when it followed the target by more than 100 ms. Pupillography methods may be useful in evaluating the contribution and timing of resource-demanding processes during early visual information processing.
Thermodynamic properties of solid palladium-silver alloys☆

Abstract The vapor pressure of silver over solid silver and over nine palladium-silver alloys has been measured by the torsion-effusion method in the temperature range 1100–1300°K. The chemical activities, as well as the free energies, entropies, and enthalpies of formation of the alloys at 1200°K have been computed from the vapor pressure data. The activities of silver exhibit large negative deviations from ideal behavior over the entire compositional range. The activities of palladium, computed by graphical integration of the Gibbs-Duhem relation, deviate positively in the palladium-rich alloys and negatively in the silver-rich alloys. The thermodynamic properties are considered in terms of existing thermodynamic data. The excess entropies and enthalpies, both of which are negative, are discussed in relation to the changes that occur in the characteristic properties of palladium and silver upon alloying.
ADSORPTION AND DISSOCIATION OF CO-EDTA COMPLEXES IN IRON OXIDE-CONTAINING SUBSURFACE SANDS

The sorption of Co(II)EDTA2-- (where EDTA is ethylenediaminetetracetic acid) was investigated on goethite and on eight sand-textured Quaternary and Pliocene fluvial sediments. Dual-label tracer techniques were used to follow the distribution of 60Co(II)-14C/EDTA added as the preformed 1:1, Co(II)EDTA2- complex. Sorption experiments were performed with fixed concentrations of Co(II)EDTA2- (10−5 mol/L) and variable pH (all materials), and fixed pH (4.4) with variable Co(II)EDTA2-- concentrations (two materials), using solids concentrations of 0.5 g/L for goethite and 500 g/L for the sediments and electrolyte concentrations of 0.003 and 0.03 (goethite only) mol/L Ca(Cl04)2. Aqueous Fe3+aq) and Al'(a'q) were measured at the time of the sorption determination. On goethite, Co(II) EDTA2- exhibited anion-like sorption, increasing with decreasing pH. Increasing electrolyte concentration decreased sorption, indicating a weak, ion-pair type surface complex. Below pH6, however, the sorption chemistry of Co2+ and EDTA4- became complex and disparate as a result of Co(II)EDTA2--dissociation. dissociation was driven by exchange with Fe3+(aq). A nonelectrostatic surface complexation model that explicitly considered the Fe3+-Co(II)EDTA2- exchange reaction was able to adequately describe the sorption data using surface complexes with Co(II)EDTA2-, FeEDTA−, and Co2+. The subsurface sediments contained variable amounts of grain-coating iron and aluminum oxides and layer silicates and their substrate mineralogy was dominated by quartz and plagioclase with some mica. Iron oxides were a dominant grain-coating phase on over half the sorbents, and X-ray diffraction (XRD), chemical extraction, and microscopic techniques documented the presence of poorly crystalline forms as well as goethite, hematite, and feroxyhite. Aluminum oxides were also present. The sorption behavior of Co(II) EDTA2- on the subsurface sediments was much weaker than, but analogous in behavior to, goethite on six of the sediments. The mineralogy complexity of the sediments prevented identification of the dominant sorbent, but iron and aluminum oxides were implicated. Complex dissociation occurred with decreasing pFl below 6.5 in the sediments. Solution analysis coupled with modeling of aqueous speciation showed that the dissociation of Co(II)EDTA2- was promoted by Al3+ and Fe3+ that were liberated from the sediments. The dissociation, which was not complete, yielded a multicomponent mixture of Co2+, Co(II)EDTA2-, AAEDTA−, and FeEDTA−. Each of these species sorbed to varying degrees. Complexation of Co2+ by EDTA4- gave rise to a net increase in retardation of Co2+ below pH 6.5 and a decrease above. Retardation coefficients for the intact complex and the extent of dissociation both increased as the initial concentration of Co(II)EDTA2+- decreased. The coupled adsorption, dissolution, and dissociation process will cause complex distance-variant speciation and retardation behavior for Co(II)EDTA2- in subsurface environments.
Application of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics Tools to Identify Putative Transcription Factor-Gene Regulatory Network of Ankylosing Spondylitis and Sarcoidosis

Transcription factors and corresponding cis-regulatory elements are considered key components in gene regulation. We combined biostatistics and bioinformatics tools to streamline identification of putative transcription factor-gene regulatory networks unique for two immune-mediated diseases, ankylosing spondylitis and sarcoidosis. After identifying differentially expressed genes from microarrays, we employed tightCluster to find tight clusters of potentially co-regulated genes. By subsequently applying bioinformatics tools to search for common cis-regulatory elements, putative transcription factor-gene regulatory networks were found. Recognition of these networks by applying this methodology could pave the way for new insights into disease pathogenesis.
Mixed venous oxygen saturation during cardiopulmonary bypass poorly predicts regional venous saturation

PhD Departments of Anesthesiology and Surgery, and Office of Biostatistics, The University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas Mixed venous oxygen saturation is generally accepted as an indicator of adequacy of systemic oxygen deliv- ery; however, cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) may al- ter this relationship. Major postoperative complications potentially secondary to inadequate oxygen delivery during CPB indicate that mixed venous oxygen satura- tion may not detect regional venous desaturation dur- ing CPB. We therefore tested the hypothesis that mixed venous oxygen saturation and pH did not predict re- gional venous oxygen saturations and pH during 2 h of bypass in a swine model. Six immature swine (27-34 kg) received standard normothermic CPB. Sagittal si- nus and portal vein oxygen saturations and blood gases were measured at 30, 60, 90, and 120 min of bypass. Although the venous reservoir oxygen saturation re- mained unchanged during 2 h of bypass, sagittal sinus saturation and pH decreased significantly (66% 2 3.3% to 33% ? 2.2% and 7.38 2 0.04 to 7.23 2 0.05, respec- tively). Likewise in the portal vein, oxygen saturation and pH also decreased (82% + 2.4% to 59.3% ? 3.9% and 7.39 + 0.03 to 7.27 t 0.06, respectively). We conclude that profound regional venous desaturation and progressive regional acidemia may go undetected even when a standard pump flow rate of 100 mL * kg-’ min-’ is used and mixed venous oxygen saturation is normal. (Anesth Analg 1995;80:466-72)
Three‐dimensional structure of the bacteriophage P22 tail machine

The tail of the bacteriophage P22 is composed of multiple protein components and integrates various biological functions that are crucial to the assembly and infection of the phage. The three-dimensional structure of the P22 tail machine determined by electron cryo-microscopy and image reconstruction reveals how the five types of polypeptides present as 51 subunits are organized into this molecular machine through twelve-, six- and three-fold symmetry, and provides insights into molecular events during host cell attachment and phage DNA translocation.
A constant factor approximation algorithm for the fault-tolerant facility location problem

We consider a generalization of the classical facility location problem, where we require the solution to be fault-tolerant. In this generalization, every demand point j must be served by rj facilities instead of just one. The facilities other than the closest one are "backup" facilities for that demand, and any such facility will be used only if all closer facilities (or the links to them) fail. Hence, for any demand point, we can assign nonincreasing weights to the routing costs to farther facilities. The cost of assignment for demand j is the weighted linear combination of the assignment costs to its rj closest open facilities. We wish to minimize the sum of the cost of opening the facilities and the assignment cost of each demand j. We obtain a factor 4 approximation to this problem through the application of various rounding techniques to the linear relaxation of an integer program formulation. We further improve the approximation ratio to 3.16 using randomization and to 2.41 using greedy local-search type techniques.
Individual and environmental impacts on sexual health of Caribbean youth.

Individual health risk behaviors among Caribbean youth account for the majority of adolescent morbidity and mortality in that area. This study explores the associations between individual factors, socioenvironmental factors, and sexual healthrelated behaviors in Caribbean youth. Data from the 1995 Caribbean Youth Health Survey, a nine-country, cross-sectional study completed by 15,695 in-school youth 10—18 years of age were analyzed. One-third of the sample (n = 5,060) reporting sexual activity was analyzed. This study examined age at first sexual intercourse, number of sexual partners, history of pregnancy, and condom use. The predictor variables were rage, depressed mood, expectation of early death, self-reported school performance, parental mental health or substance abuse problems, and family connectedness. Bi- and multivariate analyses were done separately for males and females, controlling for age, to examine associations between individual and socioenvironmental factors and sexual health behaviors. In the multivariate model, there were associations between rage, abuse, family mental health and substance use, anticipation of early death, and many of the outcome variables in males and females. Family connectedness and positive self-reported school status were correlated with greater condom use at last intercourse in males. Family connectedness was correlated with older age at first sexual intercourse. Depressed mood was not correlated with any of the outcome variables.The findings of the study demonstrate an association between individual and socioenvironmental factors and sexual health behaviors in the lives of Caribbean youth. Strong associations between rage and physical/sexual abuse and risky sexual behaviors are of notable concern.
Modeling patient-centered communication: oncologist relational communication and patient communication involvement in breast cancer adjuvant therapy decision-making

Objective Relational communication refers to those messages communicators naturally express that carry meaning about the type and quality of relationship they share. It is expected that patients of oncologists who express positive relational communication will be more communicatively involved in their office visits, and regret their decision for adjuvant therapy following surgery less.
For Love and for Money: Romance Urbanizing Northeast Brazil

Rapid Urbanization and the expansion of an unstable capitalist economy have transformed gender relationships in Northeast Brazil. Changes in economic opportunity for women and for men, combined with shifts in informal reciprocal relationships modify power relations between the generations and between the genders. Greater freedom for daughters, combined with ongoing changes in concepts of respectability encourage men to attach discourses of passion and romance to marriage and pseudo-marriage with women considered decent rather than to extra-marital relationships as in the past, and let young women dream of love that is both exciting and respectable. [Brazil, love, development, urbanization]
Contribution of Base Excision Repair, Nucleotide Excision Repair, and DNA Recombination to Alkylation Resistance of the Fission Yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

DNA damage is unavoidable, and organisms across the evolutionary spectrum possess DNA repair pathways that are critical for cell viability and genomic stability. To understand the role of base excision repair (BER) in protecting eukaryotic cells against alkylating agents, we generated Schizosaccharomyces pombe strains mutant for the mag1 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase gene. We report that S. pombe mag1 mutants have only a slightly increased sensitivity to methylation damage, suggesting that Mag1-initiated BER plays a surprisingly minor role in alkylation resistance in this organism. We go on to show that other DNA repair pathways play a larger role than BER in alkylation resistance. Mutations in genes involved in nucleotide excision repair (rad13) and recombinational repair (rhp51) are much more alkylation sensitive than mag1 mutants. In addition, S. pombe mutant for the flap endonuclease rad2 gene, whose precise function in DNA repair is unclear, were also more alkylation sensitive than mag1 mutants. Further, mag1 and rad13 interact synergistically for alkylation resistance, and mag1 and rhp51 display a surprisingly complex genetic interaction. A model for the role of BER in the generation of alkylation-induced DNA strand breaks in S. pombe is discussed.
Machiavellianism, External Control, and Cognitive Style of American and West German CO-EDS

This study concerned similarities and differences between 59 American and 97 West German co-eds with respect to Machiavellianism, external control, and cognitive style. American and West German co-eds differed in Machiavellian orientation and external control but appeared similar in cognitive style. The discussion revolves around cultural differences, child-rearing practices, socio-economic factors, and cognitive processes as possibly contributing to these results.
On the pathogenesis of the radiculopathy complicating multilevel corpectomy.

POSTOPERATIVE FIFTH CERVICAL radiculopathy has been described after cervical corpectomy. One explanation for this complication is thought to be the factor of traction on cervical roots caused by a shifting of the spinal cord consequent to decompression. This theory is supported by our experience with 176 patients undergoing corpectomies for whom a lesser width of decompression all but eliminated the complication.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor System and Sporadic Malignant Melanoma

Insulin and insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are important regulators of energy metabolism and growth. Several findings have outlined an important role played by this family of molecules in both tumor maintenance and development. Despite the established contribution of the IGF system in carcinogenesis, little and contrasting data have been reported concerning the intertwined relationships between melanoma and this family of molecules. The present minireview aims to summarize the main topics and evidence concerning this malignant skin cancer, with a focus on the following: i) melanoma and cell proliferation effects induced by the IGF system, ii) in vitro and in vivo experimental data, and iii) targeting studies. Because of consistent findings regarding the role of the IGF-1 receptor in the modulation of IGF-1 activity, possible therapeutic strategies combining the use of antisense oligonucleotides against IGF-1 receptor mRNA could be applied in the future.
Inactivation of a Helicobacter pylori DNA methyltransferase alters dnaK operon expression following host‐cell adherence

The Helicobacter pylori hpyIM gene encodes a type II DNA methyltransferase that is highly conserved among strains. To investigate the potential role of M.HpyI methyltransferase activity in controlling gene expression in H. pylori, we analyzed gene transcription profiles in wild-type strain J166 and an isogenic hpyIM mutant strain using gene arrays. This analysis showed that the expression of a majority of genes was unaffected by hpyIM mutation, especially in exponential phase cultures. However, in stationary phase cultures and in cells adherent to AGS gastric epithelial cells in vitro, loss of hpyIM function altered the expression of the stress-responsive dnaK operon. Complementation of the hpyIM mutation using a shuttle plasmid encoding a wild-type copy of the gene re-established the wild-type pattern of dnaK operon expression. These data suggested that hpyIM, encoding a DNA methyltransferase, may have a role in H. pylori physiology that supersedes its original function in a type II restriction–modification system.
Low work-function TaN-metal gate with Gadolinium oxide buffer layer on Hf-based dielectrics

Reduction in effective work function (EWF) of mid gap-TaN metal gate electrode with Gadolinium (Gd2O3) buffer layer in Hafnium based high-K gate stack has been demonstrated. EWF of 4.2eV was achieved for TaN with a bi-layer arrangement of Gd2O3/HfSiOx dielectric. By using Gd-Si co-sputtered layer on HfO2, a reduction in EWF to NMOS compatible EWF of 4.05eV was obtained. NMOSFETs with improved output current, transconductance, and channel electron mobility highlight the approach of using Gadolinium in the gate stack.
RhoA and Rac1 signals in fMLP-induced NF-κB activation in human blood monocytes

GTPase RhoA is required for fMet-Leu-Phe (fMLP)-stimulated NF-κB activation in human peripheral blood monocytes. Here we have investigated different members of the Rho family of GTPases Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA in regulating the transcription factor nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) in human peripheral blood monocytes. Stimulation of monocytes with fMLP rapidly activated Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA and cotransfection of the monocytic THP1 cells with dominant negative forms of Rho GTPases, we found that Rac1 and RhoA, but not Cdc42, involved fMLP-stimulated κB reporter gene expression. These results indicate that fMLP stimulates three members of the Rho family of GTPases Rac1, Cdc42, and RhoA activity in monocytes, and that Rac1 and RhoA, but not Cdc42, is required for fMLP-induced NF-κB activation. Furthermore, our data also suggest that RhoA is mediated by signals independent of Rac1 in NF-κB activation in human peripheral blood monocytes stimulated with bacterial products.
Trace anomaly of the stress-energy tensor for massless vector particles propagating in a general background metric☆

Abstract We reanalyze the problem of regularization of the stress-energy tensor for massless vector particles propagating in a general background metric, using covariant point separation techniques applied to the Hadamard elementary solution. We correct an error, pointed out by Wald, in the earlier formulation of Adler, Lieberman, and Ng, and find a stress-energy tensor trace anomaly agreeing with that found by other regularization methods.
Comparison of the Becke−Lee−Yang−Parr and Becke−Perdew−Wang Exchange-Correlation Functionals for Geometries of Cyclopentadienyl−Transition Metal Complexes

Complete all-electron density functional geometry optimizations have been performed on six “half-sandwich” cyclopentadienyl−transition metal complexes using both the Becke−Lee−Yang−Parr (BLYP) and ...
Corrected formula for first quantum corrections to second virial coefficients for non-spherical molecules

Abstract The formulas of Wang Chang, commonly used to calculate quantum corrections to the second virial coefficient for anisotropic interactions, are found to contain an error. A simple, correct formula, valid for any like or unlike combination of atoms and molecules of complexity up to and including symmetric tops, is given.
Conditional tests for localizing trait genes.

Background/Aims: With pedigree data, genetic linkage can be detected using inheritance vector tests, which explore the discrepancy between the posterior distribution of the inheritance vectors given observed trait values and the prior distribution of the inheritance vectors. In this paper, we propose conditional inheritance vector tests for linkage localization. These conditional tests can also be used to detect additional linkage signals in the presence of previously detected causal genes. Methods: For linkage localization, we propose to perform inheritance vector tests conditioning on the inheritance vectors at two positions bounding a test region. We can detect additional linkage signals by conducting a further conditional test in a region with no previously detected genes. We use randomized p values to extend the marginal and conditional tests when the inheritance vectors cannot be completely determined from genetic marker data. Results: We conduct simulation studies to compare and contrast the marginal and the conditional tests and to demonstrate that randomized p values can capture both the significance and the uncertainty in the test results. Conclusions: The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed conditional tests provide useful localization information, and with informative marker data, the uncertainty in randomized marginal and conditional test results is small.
Design of decision support systems

This paper focuses on design difficulties encountered in the implementation of effective DSS. The key point is that the standard MIS development life-cycle approach is dysfunctional in a DSS design setting. Four major ideas are introduced: system/problem migration, subset evolution, soft/hard capabilities, and weak/strong design process.
CARBOCAP® ‐ new carbon dioxide sensor ‐ electrically tuneable interferometer for infrared gas analysis

Reports on CARBOCAP®, a new type of optical carbon dioxide sensor, which guarantees high accuracy. States that CARBOCAP® uses a micromachine electrically tuneable Fabry‐Perot interferometer (FPI) as a filter, which guarantees the high accuracy and stability of a dual‐wavelength instrument, without the problems of mismated filters and detectors, or the wear and tear of a rotating filter.
On drag and wave-resistance

It is shown that for steady-state small-amplitude linear wave motion the drag exerted on the airsteam by a mountain, in an inviscid isothermal atmosphere, as a function of the basic current is quite similar to the wave-resistance experienced by a steady disturbance, moving along the surface of an infinitely deep homogeneous stream, as a function of the translation speed. However the maintenance of both types of resistance by the flux of energy is different in each case.
Spontaneous polymerization of phenylphosphaethyne

Phosphaalkynes (P'COR) bear striking similarities in bonding and reactivity to terminal alkynes (HC'COR). Longer COP bonds and the lack of pendant organic groups attached to phosphorus make phosphaalkynes potential precursors to conjugated polymers. However, few details concerning their polymerization chemistry are known, save that t-butylphosphaethyne and a few other sterically stabilized phosphaalkynes undergo thermally induced (130–180°C) or Lewis acid-mediated cycloaddition reactions to give polyhedral oligomers (primarily the tetramer, but the hexamer has also been isolated) rather than linear oligomers or polymers. Spontaneous “polymerization” reactions of phosphaalkynes with less sterically demanding substituents (RAH, CH3, Me3Si, phenyl) have also been reported, but none of the products have been characterized. In this report, we have investigated phenylphosphaethyne (PhC'P, 1) to determine if its spontaneous oligomerization leads to discrete polyhedral oligomers analogous to those formed from tbutylphosphaethyne, or if higher molecular weight or even crosslinked polymers form.
Persistence in a distance learning program: A case in pharmaceutical education

Abstract A survey instrument was designed and administered to a population of currently enrolled and drop‐out adult students in a post‐baccalaureate Doctor of Pharmacy program taught at a distance. The data from the survey was used to test a predictive model developed to examine the parameters of adult student persistence in distance learning programs. The independent variables in the model were significant in predicting persistence (F=5.670, DF=8,151, p<.0001) and explained 23% of the variance in persistence. Intrinsic benefits, age, and level of student ease or comfort with individual learning were significant factors.
Group Support Systems and Action Research: An Empirical-Action Research Cycle

Research in Information Systems, specifically Group Support Systems GSS, lends itself well to Action Research. From its original definition in 1985, GSSs have included a human component, the facilitator thereby providing an excellent venue for action research. This article proposes that action research acts as a key component in the knowledge accrual process for information systems research. The article demonstrates this proposal by developing a four-phased empirical-action research cycle based on McGrath et al.'s 1982 empirical research cycle, Baskerville's 1997 action research cycle, and the call to include the practitioner's view in empirical research as posited by Kerlinger's 1986 suggested goals for non-experimental studies. Finally, the proposed empirical-action research cycle is applied directly to a GSS field study wherein a group uses a GSS for a real-world problem of business process reengineering. The details of the study are discussed using the four phases in the model.
Cortical-striatal integration of cocaine history and prefrontal dysfunction in animal modeling of dual diagnosis.

Background High rates of substance disorders in schizophrenia and other mental illnesses may reflect biological vulnerabilities to the addiction process. Interactions between addictive drug effects and mental illness involving circuits that generate motivated behavior may underpin this vulnerability. Methods We examined separate and combined effects of neonatal ventral hippocampal lesions (NVHLs)—a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia (vs. SHAM-operated control animals)—and a behaviorally sensitizing cocaine history (15 mg/kg/day × 5 days vs. saline injections) on acute cocaine-induced neural activation signaled by c-Fos expression. Stereological assessment of activation densities spanned six ventral to dorsal cortical-striatal compartments. Results Cortically, NVHLs showed hypoactivation and decreased volume of the ventral medial prefrontal cortex. In contrast, cocaine history was only expressed subcortically and as a hyperactivating effect in the dorsal striatum where significant NVHL-induced hyperactivation also emerged. Across all subjects and brain regions, only dorsal striatal activation was correlated with differences in sensitized locomotion. However, this activation was tightly correlated to a simple multiplicative function of ventral medial prefrontal hypoactivation and cocaine history-related increases in striatal activation. Conclusions These findings suggest drug history and developmental temporal limbic abnormalities associated with prefrontal dysfunction produce compounding effects within cortical-striatal circuits as mechanistic basis for dual diagnosis.
Long-Lead Forecasts of Seasonal Precipitation in the Tropical Pacific Islands Using CCA.

Abstract A potentially operational system for 3-month total precipitation forecasts for island stations in the tropical Pacific has been developed at NOAA's Climate Prediction Center using the statistical method of canonical correlation analysis (CCA). Routine issuance of the forecasts could begin during 1996, presently they are issued experimentally. The levels and sources of predictive skills have been estimated at lead times of up to one year, using a cross-validation design. The predictor fields, in order of their predictive value, are quasi-global sea surface temperature, Northern Hemisphere 700-mb height, and prior values of the predictand precipitation itself. Four consecutive 3-nionth predictor periods are used to detect evolving as well as steady-state conditions. Modest forecast skills are realized for most seasons of the year; however, moderate skills (correlation <0.5) are found for certain stations in the northern Tropics at lead times of 3 months or less in late northern winter, especially i...
Stress measurements in glass using shaped-charge jets

Abstract Stresses were measured in glass targets in the vicinity of a penetrating shaped-charge jet. Stress levels of approximately 0.3 GPa were measured 12–20mm away from a jet formed by a 35mm copper liner. High speed framing camera photographs showed that the penetration velocity in the glass was 2.57 km/s and the glass fracture velocity was 2.10 km/s.
Angular dependence of OH degenerate four-wave mixing signals in a flame

Abstract The dependencies of line intensity and linewidth of degenerate four wave mixing (DFWM) on the crossing angle have been investigated via OH A2Σ − X2Π transitions in a flame. The measured results were compared with the theoretical predictions and other experimental results. It was found that the saturation effect was important and must be considered. When using the DFWM method to measure the temperature, a suitable crossing angle should be chosen and the absorption correction should be taken into account.
Cross-sectional echocardiographic assessment of aortic obstruction.

SUMMARY Cross-sectional echocardiographic features of aortic obstruction occurring at multiple levels of the left ventricular outflow tract are discribed. Specific pathologic entities considered include coarctation of the aorta, supravalvular, valvular, and discrete subvalvular aortic stenosis, as well as functional or idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosis. At each of these levels the cross-sectional method permits direct visualization of the obstructing lesion, it's morphologic characteristics, and extent. In addition the relationship of the area of obstruction to more normal surrounding areas of the outflow tract can be assessed. Studies at the supravalvular and valvular levels indicate the direct imaging of the stenotic area may permit estimation of severity. At the subvalvular level the patterns of development of functional obstruction can be examined and the mechanisms of this type of obstruction further illucidated. Finally in addition to direct visualization of individual areas of obstruction it is possible to detect or exclude areas of concommittant obstruction at other levels of the outflow tract. Cross-sectional echocardiography therefore represents a rapid, non-invasive method for visualizing the location, extent, severity, and dynamic nature of lesions producing obstruction to left ventricular outflow.
Improving Diversity in Nursing Education

This article discusses the results of two studies, with the first focused on baccalaureate students and registered nurses and the second focused on associate degree nursing students, identifying their culture, care, education, and experiences. Improving the number of graduating African-American nursing students has the potential to advance workforce diversity. Minority students who graduate from nursing programs and who then seek advanced degrees to educate future nurses contribute twofold: improving diversity among nurse educators and providing minority students with more and important ethnic role models within the nursing profession.
The Association Between Problematic Parental Substance Use and Adolescent Substance Use in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of 9th and 10th Graders

Adolescents of parents who use substances are at an increased risk for substance use themselves. Both parental monitoring and closeness have been shown to mediate the relationship between parents’ and their adolescents’ substance use. However, we know little about whether these relationships vary across different substances used by adolescents. Using structural equation modeling, we examined these associations within a racially and ethnically diverse sample of 9th and 10th graders (N = 927). Path analyses indicated that maternal closeness partially mediated the association between maternal problematic substance use and adolescent alcohol use. Parental monitoring partially mediated the relationship between paternal problematic substance use and adolescent alcohol, cigarette, marijuana, inhalant, and illicit prescription drug use. These results were consistent across gender and race/ethnicity. These findings suggest that parental interventions designed to increase closeness and monitoring may help to reduce adolescent substance use.
The impact of removing the sugar quota on the U.S. economy: A general equilibrium analysis

Abstract This paper assesses the effects of the sugar program on the sectors of the U.S. economy. A computable general equilibrium (CGE) model of the United States is used to survey the impacts of this program. The model includes 15 producing sectors, 14 consuming sectors, 6 consumer groups, a government sector, and a foreign sector. The study reveals that the U.S. Sugar Program causes an aggregate reduction in the output-producing sectors. In addition, the welfare of the 6 consumer groups combined is also negatively effected by the program. Also included are sensitivity experiments that compare the impacts of different input substitution elasticities; the results remain unchanged.
The monopole-source solution for estimating tissue temperature increases for focused ultrasound fields

The monopole-source solution to the problem of estimating tissue temperature rise generated by a focused ultrasound beam is presented. The acoustic pressure field generated by a focused, continuous-wave ultrasound source using the acoustic monopole-source method is developed. The point-source solution to the linear bio-heat transfer equation is used to calculate the axial, steady-state temperature increase for both circular and rectangular apertures. The results of the circular aperture are compared with the temperature increase calculated using the heated-disc method and are shown to be in substantial agreement. Finally, the temperature increase generated by the circular aperture is compared to that of the rectangular aperture for the same source power, aperture surface area, operating frequency, and medium properties, and it is shown that the rectangular source generates temperature increases less than those of the circular source under these conditions.
Probing the puncture for black hole simulations

With the puncture method for black hole simulations, the second infinity of a wormhole geometry is compactified to a single ``puncture point'' on the computational grid. The region surrounding the puncture quickly evolves to a trumpet geometry. The computational grid covers only a portion of the trumpet throat. It ends at a boundary whose location depends on resolution. This raises the possibility that perturbations in the trumpet geometry could propagate down the trumpet throat, reflect from the puncture boundary, and return to the black hole exterior with a resolution-dependent time delay. Such pathological behavior is not observed. This is explained by the observation that some perturbative modes propagate in the conformal geometry, others propagate in the physical geometry. The puncture boundary exists only in the physical geometry. The modes that propagate in the physical geometry are always directed away from the computational domain at the puncture boundary. The finite difference stencils ensure that these modes are advected through the boundary with no coupling to the modes that propagate in the conformal geometry. These results are supported by numerical experiments with a code that evolves spherically symmetric gravitational fields with standard Cartesian finite difference stencils. The code uses the Baumgarte-Shapiro-Shibata-Nakamura formulation of Einstein's equations with $1+\mathrm{log}﻿$ slicing and gamma-driver shift conditions.
A unifying generalization of Sperner's theorem

Sperner’s bound on the size of an antichain in the lattice P(S) of subsets of a finite set S has been generalized in three different directions: by Erdős to subsets of P(S) in which chains contain at most r elements; by Meshalkin to certain classes of compositions of S; by Griggs, Stahl, and Trotter through replacing the antichains by certain sets of pairs of disjoint elements of P(S). We unify these three bounds with a common generalization. We similarly unify their accompanying LYM inequalities. Our bounds do not in general appear to be the best possible.