cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Micrometer-scale all-optical wavelength converter on silicon

We demonstrate a highly integrated micrometer-scale low-power wavelength converter based on the free-carrier dispersion effect in silicon. The conversion is achieved through all-optical modulation of a silicon ring resonator by use of modulated cw control light. The ring resonator has a radius of 5 microm and a Q of approximately 10,000. Both inverted and noninverted modulation are achieved at a bit rate of 0.9 Gbits/s with a control power of 4.5 mW. The scaling of the required control power for operation with respect to the characteristics of the ring resonator is established.
Activation of RSK and ERK MAPK kinases by ORF45 of Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus

Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) is a human DNA tumor virus etiologically linked to Kaposi's sarcoma, primary effusion lymphoma, and a subset of multicentric Castleman's disease. Infection and reactivation of KSHV activates multiple MAPK pathways. Noticeably, the ERK/RSK activation is sustained late during KSHV primary infection and reactivation from latency, but the responsible viral factors and underlying mechanism was unknown. Open reading frame 45 (ORF45) of KSHV is an immediate early, phosphorylated, and tegument protein. Its unique temporal and spatial expression put it in the forefront of coping with host cellular environment. We recently reported that ORF45 interacts with p90 ribosomal S6 kinases (RSKs), a family of serine/threonine kinases that lie at the terminus of the ERK pathway, and strongly stimulates their kinase activities. We found that binding of ORF45 to RSK increases the association of ERK with RSK, such that ORF45, RSK, and ERK form complexes. The complexes shield active pERK and pRSK from dephosphorylation. As a result, the complex-associated RSK and ERK are activated and sustained at high levels. We also demonstrated that RSK and ERK are activated biphasically during KSHV primary infection and lytic replication cycle. We provided evidence that the reciprocal activation of ERK and RSK by ORF45 contributes to the sustained activation of ERK/RSK in KSHV lytic replication. We further demonstrated that ablation of RSK expression by SiRNA or inhibition of kinase activity by specific RSK inhibitors lead to lower KSHV lytic gene expression, reactivation, and virus production, suggesting an essential role of the RSK in KSHV lytic replication. Therefore, inhibition of RSK is likely to disrupt KSHV infection and be a potent target for therapy of KSHV associated diseases.
Numerical study of nuclear collisions induced by superintense ultrashort laser pulses incident on aligned molecules

We propose a possible way to realize nuclear fusion, via an approach which involves aligned molecules. We compare results from quantum and classical simulations of two nuclei originating from an HT molecule moving under a superintense (field intensities approaching ${10}^{23}\text{ }\text{W}/{\text{cm}}^{2}$) and ultrashort (few-femtosecond, single-cycle) laser pulse. Classical simulations show that when the field is strong enough, it may make the nuclei collide with high kinetic energy needed to overcome the Coulomb barrier, therefore leading to fusion. A quantum-mechanical calculation solving the Schr\"odinger equation displays analogous behavior and reveals additional information about the wave packet evolution around the collision point.
Multiple criteria optimization-based data mining methods and applications: a systematic survey

Support Vector Machine, an optimization technique, is well known in the data mining community. In fact, many other optimization techniques have been effectively used in dealing with data separation and analysis. For the last 10 years, the author and his colleagues have proposed and extended a series of optimization-based classification models via Multiple Criteria Linear Programming (MCLP) and Multiple Criteria Quadratic Programming (MCQP). These methods are different from statistics, decision tree induction, and neural networks. The purpose of this paper is to review the basic concepts and frameworks of these methods and promote the research interests in the data mining community. According to the evolution of multiple criteria programming, the paper starts with the bases of MCLP. Then, it further discusses penalized MCLP, MCQP, Multiple Criteria Fuzzy Linear Programming (MCFLP), Multi-Class Multiple Criteria Programming (MCMCP), and the kernel-based Multiple Criteria Linear Program, as well as MCLP-based regression. This paper also outlines several applications of Multiple Criteria optimization-based data mining methods, such as Credit Card Risk Analysis, Classification of HIV-1 Mediated Neuronal Dendritic and Synaptic Damage, Network Intrusion Detection, Firm Bankruptcy Prediction, and VIP E-Mail Behavior Analysis.
Disulfide Bond Formation between RNA Binding Domains Is Used to Regulate mRNA Binding Activity of the Chloroplast Poly(A)-binding Protein

Binding of the chloroplast poly(A)-binding protein, RB47, to the psbA mRNA is regulated in response to light and is required for translation of this mRNA in chloroplasts. The RNA binding activity of RB47 can be modulatedin vitro by oxidation and reduction. Site-directed mutations to individual cysteine residues in each of the four RNA binding domains of RB47 showed that changing single cysteines to serines in domains 2 or 3 reduced, but did not eliminate, the ability of RB47 to be redox-regulated. Simultaneously changing cysteines to serines in both domains 2 and 3 resulted in the production of RB47 protein that was insensitive to redox regulation but retained the ability to bind the psbA mRNA at high affinity. The poly(A)-binding protein from Saccharomyces cerevisiae lacks cysteine residues in RNA binding domains 2 and 3, and this poly(A)-binding protein lacks the ability to be regulated by oxidation or reduction. These data show that disulfide bond formation between RNA binding domains in a poly(A)-binding protein can be used to regulate the ability of this protein to bind mRNA and suggest that redox regulation of RNA binding activity may be used to regulate translation in organisms whose poly(A)-binding proteins contain these critical cysteine residues.
Lamb wave mode selection concepts for interfacial weakness analysis

Utilization of specific Lamb wave modes with special cross-sectional wave structures is proposed for the detection of interfacial weakness between an adhesive and adherent. Such an approach is based on plate wave behavior in a three-layered medium with imperfections on the individual interfaces. Selection of appropriate modes and frequencies for adhesion weakness detection is obtained by numerical analysis of the dispersion relations and comparisons of the dispersive curves for perfect, welded and imperfect, smooth boundary conditions. The inspection parameters were evaluated by an analysis of displacement, stress, and power distributions across the three-layered asymmetric adhesive structure. Special selection criteria are proposed. Utilization of dispersive curves do not always provide expected increased sensitivity as in the cross-sectional field distribution approach.
Hearing and language development in high risk and normal infants

Abstract In the present study a group of 147 infants who are at risk for a hearing loss are contrasted with 49 normal infants on an audiological screening battery, which is used to assess auditory and language variables. A descriptive comparison between expected and actual performance levels was made for both groups in regards to their respective receptive and expressive language, auditory localization, and speech detection threshold scores. In general the normal infants were found to perform at or above the expected performance level, whereas the high risk infants seemed to perform at or slightly below expectation. The interrelationships of these language and auditory variables along with age and birth weight were also calculated separately for each group. The direction and significance of these intercorrelations were the same for both groups with the exception of the birth weight correlations. These findings and their implications are discussed.
Statistical Design for Formulation Optimization of Hydrocortisone Butyrate-Loaded PLGA Nanoparticles

The aim of this investigation was to develop hydrocortisone butyrate (HB)-loaded poly(d,l-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles (NP) with ideal encapsulation efficiency (EE), particle size, and drug loading (DL) under emulsion solvent evaporation technique utilizing various experimental statistical design modules. Experimental designs were used to investigate specific effects of independent variables during preparation of HB-loaded PLGA NP and corresponding responses in optimizing the formulation. Plackett–Burman design for independent variables was first conducted to prescreen various formulation and process variables during the development of NP. Selected primary variables were further optimized by central composite design. This process leads to an optimum formulation with desired EE, particle size, and DL. Contour plots and response surface curves display visual diagrammatic relationships between the experimental responses and input variables. The concentration of PLGA, drug, and polyvinyl alcohol and sonication time were the critical factors influencing the responses analyzed. Optimized formulation showed EE of 90.6%, particle size of 164.3 nm, and DL of 64.35%. This study demonstrates that statistical experimental design methodology can optimize the formulation and process variables to achieve favorable responses for HB-loaded NP.
Effect of a high cornstarch diet on hepatic cytochrome P450 2C and 3A activity and progesterone half-life in dairy cows.

In the cow, inadequate concentrations of progesterone during gestation may lead to an abrupt termination of pregnancy. The primary organ involved in progesterone catabolism is the liver, which contains an abundance of cytochrome P450 isozymes (EC 1.14.14.1; mixed-function monooxygenases). The objectives of the current experiment were to determine the effect of feeding 2 isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets, formulated to cause divergent insulin secretion, on hepatic cytochrome P450 2C (CYP2C) and 3A (CYP3A) activity as well as the resulting biological half-life of progesterone. Twenty-two Holstein cows averaging 80 ± 7 d in milk were randomly assigned to either a high cornstarch diet or a high fiber diet in a crossover experimental design consisting of two 14-d periods. Dry matter intake, milk yield, milk lactose yield, and milk lactose percentage were similar between the 2 diets. Milk fat yield and milk fat percentage were higher in cows fed the high fiber diet, whereas milk protein yield tended to be higher and milk protein percentage was higher in cows fed the high cornstarch diet. Energy balance tended to be improved by 57% in cows consuming the high cornstarch diet. Insulin concentrations at the time of liver biopsy (3.16 ± 0.04 h post-feeding) were increased by 44% in cows consuming the high cornstarch diet compared with cows consuming the high fiber diet. Cytochrome P450 2C activity was decreased by 45%, whereas CYP3A activity tended to be lowered by 34% in cows consuming the high cornstarch diet. Cytochrome P450 2C mRNA expression tended to be decreased by 21% in cows fed the high cornstarch diet, whereas CYP3A mRNA expression was not different between the dietary treatments. The fractional rate constant of progesterone decay was not different between the 2 diets; however, the half-life of progesterone tended to be longer in cows fed the high cornstarch diet compared with cows fed the high fiber diet (85 vs. 64 min, respectively). In summary, cows consuming the high cornstarch diet had increased insulin concentrations and lower hepatic CYP2C and CYP3A activity and tended to have a longer progesterone half-life compared with cows consuming the high fiber diet. Feeding diets that stimulate insulin secretion could alter progesterone clearance during lactation, when dairy cows have increased rates of progesterone inactivation because of high energy demands and increased DMI.
Neural induction, the default model and embryonic stem cells

Neural induction represents the earliest step in the determination of ectodermal cell fates. In vertebrates, bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) act as signals of epidermal induction. The inhibition of the BMP signalling pathway in the ectoderm is the hallmark of neural-fate acquisition, and forms the basis of the default model of neural induction. BMP inhibition seems to take place through distinct mechanisms in different vertebrate species, including transcriptional regulation of BMP gene expression and clearance of BMP ligands by secreted inhibitors. Here, we discuss the role of fibroblast growth factors and Wnt proteins in neural induction and in the regulation of BMP signalling in the ectoderm of Xenopus laevis and chick embryos. In addition, we discuss evidence from mouse embryonic stem cells that supports the default model of neural induction and the role of BMP signalling in ectodermal fate determination.
Reduction of Moniliformin During Alkaline Cooking of Corn

ABSTRACT The incidence of moniliformin (MON) producing Fusarium spp. in selected corn (Zea mays L.) samples from Mexico and the United States and the effects of alkaline cooking and the tortilla manufacturing processes on the reduction of MON were determined. The percentage of infected kernels with Fusarium spp. ranged from 0 to 22% in eight foodgrade corn samples, including six from Mexico and two from the United States. Complete (100%) reduction of MON was observed when a naturally contaminated corn sample containing 1.4 μg of MON/g of corn was used in a pilot-scale alkaline cooking and tortilla manufacturing process. In a companion laboratory-scale study, using a cultured corn sample containing 17.6 μg of MON/g of corn, a 71% reduction of the toxin was observed during the process. Alkaline cooking appeared to be an effective method for reduction of MON in corn.
Advancing the Chicago School of Pragmatic Sociology: The Life and Work of Tamotsu Shibutani*

Tamotsu Shibutani is a contemporary proponent of the Chicago School of pragmatic sociology who has devoted his academic efforts to using the Chicago School of pragmatism to analyze problems of contemporary social life and to refine the theoretical tools available to the discipline of sociology. He has evaluated such topics as the Japanese relocation centers, the social construction of rumor, demoralization in Army life, the dynamics of ethnic stratification, and the resolution of ethnic tensions. Shibutani's books on social psychology and general sociology synthesize micro and macro variables, with careful attention to both agency and social control. His work is free of metaphysical puzzles and is true to the scientific method, clearly reflecting the essence of the Chicago School of pragmatic sociology.
MESON-BARYON RESONANCES AND THE MASS FORMULA

The meson-baryon resonances in the octet model are considered. The fact that all the resonances do not have the same mass is supposed to be the result of a symmetrybreaking interaction. To analyze the implications of the symmetry- breaking interactions it is assumed that the meson-baryon resonances correspond to poles in the complex total energy plane of the meson-baryon scattering amplitude that has the appropriate quantum numbers. It is shown that the mass formula, which gives the equal spacing of masses for the 10-dimensional representation, is without theoretical justification. (C.E.S.)
On the equivalence of different treatments of two-body final-state interactions

The two current methods of handling the strong interaction between a pair of particles involved in some process are shown to be closely equivalent. Within the framework of dispersion relations the two-body interaction is incorporated by keeping the two-body scattering states in the absorptive part. This leads to a Muskhelishivili-Omnes form factor involving the scattering phase shifts. In formal scattering theory the interaction effects enter through the two-body scattering cross-section (according toWatson), or more correctly, through the wave function of relative motion, or its derivatives, at zero separation of the interacting pair. Through the use of the Jost function the formal scattering theory result is cast into the form of a Muskhelishvili-Omnes factor and the equivalence established. Both nonrelativistic two-body scattering and relativistic (Dirac) scattering are considered for the interacting pair.
Combination of N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide and genistein increased apoptosis in neuroblastoma SK-N-BE2 and SH-SY5Y xenografts.

Neuroblastoma is the childhood malignancy that mainly occurs in adrenal glands and is found also in the neck, chest, abdomen, and pelvis. New therapeutic strategies are urgently needed for successful treatment of this pediatric cancer. In this investigation, we examined efficacy of the retinoid N-(4-hydroxyphenyl) retinamide (4-HPR) and the isoflavonoid genistein (GST) alone and also in combination for controlling the growth of human malignant neuroblastoma SK-N-BE2 and SH-SY5Y xenografts in nude mice. Combination of 4-HPR and GST significantly reduced tumor volume in vivo due to overwhelming apoptosis in both neuroblastoma xenografts. Time-dependently, combination of 4-HPR and GST caused reduction in body weight, tumor weight, and tumor volume. Combination of 4-HPR and GST increased Bax:Bcl-2 ratio, mitochondrial release of Smac, downregulation of baculovirus inhibitor-of-apoptosis repeat containing (BIRC) proteins including BIRC-2 and BIRC-3, and activation of caspase-3 and apoptosis inducing factor (AIF). Further, downregulation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF2) was also detected. In situ immunofluorescent labelings of tumor sections showed overexpression of calpain, caspase-12, and caspase-3, and also AIF in the course of apoptosis. Combination therapy increased apoptosis in the xenografts but did not induce kidney and liver toxicities in the animals. Results demonstrated that combination of 4-HPR and GST induced multiple molecular mechanisms for apoptosis and thus could be highly effective for inhibiting growth of malignant neuroblastoma in preclinical animal models.
What Is Automation

It is argued that automation has expanded beyond its roots in Manufacturing to include applications in Healthcare, Security, Transportation, Agriculture, Construction, Energy, and many other areas. Both Robotics and Automation explore the frontiers of automated and semi-automated machines. Both fields are increasingly concerned with the role of humans and human interfaces, and with the potential of the Internet and Cloud Computing. So what is the difference between Robotics and Automation? There are many possible distinctions. Here is the summary from our Society's Field of Interest Statement: "...Robotics focuses on systems incorporating sensors and actuators that operate autonomously or semi-autonomously in cooperation with humans. Robotics research emphasizes intelligence and adaptability to cope with unstructured environments. Automation research emphasizes efficiency, productivity, quality, and reliability, focusing on systems that operate autonomously, often in structured environments over extended periods, and on the explicit structuring of such environments." This statement emphasizes how Automation emphasizes structured versus unstructured environments, reliability versus adaptability, and efficiency versus exploratory operations. These are valuable distinctions and the author would like to propose another one. In his view, research in Robotics emphasizes Feasibility. Feasibility focuses on proof-of-concept, demonstrating how a new functionality can be achieved. On the other hand, he feels, research in Automation emphasizes Quality. The author wishes to dispel the myth of the excluded middle: Robotics and Automation are not disjoint. Feasibility and Quality are closely related.
A propagation model for close-in distances and very low antenna heights based on both electromagnetic theory and measured data

This abstract describes a radio-wave propagation model that was developed at the Institute for Telecommunication Sciences (ITS) as the result of an investigation to create a short-range mobile-to-mobile propagation model. ITS reviewed and evaluated currently available radio-wave propagation models and came to the conclusion that none of these models were suitable for addressing the requirements of ultra-short distances (2 meters to 2 km) and very low antenna heights (1 to 3 meters). The model is valid for frequencies from 150 to 6000 MHz. The combined model that has been developed is based on both analytical calculations from the physics of electromagnetic field theory and actual measurements performed in three vastly different environments: rural, urban low-rise/suburban and dense urban high-rise. The results of the analytical work are available in an ITS report.1 The analytical method involves the calculation of the undisturbed electric field and calculation of the loss based on the amplitude of the electric field as a function of distance, frequency, and the ground constants. The undisturbed field is that electric field produced by a transmitter antenna at different distances and heights above ground without any field-disturbing factors in the proximity of the receiver antenna location. The ITS report shows via numerous examples that for most scenarios the difference between the propagation loss computed by undisturbed electric field method and a more exact theoretical methods is minimal.1 The undisturbed electric field method includes near-field effects, the complex two-ray model, antenna heights, ground constants, antenna near-field and far-field response and the surface wave. The Undisturbed-Field Model can be used for distances out to 2 km. It is particularly applicable for close-in distances less than 30 meters. The combined model is valid out to distances of 2 km. The measurements are pseudo-mobile, since the transmitter location is fixed and the receiver is moved through the environment following a predetermined driving pattern. Environmental clutter in the real environment can give rise to non-line-of-sight conditions in which scattering and diffraction dominate, even for very short path differences. There are two facets of the environmental clutter that contribute to the radio-wave propagation problem. First are the features of the static background, such as buildings, fences, trees and other vegetation, utility poles and wires, signage, etc. Second are the dynamic background features, such as vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This presentation will describe both the analytical model and how the measured data were used to create the combined model to represent a real radio-wave propagation environment. Some of the propagation prediction results for the three different environments will also be presented.
Comparison of the acid stability of azithromycin and erythromycin A

In acidic aqueous media, erythromycin A is rapidly degraded via intramolecular dehydration to form erythromycin-6.9-hemiketal and then anhydroerythromycin, both of which possess little antimicrobial activity. Azithromycin, a new azalide antibiotic, has a methyl-substituted nitrogen in place of the carbonyl at the 9a position of the aglycone ring, thus blocking the internal dehydration pathway. As a result, azithromycin decomposition occurs primarily via acid-catalysed hydrolysis of the ether bond to the neutral cladinose sugar. Rate constants and the time for 10% decay (T1/10) were determined for both azithromycin and erythromycin A at pH2 using various levels of acetonitrile cosolvent and constant ionic strength. Semi-log plots of the decay rate constants versus the reciprocal of the solution dielectric constants were used to extrapolate to totally aqueous conditions. In solution at 37 degrees C and pH2 with ionic strength mu = 0.02, azithromycin was degraded with a T1/10 of 20.1 min while erythromycin underwent 10% decay in only 3.7 sec. The activation energy for hydrolysis of the ether bond connecting cladinose to azithromycin was 25.3 kcal/mol while the internal dehydration reaction of erythromycin had an activation energy of 15.6 kcal/mol. A solution stability profile was generated for azithromycin over the pH range of 1.0 to 4.1 at 30 degrees C. Stability was found to improve ten-fold for each unit increase in pH.
Speed of color naming and degree of familial sinistrality: Correlation in Girls, no correlation in boys

Twenty-nine male and 35 female right-handed children, aged 5 to 7, were assessed for the effect of familial sinistrality on a rapid color-naming task. Controlling for age and family size, a significant effect for degree of familial sinistrality was found in the girls but not in the boys. Among the girls, those with two or more left-handed or ambidextral relatives were the fastest on the color-naming task, those with no such relatives were the slowest, and those with only one left-handed or ambidextral relative scored between the other two groups in color-naming speed. It is suggested that a gene associated with left-handedness, when present in a right-hander, interacts with sex to produce the superior color-naming performance that we observed in girls but not in boys.
Primary peritoneal and ovarian cancers: an epidemiological comparative analysis

We performed case–control analyses using data from the North Carolina Ovarian Cancer Study to determine risk factors that distinguish primary peritoneal cancer (PPC) from epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). Our risk factor analyses were restricted to invasive serous cancers including 495 EOC cases, 62 PPC cases and 1,086 control women. Logistic regression analyses were used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals for risk factor associations. Although many case–control associations for the invasive serous PPC cases were similar to those of the invasive serous EOC cases, some differences were observed including a twofold increase in risk of invasive serous PPC in women who were ≥35 years at last pregnancy, whereas a decreased risk was observed for invasive serous EOC risk. We could not confirm a previous report of an association between tubal ligation and PPC, a factor consistently associated with a decreased risk of EOC. The difference in the risk factor associations between invasive serous PPC and EOC cancers suggests divergent molecular development of peritoneal and ovarian cancers. A larger study to determine risk factors for invasive serous PPC is warranted.
Expression of the adenovirus E1B 175R protein and its association with membranes of Escherichia coli

Abstract The ElB 175-amino-acid (175R) protein of adenovirus 2 is required for cellular transformation of primary cells and establishing cell morphology in lytically infected cells. To investigate the biochemical function of this protein, we constructed a bacterial expression vector (pKHBl-T) to produce the 175R protein in sufficient amounts for purification and biochemical analysis. On the basis of DNA sequencing, gel electrophoresis, and immunoblot analysis, the pKHBl-T-encoded 175R protein appears to be identical to that expressed transiently in mammalian or adenovirus-transformed cells. The bacterially produced viral protein was also found to be quite stable and without any modifications. Partial purification of the pKHBl-T-encoded protein revealed that the majority of it associates with the inner membrane of the bacterial cell. This, together with the possibility of the 175R protein containing an N-terminal amphipathic α-helix as a potential translocation signal, suggests that there may be a common mechanism of protein transport operating in both eucaryotic and procaryotic systems.
Sleeping Beauty: a note on Dorr's argument for 1/3

varies continuously from T(tl) to T(t2) and T is a physically real quantity between these two values, there was a time t between tl and t2 when the quantity took value T (and thus the remote bomb keyed to that exact value exploded). And don't complain that the constructivist's proviso is ad hoc: on the contrary, it seems a weak implication of any natural constructivist way of capturing the assumption built into Brown's thought experiment, namely that the varying physical quantity in question takes at all times a value which is fully determinate in the intuitive sense. There may be other, more sophisticated, arguments for thinking that the applicable mathematics needed for real physics outstrips what is available to the constructivist. But Brown doesn't make good his claim that simple considerations about the intermediate value theorem reveal that 'the shortcomings of constructive mathematics can be displayed easily'.
A System Approach to Pharmacodynamics. Plasma Iron Mobilization by Endogenous Erythropoietin in the Sheep Fetus; Evidence of Threshold Response in Spontaneous Hypoxemia

At present, nearly all Infants with birth weights of <1 kg receive blood transfusions for treatment of clinical signs of tissue hypoxia resulting from anemia of prematurity. In contrast to the successful use of recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEp) in adults, treatment of anemic neonates with rhEp to stimulate red cell production and reduce the need for transfusions that pose serious infectious and immunologic risk has not been effective. The present study investigates the pharmacodynamics (PD) of endogenous erythropoietin (Ep) in sheep fetuses to determine possible causes for the poor rhEp response in early development. The dynamic relationship between plasma Ep and plasma iron resulting from spontaneous hypoxemic episodes is investigated by PD system analysis. The erythropoietic effect of Ep is measured in terms of the mobilization of plasma Iron needed in the production on new erythrocytes. A hysteresis minimization approach is employed to determine the intrinsic PD dose-response relationship (transduction) of Ep. The dose—response relationship shows a well-defined threshold level that has to be exceeded before Ep begins to show a significant effect on plasma iron. It is postulated that the threshold mechanism may serve a useful purpose during early development by reducing the risk of the fetus developing a pathological degree of polycythemia and hyperviscosity in the relatively hypoxemic fetal environment. At the same time, the threshold serves the purpose of providing a needed response to more severe pathologic hypoxemic episodes. The occurrence of anemia during subsequent postnatal life when Pa02 levels increase markedly may be the inevitable, but unfortunate corollary of a continuation of this mechanism. If the poor response to rhEp in early neonatal life is due to a threshold mechanism, then it will be necessary to administer Ep at significantly larger dosing rates to ensure a sufficient and sustained coverage above the threshold level.
Reaction of diethyl acetonedicarboxylate with nitrosyl chloride

The reaction of diethyl acetonedicarboxylate with greater than two equivalents of nitrosyl chloride or the reaction of diethyl isonitrosoacetonedicarboxylate with one equivalent of nitrosyl chloride gave diethyl 4-hydroxyisoxazole-3,5-dicarboxylate in quantitative yield. Mechanistic possibilities are discussed.
HUMAN β‐ENDORPHIN: SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ANALOGS IODINATED AND TRITIATED AT TRYOSINE RESIDUES 1 AND 27

Three tritiated analogs of human beta-endorphin have been prepared from their corresponding iodinated analogs. The iodinated analogs (diiodotyrosine at positions 1, 27 or 1 and 27) were synthesized by the solid-phase method and were found to have biological and physical properties which were altered when compared with the native molecule. Catalytic exchange of these iodinated analogs in the presence of tritium yielded tritiated human beta-endorphins having full biological activity and specific activity of 50-100 Ci/mmol. Both the iodinated and tritiated beta-endorphin analogs were shown to be homogeneous by chromatography on carboxymethylcellulose, partition chromatography, paper chromatography, amino acid analysis, electrophoresis, high performance liquid chromatography, and isoelectric focusing on polyacrylamide.
The role of lipids in the transfer of ATP and cAMP into organic media: The effects of metallic salts, basic proteins, and atractyloside

Abstract The present paper studies the effect of several lipids (charged and uncharged), metal ions, atractyloside, protein, and pH on the solubility characteristics of ATP and cAMP in organic solvents, mainly by partition experiments, using labeled nucleotides. If amphipathic lipids are absent from the system, these highly hydrophilic nucleotides cannot be transferred into the organic solvents in which they are completely insoluble. The effectiveness of divalent metal ions in transferring ATP into the organic solvents is in the order Cu ++ > Ca ++ > Mg ++ . This effectiveness of divalent ions is reduced by higher concentrations of univalent cations. When positive charges are incorporated in the lipid system by adding eicosanyl trimethylammonium bromide, stearoyl choline chloride, or basic protein (protamine), a large amount of nucleotide could be transferred into the organic solvents, but addition of CaCl 2 reduces this effect. A negatively charged lipid, cholesterol, or atractyloside is not effective at all. These observations have been explained mainly in terms of electrostatic interaction, though van der Waals forces should also be taken into account. Our findings could be of significance in understanding a mechanism whereby polar molecules such as nucleotides can move across the potential energy barrier of the lipid membrane.
Using CAVASS as the basis for imaging applications

CAVASS (Computer Aided Visualization and Analysis Software System) is an open-source software system that is being developed by the Medical Image Processing Group (MIPG) at the University of Pennsylvania. It includes extremely efficient (and often parallel) implementations of the most commonly used image display, manipulation, and processing operations. CAVASS seamlessly interfaces with ITK and provides a user interface for it as well. It can easily interface with a PACS by directly reading and writing DICOM images and can also read and write other common image formats as well. We describe the general software architecture of CAVASS so one may quickly use it as the basis for one's own applications.
Real-time automated 3D sensing, detection, and recognition of dynamic biological micro-organic events

In this paper, we present an overview of three-dimensional (3D) optical imaging techniques for real-time automated sensing, visualization, and recognition of dynamic biological microorganisms. Real time sensing and 3D reconstruction of the dynamic biological microscopic objects can be performed by single-exposure on-line (SEOL) digital holographic microscopy. A coherent 3D microscope-based interferometer is constructed to record digital holograms of dynamic micro biological events. Complex amplitude 3D images of the biological microorganisms are computationally reconstructed at different depths by digital signal processing. Bayesian segmentation algorithms are applied to identify regions of interest for further processing. A number of pattern recognition approaches are addressed to identify and recognize the microorganisms. One uses 3D morphology of the microorganisms by analyzing 3D geometrical shapes which is composed of magnitude and phase. Segmentation, feature extraction, graph matching, feature selection, and training and decision rules are used to recognize the biological microorganisms. In a different approach, 3D technique is used that are tolerant to the varying shapes of the non-rigid biological microorganisms. After segmentation, a number of sampling patches are arbitrarily extracted from the complex amplitudes of the reconstructed 3D biological microorganism. These patches are processed using a number of cost functions and statistical inference theory for the equality of means and equality of variances between the sampling segments. Also, we discuss the possibility of employing computational integral imaging for 3D sensing, visualization, and recognition of biological microorganisms illuminated under incoherent light. Experimental results with several biological microorganisms are presented to illustrate detection, segmentation, and identification of micro biological events.
Superdrawn crystalline polymers: A new class of high‐strength fiber

A new kind of acetal fiber has been discovered which has a tensile strength of 1.7 GPa (250,000 psi) and an elastic modulus of 35 GPa (5 × 106 psi). This fiber is produced by a special two-stage drawing process in the solid state which requires careful control of deformation rate and temperature. Previously known drawn fibers are reported to consist of folded-chain blocks joined by a limited number of tie-molecules. It is hypothesized that the second stage of the novel drawing process eliminates the lamella (block) surfaces which act as strength-limiting stress concentrators. A new type of fiber is created in which any remaining chain-folds are distributed as defects in a continuous crystal matrix. It is the continuity of the crystal matrix which is believed responsible for the remarkable properties of the fiber.
Be Sure to Give Me Credit

Guidelines for managing potential conflict regarding professional credit are presented. These include: (a) acknowledge that professional credit is a very sensitive issue; (b) determine credit decisions early enough in a project so that the participants can adjust their workloads to correspond to the credit that they expect to receive; (c) develop a credit policy for students and research assistants who participate in projects; (d) view professional credit in the context of the broader clinical and/or research endeavor; and (e) develop a credit policy that is fair, equitable, and understandable.
U.S. west coast revisited: An aeromagnetic perspective

A new compilation of magnetic data for the western conterminous United States and offshore areas provides significant information about crustal units and structures in the region. Features shown on the compilation include a magnetic quiet zone along the coast and two lineaments inland. The magnetic quiet zone correlates with the accretionary prism at the western edge of the North American plate and overlies subducted ocean crust; abrupt termination of ocean-floor magnetic anomalies at, or a short distance east of, the toe of the accretionary prism is an inferred effect of subduction-induced low-temperature metamorphism of the ocean crust. The Puget Lowlands-San Joaquin lineament is an alignment of high-intensity magnetic anomalies that in the south, and possibly also in the north, are caused by bodies of mafic-ultramafic rocks accreted to North America during the Mesozoic and Tertiary. The lineup of the highs and the inferred lineup of the causative bodies may reflect fundamental structures that control Mesozoic and Tertiary evolution of the continental margin. The Mojave Desert lineament, a distinctive chain of short-wavelength magnetic anomalies in southern California, coincides partly with a zone of Mesozoic intrusions and the Cenozoic San Andreas fault system, but is likely to be older than both in origin and may reflect a Mesozoic or older crustal discontinuity.
Plasma glucose and insulin reduction after consumption of breads varying in amylose content.

Objective: Consumption of a meal high in amylose starch (70%) decreases peak insulin and glucose levels and area under the curve (AUC). The objective was to determine the amount of amylose necessary in a meal for the beneficial decrease in glucose or insulin to occur. Design: Twenty-five subjects, 13 men (averaging 88.1 kg, 41 y, and 27.9 body mass index) and 12 women (averaging 72.4 kg, 41 y and 27.1 body mass index) were given six tolerance tests in a Latin Square design: glucose alone (1 g glucose/kg body weight) and five breads (1 g carbohydrate/kg body weight) made with 70% amylose cornstarch, standard cornstarch (30% amylose), and blends of the two starches (40, 50 and 60% amylose starch). A standard menu was fed for 3 days. One subject withdrew from the study. Results: Glucose, insulin and glucagon response to the carbohydrate loads was similar in men and women. Peak glucose response was lowest after the breads containing 50–70% amylose starch. AUC was significantly higher after the glucose load than after all bread loads. The lowest AUCs occurred after the 60 and 70% amylose starch breads. Insulin response and AUC were significantly lower after the 60 and 70% amylose starch breads than after the glucose or the other breads. Conclusion: Results indicate that the amylose content of the starch used in the acute meal needs to be greater than 50% to significantly reduce plasma glucose and insulin in men and women.
Putting the “Public” Back in Public Values Research: Designing Participation to Identify and Respond to Values

This article seeks to put the “public” back in public values research by theorizing about the potential of direct citizen participation to assist with identifying and understanding public values. Specifically, the article explores eight participatory design elements and offers nine propositions about how those elements are likely to affect the ability of administrators to identify and understand public values with regard to a policy conflict. The article concludes with a brief discussion about potential directions for future research.
Adaptation-level theory and the free recall of mixed-frequency lists

Subjects learned a list containing both high-frequency (common) and low-frequency (rare) words after learning five lists of either high-or low-frequency words. As predicted by adaptation-level theory, preexposure to lists at one frequency made words at that same frequency more difficult to learn relative to words at other frequencies.
Oxidative activity of a particulate fraction from Rumex virus tumour tissue.

ALTHOUGH the capacity of cytoplasmic particles from plant tissues to oxidize Krebs-cycle intermediates has been clearly demonstrated1, only one investigation to date has been reported on the oxidative reactions of particulate fractions from plant tissue cultures2. Such investigations are of particular interest and importance in that they permit an elucidation of the biochemical differences between normal (callus) and neoplastic plant tissues and between tissue cultures and the parent plant parts. This work is concerned with the oxidative activity of a particulate fraction from virus tumour tissue of Black's original R 1 strain from Rumex acetosa L.
When Parties become Racialized: Deconstructing Racially Themed Parties.

Racially themed parties are all-too-common occurrences on college campuses. Using critical race theory as a lens, this article provides a contemporary overview of these events and deconstructs these incidents as examples of overt forms of racism often emanating from subtle, everyday occurrences of covert racism or racial microaggressions. Implications for future empirical research and professional practice are provided in hopes of better responding to and prevention of racially themed parties.
Prolonged neonatal interhospital transport on road: Relevance for developing countries

Objective To compare prolonged inter hospital long distance transports on road undertaken by a qualified transport team vs those done by the same team from shorter distances and time.
Size matters: The rotation rates of small near-Earth asteroids

Abstract We present results from a program of optical light curve observations of near-Earth asteroids (NEAs) with diameters under 1 km, designed to detect, and determine the distribution of, rotation periods shorter than a few hours. We obtain measurements or estimates of rotation period P for approximately one third of the 83 NEAs observed. Most of the measured periods are in the fast-rotating asteroid (FRA) regime ( P H . We find that the FRA fraction F rises sharply from zero to a value statistically consistent with unity from H = 21.4 to H = 23.6, a span corresponding to a factor of only 2.8 in nominal diameter. Almost nothing larger than 170 m, and almost everything smaller than 60 m, is a fast rotator, assuming a mean S class albedo of 0.17. The formal 95% confidence limits are F H F > 56% for 23.6 H H . Determining this distribution to the accuracy needed to constrain the physical properties of NEAs and their dynamical evolution will require larger samples, and homogeneous, unbiased reporting of the data, including accurate errors, for all objects observed, not just those with measured periods.
Ramping up the Organizational Learning Curve: Assessing the Impact of Deliberate Learning on Organizational Performance Under Gainsharing

This study examined how suggestion-based employee knowledge generated through a gainsharing productivity improvement program affected organizational performance. We propose that in addition to an o...
Changes in bat species diversity along an elevational gradient up the peruvian andes

Changes in chiropteran species diversity and richness along a generalized transect up the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes are described. Variation in overall species diversity, species richness, and evenness are closely correlated with elevation. A decrease in bat density along the gradient is indicated by elevational decrease in sample size and by significant elevational reduction in the number of bats netted per unit effort. Explanations for these patterns are offered based on significant correlations of temperature and foliage height diversity with both overall richness and number of species in major feeding guilds. The conclusion is that diversity changes in the bat community along the gradient are caused by many factors, both historical and contemporary. The slopes of the Andes probably were colonized, for the most part, from the adjacent older lowlands of the Amazon Basin where most of the speciation took place. Immigration into the highlands has been (is) impeded by the reductions in temperature, habitat complexity, and levels of food abundance acting independently or collectively.
Relationship of inflammatory cell cytokines to disease severity in individuals with occupational inorganic dust exposure

The pneumoconioses due to chronic occupational exposure to asbestos, coal, or silica are characterized by an alveolar macrophage-dominated alveolitis with exaggerated spontaneous release of mediators: oxidants, chemotaxins for neutrophils, and fibroblast growth factors. Bronchoalveolar lavage was performed on 66 non-smoking inorganic dust-exposed individuals with a chest x-ray greater than or equal to 1/0 stratified by presence or absence of restrictive respiratory impairment, and 28 unexposed non-smoking controls. Both dust-exposed groups stratified by presence or not of impairment had increased numbers of total cells recovered by lavage compared to normals, and those with respiratory impairment (n = 40) had a significant increase in percent and number of neutrophils recovered. Similarly, only those with respiratory impairment had macrophages that spontaneously released significant amounts of the oxidants superoxide anion and hydrogen peroxide. There was a significant trend for the release of fibronectin by macrophages from controls to dust-exposed without impairment to those with impairment. Both dust-exposed groups also had increased release of alveolar macrophage-derived progression growth factor, but this was significantly less than macrophages from patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Since occupational exposure was virtually identical in inorganic dust-exposed individuals with versus without respiratory impairment, the quantitative differences in the release of macrophage mediators may be due to factors in host susceptibility.