cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The chemopreventive agent α-difluoromethylornithine blocks ki-ras-dependent tumor formation and specific gene expression in Caco-2 cells

Mutation of the Kirsten-ras (Ki-ras) proto-oncogene occurs frequently in colorectal cancers. α-Difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), an irreversible inhibitor of the polyamine biosynthetic enzyme, ornithine decarboxylase (ODC), inhibits Ki-ras transformation and colon tumorigenesis in carcinogen-treated animal models by mechanisms yet to be elucidated. Caco-2 cells transfected with an activated Ki-ras, but not parental cells, formed tumors in severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mice. DFMO treatment (2% in drinking water) prevented tumor growth. Gene expression profiling was performed to identify Ki-ras–and DFMO-dependent patterns of gene expression. Microarray results were validated with real-time or semi-quantitative RT-PCR and/or Western blot analysis. Genes upregulated in Caco-2 cells expressing an activated Ki-ras encoded cytoskeletal-, transport-, protease-, and gap junction–associated proteins. These genes are important for normal development and maintenance of colonic epithelial tissue. Caco-2 cells transfected with an activated Ki-ras displayed increased expression of the integrin alpha 1 (INGA1) and enhanced cell migration on laminin. These parameters were unaffected by DFMO, but Ki-ras–dependent migration was inhibited by INGA1 antibodies. Other Ki-ras–dependent, but DFMO-independent, genes included transglutaminase (TGase) and kallikrein 6 (KLK6). Ki-ras–transfected cells also expressed increased levels of connexin43 (Cx43) (RNA and protein), tight junction protein, and endothelin 1. DFMO reversed these increases. The results indicated that the Ki-ras oncogene caused changes in experimental cell migration and cell-cell communication genes and that some of these changes could be reversed by DFMO. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
An Epidemiological Analysis of the 1971 Smallpox Outbreak in Aralsk, Kazakhstan

(2003). An Epidemiological Analysis of the 1971 Smallpox Outbreak in Aralsk, Kazakhstan. Critical Reviews in Microbiology: Vol. 29, No. 2, pp. 97-108.
The melt anomaly of 2002 on the greenland ice sheet from active and passive microwave satellite observations

[1] Active and passive microwave satellite data are used to map snowmelt extent and duration on the Greenland ice sheet. The passive microwave (PM) data reveal the extreme melt extent of 690,000 km2 in 2002 as compared with an average extent of 455,000 km2 from 1979–2003. A statistical analysis of the melt time series affirms an increased melt extent earlier in the melt season. The QuikSCAT (QSCAT or AM) analysis for 1999 to 2004 confirms the extreme melt situation in 2002. QSCAT data show a significant increase in melt season length over several areas in 2003. SSM/I and QSCAT melt data reveal that the later detects melt earlier and is more sensitive to surface melt. QSCAT detects an earlier stage of melt and SSM/I detects a later stage of melt. The SSM/I XGPR melt extent is approximately confined to the QSCAT melt areas experiencing 2 weeks or more of melting time.
Measurement of pHT values of Tris buffers in artificial seawater at varying mole ratios of Tris:Tris·HCl

Abstract Measurements of total pH, pHT, in Harned cells are reported for 2-amino-2-hydroxymethyl-1,3-propanediol (Tris) buffers in artificial seawater (ASW) of salinity 35 at three molality ratios of Tris to Tris·HCl: 0.03:0.05, 0.04:0.04, and 0.05:0.03. The ASW formulation was derived from the 2008 International Association for the Physical Sciences of the Oceans (IAPSO) composition of seawater (Millero et al., 2008). The pHT value of each buffer was measured at 288.15 K, 298.15 K, and 308.15 K (15 °C, 25 °C, and 35 °C). Measurement uncertainties compliant with the ISO GUM (JCGM, 2008) are provided for each buffer. These new formulations extend the available data for Tris buffers in ASW to pHT values that bracket the pHT range of natural surface seawaters at 298.15 K. The data provide a framework for future multiple-point calibrations of spectrophotometric and potentiometric pHT measurements traceable to these new buffers.
Turkish Civil-Military Relations: A Latin American Comparison

This article compares civil-military relations in Turkey and Latin America. It finds that in both cases, military interruptions of democratic rule have been justified on grounds of military guardianship over national values and interests and feelings of professional superiority over civilians. It also finds that while the Turkish military ruled for brief periods, relying instead on extracting legal constitutional guarantees to maintain influence, Latin American militaries ruled for lengthier periods with less constitutional rewriting. In recent years, militaries in both places seem more willing to accept civilian policies even if they disagree with them.
Serotypes and antibiotic susceptibility of Escherichia coli in non-enteric infections of children.

AbstractDoxycycline levels in serum and urine were determined in 13 patients with normal or reduced renal function. Urinary excretion of doxycycline was proportional to renal function. The mean level of doxycycline in serum was significantly higher in patients with moderately reduced renal function than in those with normal function. This finding might be explained on the basis of differences in intestinal rather than renal function between the two groups of patients. Intravenous infusions of doxycycline to uremic patients were followed by lower initial serum concentrations of doxycycline than in other patients, a finding which might reflect a rapid diffusion into the intestine. Serum levels within therapeutical ranges are achieved by standard doses of doxycycline, given intravenously or orally to patients of most ages, irrespective of their renal function. No rises of urea, SGOT and SGPT associated with the treatment were observed.
A MUTANT OF NEUROSPORA REQUIRING ASPARAGINE FOR GROWTH

THE ,8-AMIDE of aspartic acid, asparagine, has an almost universal distribution in nature. It has been found in animal and plant tissue, the bacterial cell, and in the tobacco mosaic virus (Stepka and Takahashi, 1950). The most recent chemical evidence (Sanger and Thompsen, 1953) indicates that this substance is indeed an integral portion of the insulin molecule. Despite these observations and the fact that asparagine may serve as the sole nitrogen source for many microorganisms, little is known about its biosynthesis or metabolic interrelationships and functions. The isolation of a mutant strain of Neurospora crassa requiring asparagine for growth affords the opportunity of studying the biological formation of this compound. MATERIALS.-The original asparagine-requiring mutant3, S1007a, which forms only microconidia, was produced by X-radiation of microconidia from the nutritionally wild type strain Y8743-21(13-7)a. To facilitate handling, most genetic crosses and all biochemical tests were made with a macroconidiating reisolate4 S1007-2 (1-4) a obtained by crossing the original isolate with the wild type SY7A. Possible precursors of asparagine were screened by the auxanographic plate technique. Isoasparagine was synthesized by the phthaloyl method (Tanenbaum, 1953). We would like to thank Dr. H. Waelsch for the /3-aspartohydroxamic acid and for the peptides of glycine and asparagine used in this investigation. EXPERIMENTAL.-Genetic analysis.-The asparagine-requiring strain represents a mutation at a single genetic locus. This conclusion is based on results obtained from 173 asci dissected serially from nine different crosses. The centromere data from 67 asci (five crosses), as listed in table 1, give an average distance of 29.9 map units. The asparagine locus (asp) is located in the right arm of linkage group V, as shown in table 2. Tetrad analysis of the cross asp X pab-1, not reported here, indicates that asp is distal to all three loci tested. Asp segregated independently from markers in the three other linkage groups tested, namely II (fluffy, fi), IV (5531, pan), and VI (3254, ad-i). Biochemical characteristics.-Of sotne fifty com-
Reduction of amygdaloid kindled seizures by an analog of ACTH/MSH.

Abstract A behaviorally potent analog of ACTH/MSH(4–9), ORG-2766, markedly reduces both physiologic and behavioral components of convulsive seizures in an animal model of epilepsy—the amygdaloid kindled rat. We believe that such non-endocrine analogs of ACTH/MSH fragments may be clinically useful anticonvulsants, particularly in chronic applications, provided that their permeation of the blood-brain barrier can be improved.
Characterization of soil temperature, water content, and maize root distribution in two tillage systems

Abstract Previous research has shown that soil temperature and soil water regimes are influenced by tillage practices. Root growth is affected by both soil temperature and water content; therefore, root distribution can be significantly different among various tillage systems. The objectives of this field study were to characterize the distribution of maize (Zea mays L.) roots in the top 30 cm of the profile of a Chalmers silty clay loam soil (Typic Haplaquoll) under a ridge till-plant system and a conventional tillage system and to determine if any significant differences exist among soil temperature and water regimes in these two tillage systems and if these differences were related to maize root distribution. Measurements were taken over a 3 year period on three replicates of a long-term tillage experiment. Soil cores (2.1 cm diameter) were taken after approximately 5, 7, and 10 weeks of growth to determine root length density with depth and distance from the row. Soil temperature was measured with thermocouples at depths of 2.5, 10, and 30 cm in the row and midrow. Soil water content was determined gravimetrically on samples taken two to three times per week from the row and midrow. Root length density (RLD) was higher in the row and midrow in the ridge till treatments; whereas in the conventional treatments, RLD was highest in the row and decreased with distance from the row. Mean 24 h temperatures in the row of ridge till treatments paralleled those in the row of conventional treatments. Midrow temperatures tended to be lower in ridge till than in conventional treatments, especially during the 3 week period after planting. Water content in the row of both tillage treatments was similar from planting to midsilk in both years. Water content in the midrow of ridge till was greater than that of conventional treatments throughout the sampling period. No significant correlations between RLD and soil temperature or water content were found; however, significant differences in soil temperature, water content, and RLD between the two tillage treatments suggest that some relationship does exist.
Analysis of liquid metal flow in die casting

Abstract A new approach is developed for analyzing liquid metal flow in die casting which, compared with conventional methods, greatly shortens the time required to calculate a solution. Instead of modeling the usually thin die casting cavity as a general three-dimensional fluid region, the governing equations are integrated through the cavity thickness, creating an equivalent two-dimensional theory that describes the motion of the liquid metal in terms of a bulk velocity and a pressure resultant. The liquid metal is represented as an inviscid, incompressible fluid. This makes it possible to introduce a two-dimensional velocity potential on the cavity surface and avoid an explicit solution for pressure. The arbitrary jump in potential that may occur when two flow fronts meet is accommodated by using discontinuous finite elements. The cavity gas displaced by the advancing metal front is assumed to compress adiabatically as an ideal gas. The method allows for generally curved, branched cavities, venting of the cavity gas, energy dissipation at gates, and a variable injection speed. A number of example problems are considered which illustrate the performance of the analysis under several geometric and process conditions.
A Multilevel Analysis of Hispanic Youth, Exposure to the United States, and Retail Theft

Panel data in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) provide an excellent opportunity to examine the relationship between Hispanic immigration, assimilation, and retail theft. This study examines the relationship between length of time Hispanic youth have spent in America, with the probability of stealing from a store. After controlling for traditional predictors of crime that are correlated with adolescence and immigrant status, random effects logistic regression models indicate that immigrants are less likely to steal than non-immigrants. However, calculating the marginal effects of time spent in the United States reveals that their probability increases with assimilation. Supplementary analyses specify that Hispanic youth who enter the United States within their first 5 years of age will have higher odds of engaging in retail theft. Supportive parenting and a structured home environment is a consistent protective factor in the models. Policies targeting pro-family and social identification are likely to benefit immigrant youth as they acculturate to America.
BIOSYNTHESIS OF PHOSPHATIDYLINOSITOL

Interest in our laboratory in the inositol lipids derives from the presence of relatively high amounts of phosphatidylinositol phosphate (PhIP) and phosphatidylinositol diphosphate (PhIPP) in excitable tissue. It was with this relationship in mind that we embarked on a study of biosynthetic pathways of inositol lipids several years ago. A first step in the elucidation of biosynthetic pathways of phospholipids goes back to 1953, when Kornberg and Pricerl showed that a liver microsomal fraction catalyzed the acylation of glycerol-3-phosphate (G-3-P, L-a-glycerophosphate) to diacyl-G-3-P (phosphatidate) , a lipid that was not previously known to be a biosynthetic intermediate substance. Subsequent studies indicated that phosphorylcholine was a precursor in the synthesis of phosphatidylch~line.~~~ Kennedy and Weiss, in 1955, found that ATP stimulated the incorporation of phosphorylcholine into lipid.4 An important step forward was taken when they learned that the stimulation by ATP was due to the presence of trace amounts of cytidine nucleotide.5 From this experiment evolved the role of CDP-choline and CDP-ethanolamine in phospholipid synthesis. A DPNH-linked dehydrogenase was found that reduced DHAP produced in glycolysis to G-3-P,6 which, in turn, could be acylated by the microsomal enzyme1 and fatty acyl-CoA to phosphatidate. Phosphatidate phosphohydrolasei was shown to cleave phosphatidate to P, and l,Zdiglyceride, which then reacted with CDP-choline or CDP-ethanolamine to yield phosphatidylcholine and phosphatidylethanolamine, respectively. A pathway for phospholipid synthesis was thus proposed, beginning with the reduction of DHAP to G-3-P, acylation to phosphatidate, dephosphorylation to diglyceride, and, finally, to yield phosphatidylcholine or phosphatidylethanolamine by reaction with the appropriate cytidine diphosphate derivative.s By analogy, we began to look for a similar system that would synthesize phosphatidylinositol (PhI). We looked in vain for an inositol kinase and for the presence of CDP-inositol, using inositol labeled with tritium by the Wilzbach technique or by reduction of scyllo-inosose.9 Although there was no evidence for inositol phosphate or CDP-inositol formation, we observed that cytidine nucleotides did significantly stimulate inositol incorporation into lipid in incubations with particulate fractions from kidney.1° When inositol was omitted, radioactivity from labeled CMP accumulated, as a function of time, into a
Reflections on jewishness and its implications for family therapy

Abstract Family therapy as a field has increasingly recognized the importance of families' cultural backgrounds in understanding family systems and conducting effective therapy. Although some families' ethnicities fade with assimilation and time, even families who consider themselves marginally Jewish are often deeply influenced by Jewish cultural background. Purely statistical studies of Jewish characteristics are hampered by significant differences in Jewish sample populations (such as Eastern European and Mediterranean Jews) and the inadequacies of current measuring techniques. This article links Jewish cultural traits to specific elements of Jewish history, traditions, and theology; helps familiarize family therapists with the implications of a Jewish cultural background for families entering family therapy; and provides suggestions for treatment interventions.
The common Lisp object system metaobject kernel: a status report

The metaobject kernel of the Common Lisp Object System (CLOS) comprises the classes and methods that define and implement the behavior of the system. Since CLOS is an object-oriented program itself, exposing this kernel allows people to make useful integrated extensions to CLOS without changing the behavior of the system for ordinary programs, and without unwarranted loss of efficiency. This paper is organized around the classes used to implement CLOS, describing reasons for the class organization chosen, and how these classes participate in some protocols of the system.
Regulation of the soxRS Oxidative Stress Regulon REVERSIBLE OXIDATION OF THE Fe-S CENTERS OF SoxR IN VIVO

SoxR protein, a transcriptional activator of the soxRS (superoxide response) regulon of Escherichia coli, contains autooxidizable [2Fe-2S] centers that are presumed to serve as redox sensors. In vitro transcription experiments previously demonstrated that only the oxidized form is active. Reduced SoxR was detected in overproducing strains by EPR spectroscopy of suspensions of intact cells. Oxidized Fe-S centers were determined by lysing the cells and treating them with the reducing agent sodium dithionite prior to EPR measurements. In uninduced cells, 90% of the SoxR was in the reduced form. Treatment with the redox cycling agents phenazine methosulfate or plumbagin was accompanied by reversible oxidation of the Fe-S centers. Mutant SoxR derivatives that were constitutively activated existed constitutively in an oxidized state. The results indicate the presence of a cellular pathway for countering the autooxidation of SoxR and confirm the hypothesis that induction of the regulon is mediated by a shift in the redox equilibrium of SoxR rather than by assembly of its Fe-S clusters.
Absolute measurement of tilts via Fourier analysis of interferograms

The Fourier method of interferogram analysis requires the introduction of a constant tilt into the inteferogram to serve as a 'carrier signal' for information on the figure of the surface under test. This tilt is usually removed in the first steps of analysis and ignored thereafter. However, in the problem of aligning optical components and systems, knowledge of part orientation is crucial to proper instrument performance. This paper outlines an algorithm which uses the normally ignored carrier signal in Fourier analysis to compute an absolute tilt (orientation) of the test surface. We also provide a brief outline of how this technique, incorporated in a rotating Twyman-Green interferometer, can be used in alignment and metrology of optical systems.
Impaired chemotaxigenesis by type III group B streptococci in neonatal sera: relationship to diminished concentration of specific anticapsular antibody and abnormalities of serum complement.

Summary: A chemotaxigenesis (CTG) assay employing adult or neonatal sera, type III group B streptococci (GBS) and polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) was designed to evaluate the role of PMN mobilization in the pathogenesis of type III GBS infection in neonates. Generation of C5a in healthy adult sera with moderate-high (3–40 μg/ml) or low (≤2 μg/ml) levels of specific anticapsular antibody was confirmed by PMN aggregometry and by the neutralization of CTG by goat anti-human C5. CTG was significantly (P < 0.001) greater in high as compared to low specific antibody-containing adult sera; stepwise increases in CTG occurred when specific IgG was added to untreated, but not heat-inactivated, hypogammaglobutinemic serum. Immunospecificity of CTG was shown by a failure of type III GBS to generate C5a in heterologous (type Ia) high antibody sera. Mean CTG values in three high and 16 low antibody-containing sera from healthy term neonates were 24% and 62% of high (P < 0.001) and low (P < 0.01) antibody adult sera, respectively. The addition of both complement and specific IgG to low antibody-containing neonatal sera was required to enhance their CTG activity to high antibody adult values. CTG by type III GBS in neonatal sera-neonatal PMN mixtures was only 25% (high antibody sera) and 14% (low antibody sera) of values for paired maternal sera mixtures reacted with adult PMNs (P < 0.001). These studies demonstrate that CTG by type III GBS in neonatal sera is markedly diminished and that low concentrations of specific anticapsular antibody and abnormalities of complement function contribute to impaired PMN mobilization in human neonates.
On the concepts of returns to scale

Abstract We clarify various concepts of returns to scale scattered in the literature by presenting their six different concepts. We find the global relationship among them and apply some of the results to determine the shape of the average cost curves.
State Reform in Education Finance: Territorial and Social Strategies

As of January 1991, state education finance systems had been overturned by the courts in twelve states and upheld by the courts in another fourteen. This article examines the ways in which states have responded to the challenge of equity in school finance. Equity reforms are rooted in two kinds of inequities in public elementary and secondary education. First, state governments can address interdistrict or territorial inequity that is due to the disparity in local taxable wealth. Second, state governments can address the social inequity that arises from the presence of special-needs populations within a district. A reform strategy is likely to reflect a state's relative emphases on territorial and social inequities. The common tendency, however, is to focus on territorial equity. These policy tendencies are shaped by various state political and institutional factors.
In vivo effects of carbamate insecticides on mammalian esterase enzymes

Abstract The in vivo antiesterase activity of three carbamate insecticides was examined by an abbreviated manometric assay. A comparison of this method with a potentiometric esterase assay indicated the feasibility of the abbreviated manometric assay for routine determination of reversible esterase inhibitors. The intensity of the cholinergic effects produced after carbamate intoxication correlated with the degree of cholinesterase inhibition. Inhibition and recovery of liver aliphatic esterase activity did not correlate with signs of poisoning. A comparison was made of the response of rat and mouse liver esterases to in vivo carbamate poisoning.
Sunbathing: college students' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of risks.

Abstract This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors of college students regarding intentional sun exposure (sunbathing). Results are based on responses of 296 Caucasian students to the Sun and Skin Inventory. Frequent sunbathers were more likely than infrequent sunbathers to be women and to report fewer self-perceived risk factors, and were less likely to use sunscreen. They were also more likely to believe that they look better with a tan, that suntanned skin is more attractive, and that suntans look healthy. Forty-three percent of the female respondents and 61% of the men rarely, if ever, used sunscreens, and only 9% of all respondents reported they used sunscreens with every intentional sun exposure of 30 minutes or longer. These results suggest that concern with attractiveness appears to be a major motivation for frequent intentional sun exposure. Consequently, educational strategies that stress health outcomes only may be less effective than those that also stress photoaging, the det...
Informed consent: a review.

Of paramount importance is the respect for autonomy and right to self-determination inherent in anethically sound decision-making process. The President's Commission clearly summarized the prevailing view of informed consent when it stated: “ethically valid consent is a process of shared decision making based on mutual respect and participation, not a ritual to be equated with reciting the content of a form that details the risks of a particular treatment of intervention” (9).
Effects of altered expression of the neural cell adhesion molecule, N-CAM, on early neural development in Xenopus embryos

The neural cell adhesion molecule, N-CAM, is known to be expressed very early in the development of the vertebrate nervous system. In frog embryos, N-CAM expression increases dramatically in ectoderm coincident with the formation of the neural plate and tube, suggesting that morphogenesis of the early nervous system is controlled in part by differential expression of N-CAM. This model was tested by introducing synthetic N-CAM transcripts into Xenopus embryos so that N-CAM was indiscriminately expressed at high levels on the surface of both induced and noninduced ectodermal cells throughout gastrulation and neurulation. Analysis of these embryos shows that high levels of N-CAM misexpression do not effect neural tube formation even though ectopic expression of N-CAM in epidermis and somitic mesoderm caused specific defects in the structure of these tissues. By showing that the properly regulated expression of N-CAM is not essential for neural tube formation, these results provide compelling evidence that N-CAM on its own does not act as a regulatory molecule during early neural development.
Surrénalectomie cœlioscopique robotisée

Resume La cœlioscopie est la technique de reference dans la prise en charge chirurgicale des maladies surrenaliennes benignes. Les cinq dernieres annees ont vu des ameliorations concomitantes dans le domaine de la chirurgie robotique. La presque totalite des interventions urologiques, initialement realisee en cœlioscopique, l'a ainsi ete a l'aide d'une assistance robotique. Apres un rappel de considerations anatomiques, cet article traite des indications de surrenalectomie cœlioscopique robotisee, resume les debuts de l'experimentation robotique menee dans le domaine et detaille la technique de surrenalectomie cœlioscopique robotisee. La surrenalectomie cœlioscopique robotisee reste peu repandue a ce jour. Ses avantages par rapport a la cœlioscopie conventionnelle ne sont pas encore reconnus. Des ameliorations dans le domaine de la robotique, notamment l'addition d'une sensation tactile par retour de force, une miniaturisation des differents materiels, une reduction des couts et des avancees dans le domaine de la telemanipulation sont attendues. Cela permettra de mieux definir la place de la robotique dans la prise en charge des pathologies surrenaliennes.
Retrieval of surface BRDF for reflectance-based calibration

The University of Arizona has recently deployed a set of automated, downlooking radiometers to retrieve surface reflectance of the Railroad Valley test site in Nevada. Results from these radiometers have been combined with atmospheric data from the same site to provide a reflectance-based, vicarious calibration of multiple sensors. The accuracy of the calibrations is similar to those obtained from on-site personnel. Past work has emphasized near-nadir views by the satellite sensors under study to match more closely the view geometry of the automated radiometers to minimize the effect of bi-directional effects in the surface reflectance. Extension to off-nadir views requires an accurate understanding of the surface BRDF. Surface bi-directional reflectance effects have always played a key role in the accuracy of the vicarious calibration of imaging sensors. Such effects are especially important for the large, off-nadir views of sensors such as AVHRR and MODIS. The current work presents a method for retrieving the BRDF using the nadir-viewing data from the automated radiometers throughout the day. The concept of reciprocity is used to derive the reflectance as a function of view angle based on the measurements as a function of solar zenith angle. Comparisons of the results from this approach are compared to MODIS-derived BRDF data as well as ground-based measurements.
Splitting of the lowest T = 2 states in 44Ti, 48Cr and 52Fe☆

Abstract A high-resolution study of the 46 Ti, 50 Cr, 54 Fe(p,t) 44 Ti, 48 Cr, 52 Fe reactions provides evidence for the spliting of the lowest double analog states in 44 Ti and 48 Cr. The splitting is 20 ± 2 KeV in 44 Ti and 10 ± 2 KeV in 48 Cr. Splitting of the T = 2 state in 52 Fe could not be identified. Together with the previously observed splitting in 56 Ni the present results suggest that splitting is a common occurence for self-conjugate nuclei in the f 7 2 shell.
An Electrical Thrombectomy Device Using Plasma Created Chemistry in a Saline Environment to Dissolve Vascular Clots

An electrical thrombectomy device, using liquid plasma generated radicals for removing intravascular blood clots, causing either the chronic total occlusion clots or DVT clots, was demonstrated. We employed a proxy experimental clot model of DVT with the blood filled collagen sheets. We also treated a real equine blood clot. Both clot samples were provided by the Veterinary Hospital of Colorado State University. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to examine the relative populations of the reactive chemical species generated by the liquid plasma that drives the clot dissolution during 10 min. of liquid plasma treatment at 20 W of average input power. The removal rate of the blood clots is typically up to 2 mm3 per minute and cylindrical volumes of 3 mm diameter and 14 mm long were removed. The thermal damage to contiguous tissue at the periphery of the removal volume was determined to be is >200 µm from conventional histology analysis. We determined by FTIR spectroscopy that the collagen denaturing in liquid plasma occurs primarily via Amide III bond breakage.
Managing the Cleanup of the Nuclear Weapons Complex: The Case of the Fernald Environmental Management Program

Drawing on data gathered from personal interviews conducted at multiple sites within the U.S. nuclear weapons complex, this article explores four key factors that affect site progress toward coming into environmental compliance. These factors are (a) the degree of environmental difficulty, (b) stakeholder relationships, (c) organizational transformation, and (d) politics. The Fernald, Ohio, site is then presented as a case that reveals the importance of these factors in explaining a site’s successful progress toward environmental compliance. There are two outstanding features of the Fernald cleanup effort: (a) the extent to which the site has been able to work effectively with stakeholders and (b) the comprehensiveness of the site’s successful organizational transformation.
High-speed 3-D shape measurement based on digital fringe projection

A high-speed 3-D shape measurement technique based on digital fringe projection has been developed and experimented. This technique uses a computer-generated color fringe pattern whose red, green, and blue channels are sinusoidal fringe patterns with a 120-deg phase shift between neighboring channels. When this color fringe pat- tern is sent to a digital-micromirror-device (DMD) based video projector with no color filter, three gray-scale fringe patterns are repeatedly pro- jected to an object surface in sequence with a cycle time of approxi- mately 10 ms. The three phase-shifted fringe patterns deformed by the object surface are captured by a CCD camera with proper synchroniza- tion between the camera and the projector. The 3-D shape of the object surface is reconstructed by using a phase wrapping and unwrapping algorithm and a phase-coordinate conversion algorithm. Experimental results demonstrated the feasibility of this technique for high-speed 3-D shape measurement with a potential measurement speed up to 100 Hz. © 2003 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers. (DOI: 10.1117/1.1525272) Subject terms: fringe projection; phase shifting; digital micromirror device; 3-D shape measurement.
Effect of Oral and Intravenous Diltiazem on Whole Blood Platelet Aggregability

Diltiazem, a calcium channel blocker, is known to suppress platelet function in vitro. However, its in vivo effects on platelets have been controversial. The effect of diltiazem on both human and calf platelets was studied using impedance whole-blood aggregometry. In vitro, platelet aggregation induced by ADP (5 microM) or collagen (1 micrograms/ml) was significantly suppressed by 0.1 to 1.0 mM (45 to 450 micrograms/ml) of diltiazem in both species. In calves weighting 70 to 90 kg, platelet aggregability did not change after the oral administration of 180 mg diltiazem. In this condition, diltiazem was not detected in plasma samples. Intravenous injection of 0.5 mg/kg diltiazem also did not significantly alter the aggregability, although the PR interval on the ECG elongated (40 msec, p < .05), mean arterial pressure dropped (14 mmHg, p < .05), and diltiazem was readily detected in plasma (199 ng/ml, 0.4 microM). In conclusion, platelet aggregability is not altered by a clinical dosage of diltiazem that is sufficient to induce hemodynamic changes with therapeutic plasma concentrations.
Schizophrenia, just the facts: What do we know, how well do we know it?

The basic facts of schizophrenia are subjectively reviewed in terms of their reproducibility and significance for understanding the disorder. Some of the facts that are either less well known or of greater importance for future investigation are discussed in more detail. The purpose of establishing what we know about schizophrenia is to develop firm ground for generating hypotheses. One attempt to synthesize these facts is outlined.
Elucidating the in vivo targets of bacterial toxins

Many bacterial pathogens release soluble proteins, referred to as toxins, which damage host cells during disease. In the past, bacterial toxins have been studied extensively using cultured cells, and in vitro biochemical systems. However, little is known about the types of cells targeted by toxins during the disease process while within the host. This has limited our understanding of these important virulence factors. To address this problem, we have recently used transparent zebrafish embryos to follow toxin activity in a multiorgan system in real-time. Zebrafish provide many advantages over more traditional animal models, since major organs can be directly visualized by light microscopy. This allows one to follow toxin activity and organ damage as it occurs following intoxication. As proof-of-principle, we have recently exploited the zebrafish embryo to identify the activities of Clostridium difficile toxin B, an intracellular bacterial toxin. By using the zebrafish system we have been able to identify a major organ, the heart, targeted by this toxin.
Dominating Set based Overhead Reduction for Broadcast Authentication in Large Sensor Networks

In an earlier work, a localized broadcast authentication protocol was proposed to reduce verification delay in a large sensor network via using a few trusted nodes to divide sensor nodes into several sub areas and coordinate broadcast authentication in the sub areas. However, further study shows that the delay reduction is at the expense of increasing broadcast overhead due to updating localization information. Hence, the protocol in deployment can consume more energy of sensor nodes. To address the problem, we propose LD-TESLA to incorporate dominating nodes in broadcast authentication to eliminate redundant broadcast packets. The simulation illustrates that LD-TESLA can achieve significant reduction of broadcast overhead as well as verification delay. Compared with previous broadcast authentication protocols, LD-TESLA can save around 40% broadcast overhead.
The Impact of Initial Condition Uncertainty on Numerical Simulations of Blocking

Abstract The impact of initial condition uncertainty (ICU) on the onset and maintenance of eastern North Pacific blocking is examined within the framework of a general circulation model (GCM) and the perfect model assumption. Comparisons are made with the contrasting zonal flow regime. Twenty-member ensembles of perturbed simulations are run out to 15 days for the zonal flow, and for blocking at lead times of 8, 4, 2, and 0 days. Blocking occurs in 95% of the 0-day lead simulations and declines monotonically to 65% for the 8-day lead simulations. The uncertainty in the exact time of onset among those simulations that form blocks also increases with lead time. The synoptic-scale features in both the blocking and zonal ensembles saturate, relative to climatological variance, and decorrelate (anomaly correlation coefficient < 0.5) by 6 days. The planetary-scale features, however, maintain skill relative to climatology beyond 10 days. The zonal simulations are generally the first to saturate and decorrelate, ...
Two Separate Signals Act Independently to Localize a Yeast Late Golgi Membrane Protein through a Combination of Retrieval and Retention

The localization of proteins to late-Golgi membranes (TGN) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is conferred by targeting motifs containing aromatic residues in the cytosolic domains of these proteins. These signals could act by directing retrieval from a post-Golgi compartment or by preventing exit from the TGN. To investigate the mechanism of localization of yeast TGN proteins, we used the heterologous protein A-ALP (consisting of the cytosolic domain of dipeptidyl aminopeptidase A [DPAP A] fused to the transmembrane and luminal domains of the vacuolar protein alkaline phosphatase [ALP]), which localizes to the yeast TGN. Insertion of the aromatic residue–based TGN localization motif (FXFXD) of DPAP A into the cytosolic domain of ALP results in a protein that resides in the TGN. We demonstrate that the FXFXD motif confers Golgi localization through retrieval from a post-Golgi compartment by detecting a post-Golgi processed form of this protein in the TGN. We present an assay that uncouples retrieval-mediated Golgi localization from static retention-based localization, allowing measurement of the rate at which proteins exit the yeast TGN. We also demonstrate that the cytosolic domain of DPAP A contains additional information, separate from the retrieval motif, that slows exit from the TGN. We propose a model for DPAP A localization that involves two distinct mechanisms: one in which the FXFXD motif directs retrieval from a post-Golgi compartment, and a second that slows the rate at which DPAP A exits the TGN.
Lifetime Cost of Stroke in the United States

Background and Purpose Stroke imposes a substantial economic burden on individuals and society. This study estimates the lifetime direct and indirect costs associated with the three major types of stroke: subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), and ischemic stroke (ISC). Methods We developed a model of the lifetime cost of incident strokes occurring in 1990. An epidemiological model of stroke incidence, survival, and recurrence was developed based on a review of the literature. Data on direct cost of treating stroke were obtained from Medicare claims data, the 1987 National Medical Expenditure Survey (NMES), and insurance claims data representing a group of large, self-insured employers. Indirect costs (the value of foregone market and nonmarket production) associated with premature morbidity and mortality were estimated based on data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis and the 1987 NMES. Results The lifetime cost per person of first strokes occurring in 1990 is estimated to be ...
Quaternary fans and terraces in the Khumbu Himal south of Mount Everest: their characteristics, age and formation

Large fans and terraces are frequent in the Khumbu Himal within the high Himalayan valleys south of Mt. Everest. These features are composed of massive matrix- and clast-supported diamicts that were formed from both hyperconcentrated flows and coarse-grained debris flows. Cosmogenic radionuclide (CRN) exposure ages for boulders on fans and terraces indicate that periods of fan and terrace formation occurred at c . 16, c . 12, c . 8, c . 4 and c . 1.5 ka, and are broadly coincident with the timing of glaciation in the region. The dating precision is insufficient to resolve whether the surfaces formed before, during or after the correlated glacial advance. However, the sedimentology, and morphostratigraphic and geomorphological relationships suggest that fan and terrace sedimentation in this part of the Himalaya primarily occurs during glacier retreat and is thus paraglacial in origin. Furthermore, modern glacial-lake outburst floods and their associated deposits are common in the Khumbu Himal as the result of glacial retreat during historical times. We therefore suggest that Late Quaternary and Holocene fan and terrace formation and sediment transfer are probably linked to temporal changes in discharge and sediment load caused by glacier oscillations responding to climate change. The timing of major sedimentation events in this region can be correlated with fans and terraces in other parts of the Himalaya, suggesting that major sedimentation throughout the Himalaya is synchronous and tied to regional climatic oscillations. Bedrock incision rates calculated from strath terrace ages average c . 3.9 mm a −1 , suggesting that the overall rate of incision is set by regional uplift.
Photonic Network Laser

We demonstrated lasing in two-dimensional trivalent network structures with short-range order. Despite the lack of translational and rotational symmetries, such structures possess a large isotropic photonic bandgap. Different from those of a photonic crystal, the band-edge modes are spatially localized and have high quality factor.
Acetato de molibdeno como precursor de molibdeno carburizado soportado sobre alumina: un catalizador para reacciones de hidrogenación

Se reporta la estabilidad del dimero Mo2(Ac)4 soportado sobre ALO, bajo temperaturas relativamente altas y atmosferas carburizantes de hidrocarburo/hidrogeno. Se reporta tambien un metodo para la impregnacion humeda del soporte con Mo24
Electrochemical Reduction of Molybdenum(VI) Compounds in Molten Lithium Chloride‐Potassium Chloride Eutectic

Molybdenum (VI) oxide reacts with molten eutectic at 450° to form , which probably is present as an anion , and pyromolybdate, . Both of these species are electrochemically reduced to , which can be reoxidized to by current reversal. A second reduction step, observed whether or is added to the melt, can be attributed to the reduction of , formed as a secondary reaction product in the first step. The reduction of molybdate proceeds in two steps, the first at −0.85V and the second at −1.75V vs. the 1M Pt(II)/Pt reference electrode. The first step shows an abnormally short transition time, attributable to a slow equilibrium. The second step corresponds to a diffusion‐controlled reduction with , yielding a product of the empirical formula .
Living with Iran

In the past nine years the Islamic Republic of Iran has posed the most difficult of all foreign policy problems for the United States—a problem usually confronted by marriage counselors rather than diplomats, for Iran is the nation that the United States cannot live with and cannot live without.
Self-Employment Training Programs for the Poor

As a strategy to help law income people create their awn jobs, numerous training programs have been developed to assist the poor to start a small business. This effort is becoming widespread in both the U.S. and Europe. While there seems to be a consensus of what a self-employment training program should contain, the appropriateness of the typical program, for low income people with severe educational deficiencies, is questioned. A typology for differentiating self-employment training programs is generated and their distribution is described from a survey of self-employment training programs for low income people in the United States.
Colorectal Specialization Increases Lymph Node Yield: Evidence from a National Database

Background Current guidelines recommend the evaluation of at least 12 lymph nodes (LNs) in the pathologic specimen following surgery for colorectal cancer (CRC). We sought to examine the role of colorectal specialization on nodal identification.
Finely-threaded history-based topology computation

Graphics and visualization pipelines often make use of highly parallelized algorithms which transform an input mesh into an output mesh. One example is Marching Cubes, which transforms a voxel grid into a triangle mesh approximation of an isosurface. These techniques often discard the topological connectivity of the output mesh, and instead produce a 'soup' of disconnected geometric elements. Calculations that require local neighborhood, such as surface curvature, cannot be performed on such outputs without first reconstructing its topology. We present a novel method for reconstructing topological information across several kinds of mesh transformations, which we demonstrate with GPU and OpenMP implementations. Our approach makes use of input topological elements for efficient location of coincident elements in the output. We provide performance data for the technique for isosurface generation, tetrahedralization, subdivision, and dual mesh generation, and demonstrate its use in visualization pipelines containing further computations of local curvature and mesh coarsening.
Observation of excitonic super-radiance in quantum well structures and its application for laser cooling of solids

Excitons, bound electron-hole pairs, possess distinct physical properties from free electrons and holes that can be employed to improve the performance of optoelectronic devices. In particular, the signatures of excitons are enhanced optical absorption and radiative emission. These characteristics could be of major benefit for the laser cooling of semiconductors, a process which has stringent requirements on the parasitic absorption of incident radiation and the internal quantum efficiency. Here we experimentally demonstrate the dominant ultrafast excitonic super-radiance of our quantum well structure from 78 K up to room temperature. The experimental results are followed by our detailed discussions about the advantages and limitations of this method.
Computationally Efficient Simulation of High-Frequency Transients in Power Electronic Circuits

A computationally efficient simulation framework is set forth in which the semiconductor devices are represented by the physical phenomena relevant to the accurate prediction of high-frequency circuit-level transients and energy losses. Key elements of this framework include an encapsulated diode model and a method of coupling device models with those of external circuit elements given a user-specified SPICE-like netlist. The framework is applied to a single-phase full-bridge diode rectifier circuit with a discussion on time-step requirements and overall computational performance. Comparisons between simulated and measured waveforms are also provided revealing excellent agreement.
Chapter 4 – Experimental Methodologies for the Characterization of Nanoparticles

Nanoparticles, which range in size from 1 to 100 nm in at least one dimension, exhibit unique physicochemical properties that are dependent upon their size, shape, dispersion, surface functionalization or de-functionalization, and binding with biomembranes and proteins. Because the size effects are exponential, a minor change in a nanoparticle's structure may cause major alterations in their properties. Bulk materials (>500 nm), on the other hand, have constant physical properties regardless of their size or shape. It is well established that the biological activity of nanoparticles depends upon their physicochemical properties and size. Therefore, an accurate determination of a nanoparticle's size and properties is a prerequisite for controlling its biological properties and/or stability. This chapter elucidates some of the methods commonly used for nanoparticle characterization.