cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Biopharmacologic and Herbal Therapies for Cancer: Research Update from NCCAM

During the past decade, use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) by the American public increased from 34% in 1990 to 42% in 1995 with related out-of-pocket expenditures estimated at $27 billion. Among cancer patients, use of CAM ranges between 30 and 75% worldwide and includes dietary approaches, herbals and other biologically based treatments such as melatonin, mushrooms, shark cartilage and high dose vitamins and minerals. Concerns about herb-nutrient-drug interactions and product quality and standardization emphasize the need for rigorous research. In 1998, Congress mandated the creation of the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) to conduct and support such research of CAM therapies. The NCCAM portfolio for oncology is rapidly growing. As of July 2001, 26 projects are underway, two specialized centers are funded for cancer research and four botanical centers are cofunded with the Office of Dietary Supplements. Investigations are targeting herbals and complex herbal formulas; single dietary supplements and complex dietary regimens; biological agents; and mind-body, body-based and frontier approaches. Of these, biopharmacologic and herbal therapies are a major focus of research. The NCCAM portfolio illustrates how research of CAM, particularly studies of biopharmacologic and herbal approaches for cancer, is developing systematically and rigorously.
Current transformers near high-current busses

WHEN CURRENT TRANSFORMERS are applied in the vicinity of busses carrying large currents, the transformer accuracy may be very seriously affected. This is particularly true on systems which normally carry over 2,000 amperes and may carry 10 or 20 times this current during faults. A current transformer designed to operate protective relays during such a fault may be rendered completely useless by improper installation. For instance, Figure 1 gives the accuracy of a certain current transformer with the primary return conductor at several different spacings.
Anomalous Thermionic Emission of Some Borides and Carbides of Rare Earth and Transition Elements

Thermionic emission constants, ${A}^{*}$, up to several thousand times larger than the ${A}_{0}$ (120 amp/${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$-\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}${\mathrm{K}}^{2}$) predicted theoretically for metals have been reported for several compounds involving transition metals and rare earths with boron and carbon. It is suggested that such anomalously large emission constants, as well as some anomalously small ones, are due to the relatively large distances between metal atoms as a result of which the energy bands originating from the incomplete atomic $f$ and/or $d$ sublevels are narrow enough for nondegeneracy to occur in the experimental temperature range.
Parental Bereavement in Anglo American History

Contemporary bereaved parents who usually lack prior experience with the death of an infant or young child also lack understanding of how parents reacted in previous centuries when a child died. This article reviews social science writing on parental bereavement in Anglo-American history, concluding that parents as early as the early seventeenth century have left records of their grief. Cultural understanding and customs surrounding death have changed, and around 1800 women began to leave records of their grief in letters and diaries. Emotional expressiveness following infant death was greatest during the nineteenth century, but decreased toward the end of the century and became taboo in the twentieth. Compared to men's, expressions of grief by women and writings directed toward women have been more expressive of emotion. Relatively little has been written about parental bereavement in the early and mid-twentieth century.
404: The impact of delivery timing on neonatal outcomes of infants with gastroschisis

404 The impact of delivery timing on neonatal outcomes of infants with gastroschisis Anna Palatnik, Matthew Loichinger, Tana Kim, Randall Kuhlmann, Erica Peterson Medical College of Wisconsin, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Milwaukee, WI OBJECTIVE: To assess whether earlier delivery of infants with gastroschisis minimizes intestinal damage or improves neonatal outcomes STUDY DESIGN: A retrospective study of 143 newborns born with gastroschisis between 2000-2011 in a single tertiary center was performed. They were divided in two groups: those delivered ‘’early’’ (before 36 weeks) and those delivered “late” (after 36 weeks). These groups were compared in terms of neonatal outcomes, including weight at the time of delivery, rate of primary closure, bowel atresia, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), length of total parenteral nutrition (TPN), length of ventilation and length of neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) stay. RESULTS: 73 neonates were in the early delivery group with mean gestational age (GA) of 34.3 weeks, and 70 were in the late with mean GA of 36.4 weeks. Mean weight of the early group was 2112g and for the late group 2436g (p 0.0001). The rate of primary closure was not significantly different between the two groups (72.8% in late group vs. 67.1% in early group (p 0.54)). Bowel atresia was more frequent in the early group (10.96% vs 7.1%) as well as NEC (5.5% vs 2.9%) but that difference wasn’t significant (p 0.42, and p 0.43 ). The percentage of RDS and mean length of ventilation wasn’t significantly different between groups (p 0.19, and p 0.2). The length of TPN and NICU stay were longer in the early group (37.6 vs 29.1 days and 45.7 vs 34.3 days respectively) and both were statistically significant (p 0.01). Based on the two variables that were significantly different between the groups (length of stay and TPN), we performed survival analysis to include 3 stillbirth cases. It predicted higher probability of discharge and discontinuation of TPN for the late delivery group. CONCLUSION: Delivery before 36weeks is associated with longer NICU stay and longer time of TPN feeding. At the same time there was no significant difference in rates of primary closure or intestinal complications among the two groups of gestation.
ProfileGrids as a new visual representation of large multiple sequence alignments: a case study of the RecA protein family

Background Multiple sequence alignments are a fundamental tool for the comparative analysis of proteins and nucleic acids. However, large data sets are no longer manageable for visualization and investigation using the traditional stacked sequence alignment representation.
Late Registrants: At Risk in Introductory Psychology

Academic outcomes of late and timely registrants in introductory psychology classes were examined. No differences were found on first-exam grades or on course grades. However, late registrants accumulated significantly more absences than timely registrants in classes with nonrestrictive attendance policies. When absences were restricted, late registrants showed an attrition rate more than double that of timely registrants.
Phase equilibria in subducting basaltic crust: implications for H2O release from the slab

Fluids released from subducting slabs induce partial melting of the mantle wedge above the slab, which in turn is responsible for arc volcanism at the Earth’s surface. The partially hydrated basaltic layer of the slab is a potential source of these fluids and a major reservoir for H2O at depth. Constraining the stability domains of hydrous phases and the position of the dehydration reactions in this system in pressure–temperature (P–T) space is essential to describe and quantify the fluid release from subducting oceanic crust into the overlying mantle wedge. Experiments were conducted in the ranges of 2.2–3.4 GPa and 625–750°C to determine phase equilibria in an H2O-saturated natural basalt at conditions relevant to subduction zones. The experimental duration was typically 1 month, although some experiments were replicated with a shorter run duration (1–2 weeks) in order to identify potentially metastable phases. A mixture of a natural mid-ocean ridge basalt (MORB) glass and mineral seeds was used as the starting material. Oxygen fugacity was buffered within ±1.3 log units of nickel-bunsenite (NiNiO). The results obtained show that a calcic amphibole (barroisite) is stable from 2.2 to about 2.4 GPa. At 2.6 GPa, it is replaced by a sodic amphibole (near end-member glaucophane), which is stable up to 3 GPa at 625°C. This high-pressure assemblage constitutes a true analog of a natural amphibole-bearing eclogite and the first synthesis of glaucophane from a rock of basaltic composition. As opposed to the results of previous studies on basaltic compositions [A.R. Pawley, J.R. Holloway, Science 260 (1993) 664–667; S. Poli, Am. J. Sci. 293 (1993) 1061–1107; S. Poli, M.W. Schmidt, J. Geophys. Res. 100 (1995) 22299–22314; M.W. Schmidt, S. Poli, Earth Planet. Sci. Lett. 163 (1998) 361–379], chloritoid is present only as a metastable phase in the pressure–temperature range investigated here. Metastability of chloritoid in earlier experiments, due to short run duration, is the most likely explanation for this difference, and suggests that chloritoid does not play an important role in the overall dehydration process of the basaltic layer in subduction zones. At pressures above the stability field of amphibole, zoisite/clinozoisite becomes the stable hydrous phase at temperatures above 645°C, whereas lawsonite is stable at lower temperatures. The positions of the zoisite-out and lawsonite-out reactions determined in this study indicate that, for an intermediate temperature subduction zone, the basaltic layer of the slab would be completely dehydrated between 90 and 110 km depth.
Early language development after peri-natal stroke.

Early unilateral brain damage has different implications for language development than does similar damage in adults, given the plasticity of the developing brain. The goal of this study was to examine early markers of language and gesture at 12 and 24 months in children who had peri-natal right hemisphere (RH) or left hemisphere (LH) stroke (n = 71), compared with typically developing controls (n = 126). Parents completed the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI): Words & Gestures (12 month data point), or the CDI: Words & Sentences (24 month data point). Statistical analyses were performed on percentile scores using analysis of variance techniques. At 12 months, there were no differences among groups for Words Understood, Phrases Understood or Words Produced. At 24 months, both lesion groups scored significantly lower than controls on Word Production, Irregular Words, and Mean Length of Sentences, but lesion groups did not differ from each other. In a longitudinal subset of participants, expressive vocabulary failed to progress as expected from 12 to 24 months in the stroke group, with no differences based on lesion side. Gesture and word production were dissociated in the left hemisphere subjects. Findings suggest that early language development after peri-natal stroke takes a different course from that of typical language development, perhaps reflecting brain reorganization secondary to plasticity in the developing brain.
Collateral Damage from Antigen Receptor Gene Diversification

Chromosomal translocations that juxtapose antigen receptor genes and oncogenes are frequently associated with lymphoid malignancies. In this issue, Robbiani et al. (2008) show that activation-induced deaminase (AID), an enzyme involved in antigen receptor gene diversification, generates DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in oncogenes, and Tsai et al. (2008) propose that AID and the recombinase-activating gene (RAG) endonuclease may collaborate to generate off-target DSBs.
Simulation of electrical damage to polymeric surfaces using laser ablation

Results are given which demonstrate the complex nature of erosion processes, and illustrate the potential use of laser ablation as a means of assessing materials for applications where localised thermal decomposition could lead to failure. Ablation has been shown to be dependent on many factors, including the chemical nature of the polymer, the presence of fillers and the thermodynamic properties of the polymer. The design of materials with better life expectancies needs to combine preventing arc formation (through changes in polymer and surface chemistry), with improving resistance to surface damage caused by discharge activity. The laser ablation technique described discriminates well between different materials, and consequently could be employed as a simple comparative technique for ranking existing candidate materials.
Isolation and coding sequence of the rat rod opsin gene

The phototransduction cascade in vertebrate rod and cone photoreceptors is initiated by a light-induced conformational change in the visual pigment rhodopsin. The visual pigments are members of the seven-transmembrane domain, G-protein coupled receptor superfamily and consist of an apoprotein, opsin, and a chromophore, 11-cis-retinal. Rods and each cone type express a different opsin gene. The peak wavelength of light absorption by the 11-cis-retinal in each opsin is determined by the chromophore environment created by the surrounding amino acid sidechains. The developmental expression of opsin is under transcriptional control and begins soon after the rod cells become postmitotic (Treisman et al., 1988). We, and others, have analyzed the cis and trans-acting factors that regulate opsin transcription and have suggested that a single element, RET 1, is critical for both temporal and spatial regulation of opsin expression (Morabito et al., 1991; Yu et al., 1993). We used a subclone of a bovine opsin cDNA to screen an EcoRI rat genomic Charon 4A library (Clontech, Palo Alto, CA) under stringent hybridization conditions. A 6.8-kb clone was found to contain approx 2 kb of 5' sequence, the entire coding sequence, and much of the 3' untranslated sequence. The 5' sequence has been analyzed in detail and has been described elsewhere (Morabito et al., 1991; Yu et al., 1993; GenBank accession number L01537).
Effect of Municipal Solid Waste Leachate on Hydraulic Conductivity and Exchange Complex of Geosynthetic Clay Liners

AbstractTests were conducted to assess how permeation with synthetic and real municipal solid waste (MSW) leachate affects the hydraulic conductivity and exchange complex of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs). GCLs were arranged in a composite barrier configuration for hydration on moist compacted subgrades for 30 or 90 days. After hydration, the geomembrane and subgrade soil were removed and the GCLs were permeated with typical and strong synthetic and real MSW leachates at different confining stresses for 342 to 1,281 days (4.9 to 148.9 pore volumes of flow). For most tests, hydraulic and chemical termination criteria were met (referred to as equilibrium), and in many cases the tests were conducted long after these criteria were achieved. Hydraulic conductivity of the GCLs increased no more than 5.6 times the hydraulic conductivity to deionized water (DIW), even though more than 80% of the sodium (Na) in the bentonite was replaced by other cations [predominantly calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg)]. Very long ...
Hibernation reduces pancreatic amylase levels in ground squirrels

Pancreatic enzyme levels in mammals are influenced by food intake and dietary composition. In this study, we examined the activity and expression of pancreatic amylase in a hibernating mammal, a natural model for long-term fasting. Pancreatic tissues were obtained from summer-active 13-lined ground squirrels and hibernating squirrels that had not eaten for at least 6 weeks. Amylase specific activity was reduced by ∼50% in the torpid hibernators compared with summer squirrels, and immunoblot analysis revealed that amylase protein expression was reduced by ∼40% in the hibernators. Similar reductions in amylase specific activity were observed in interbout euthermic hibernators. These results support a strong influence of food intake on pancreatic enzyme expression in hibernating mammals. The maintenance of basal levels of this key digestive enzyme at ∼50% of summer values despite the extended winter fast likely facilitates the rapid resumption of digestive function after terminal arousal in the spring.
Experimental Performance Evaluation of a Catalytic Flat Plate Fuel Reformer for Fuel Cell Grade Reformate

Compact and efficient fuel reforming system design is a major challenge because of strict requirements of efficient heat distribution on both the reforming and combustion side. As an alternative to traditional packed bed tubular reformers, catalytic flat plate fuel reformer offers better heat integration by combining the combustion reaction on one side and reforming reaction on the other side. In this study, with the help of a two-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model, a catalytic flat plate fuel reformer is built and investigated its performance experimentally. The CFD model simulation results help to capture the effect of design parameters such as catalyst layer thickness, reaction rates, inlet temperature and velocity, and channel height. The CFD model study results also help to design and built the actual reformer in such a way that eliminate the limitations or uncertainties of heat and mass transfer coefficients. In our study, we experimentally evaluated the catalytic flat plate fuel reformer performance using natural gas. The effect of reformate gas on the current-voltage characteristics of a 5kW high temperature PEM fuel cell (HTPEMFC) stack is investigated extensively. The results shows that the overall system performance increases in terms of current-voltage characteristics of HTPEMFC while fed with reformate directly from the catalytic flat plate reformer.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Pharmacokinetics, subcellular distribution, and covalent binding of [3H]bleomycin in hamsters after intratracheal administration☆☆☆

Abstract Pharmacokinetics, subcellular distribution (SCD), and covalent binding of a single dose of 1 μCi of [S-methyl-3H]bleomycin ([3H]-BLM]) in combination with one unit of unlabeled bleomycin were studied in hamsters following intratracheal (IT) injection. The radioactivity decreased from the lung biexponentially with time. The apparent half-time of absorption for the α-phase was 1.1 and 17.9 hr for the β-phase. The plasma disappearance curve of [3H]BLM fits to a two-compartmental model with the apparent half-life removal for the α-phase being 1.6 hr and for the β-phase 116.9 hr. The radioactivity was detected in all studied tissues. The radioactivity from spleen, testicle, liver, fat, RBC, brain, adrenal, and kidney manifested only the α-phase of the disappearance curve, while the β-phase was complicated by redistribution processes. Of the eight tissues, the spleen had the shortest (2.0 hr) and kidney the longest (12.1 hr), and the remaining tissues had half-lives which ranged from 4 to 10 hr. The SCD study revealed that 85 to 95% of the total radioactivity in the lung and liver homogenate was associated with the soluble fraction (SF) at 30 min after treatment, thereafter, the radioactivity from both tissues gradually decreased to 60% of the total at 24 hr. The SF of the lung homogenate had the highest specific radioactivity (SRA) of any of the fractions during the period between 0.5 and 6 hr. The SRA, however, decreased biexponentially and attained a value similar to that of the mitochondrial and microsomal fractions at 12 and 24 hr after treatment. In the case of liver, the SF had the highest, the nuclear the lowest, and mitochondrial and microsomal fractions the same level of SRA at 30 min. Thereafter, the SRA of all fractions were increased with time. A significant amount of radioactivity from [3H]BLM was covalently bound to lung, liver, and plasma proteins. The SF of the lung contained an increasing amount of radioactivity covalently bound after 1.5 hr of [3H]BLM injection and nearly all radioactivity measured in the plasma was covalently bound. It was concluded from the findings of this study that the presence of a major portion of [3H]BLM in the SF of the lung and its covalent linkage with the proteins of this fraction might initiate the complex sequence of events at the metabolic level necessary for the pneumotoxicity.
Enumeration of certain affine invariant extended cyclic codes

Let p be a prime and let r, e, m be positive integers such that r|e and e|m. Extended cyclic codes of length pm over Fpr which are invariant under AGL(m/e, Fpe) are characterized by a well-known relation le on the set {0, 1,...,pm - 1}. From the relation le, we derive a partial order ≺ in u = {0, 1,...,m/e(p - 1)}e defined by an e-dimensional simplicial cone. We show that the aforementioned extended cyclic codes can be enumerated by the ideals of (u, ≺) which are invariant under the rth power of a circulant permutation matrix. When e = 2, we enumerate all such invariant ideals by describing their boundaries. Explicit formulas are obtained for the total number of AGL(m/2, Fp2)- invariant extended cyclic codes of length pm over Fpr and for the dimensions of such codes. We also enumerate all self-dual AGL(m/2, F22)-invariant extended cyclic codes of length 2m over F22 where m/2 is odd; the restrictions on the parameters are necessary conditions for the existence of self-dual affine invariant extended cyclic codes with e = 2.
A cardinal orientation bias in scene-selective visual cortex

It has long been known that human vision is more sensitive to contours at cardinal (horizontal and vertical) orientations, compared with oblique orientations; this is the "oblique effect." However, the real-world relevance of the oblique effect is not well understood. Experiments here suggest that this effect is linked to scene perception, via a common bias in the image statistics of scenes. This statistical bias for cardinal orientations is found in many "carpentered environments" such as buildings and indoor scenes, and some natural scenes. In Experiment 1, we confirmed the presence of a perceptual oblique effect in a specific set of scene stimuli. Using those scenes, we found that a well known "scene-selective" visual cortical area (the parahippocampal place area; PPA) showed distinctively higher functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) activity to cardinal versus oblique orientations. This fMRI-based oblique effect was not observed in other cortical areas (including scene-selective areas transverse occipital sulcus and retrosplenial cortex), although all three scene-selective areas showed the expected inversion effect to scenes. Experiments 2 and 3 tested for an analogous selectivity for cardinal orientations using computer-generated arrays of simple squares and line segments, respectively. The results confirmed the preference for cardinal orientations in PPA, thus demonstrating that the oblique effect can also be produced in PPA by simple geometrical images, with statistics similar to those in scenes. Thus, PPA shows distinctive fMRI selectivity for cardinal orientations across a broad range of stimuli, which may reflect a perceptual oblique effect.
Thermodynamic analysis of Bacillus subtilis endospore protonation using isothermal titration calorimetry

Abstract Bacterial proton and metal adsorption reactions have the capacity to affect metal speciation and transport in aqueous environments. We coupled potentiometric titration and isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC) analyses to study Bacillus subtilis spore-proton adsorption. We modeled the potentiometric data using a four and five-site non-electrostatic surface complexation model (NE-SCM). Heats of spore surface protonation from coupled ITC analyses were used to determine site specific enthalpies of protonation based on NE-SCMs. The five-site model resulted in a substantially better model fit for the heats of protonation but did not significantly improve the potentiometric titration model fit. The improvement observed in the five-site protonation heat model suggests the presence of a highly exothermic protonation reaction circa pH 7 that cannot be resolved in the less sensitive potentiometric data. From the log Ks and enthalpies we calculated corresponding site specific entropies. Log Ks and site concentrations describing spore surface protonation are statistically equivalent to B. subtilis cell surface protonation constants. Spore surface protonation enthalpies, however, are more exothermic relative to cell based adsorption suggesting a different bonding environment. The thermodynamic parameters defined in this study provide insight on molecular scale spore-surface protonation reactions. Coupled ITC and potentiometric titrations can reveal highly exothermic, and possibly endothermic, adsorption reactions that are overshadowed in potentiometric models alone. Spore-proton adsorption NE-SCMs derived in this study provide a framework for future metal adsorption studies.
The Differing Nature of Consumerism in the Ghetto

Does a consumer movement that is white and middle class benefit those who are not white and not middle class? This paper argues that the movement is not likely, and perhaps ought not, to have major impact on ghetto consumer problems since those problems too often are qualitatively, not just quantitatively, different from those of the white middle class. Middle class misunderstanding of disadvantaged consumers' problems offers the strong suggestion that middle class involvement in problem solutions may make the situation worse not better.
Integrated Project Delivery (IPD) for Maximizing Design and Construction Considerations Regarding Sustainability

Abstract The paper discusses a proposal for an integrating partnership for decision-making at pre-construction stages of major construction projects. IPD and BIM form essential tools and strategies in this decision environment. IPD linked to the “Big Room” concept will be discussed. The paper will focus on some of the challenges that are presented and ways that might assist in creating a safer, greener, more sustainable environment. The environment proposed is one that fully utilizes the strengths of intelligent collaborative computer agents that interact with the multi-discipline pre-construction team to interrogate and refine the design solution before construction commences. All contributors are collaboratively drawn into the design and pre-construction process. Time is saved because a concurrent problem-solving approach is adopted rather than a sequential problem-solving approach that has typified pre-construction activities in the past. In particular, the system proposed will assist the design process to deliver safely-built sustainable buildings. The presentation will also focus on the new “Living Building Challenge 2.0” strategy and look at some of the challenges that are presented and ways that might assist creating a safer, greener, more sustainable environment. The author's investigation measured the views of practitioners in the main building professions; architecture, engineering and construction management before proposing the collaborative system that is called for. The conclusion of the work is a conceptual model of the system proposed, a definition of the contractors’ construction management computer agents and a specification based on scenarios of how they would interact with design agents.
Volumetric and Voxel-Based Morphometry Findings in Autism Subjects With and Without Macrocephaly

This study sought to replicate Herbert et al. (2003a), which found increased overall white matter (WM) volume in subjects with autism, even after controlling for head size differences. To avoid the possibility that greater WM volume in autism is merely an epiphenomena of macrocephaly overrepresentation associated with the disorder, the current study included control subjects with benign macrocephaly. The control group also included subjects with a reading disability to insure cognitive heterogeneity. WM volume in autism was significantly larger, even when controlling for brain volume, rate of macrocephaly, and other demographic variables. Autism and controls differed little on whole-brain WM voxel-based morphometry (VBM) analyses suggesting that the overall increase in WM volume was non-localized. Autism subjects exhibited a differential pattern of IQ relationships with brain volumetry findings from controls. Current theories of brain overgrowth and their importance in the development of autism are discussed in the context of these findings.
A resiliency model for high performance infrastructure based on logical encapsulation

An emerging trend in distributed systems is the creation of dynamically provisioned heterogeneous high performance platforms that include the co-allocation of both virtualized computing and network attached storage volumes offering NAS and SAN level data services. These high performance computing environments support parallel applications performing traditional file system operations. As with any parallel platform the ability to continue computation in the face of component failures is an important characteristic. Achieving resiliency in heterogeneous environments presents unique challenges and opportunities not found in homogeneous aggregations of computing resources. We present a logical encapsulation model for heterogeneous high performance infrastructure, which enables a reactive resiliency approach for federations of virtual machines and externally hosted physical storage volumes. Asynchronous state capture and restoration models are presented for individual resources, which are composed into non-blocking resiliency models for logical encapsulations. We perform an evaluation that demonstrates our methodology has greater overall flexibility and significant performance improvements when compared to current resiliency approaches in virtualized distributed execution environments.
On some generalizations of the van der Waerden number w (3)

Abstract For integers b ⩾0 and c ⩾1, define f c ( b ) to be the least positive integer n such that for every 2-coloring of [1, n ] there is a monochromatic sequence of the form { x , x + d , x +2 d + b } where x and d are positive integers with d ⩾ c . Bialostocki, Lefmann, and Meerdink showed that for b even, 2b+10⩽f 1 (b)⩽ 13 2 b+1 , where the lower bound holds for b ⩾10. We find upper and lower bounds for the more general function f c ( b ) which, for c =1, improve the aforementioned upper bound to ⌈9 b /4⌉+9, and give the same lower bound of 2 b +10. Results about f c ( b ) are used to find analogous results on a slightly different generalization of f 1 ( b ).
Cefmenoxime kinetics during continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

The kinetics of the aminothiazolyliminomethoxy cephalosporin, cefmenoxime, were determined after a 30 min intravenous infusion of 15 mg/kg body weight in 6 adult subjects undergoing continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis. Concentrations of cefmenoxime in serum, urine and dialysate were determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. The mean peak serum concentration was 92.8±11.6 µg/ml and the harmonic mean for the elimination half-life was 5.46 h. The volume of distribution at steady-state was 14.60±3.01 l/kg. Total body clearance of the drug was 31±7.7 ml/min with 8±5% and 5.75±2.72% of the administered dose being eliminated by renal and peritoneal clearance, respectively. Peritoneal clearance for all exchanges (n=24) was 1.93±68 ml/min. These data suggest that peritoneal losses of this drug are minimal and doses conventionally employed in advanced renal failure can be utilized in the management of systemic infections.
A New Species of Phyllophaga

Oblong, convex, aureous, moderately polished. Clypeus feebly emarginate, markedly reflexed, the punctures moderately large and deep, and unevenly placed. Thorax convex, the disc polished, sparsely punctate, the punctures moderately large and deep, with a fairly distinct, smooth, unpunctured median space, the sides arcuate and the margin long ciliate. Elytra dull aureous, somewhat more densely punctured than thorax. Pygidium convex, punctures sparse and inconspicuous. Metasternum densely punctured, the hair moderately long and abundant. Antennae 10-jointed. Claws arcuate, the tooth median and stout. Length 12 mm., width 5.9 mm.
The Gutenberg Revolution: A History of Print Culture. By Richard Abel. (New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2012. Pp. xii, 188. $24.95.)

There once was a view of history that argued, indeed assumed, that the best of our world developed in the West, especially in Western Europe and Britain. This history emphasized the progress of lib...
Commutative semigroups whose homomorphic images in groups are groups

In this paper we study commutative semigroups whose every homomorphic image in a group is a group. We find that for a commutative semigroup S, this property is equivalent to S being a union of subsemigroups each of which either has a kernel or else is isomorphic to one of a sequence T0, T1, T2, ... of explicitly given, countably infinite semigroups without idempotents. Moreover, if S is also finitely generated then this property is equivalent to S having a kernel.
Explaining War Termination: a Boolean Analysis of Causes

An understanding of why states fight wars requires an understanding of why they end wars. These phenomena form interrelated parts of a larger process of interstate bargaining. Yet, compared to the research on the outbreak of wars, there has been much less attention paid to their termination. These conflicts end when the belligerents reach convergent expectations that they have more to gain or less to lose if they stop fighting than if they continue to do so. This article presents several factors hypothesized to hasten or delay this mutual recognition and, therefore, to shorten or prolong a conflict. Boolean algebra is applied to study the individual and joint effects of these factors on the duration of 23 interstate wars during 1945-92. The results show that short wars stem from different causal combinations, therefore suggesting the inadequacy of any monocausal explanation. Moreover, this analysis points to the importance of context-specific understanding because the same factors can have different effec...
Predicting Daily Mean Soil Temperatures in the EPIC Simulation Model

Soil temperature is an important component of crop simulation models, because it affects crop growth and development, nutrient cycling, and, in some cases, water infiltration. This study was conducted to determine the efficacy of the EPIC (Erosion/Productivity Impact Calculator) mean soil temperature model and to evaluate the Parton mean surface temperature model developed for a shortgrass steppe in an agricultural simulation model. Simulated mean daily 0.05-m soil temperatures were compared with measured mean daily 0.05-m soil temperatures from three locations (Bushland, TX; Boone, IA; and Mandan, ND) for a range of residue management practices. The EPIC model simulated mean 0.05-m soil temperature trends, although the predicted temperature lagged measured temperatures by 3 to 5 d, and the predicted temperature oscillations were dampened compared with the measured temperatures. The Parton model followed the mean daily temperature oscillations, but generally overestimated early spring mean soil temperatures. Simple adjustments to both models greatly enhanced temperature predictions
Regulation of a restriction and modification system via DNA inversion in Mycoplasma pulmonis

Summary An invertible DNA element of 6.8 kb, designated the hsd1 locus, was identified in the chromosome of Mycoplasma pulmonis. Infection of host cells with mycoplasma virus P1 revealed that the organism's restriction and modification (R-M) properties are controlled by inversion of hsd1. The nucleotide sequence of hsd1 revealed several genes, the predicted amino acids of which bear striking similarity to the subunits of the type I R-M enzymes previously found only in enteric bacteria.
Microscopy: nanotomography comes of age.

The use of X-rays to construct three-dimensional tomographic images is well established in medicine. The same principle is being extended to the nanoscale, bringing us startlingly accurate pictures of tiny objects.
Magic-Angle Spinning Solid-State NMR Spectroscopy of the β1 Immunoglobulin Binding Domain of Protein G (GB1): 15N and 13C Chemical Shift Assignments and Conformational Analysis

Magic-angle spinning solid-state NMR (SSNMR) studies of the β1 immunoglobulin binding domain of protein G (GB1) are presented. Chemical shift correlation spectra at 11.7 T (500 MHz 1H frequency) were employed to identify signals specific to each amino acid residue type and to establish backbone connectivities. High sensitivity and resolution facilitated the detection and assignment of every 15N and 13C site, including the N-terminal (M1) 15NH3, the C-terminal (E56) 13C‘, and side-chain resonances from residues exhibiting fast-limit conformational exchange near room temperature. The assigned spectra lend novel insight into the structure and dynamics of microcrystalline GB1. Secondary isotropic chemical shifts report on conformation, enabling a detailed comparison of the microcrystalline state with the conformation of single crystals and the protein in solution; the consistency of backbone conformation in these three preparations is the best among proteins studied so far. Signal intensities and line widths ...
Modulated laser array sources for generation of narrowband and directed ultrasound

Patterned illuminating sources and appropriate time modulation may be used to enhance certain features of laser-generated acoustic waves in time or frequency as a function of direction. Steerable, narrowband, “toneburst” ultrasonic signals have been generated from a single laser pulse which was spatially modulated by transmission through a lenticular array. In addition, narrowband toneburst ultrasonic waves have been generated from a mode-locked laser pulse train providing spectral narrowing of the laser-ultrasonic signal. Both temporal and spatial modulation of the laser pulse improve the signal-to-noise ratio for laser ultrasonics.
Dual-Mode AlN-on-Silicon Micromechanical Resonators for Temperature Sensing

In this paper, we present dual-mode (DM) AlN-on-silicon micromechanical resonators for self-temperature sensing. In-plane width-shear (WS) and width-extensional (WE) modes of [110]-oriented silicon resonators have been used as alternatives to first- and third-order modes to enhance DM temperature sensitivity by engineering device geometry, which reduces inherent beat frequency fb between the two modes. This configuration provides a 50× improvement in temperature coefficient of beat frequency (TCfb) compared with single-mode temperature measurement and eliminates the need for additional frequency multipliers to generate fb from its constituents. [100]-oriented WS/WE resonators provide 4× larger TCF difference between modes (ΔTCF) than first and third width-extensional resonators, which further contributes to TCfb enhancement. WS/WE mode resonators also demonstrate the capability of operating as a temperature-stable reference fb. The proposed modes for DM operation have high Q and low motional resistance, and are 180 ° out-of-phase when operated in two-port configuration, thus enabling mode-selective low-power oscillator interfacing for resonant temperature sensing.
Genetics coupled to quantitative intact proteomics links heritable aphid and endosymbiont protein expression to circulative polerovirus transmission

Yellow dwarf viruses in the family Luteoviridae, which are the causal agents of yellow dwarf disease in cereal crops, are each transmitted most efficiently by different species of aphids in a circulative manner that requires the virus to interact with a multitude of aphid proteins. Aphid proteins differentially expressed in F2 Schizaphis graminum genotypes segregating for the ability to transmit Cereal yellow dwarf virus-RPV (CYDV-RPV) were identified using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (DIGE) coupled to either matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-tandem mass spectrometry or online nanoscale liquid chromatography coupled to electrospray tandem mass spectrometry. A total of 50 protein spots, containing aphid proteins and proteins from the aphid's obligate and maternally inherited bacterial endosymbiont, Buchnera, were identified as differentially expressed between transmission-competent and refractive aphids. Surprisingly, in virus transmission-competent F2 genotypes, the isoelectric points of the Buchnera proteins did not match those in the maternal Buchnera proteome as expected, but instead they aligned with the Buchnera proteome of the transmission-competent paternal parent. Among the aphid proteins identified, many were involved in energy metabolism, membrane trafficking, lipid signaling, and the cytoskeleton. At least eight aphid proteins were expressed as heritable, isoelectric point isoform pairs, one derived from each parental lineage. In the F2 genotypes, the expression of aphid protein isoforms derived from the competent parental lineage aligned with the virus transmission phenotype with high precision. Thus, these isoforms are candidate biomarkers for CYDV-RPV transmission in S. graminum. Our combined genetic and DIGE approach also made it possible to predict where several of the proteins may be expressed in refractive aphids with different barriers to transmission. Twelve proteins were predicted to act in the hindgut of the aphid, while six proteins were predicted to be associated with the accessory salivary glands or hemolymph. Knowledge of the proteins that regulate virus transmission and their predicted locations will aid in understanding the biochemical mechanisms regulating circulative virus transmission in aphids, as well as in identifying new targets to block transmission.
Mass transfer in structured porous media : embedding mesoscale structure and microscale hydrodynamics in a two-region model

The objective of this research is to incorporate mesoscale structure and microscale hydrodynamics into a solute transport model and to evaluate the worth of structural information in predicting solute movement within structured porous media. The structure of porous media is embedded into a two-region solute transport model in which the inter-region mass flux is characterized by mesoscale mass-transfer coefficients. The model was used to predict solute breakthrough in an undisturbed, fractured saprolite soil column. Diffusive mass transfer at the aggregate scale was explicitly accounted for by incorporating inter-region mass flux across the interface of fractures and matrix blocks. The other model parameters, including pore-region porosity, hydrodynamic dispersion coefficients, and flow velocities, were estimated independently using laboratory tracer injections. As a result, predictions were 50% more accurate than those obtained using a simple single-fracture conceptual model that represents a least-information scenario. Intra-region dispersion coefficients were also calculated theoretically by using a Taylor dispersion equation and available data on fracture apertures. Using the theoretically calculated dispersion coefficients resulted in an additional 50% gain of prediction accuracy. The theoretically calculated dispersion coefficients were orders of magnitude smaller than the experimentally estimated values that were obtained by fitting a discrete-fracture model to the experimental data. This result suggests that mesoscale spreading of tracer in structured porous media may be largely attributed to inter-region mass transfer.
Modeling arthropod filiform hair motion using the penalty immersed boundary method

Crickets are able to sense their surrounding environment through about 2000 filiform hairs located on a pair of abdominal cerci. The mechanism by which the cricket is able to sense a wide range of input signals using these filiform hairs of different length and orientation is of great interest. Most of the previous filiform hair models have focused on a single, rigid hair in an idealized air field. Here, we present a model of the cercus and filiform hairs that are mechanically coupled to the surrounding air, and the model equations are based on the penalty immersed boundary method. The key difference between the penalty immersed boundary method and the traditional immersed boundary method is the addition of forces to account for density differences between the immersed solid (the filiform hairs) and the surrounding fluid (air). The model is validated by comparing the model predictions to experimental results, and then the model is used to examine the interactions between multiple hairs. With multiple hairs, there is little interaction when the hairs are separated by more than 1 mm, and, as they move closer, they interact through viscous coupling, which reduces the deflection of the hairs due to the air movement. We also examine the computational scalability of the algorithm and show that the computational costs grow linearly with the number of hairs being modeled.
Identification of a novel phosphorylation site in ataxin-1.

Abstract Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disease resulting from an expanded CAG repeat in the SCA1 gene that leads to an expanded polyglutamine tract in the gene product. Previous studies have demonstrated that serine at site 776 is phosphorylated [E.S. Emiamian, M.D. Kaytor, L.A. Duvick, T. Zu, S.K. Tousey, H.Y. Zoghbi, H.B. Clark, H.T. Orr, Serine 776 of ataxin-1 is critical for polyglutamine-induced disease in SCA1 transgenic mice, Neuron 38 (2003) 375-387.]. Studies of ataxin-1 S776 and serine mutated to an alanine, A776, have also shown differential protein–protein interactions and reduced neurodegeneration [H.K. Chen, P. Fernandez-Funez, S.F. Acevedo, Y.C. Lam, M.D. Kaytor, M.H. Fernandez, A. Aitken, E.M. Skoulakis, H.T. Orr, J. Botas, H.Y. Zoghbi, Interaction of Akt_phosphorylated ataxin-1 with 14-3-3 mediates neurodegeneration in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.]. However, mutation of the site serine 776 to an alanine did not abolish all phosphorylation of the protein ataxin-1, suggesting the presence of additional phosphorylation sites [E.S. Emiamian, M.D. Kaytor, L.A. Duvick, T. Zu, S.K. Tousey, H.Y. Zoghbi, H.B. Clark, H.T. Orr, Serine 776 of ataxin-1 is critical for polyglutamine-induced disease in SCA1 transgenic mice, Neuron 38 (2003) 375-387.]. Matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) and mutational analysis demonstrated a novel phosphorylation site at serine 239 of ataxin-1.