cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Efficacy of folic acid prophylaxis for the prevention of neural tube defects

Thirty years ago, researchers suggested that maternal intake of certain vitamins during pregnancy affected the incidence of serious birth defects. Since then, two randomized controlled trials and several observational studies have proven that if women take folic acid during the periconceptional period, they can lower their risk of having children with neural tube defects (NTDs), serious birth defects of the spine and brain. In 1992, the U.S. Public Health Service recommended that all women capable of becoming pregnant take 0.4 mg of folic acid daily. Translating this recommendation into practice, however, presents a major public health challenge. In 1996, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ruled that “enriched” cereal grain products must be fortified with folic acid, the first time food has been fortified for the prevention of birth defects. However, because the level chosen for folic acid fortification will not provide all women the optimal protection against the occurrence of NTDs, efforts to increase reproductive-age women's consumption of folic acid-containing vitamins and folate-rich foods are underway. The mechanism underlying folic acid's efficacy in preventing NTDs is unknown. It may work by correcting a deficiency or by overcoming an inherited disorder of folate metabolism. The role of genetics and agents such as vitamin B12, methionine, and homocysteine in NTD prevention, and the relationship of these factors with folic acid, are under investigation. Although the mechanism for folic acid's protective effect is unknown, it is clear that a significant proportion of NTDs can be prevented and that prevention efforts should not await the elucidation of specific mechanisms. MRDD Research Reviews 1998;4:282–290. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pituitary Follistatin and Inhibin Subunit Messenger Ribonucleic Acid Levels Are Differentially Regulated by Local and Hormonal Factors

Follistatins, activins, and inhibins are expressed in a wide range of tissues where they function as autocrine and/or paracrine factors. Activin B (beta B beta B) and inhibin B (alpha beta B) are the predominant forms expressed in the rat anterior pituitary. This study was designed to evaluate the regulation of the messenger RNAs (mRNAs) for inhibin alpha and beta B, and follistatin, relative to each other, using cultured rat anterior pituitary cells. Activin A stimulated follistatin (a maximal 4-fold stimulation by 6 h) and beta B (a maximal 1.7-fold stimulation after 2 h) mRNA levels. Although inhibin A dramatically decreased follistatin mRNA levels (34% of the control value after 24 h), it only marginally affected those of beta B (86% of the control value after 2 h). Follistatin inhibited the accumulation of its own mRNA (46% of the control value after 6 h), but had no statistically significant effect on beta B or alpha mRNA levels. Inhibin A was the only treatment that had an effect on alpha mRNA leve...
Effect of peptides on animal cells in culture. I. Maintenance of beating heart cells.

Abstract Chick embryo heart cells grown as organ cultures or monolayer cultures maintained beating for varying periods of time in media supplemented with Bacto-Peptone or Proteose Peptone but in the absence of serum. Electron micrographs of these cultures suggested a “normal ultrastructure”, and initial fractionation studies indicated that the factor(s) in either Bacto-Peptone or Proteose Peptone which contributed to the maintenance of beating could be partially purified by gel filtration. Serum, routinely used in tissue culture studies, is not only complex but the response of cells to different lots of serum has been reported to vary significantly [4, 8, 21, 23, 24]. These problems might be resolved by identifying the active component(s) of serum or by substituting less complex materials for the serum component. The latter has been reported by Amborski & Moskowitz [1], and by Amborski et al. [2]. These results suggested that peptides might be used in the place of serum in studies on the growth and development of primary cultures. This report describes the effects of similar peptides on primary cell cultures derived from embryonic chick hearts cultivated under different conditions; in organ culture, in aggregate culture and in monolayer culture.
A comprehensive equation for the rate of adsorption of colloidal particles and for stability ratios

Abstract A general correlating equation which can be used for predicting adsorption rates of colloidal particles on substrates of various geometry under a wide range of double layer interactions is presented. This equation is applicable as long as the depth of the secondary minimum in the surface interaction energy profile is low (⪷0.5 k B T ) and can be used in the case of constant-potential or constant-charge-density double layer interactions or when a suitable combination is appropriate. The following parameters are needed for using the equation: the height of the potential barrier, V max ; the magnitude of the London-van der Waals attraction, A /6 k B T (where A is the Hamaker constant); the Peclet number, Pe (which represents the influence of convection); and the ratio or radii of the two interacting surfaces. Four special cases, for adsorption on spherical and cylindrical substrates and on rotating discs, and for mutual coagulation, are derived from the general equation as illustrative examples. The extensions of the equation for adsorption in porous media and fibrous mats (useful in the theory of physical separation processes) are also presented. Since the correlating equation is a closed-form expression, it offers a convenient method for determining the effective potential barrier (the activation energy for adsorption) from experimentally determined adsorption rates.
Some optical properties of KTP, LiIO/sub 3/, and LiNbO/sub 3/

Measurements of the absorption coefficient for KTP, LiIO/sub 3/, and LiNbO/sub 3/ are discussed. The variation of the refractive index with temperature has been measured for KTP and LiIO/sub 3/. It is necessary to know both the absorption coefficient beta and the variation in the indexes of refraction with temperature change dn/dT to determine the average power limit of a nonlinear interaction. With the dn/dT information, it is also possible to estimate the temperature half width of any nonlinear interaction by calculating the variation of the phase-matching condition with temperature. >
Post-traumatic stress disorder and chronic disease: open questions and future directions.

A large body of research has now firmly established that traumatic events, such as natural disasters, combat, sexual assault, and child abuse, are frequent occurrences throughout the world and that there are substantial consequences of traumatic event experiences. In most countries, the majority of adults report exposure to at least one traumatic event in their lifetime [1]. PTSD, the paradigmatic stress-related mental disorder, emerges in some persons in response to an unpredictable and uncontrollable traumatic event. PTSD is common with lifetime estimates ranging from 1.7 % in South Korea to 8.8 % in Northern Ireland, and past-year prevalences from a high of 3.8 % in Northern Ireland to a low of 0.2 % in China [2]. Separately, evidence shows that persons who experience traumatic events are more likely to report cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, and other physical illness [3]. Researchers and health professionals commonly treat the brain and the body as if they are distinct entities, and this approach informs most of the scholarship about the consequences of traumatic events. However, recent advances in our understanding of the relation between PTSD and chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes suggest this approach is misguided. For example, a recent meta-analysis showed that PTSD and PTSD symptoms are associated with worse self-reported health and health-related quality of life [4]. Rigorous prospective studies have provided evidence that PTSD increases risk of first-onset cardiovascular disease and type-2 diabetes [5, 6]. This evidence, and a comparable body of literature, suggests that PTSD may have profound adverse effects on physical health over the life course. This opens up an important new perspective on the study of the consequences of PTSD and an emerging literature is now informing our understanding of how PTSD may be linked to physical illness.
Aspirin 'resistance': role of pre-existent platelet reactivity and correlation between tests

Summary. Background: Aspirin ‘resistance’ is a widely used term for hyporesponsiveness to aspirin in a platelet function test. Serum thromboxane (TX) B2 is the most specific test of aspirin’s effect on platelets. Objectives: (i) To examine the role of pre-existent platelet hyperreactivity in aspirin ‘resistance’. (ii) To determine the correlation between aspirin resistance defined by serum TXB2 and other assays of platelet function. Methods: To enable pre-aspirin samples to be drawn, platelet function was measured in normal subjects (n = 165) before and after aspirin 81 mg daily for seven days. Results: The proportion of the post-aspirin platelet function predicted by the pre-aspirin platelet function was 28.3 ± 7.5% (mean ± asymptotic standard error) for serum TXB2, 39.3 ± 6.8% for urinary 11-dehydro TXB2, 4.4 ± 7.7% for arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation, 40.4 ± 7.1% for adenosine diphosphate-induced platelet aggregation, 26.3 ± 9.2% for the VerifyNow Aspirin Assay®, and 45.0 ± 10.9% for the TEG® PlateletMapping™ System with arachidonic acid. There was poor agreement between aspirin-resistant subjects identified by serum TXB2 vs. aspirin-resistant subjects identified by the other five assays, irrespective of whether the analysis was based on categorical or continuous variables. Platelet count correlated with pre-aspirin serum TXB2 and VerifyNow Aspirin Assay, but not with any post-aspirin platelet function test. Conclusions: (i) Aspirin ‘resistance’ (i.e. hyporesponsiveness to aspirin in a laboratory test) is in part unrelated to aspirin but is the result of underlying platelet hyperreactivity prior to the institution of aspirin therapy. (ii) Aspirin resistance defined by serum TXB2 shows a poor correlation with aspirin resistance defined by other commonly used assays.
Endocapsular deep-wedge-removal phacofracture

We present a nucleus disassembly technique that allows safe debulking of two thirds of the nucleus by removal of a deep, central, equilateral triangular wedge of nucleus with no manipulation or rotation. The resulting equilateral triangular wedge-shaped cavity yields 3 points of weakness at each corner that facilitate cracking the remaining peripheral nuclear rim into 3 equal segments. Each segment is easily gripped by short bursts of phaco power and pulled into the central cavity for safe endocapsular phacoemulsification, an approach that protects the cornea. This technique is applicable to most cataracts regardless of consistency. It prevents zonular stress by avoiding manipulation or rotation of the nucleus in cases in which zonular weakness is a concern. The technique was used in 95 consecutive eyes, with no posterior capsule tears, vitreous loss, or zonule disturbance.
Protein as the first-limiting nutrient for lactating dairy cows fed high proportions of good quality alfalfa silage

Abstract Milk yield and composition response to dietary supplementation of protein or energy was determined in cows fed high proportions of good quality alfalfa silage. In Experiment 1, 40 multiparous Holstein cows were assigned to one of five groups at parturition. Cows were fed experimental diets during wk 4 to 15 of lactation. The control diet contained 75% alfalfa silage and 23.2% high moisture ear corn (DM basis). The following supplements partially replaced corn in the treatment groups: protein, 6% fish meal plus 2.1% blood meal; fat, 5% prilled animal fat; protein plus fat, the protein and fat treatment combined; and protein plus glucose, the protein treatment plus 1.6 kg/d of glucose infused into the abomasum. Supplementation of protein increased milk yield by 18%, and supplementation of fat alone only marginally increased milk yield. Infusion of glucose decreased milk fat content and thereby reduced FCM yield. Cows fed fat or infused with glucose had slightly lower milk protein content. In Experiment 2, 27 primiparous Holstein cows were fed 98.2% alfalfa silage, 91.2% alfalfa silage plus 7% fish meal, and 61.2% alfalfa silage plus 7% fish meal plus 30% dry shelled corn in treatments 1 to 3, respectively. Daily milk yields for treatments 1 to 3 were 18.8, 22.2, and 25.8 kg/d. The milk yield response to protein supplements in both experiments and relative lack of response to energy supplements alone suggest that protein, and not energy, was first-limiting for milk yield with diets containing a large proportion of alfalfa silage.
Aggresive competition and individual food consumption in wild brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

The impact of aggresive competition on food intake at all the resources used is analysed for every member of a group of brown capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella) in the Manu National Park, Peru, where they live in groups of 8–14 animals. An individual's food intake at a given tree was affected independently both by its domirance rank (Fig. 1) and by how much aggression it received (Table 5). Food intake was not strongly affected by body size when dominance rank was held constant by partial correlation. At food sources where high rates of fighting occurred, an individual's food intake depended more on its domirance status than on the rate of aggression it received (Fig. 2). However, food intake at resources where rates of fighting were low depended mostly on the rate of aggression received. When aggression over food was absent, the food intakes of dominants and subordinates were equal. Dominants had significantly greater total energy intake (20.5% more) than did subordinates, even though more than one third of their diet came from food sources where little or no fighting occurred (Fig. 3). Energy intake was also significantly greater for individuals that received little aggression. The only adult that emigrated from the main study group was the individua with the lowest energy intake. Competition for food within groups was more than ten times as intense as competition between brown capuchin groups.
Urticaria and angioedema.

Because their common occurrence has led to familiarity with the disease by the general public, patients themselves often make a correct diagnosis of urticaria. The lesions consist of circumscribed, slightly elevated swellings that usually are multiple #and vary in size from 1 to 2 mm to many centimeters in diameter. Of particular diagnostic significance is that individual lesions seldom last longer than 24 to 48 hr, although new lesions commonly arise as older ones fade away. Also, hives almost always itch. Angioedema is frequently discussed along with urticaria because the two conditions often occur together; for example, in Champion’s experience in referral practice, 40% of patients with either or both conditions had urticaria alone, 11% had angioedema alone, and 49% had both.’ However, a much smaller percentage of children is reported to have both types of lesions.’ Since angioedematous swellings develop in the subcutaneous tissues where there are fewer sensory nerve endings, these lesions present clinically as diffuse swellings with little or no pruritus. They are especially apt to develop in areas with loose subcutaneous tissue, such as the eyelids and lips. In contrast to other
Travel time studies with global positioning and geographic information systems: an integrated methodology

Abstract The paper describes a new methodology for performing travel time studies using global positioning system (GPS) and geographic information system (GIS) technologies. It documents the data collection, data reduction, and data reporting procedures, as well as analyses that illustrate the capabilities of the GPS/GIS methodology. The data collection procedure uses GPS receivers to automatically collect time, local coordinates, and speed at regular sampling periods, for example every one second. The data reduction procedure filters and aggregates GPS data to compute travel time and speed along highway segments. The data reporting procedure uses a GIS-based management information system to define queries, tabular reports, and color coded maps to document travel time data along these highway segments. These procedures have been implemented in three metropolitan areas in Louisiana: Baton Rouge, Shreveport, and New Orleans. In these cities, more than 180,000 segment travel time and speed records were derived between 1995 and 1996 from nearly three million GPS data points collected on 30,000 miles of travel time runs along 300 miles of urban highways. The three analyses included in the paper to assist in the process of understanding the GPS/GIS methodology are the following: segment lengths, sampling rates, and central tendency. The segment length analysis examines the effect of using different highway segment lengths and shows that relatively short segments (0.2–0.5 miles long) are needed to detect localized traffic effects. These traffic disturbances become visible only when segment lengths are at most half the length of the associated disturbance. This means that traditional link-based segments, which are typically longer than 0.5 miles, are not sufficient to characterize localized effects properly. The sampling rate analysis addresses the effect of collecting GPS data at different sampling periods and shows that for a segment to have GPS data associated with it, the GPS sampling period should be smaller than half the shortest travel time associated with the segment. The analysis also shows a tradeoff between sampling rates and segment speed reliability, and emphasizes the need for even shorter GPS sampling periods (1–2 s) in order to minimize errors in the computation of segment speeds. The central tendency analysis compares harmonic mean speeds and median speeds and shows that median speeds are more robust estimators of central tendency than harmonic mean speeds.
Earlier prostate-specific antigen testing in African American men--Clinical support for the recommendation

Abstract Background To determine whether prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in African American veterans (AAVs) aged 40 to 54 years is associated with high-risk prostate cancer characteristics compared with AAVs aged 55 to 70 years or white veterans (WVs) aged 40 to 54 years. Methods A total of 231,174 healthy veterans aged 40 to 70 years without clinical evidence of prostate cancer underwent PSA testing between October 1, 2000, and September 30, 2007. Clinicopathologic tumor characteristics were available for 1,044/1,059 AAVs and 1,006/1,971 age-matched WVs diagnosed with prostate cancer after a PSA level>4 ng/ml triggered prostate biopsy. Tumor characteristics of AAVs aged 40 to 54 years were compared with AAVs 55 to 70 years, WVs 40 to 54 years, and WVs 55 to 70 years. Results Of PSA-tested veterans aged 40 to 54 years diagnosed with prostate cancer, there were no racial differences in prebiopsy PSA levels, prostate cancer grade, or clinical stage at diagnosis. AAVs aged 40 to 54 years were more likely to have≥3 positive cores ( P = 0.0229) and were less likely to be active surveillance candidates ( P = 0.0340) compared with similarly aged WVs. AAVs aged 55 to 70 years were more likely to have high-grade ( P = 0.0204) and higher clinical stage ( P = 0.0195) prostate cancer than AAVs aged 40 to 54 years. Conclusions This large national cohort study suggests that PSA testing at an earlier age for African American men may allow diagnosis of lower risk prostate cancer, potentially reducing disparate outcomes between AAVs and WVs.
Production of Hollow Polymeric Microspheres by Surface-Confined Living Radical Polymerization on Silica Templates

Uniform hollow polymer microspheres were prepared by coating silica microsphere templates with poly(benzyl methacrylate) using surface-initiated controlled/living radical polymerization and subsequently removing the core by chemical etching. Shell thickness was controlled by varying the polymerization time. Scanning electron microscopy was used to characterize the products and to demonstrate that the polymer microspheres were hollow. FTIR spectroscopy showed that the silica cores were completely removed by etching.
A space-marching method for the computation of viscous internal flows

A space-marching method has been developed to compute 3-D viscous flows in internal geometries. The Navier-Stokes equations have been posed as an initial-value problem by neglecting the effects of streamwise diffusion and treating the streamwise pressure gradient as a known source term. The fully coupled system of equations has been solved by a noniterative algorithm at each streamwise step of the computation. A low Mach number formulation of the equations has been used to compute incompressible flow fields. A computer program has been written to implement all aspects of the space-marching algorithm. The program is modular and is easily adapted to the widely varying geometries of internal flows. The space-marching algorithm has been tested by computing simple flows with known analytical solutions. The method has been used to predict complex 3-D turbulent flows. The algorithm is stable and very economical. A single sweep of the flow field by the space-marching method is approximately equivalent to one time-step of the time-marching method.
The validity of medicaid pharmacy claims for estimating drug use among elderly nursing home residents: The Oregon experience.

Abstract This study compared computerized Medicaid pharmacy claims data for nursing home residents with chart data to establish how well the claims data identified those receiving drugs within three different psychoactive drug classes (yes/no for each class) and how well the claims estimated total within-class average daily dose. Percent agreement, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) for drug exposure were over 85% for each class. Kappas were excellent for antipsychotics and antidepressants, and good for anxiolytics. Correspondence was lower for average daily dose. Using an algorithm that credits some but not all doses associated with overlapping claims, correlations ranged from 0.97 to 0.66. Agreement on therapeutic dose was excellent for antipsychotics (κ = 0.81) and fair to good for antidepressants and anxiolytics (κ = 0.63, and κ = 0.52, respectively). The findings suggest that Medicaid pharmacy claims data are reasonably accurate for quality assurance and accreditation purposes.
Ethical Issues Regarding Perpetrator Involvement in the Systemic Treatment of Incest

Using a systemic perspective to treat survivors of incest elicits the controversial question of whether to involve the perpetrator in the therapy process. Ethically, the therapist has a responsibility to ensure that the therapeutic process will do no harm to the client; therefore, involving the perpetrator may be contraindicated in some circumstances. Therapists may feel torn between determining what the most ethical practice is. This determination is affected by a wide variety of factors, and requires clinical judgment once these factors are understood. The article proposes the Incest-Perpetrator Involvement Checklist to guide therapists through the relevant issues that should be addressed prior to approving the perpetrator's inclusion in conjoint therapy with the survivor.
Ionization of the air

Ionization of the air, both the natural and the artificial, underwent a thorough airing at the First International Conference. With the accent on the physical and biological properties of air ions, the clinical aspects and the therapeutic potentialities were, except for one paper, deliberately omitted. It was felt that at this time the basic problems were of greater importance in order to bring some order and restraint into the prevailing chaotic conditions. It was obvious to all participants that the practical results of the meeting exceeded all expectations but that much work still remains to be done before air ionization achieves full recognition and undivided scientific support.
What and when do they know? Web‐based assessment

In tandem, tiered instruction and assessment offer the opportunity to analyze the outcomes of specific levels of information literacy. Tiered library instruction establishes a framework to meet the instructional needs of students at all levels of enrollment. Assessment offers a value‐added dimension to a library instruction program. It provides a beginning point to ascertain the program’s effectiveness and to guide direction for future instruction. Although assessment is considered essential to program development, a review of the literature found little information on the use of a Web‐based evaluation tool. This paper describes the development of a curriculum‐integrated and tiered instruction program over the course of five years and the implementation of a Web‐based assessment tool as a mechanism for establishing levels of information literacy.
Process error limitations on binary optics performance

We present results characterizing the effects of processing errors on the performance of staircase kinoforms, commonly known as `binary optical devices.' Diffraction efficiency and modulation transfer function data are given for various types of processing errors present in staircase kinoforms of a f/10 Fresnel phase lens having two, four, and eight phase levels. Processing errors include etch depth, linewidth, and mask alignment. Processing errors, especially mask alignment, are shown to have the greatest impact on diffraction efficiency and very little effect on image quality.
Scatter search based interactive multi-criteria optimization of fuzzy objectives for coal production planning

We present an interactive multi-criteria procedure that uses user defined tradeoff-cutting planes to identify promising feasible solution search space. New solutions in the promising feasible solution search space are constructed using combination of scatter and random search. The procedure of identifying tradeoff-cutting planes and scatter search continues for either a predetermined fixed number of iterations or until no solutions in the promising feasible solution search space are found. We formulate a coal production planning problem with fuzzy profit and fuzzy coal quality decision-maker utilities, and apply our procedure for additive and multiplicative decision-maker utilities.
An assessment of benthic condition in several small watersheds of the Chesapeake Bay, USA

We examined benthic condition in three small watersheds in the Chesapeake Bay. Characterization of benthic condition was based on the combined measurements of benthic fauna, sediment toxicity, and sediment contaminant loads. Significant differences between watersheds were detected for sediment contaminant concentrations and water quality. The intensity of benthic impairment was greatest in the river surrounded by the most developed watershed. Spatial patterns of benthic condition were detected within all three watersheds. In contrast to current, intense focus on nutrient pollution in the Chesapeake Bay, qualitative comparison of our findings to land-use patterns supports findings of other studies that suggest benthic condition in tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay may more closely relate to urbanization than agricultural land uses.
Results of another trial of chemotherapy with and without hormones in patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostate cancer

Abstract From July, 1980, to June, 1983, 319 patients with newly diagnosed metastatic prostatic cancer were randomized to one of three treatment protocols: (1) diethylstilbestrol (DES) or bilateral orchiectomy, (2) cyclophosphamide plus 5 -fluorouracil plus DES, and (3) estramustine phosphate (Emcyt). Ninety-three per cent of 296 patients were eligible for evaluation. This report shows no difference in survival, disease -free progression time, or status regarding pain at entry. Other prognostic factors failed to reveal any difference within any of the treatment protocols.
Post-mortem high affinity glutamate uptake in human brain.

Abstract High-affinity uptake of the putative excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate was examined in human brain tissue collected at autopsy. Uptake characteristics were determined in crude synaptosomal (P2) fractions prepared under varying conditions of tissue storage. Portions of the P2 fractions were also examined by electron-microscopy. Both neurochemical and morphological features were compared with equivalent measures from fresh rat brain tissue. The data demonstrate the presence of sodium-dependent uptake sites for glutamate in the human specimens. Accumulation of the amino acid is abolished by sonicating the P2 suspension prior to incubation, indicating the dependency of the process on the integrity of brain elements. Frozen tissue samples can be stored up to three months without appreciable changes in experimental data. However, samples prepared from tissue which has been dissected and frozen 15–28 h post-mortem, display only 65% of the uptake capacity of specimens collected and frozen within 7 h after death. Regional distribution of uptake sites and kinetic analysis in caudate tissue (Km = 1.1 μM; Vmax = 114pmoles/min/mg protein) are in agreement with data obtained in rat brain. The selectivity of the uptake process (non-glutamatergic drugs do not interfere at 1 mM) and the absolute and relative potencies of a spectrum of specific and metabolic uptake inhibitors are virtually identical in human caudate and rat striatum. Ultrastructural examination of P2 preparations from frozen human caudate tissue demonstrates the presence of synaptosomes (approximately 1/3 in density) identical to those observed in fresh rat striatum. The findings support the view that glutamate uptake measurements in quick-frozen and thawed human brain samples (1) are technically feasible and (2) may provide a tool for the examination of glutamatergic mechanisms in normal and neuropathological states.
Voltammetric reductive desorption characteristics of alkanethiolate monolayers at single crystal Au(111) and (110) electrode surfaces

Abstract This note describes the results of a comparative study of the reductive desorption characteristics of alkanethiolate monolayers at single crystal Au(111) and Au(110) electrodes. The voltammetric data reveal that the reductive desorption potential is dependent on the surface crystallinity of the underlying gold substrate. The observed difference in potential between these two substrates is indicative of a difference in binding strength of the monolayer at different binding sites in which the gold-sulfur bonding is stronger at the Au(110) than at the Au(111) single crystal. Spectroscopic data (X-ray photoelectron and infrared reflection spectroscopies) provide additional comparisons for the monolayer structures at the two substrates. These findings substantiate our recent study on the voltammetric differences between the atomically smooth surfaces of annealed Au(111) films and the micro-topographically rougher as-evaporated Au(111) films.
Further Investigation on Incoherent Scattering in Gases

IN letters to NATURE, and in two papers published in the Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. of America, I have reported some results obtained on the Raman effect in gases. I want to report now about some new experiments, which will be more completely described in the Physical Review.
Bereavement and Coping of South Asian Families Post 9/11

Eleven first-generation South Asian family members who lost a relative in the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001, were interviewed about their loss and their coping strategies. Data were analyzed using consensual qualitative research (CQR) methodology. Participant responses clearly delineated bereavement reactions and coping within a cultural framework. Once miembros de una familia surasiatica de primera generacion que perdieron a un pariente en el atentado contra el World Trade Center el 11 de septiembre de 2001 fueron entrevistados acerca de su perdida y las estrategias que emplearon para soportarla. Los datos se analizaron siguiendo una metodologia de investigacion cualitativa consensuada (CQR, por sus siglas en ingles). Las respuestas de los participantes delinearon con claridad sus reacciones ante el dolor sufrido y como lo sobrellevaron dentro de un marco cultural.
Multi-attribute sequential search

This article describes empirical and theoretical results from two multi-attribute sequential search tasks. In both tasks, the DM sequentially encounters options described by two attributes and must pay to learn the values of the attributes. In the continuous version of the task the DM learns the precise numerical value of an attribute when she pays to view it. In the threshold version the DM learns only whether the value of an attribute is above or below a threshold that she sets herself. Results from the continuous condition reveal that DMs tended to terminate their searches too early relative to the optimal policy. The pattern reversed in the threshold condition: DMs searched for too long. Maximum likelihood comparisons of two different stochastic decision models showed that DMs under both information conditions performed in ways consistent with the optimal policies. Those offered continuous-valued attribute information did not, however, spontaneously degrade this information into binary (acceptable/unacceptable) form, despite the theoretical finding that satisficing can be a very effective and efficient search strategy.
Auditor decision-making in different litigation environments: The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, audit reports and audit firm size

Abstract The adoption of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 had a marked impact on public accounting firms in the US by significantly reducing their liability exposure with respect to litigation involving publicly traded audit clients. This shift in the litigation environment of public accounting firms has been argued to have been manifest in changed auditor decisions regarding their audit clients. While this tort reform legislation was intended to benefit all audit firms, recent research suggests that it may have differentially affected auditors based on audit firm size. In this study, we examine the impact of the change in litigation environment ushered in by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act and Big 6 membership on going-concern modification decisions for companies entering bankruptcy before and after the new legislation. Our findings, based on analyses of 694 financially stressed firms that entered into bankruptcy during the period 1991 to 2001, indicate that the likelihood of a going-concern modified opinion decreased significantly after the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act, and the change was particularly pronounced for the Big 6 audit firms. These results suggest that this important litigation reform had a significant effect on auditor decision-making, and that it had more of an effect on audit decisions of the Big 6 firms in comparison to the non-Big 6 firms.
Cellular responses to moderate and heavy exercise

Moderate and heavy exercise induce a multitude of changes in the neuroendocrine immune system, the net effects of which depend on various other factors including the host's physical condition, and the intensity and duration of the exercise bout. Most investigators report that the risk of upper respiratory infection is increased following heavy exertion, but is decreased after moderate exercise. Many heavy exercise-induced changes in the host's immune defenses are consistent with the alterations reported in classical stress studies; some consensus has been achieved in this area that heavy exertion may indeed elicit responses common to psychological forms of stress. The immunomodulation consists, most notably, of shifts in the number and function of circulating innate and adaptive immune cell populations apparently in response to the release of classical stress hormones and cytokines, and expression of selectin and adhesin molecules. Rapid trafficking of cells in and out of the blood compartment in response to exertion probably mirrors the demand for certain cell types in specific tissues, a hypothesis requiring verification in animal models and ultimately the human. Also needed are studies correlating the functional status of the circulating cells with those in the tissues.
Dual-color photon counting histogram analysis of mRFP1 and EGFP in living cells

We investigate the potential of dual-color photon counting histogram (PCH) analysis to resolve fluorescent protein mixtures directly inside cells. Because of their small spectral overlap, we have chosen to look at the fluorescent proteins EGFP and mRFP1. We experimentally demonstrate that dual-color PCH quantitatively resolves a mixture of EGFP and mRFP1 in cells from a single measurement. To mimic the effect of protein association, we constructed a fusion protein of EGFP and mRFP1 (denoted EGFP-mRFP1). Fluorescence resonant energy transfer within the fusion protein alters the dual-channel brightness of the fluorophores. We describe a model for fluorescence resonant energy transfer effects on the brightness and incorporate it into dual-color PCH analysis. The model is verified using fluorescence lifetime measurements. Dual-color PCH analysis demonstrated that not all of the expressed EGFP-mRFP1 fusion proteins contained a fluorescent mRFP1 molecule. Fluorescence lifetime and emission spectra measurements confirmed this surprising result. Additional experiments show that the missing fluorescent fraction of mRFP1 is consistent with a dark state population of mRFP1. We successfully resolved this mixture of fusion proteins with a single dual-color PCH measurement. These results highlight the potential of dual-color PCH to directly detect and quantify protein mixtures in living cells.
Interactions of forskolin and ATP with the cytosolic domains of mammalian adenylyl cyclase

Fragments of the two cytoplasmic domains of mammalian adenylyl cyclases can be synthesized independently (and abundantly) as soluble proteins; Gsalpha- and forskolin-stimulated enzymatic activity is restored upon their mixture. We have utilized this system to characterize the interactions of adenylyl cyclase with forskolin and its substrate, ATP. In the presence of Gsalpha, adenylyl cyclase is activated in response to occupation of only one forskolin-binding site. A single binding site for forskolin was identified by equilibrium dialysis; its Kd (0.1 microM) corresponds to the EC50 for enzyme activation. The affinity of forskolin for adenylyl cyclase is greatly reduced in the absence of Gsalpha ( approximately 40 microM). Binding of forskolin to the individual cytoplasmic domains of the enzyme was not detected. A single binding site for the ATP analog, alpha,beta-methylene ATP (Ap(CH2)pp), was also detected by equilibrium dialysis. Such binding was not observed with the individual domains. Binding of Ap(CH2)pp was unaffected by P-site inhibitors of adenylyl cyclase. A modified P-loop sequence located near the carboxyl terminus of adenylyl cyclase has been implicated in ATP binding. Mutation of the conserved, non-glycine residues within this region caused no significant changes in the Km for ATP or the Ki for Ap(CH2)pp. It thus seems unlikely that this region is part of the active site. However, a mutation in the C1 domain (E518A) causes a 10-fold decrease in the binding affinity for Ap(CH2)pp. This residue and the active site of the enzyme may lie at the interface between the two cytosolic domains.
Designing quantum systems in self-assembled quantum dots

The possibility of designing electronic properties of quantum dots by varying shell spacing, number of confined shells, and number of electrons is investigated. Numerical results demonstrate the creation of magnetic moments beyond Hunds rules.
Spontaneous speech collection for the CSR corpus

As part of a pilot data collection for DARPA's Continuous Speech Recognition (CSR) speech corpus, SRI International experimented with the collection of spontaneous speech material. The bulk of the CSR pilot data was read versions of news articles from the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), and the spontaneous sentences were to be similar material, but spontaneously dictated. In the first pilot portion of the data collection, twelve subjects including nine journalists were located, and instructed in how to dictate using the data collection hardware and software at SRI. These talkers produced 1280 spontaneous sentences. In general, compared to read material, the spontaneous material took about two to three times more subject time to produce and about four times more experimenter time to produce, package, and ship. The paper provides details on the materials, subjects and procedures used in the study, and it describes the results in terms of speaker reaction and data production. The methods described are sufficient to collect fluent spontaneous recordings at a predictable rate. The spontaneous material differs in several characteristics from WSJ material; paragraphs and sentences tend to be longer, more word types are used, and by most measures, the material is more variable.
Experimental measurements of the dynamic electric field topology associated with magnetized RF sheaths in hydrogen and helium discharges

Summary form only given. The dynamic Stark effect is a phenomenon in which photon(s) associated with an oscillating electric field are absorbed or emitted with the photon associated with an electronic transition. This multiphoton process leads to the formation of satellites in the spectrum at integer multiples of the frequency associated with the dynamic electric field. Utilizing the dynamic Stark effect the time varying electric field in a driven plasma sheath can be determined from the time-averaged and phase resolved emission spectra. Currently two methods are used to calculate the emission spectrum associated with an atomic system in the presence of a dynamic electric field: the quasi-static method and the Floquet method. The quasi-static method assumes that time varying field varies slowly enough that DC Stark effect theory can be used to generate integrated Stark profiles over the period of a time varying field. The Floquet method treats the dynamic multi-photon process and presents a more accurate treatment of the Stark profile dependence on transient field characteristics, particularly at higher frequencies. The methodology and applicability of the quasi-static and Floquet methods will be discussed with respect to sheaths driven in the RF range of frequencies. This work presents experimental measurements of line profiles in the RF sheath for both hydrogen and helium discharges in the presence of a DC magnetic field. The RF sheath electric field parameters are determined utilizing a generalized dynamic Stark effect model and a novel line shape analysis package.
Abnormalities of Plasma Volume in Borderline Hypertension

Patients with borderline hypertension have decreased plasma volume. This is a reproducible finding. Decreased plasma volume is associated with increases of the hematocrit reading. Increased cardiac output and heart rates were observed in borderline hypertension, but this was not associated with the decrease of the plasma volume. However, the decreased plasma volume was correlated with increases of the blood pressure and of the total peripheral resistance. Since the decrease of plasma volume clearly relates to indices of "severity" of borderline hypertension (blood pressure and resistance), measurement of plasma volume may be important for understanding the natural history of the disease and for the assessment of an individual's risks.
On discrimination and classification with multivariate repeated measures data

Abstract We study the problem of classification with multiple q-variate observations with and without time effect on each individual. We develop new classification rules for populations with certain structured and unstructured mean vectors and under certain covariance structures. The new classification rules are effective when the number of observations is not large enough to estimate the variance–covariance matrix. Computational schemes for maximum likelihood estimates of required population parameters are given. We apply our findings to two real data sets as well as to a simulated data set.
Tryptophan intake and national character.

Lynn (1982) has devised measures of national character (anxiety and extraversion) based upon social indicators such as suicide rates, caloric intake, divorce rates, and caffeine consumption. Recently, Kitahara (1986) has measured the intake in the diets of nations of the amino acid tryptophan (the precursor of the neurotransmitter serotonin) and claimed to find an association between low tryptophan intake and high suicide rates. The present study explored whether the national measures of tryptophan intake were related to Lynn's measures of national character. Data were available for 17 nations of Lynn's sample of 18 nations. Ratings of the anxiety level and extraversion of each nation were taken from Lynn (1982) and measures of the tryptophan intake from Kitahara (1986). The Pearson correlation between tryptophan intake and anxiety levels was 0.02 and for extraversion levels was 0.20, neirher of which is significant. The present analysis then provided no support for an association between dietary intake of tryptophan and national character as measured by Lym.
Optimal performance of a feed-forward network at statistical discrimination tasks

Within the context of a particular statistical discrimination task, we make a quantitative comparison between the performance of a feed-forward neural network and the information-theoretic optimal performance. We also address the ability of such networks to generalize and the effect of network architecture on performance.
Microtubule assembly in cytoplasmic extracts of Xenopus oocytes and eggs.

We have investigated the differences in microtubule assembly in cytoplasm from Xenopus oocytes and eggs in vitro. Extracts of activated eggs could be prepared that assembled extensive microtubule networks in vitro using Tetrahymena axonemes or mammalian centrosomes as nucleation centers. Assembly occurred predominantly from the plus-end of the microtubule with a rate constant of 2 microns.min-1.microM-1 (57 s-1.microM-1). At the in vivo tubulin concentration, this corresponds to the extraordinarily high rate of 40-50 microns.min-1. Microtubule disassembly rates in these extracts were -4.5 microns.min-1 (128 s-1) at the plus-end and -6.9 microns.min-1 (196 s-1) at the minus-end. The critical concentration for plus-end microtubule assembly was 0.4 microM. These extracts also promoted the plus-end assembly of microtubules from bovine brain tubulin, suggesting the presence of an assembly promoting factor in the egg. In contrast to activated eggs, assembly was never observed in extracts prepared from oocytes, even at tubulin concentrations as high as 20 microM. Addition of oocyte extract to egg extracts or to purified brain tubulin inhibited microtubule assembly. These results suggest that there is a plus-end-specific inhibitor of microtubule assembly in the oocyte and a plus-end-specific promoter of assembly in the eggs. These factors may serve to regulate microtubule assembly during early development in Xenopus.
On the energy efficiency of stripping-type crude distillation

In this article, the energy efficiency of crude fractionation using stripping-type columns is analyzed to test previous reports indicating that this option is advantageous over the conventional design. Rigorous simulations demonstrate that, for the processing of a light crude, the stripping-type column cannot achieve the same small residue yield of the conventional case, unless the column is heated above the maximum allowable temperature that prevents coking. In addition, it is shown that operation of the stripping-type design at similar residue yields also provides no advantage over the conventional design.