cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Clinical Insights into the Metabolism of Arabinosyl Adenine and Interferon as Derived by Microbiological Assays

The past decade has witnessed the initiation of effective antiviral chemotherapy for disseminated varicella-zoster in immunosuppressed persons (1), herpes simplex virus keratitis (2), and herpes simplex virus encephalitis (3) among other conditions. Further advances in the treatment of a wide spectrum of viral diseases continue led by increments in basic understanding of the specific molecular biology of virally infected cells. My laboratory has emphasized the development of microbiologic assays to help guide the application of the treatment of virus infections. The basic tenet is that virus infection occurs within living cells, and that properly oriented in vitro microbiological assays in appropriate tissue cultures most closely simulate natural infection; therefore, the information derived might potently augment insights from chemical tests. Chemical (usually by high pressure liquid chromatography) or radioimmunoassay tests are vital to establishing firm in vivo pharmacokinetics of antiviral agents. Here, I outline a series of selected studies illustrating the special value of microbiological assays.
Intravenous Cocaine Increases Oxygen Entry into Brain Tissue: Critical Role of Peripheral Drug Actions.

Although it is well established that the direct action of cocaine on centrally located neural substrates is essential in mediating its reinforcing properties, cocaine induces very rapid immediate n...
The Way Forward for Mechanism‐Based Therapeutics in Genetically Defined Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Rare genetically defined neurodevelopmental disorders with increased risk of autism have recently become an entry point for autism-related drug discovery. Through exploration of downstream effects of the pathological mutations, specific mechanistic pathways have been identified as dysregulated. The identification of shared mechanisms across forms of autism opens the door for the development of novel "mechanism-based therapeutics." However, confidence in the therapeutic mechanism does not diminish the need for well-designed clinical trials.
Expression of vitamin D hydroxylases and bone quality in obese mice consuming saturated or monounsaturated enriched high-fat diets

Obesity induced by high-fat diets (HFDs) is inversely associated with vitamin D status and bone health. However, the associations and effects of excessive fat intake on hepatic and renal vitamin D metabolism have not been addressed. The primary objective was to determine if excessive energy and fat intake, or the type of fat, affects serum 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentration and whether this can be explained by an alteration of vitamin D-regulating enzymes in older mice. The second objective was a follow up of our recent findings that a high intake of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) is not detrimental to bone in lean mice and whether this is also true under conditions of diet-induced obesity. In the study, twenty-one 8-month-old female C57BL/6 J mice were fed ad libitum for 10 weeks with a 10% normal-fat diet (NFD) or 45% HFD enriched with MUFA or saturated fatty acids (SFA). We found that the HFD, compared with NFD, resulted in greater energy intake, weight gain, total body fat, and liver fat (P < .05). Only the high SFA feeding resulted in higher mRNA but lower protein abundance of hepatic Cyp2r1 and lower renal Cyp24a1 mRNA expression than the NFD group (P < .05). Moreover, although bone mineral density did not differ among groups, the percent difference compared with NFD was significantly lower for SFA (P < .05) but not MUFA. Also, femoral trabecular bone volume fraction was lower (P < .05) only in the SFA compared with the NFD group. In conclusion, high SFA and MUFA feeding differentially affected gene and protein expressions of major vitamin D hydroxylases compared with NFD, but this was unrelated to the lower circulating 25-hydroxycholecalciferol concentration. In addition, only the SFA diet alters vitamin D metabolism and bone changes, indicating the importance of dietary fat composition.
"Common" Instruction? Logics of Ability and Teacher Decision Making across Tracks in the Era of Common Standards.

This article investigates the interaction between the Common Core State Standards and curricular tracking by examining instructional decision making across tracks in a large metropolitan district. ...
Season of burn effects on vegetation structure and composition in oak-dominated Appalachian hardwood forests

Abstract Previous research indicates that low-intensity single or multiple prescribed burns in oak-dominated upland hardwood forest do not substantially change stand structure or species composition of the arborescent regeneration layer, leading managers and ecologists to suggest that burns during the growing-season may better achieve restoration goals. We examined season of burn effects on dry-mesic oak-hickory forests in the southern Appalachian Mountains, North Carolina. Treatments included: (1) control (CON); (2) dormant-season burn (DSB), and (3) growing-season burn (GSB). Prior to burning and again after three growing seasons post-burn, we inventoried the forest overstory (stems ≥ 25 cm dbh), subcanopy (stems ≥ 5 and
Public Sector Promotion of U.S. Export Activity: A Review and Directions for the Future:

Public sector promotion of export activity is gaining increasing importance in the face of the ongoing quest for global competitiveness and growing expenditures for such activity by individual stat...
The Amino Acid Composition of Hemoglobin. III. A Qualitative Method for Identifying Abnormalities of the Polypeptide Chains of Hemoglobin

A relatively simple method is described which permits the identification of abnormalities of either polypeptide chain of hemoglobin. The procedure is based on the dissociation of hemoglobin by 6 molar urea and starch-gel electrophoresis in a barbital buffer at pH 8.0.
Ask–a–pediatric–dentist: An Innovative Electronic Tool to Encourage Learning Across Educational Programs

Background: Pediatric residents report poor confidence and comfort in managing oral health related patient concerns and only half report receiving training on dental health during medical school or residency. As pediatricians play an important role in counseling parents on oral health issues, there is a need to improve these knowledge gaps. Objectives: Develop an interactive tool to encourage communication and learning across …
Loss of keratocyte ion channels during wound healing in the rabbit cornea.

Purpose. Corneal keratocytes are responsible for repairing the corneal stromal matrix after injury or infection. Recent work has characterized the primary voltage-gated ion currents in keratocytes from normal, uninjured corneas. The purpose of the present study was to examine and characterize keratocyte voltage-gated ion currents from freeze-wounded rabbit corneas. Methods. Rabbit corneas were injured using a liquid nitrogen cooled brass probe. Keratocytes were isolated from control eyes, trephine buttons of stroma encompassing the wound area, and the stromal rim surrounding the button. Ionic currents were examined using the amphotericin perforated-patch variation of the whole cell patch clamp technique. Results. The delayed rectifier K + current, described previously as the primary voltage-gated outward current in keratocytes, was found in 100% of control cells, 91% of cells isolated from the corneal rim of wounded cells, and 33% of cells isolated from the wound region. Na + currents were also seen with a lower frequency in cells from the wound area. Conclusion. The majority of keratocytes migrating into a corneal freeze wound lose the voltage-gated K + and Na + ion channels present in cells from normal corneas. Ion channels from cells surrounding the wound site are minimally affected by the injury
Nonlinear elastic wave propagation in a phononic material with periodic solid–solid contact interface

Abstract Phononic materials enable enhanced dynamic properties, and offer the ability to engineer the material response. In this work we study the wave propagation in such a structure when introduced with nonlinearity. Our system is comprised of pre-compressed material with periodic solid–solid contacts, which exhibit a quadratic nonlinearity for small displacements. We suggest a new approach to modeling this system, where we discretize the unit cell in order to derive an approximate analytical solution using a perturbation method, which we are then able to easily validate numerically. With these methods, we study the band structure in the system and the second harmonic generation originating from the nonlinearity. We qualitatively analyze the second harmonic response of the system in terms of the single-crack response with linear band structure considerations. Significant band structure manipulation by changing system parameters is demonstrated, including possible in-situ tuning. The system also exhibits effective frequency doubling, i.e. the transmitted wave is primarily comprised of the second harmonic wave, for a certain range of frequencies. We demonstrate very high robustness to disorder in the system, in terms of band structure and second harmonic generation. These results have possible applications as frequency-converting devices, tunable engineered materials, and in non-destructive evaluation.
Isolation of Sugar Nucleotides

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the isolation of sugar nucleotides from natural sources, which generally involves ion-exchange chromatography followed by paper chromatography and paper electrophoresis. Characteristically, these compounds contain a sugar linked in a glycoside-ester linkage to the terminal phosphate of a nucleoside 5'-diphosphate and over 70 have been isolated to date. The nucleoside can be one of five bases, uridine, guanosine, adenosine, cytidine, or deoxythymidine, and for ease of isolation and also for estimations of yield, it is convenient to use a labeled tracer of each class during the isolation procedure. The position of elution of sugar nucleotides from the ion-exchange column depends primarily on the nature of the base and is essentially independent of the sugar as long as the sugar is uncharged.
Atomistic Simulations of Heme Dissociation Pathways in Human Methemoglobins Reveal Hidden Intermediates

Heme dissociations disrupt function and structural integrity of human hemoglobin and trigger various cardiovascular complications. These events become significant in methemoglobins that have underg...
An internal review of rates of palliative medicine referral for patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

e16245Background: Patients diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer face many challenges in addition to symptom burden including psychological stressors and often the need for supportive care at h...
Specific and general facets of hoarding: A bifactor model

Whereas it has been suggested that hoarding is a multidimensional construct comprising distinct but interrelated factors (i.e., difficulty discarding, excessive clutter, and excessive acquisition), a high degree of overlap as well as a lack of discriminant validity among these factors and exogenous constructs suggests that a correlated factors approach may not adequately capture this phenomenon. The factor structure of the Saving Inventory Revised (SIR) was examined in a large non-selected clinic sample (N=490). A bifactor model of hoarding, comprising a general Hoarding factor and orthogonal Urge-Related Acquiring, Distress-Related Acquiring, Difficulty Discarding, and Clutter factors fit the data best. Further, whereas the general Hoarding factor was related to several depression facets, the specific hoarding factors demonstrated differential relations with depression. This study establishes that acquiring behaviors are motivated by both positive/urge-related and negative/distress-related emotions. Additionally, general and distinct factors should be considered to properly contextualize hoarding behavior.
Creating Creative Clinicians: Incorporating Creativity Into Counselor Education

Creativity plays a critical role in today’s society by aiding an individual’s response to the mounting complications of modern life and assisting in the maintenance of mental health. Though counselors seek to promote similar developments in their clients, they often do so without the benefit of any particular training in theories of creativity or creativity-enhancing techniques. This article examines literature in the fields of creativity, counseling, and education to highlight the essential nature of creative processes in counseling and psychotherapy, ultimately presenting a rationale for the incorporation of creativity in counselor education.
Combining Language Modeling and Discriminative Classification for Word Segmentation

Generative language modeling and discriminative classification are two main techniques for Chinese word segmentation. Most previous methods have adopted one of the techniques. We present a hybrid model that combines the disambiguation power of language modeling and the ability of discriminative classifiers to deal with out-of-vocabulary words. We show that the combined model achieves 9% error reduction over the discriminative classifier alone.
Analysis of ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate using aqueous normal‐phase chromatography with mass spectrometry

The use of aqueous normal-phase chromatography is explored as a possible format for the analysis of the forensically significant compounds ethyl glucuronide and ethyl sulfate. Standard solutions of the two compounds are used to verify the retention capabilities of two stationary phases (diamond hydride and undecanoic acid). These results are then compared to data obtained on hair extracts to determine if any matrix effects exist with respect to both retention and peak shape. The undecanoic stationary phase is used for the establishment of calibration curves for quantitative analysis. These curves are utilized to determine the concentration of ethyl glucuronide in several hair samples tested.
Ultra high reliability, ultra high power 1480 nm pump laser diodes

High-performance extremely reliable 1480-nm pump laser diodes have been developed. High facet powers for low drive currents (220 mW at 500 mA), narrow far field (22/spl times/17/spl deg/) and long median life (>1/spl times/10/sup 8/ hours) are demonstrated.
An adoption scenario for carbon capture in pulverized coal power plants in the USA

In this paper we use the Electricity Supply and Investment Model (ESIM) power system model to examine the energy market effects of incentivized adoption of carbon capture and storage (CCS), with a primary focus on retrofitting existing pulverized coal plants. In the presence of a ‘medium’ carbon charge and least-cost dispatch, units with CCS are operated with higher utilization rates than fossil energy plants without carbon capture, hence lowering CO2 emissions. This path helps to lower the capital outlays that will be necessary to make a transition to a full portfolio of advanced low-carbon technologies. Required research, development and demonstration can be financed by a portion of the carbon charge revenue.
Pedagogy of the Impossible: ŽIžek in the Classroom.

If knowledge is socially constructed, then students' discursive attachments should be eminently malleable. Students' radical openness to change, however, is not the defining characteristic of a university classroom. Instead, learners appear to desire coherence of knowledge over revelations of contingency, and pedagogical acts that disrupt existing formations are as likely to produce reactionary responses as revolutionary reorganizations of the self. In this article Chris McMillan argues that neither the constructivist nor the social constructionist readings of critical pedagogy are able to account for this fixity of knowledge. In response he contends that Slavoj Žižek's Lacanian-inspired theory of subjectivity and of the Real can effectively respond to the limitations of these approaches by insisting upon the pedagogical value of the lack within subjectivity. A Žižekian conception of subjectivity is able to respond to this lacuna by positing the negativity of the subject as the agent of transformation and to produce a “pedagogy of the impossible” that evokes the moments of impossibility within discourse embodied by the subject qua the Lacanian Real.
Contralateral movement and extensor force generation alter flexion phase muscle coordination in pedaling.

The importance of bilateral sensorimotor signals in coordination of locomotion has been demonstrated in animals but is difficult to ascertain in humans due to confounding effects of mechanical tran...
A synergistic architecture for adaptive, intelligent control system development

Over the previous decade, a new field of investigation termed computational intelligence (CI) has emerged and begun to flourish. This field is primarily concerned with the development of computer systems that are capable of adapting to and exploiting information about their environments, much like organisms in natural systems are capable of doing. It is no coincidence therefore, that the field of CI relies heavily on computer techniques patterned after natural systems. Many of these techniques including neural networks, genetic algorithms, and fuzzy logic have demonstrated their utility in solving problems independent of other methods. However, as the systems we seek to control, design, and improve become increasingly complex, it is likely that no single CI technique will be adequate. This paper describes an architecture combining the three CI techniques listed above that can be used to produce process control systems suitable for effectively manipulating complex engineering systems characterized by relatively slow process dynamics. Implementation of the architecture results in a level-two intelligent control system. The effectiveness of the level-two intelligent controller is demonstrated via application to an operating phosphate processing plant.
CAN REINFORCEMENT OCCUR WITH A LEARNED TRAIT

We use birdsong as a case study to ask whether reinforcement can occur via the spread of a genetically determined female preference for a socially inherited (learned) male trait. We envision secondary contact between two neighboring populations with different song dialects. An individual's ability to learn song is confined by a genetic predisposition: if predispositions are strong, there will be no phenotypic overlap in song between populations, whereas weak predispositions allow phenotypic overlap, or "mixed" song. To determine if reinforcement has occurred, we consider if an allele for within-population female mating preference, based on song, can spread, and whether population specific songs can concurrently be maintained at equilibrium. We model several scenarios, including costs to mating preferences, mating preferences in hybrids, and hybrids having the ability to learn pure songs. We find that when weak predispositions are fixed within a population reinforcement based on song cannot occur. However, when some individuals have strong predispositions, restricting phenotypic overlap between populations in the trait, reinforcement is only slightly inhibited from a purely genetic model. Generalizing beyond the example of song, we conclude that socially learned signals will tend to prohibit reinforcement, but it may still occur if some individuals acquire trait phenotypes genetically.
Complementary and Alternative Medicine Use and All-Cause Mortality among U.S.-Born and Foreign-Born Breast Cancer Cases: Results from the Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) Study.

Background: Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapies are used by people from all racial/ethnic backgrounds, and CAM use among cancer patients has recently been a focus of much research. Breast cancer patients, specifically, have embraced many CAM therapies. Use of these therapies is estimated to be between 48 and 70 percent among women diagnosed with breast cancer in the United States (Nahlez and Tabbara, 2003). Mortality patterns in foreign-born women diagnosed with breast and other cancers who immigrate to the United States are complex (Singh and Hiatt, 2006). However, it is unclear how country of birth relates to CAM use and overall survival among women with breast cancer. Therefore, we investigated the associations between country of birth, CAM use, and overall survival in the Hereditary Breast and Ovarian Cancer (HBOC) study, a population-based sample of breast cancer cases in California, comparing U.S.-born versus foreign-born women.Methods: Five hundred and fifty incident breast cancer cases (average age=54.68; SD=11.12) were sampled from the HBOC Study, which were identified through the Orange County regional registry for the state California Cancer Registry. Cases were contacted via telephone, and information on health behaviors, disease history, and socio-demographic characteristics were collected. A self-administered questionnaire queried use of any of the following CAM therapies: herbal teas, megavitamins, acupuncture, religious services, nonreligious services, aspirin, and/or non-prescription pain medicines. Chi-square test followed by Cox proportional hazards regression were used to compare overall survival between U.S.-born and foreign-born breast cancer cases as well as CAM ever- versus never-users.Results: Univariate analyses revealed that 59.5% of foreign-born breast cancer cases, versus 55.7% of U.S.-born reported having ever used CAM (Chi-square=0.76; p=0.38). In multivariate analyses, foreign-born women with breast cancer had roughly 3 times greater risk for all-cause cause mortality (HR=3.38; 95% CI: 2.14, 5.33) compared with U.S.-born breast cancer cases, adjusting for history of CAM use, education, number of existing co-morbidities, stage of tumor at diagnosis, and age at time of survey. Stratified analyses revealed that CAM use was not significantly associated with all-cause mortality using the above multivariate model among foreign-born (HR=1.35; 95% CI: 0.77, 2.37), or U.S.-born breast cancer cases (HR= 2.36; 95% CI: 0.99, 5.64).Discussion: These findings suggest that although foreign-born breast cancer cases are at greater risk for all-cause mortality, history of CAM use does not significantly protect nor increase the risk of death for this population. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 3069.
Protostellar angular momentum transport by spiral density waves

The application of rotational stability criteria to a specific model of star formation leads to the conclusion that the growth of stellar angular momentum is limited by its transfer to the disk. Excess accreted angular momentum can be transferred by torques connected with spiral density waves induced by even a slight protostellar triaxiality. In addition, viscous damping of the density waves is likely to cause the excess angular momentum to be deposited within a small region close to the protostar. Thus, it would be appropriate to treat that part of the growing protostellar disk beyond the outer Lindblad resonance as an accretion disk with a torque applied to its inner edge. It is noted that this situation is directly relevant to certain models of the evolution of the protosun and solar nebula.
Directivity analysis of the December 28, 1994 Sanriku‐Oki Earthquake (Mw=7.7), Japan

On December 28, 1994 a segment along the northern Japan trench failed in a Mw=7.7 underthrusting earthquake, the Sanriku-oki earthquake. Less than 30 years earlier, the great Tokachi-oki underthrusting earthquake of May 16, 1968 (Mw=8.2) occurred in the same region. We examine the rupture process of the recent event, using teleseismic body and surface wave data, and compare our results to the rupture characteristics of the Tokachi-oki earthquake, as estimated by various authors in previous studies. We use an empirical Green’ function technique to obtain relative source time functions spanning a large range of the directivity parameter. The strong azimuthal dependence of the durations of these source time functions indicates a significant unilateral component of rupture in a down-dip direction (west-northwest). The main rupture initiated about 35 km southwest of the epicenter approximately 20 seconds after the onset of a low energy precursor. The main Tokachi-oki rupture was also preceded by low moment release. However, it is unclear whether the low moment release preceding both earthquakes represents part of the rupture process or a distinct foreshock. The main rupture areas (asperities) of the Sanriku-oki and the Tokachi-oki earthquakes do not significantly overlap.
Allergen tolerance versus the allergic march: The hygiene hypothesis revisited

In addition to genetics, several environmental variables appear to impact allergic risk. Meta-analyses of epidemiologic studies presented in this article demonstrate a correlation between specific ambient exposures (eg, livestock, pets, endotoxin, and unpasteurized milk ingestion) and reduced allergic risk during childhood. Additional laboratory investigations discussed in this review characterized the intrinsic immunostimulatory activities of living environments. Considered together, results of these investigations suggest a novel paradigm by which early-life home exposures to microbial products and other allergen-nonspecific immunostimulants modify allergic risk.
Diffuse reflectance of the ocean: influence of nonuniform phytoplankton pigment profile.

For interpretating remotely sensed diffuse reflectance of stratified case 1 waters, Gordon and Clark [ Appl. Opt.19, 3428 ( 1980)] suggested that the reflectance of a stratified ocean is identical to that of a hypothetical homogeneous ocean with a phytoplankton pigment concentration (〈C〉) that is a depth-weighted average of the actual depth-varying concentration [C(z)]. However, this hypothesis has not been tested experimentally or theoretically. In this paper, the hypothesis is examined with Monte Carlo simulations of radiative transfer in case 1 waters by using a refined bio-optical model of the inherent optical properties of the medium. This bio-optical model, which includes separate plankton and detrital particle absorption and scattering, parameterized by the pigment concentration, is presented and tuned to Morel’s statistical analysis of the average diffuse attenuation coefficient over the euphotic zone. It provides a reasonable fit to diffuse attenuation and reflectance data of individual stations. The stratification model of Morel and Berthon [ Limnol. Oceanogr.34, 1545 ( 1989)] characteristic of open ocean case 1 waters and a synthetic model of somewhat stronger stratification (maximum stratification of the pigment concentration |dC/dz| ≈ 0.43 mg/m3/m) are tested first. Two scenarios are used to relate the inherent optical properties to the pigment profile. In the first, the particle absorption and the scattering coefficients covary with C(z) and simulations show that the maximum error in the hypothesis is ≲ 2–3% for the pigment profiles considered. In contrast, in the second scenario, the particle absorption coefficient was permitted to covary with C(z), but the scattering coefficient was independent of depth. Here, errors in the hypothesis of as much as 22% were observed for the stronger stratifications. Finally, a synthetic example of strong stratification (|dC/dz|, as large as 8.9 mg/m3/m) is examined, and errors in the hypothesis of the order of 20–25% are found when both the particle absorption and the scattering covary with C; however, for the depth-independent particle scattering case, the hypothesis can lead to large errors in R. Interestingly, for both scenarios, the ratio of reflectances at two wavelengths shows a much smaller deviation from the hypothesis than the reflectance itself.
Perceptions of well-being among the older metropolitan and nonmetropolitan populations in the United States.

Abstract The relationships were examined between selected socipdemographic variables and perceptions of well-being among residents 60 years and older of metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas in the United States. Multiple regression models were used in analyzing data from the 1982–1991 NORC General Social Survey. Such sociodemographic variables as gender, race, marital status, education, financial status, place of residence, religious membership, and religious attendance were independent variables. A composite score of perceptions of well-being was the dependent variable. Race, marital status, education, financial status, religious attendance, and place of residence were important to well-being; gender and religious membership were not significant. The effects of nonmetropolitan living also significantly enhanced perceptions of well-being. Other facets of mental health in metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas were also examined.
Dynamic donor-acceptor [2]catenanes.

Donor–acceptor [2]catenanes based on cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene) as the π-acceptor ring have been used prominently in the construction of functional molecular devices. We report here their thermodynamically controlled synthesis from isolated π-donor and π-acceptor rings under the catalytic influence of tetra butylammonium iodide. The initial nucleophilic attack of iodide ion, which opens up the π-acceptor ring, is followed by complexation to the π-donor ring and the subsequent catenation of the π-donor ring by the π-acceptor ring [2]catenane. The reaction is general in scope and proceeds in high yields, without giving rise to side-products.
High Glucose Causes Delayed Fetal Lung Maturation as Measured by Fluorescence Anisotropy

Abstract Fluorescence anisotropy has been used to estimate the microviscosity of the surfactant phospholipid bilayer and to predict fetal lung maturity in human amniotic fluid; its usefulness in in vitro systems has been recently demonstrated. To investigate the effect of high glucose on lung development, anisotropy measurements were performed on 20-day fetal rat lung explant homogenates and culture media after culture for 48 hours in medium containing final concentrations of 10, 50, and 100mM glucose. Anisotropy of lung tissue cultured in 100mM glucose was significantly increased when compared to those cultured in 10mM glucose (p
Person, Place, and Narrative in an Amish Farmer's Appropriation of Nature Writing

Amish-authored nature essays were introduced to the Amish by Samuel Miller, an Amish farmer with an interest in nature study developed at home and in school. Miller's nature essays published in the Amish periodical, Family Life, were the first examples of the nature essay genre that were widely circulated in Amish communities. The acceptance of this new genre was due to Miller's particular manner of appropriation that connected it to the Amish cultural value of closeness to nature and the soil by making the family farm and surrounding countryside the setting of his writing. Other key factors that facilitated the introduction of the genre included Miller's use of personalized knowledge of nature, expressed most clearly in personal narratives, as well as social change within Amish society brought about by the influence of an Amish publishing house. Miller's writing raises issues regarding the genre-mediated construction of identity and the effects of genre in reproducting and altering cultural values.
Field effect transistor as heterodyne terahertz detector

A theory of nonlinear response of the channel of a field effect transistor subjected to two terahertz beams (measured signal and local oscillator) with the close frequencies has been developed. It is shown that electric current flowing in the transistor channel drastically increases heterodyne efficiency. Also, it is demonstrated that such a heterodyne detector is capable of operating effectively with very high intermediate frequencies up to 10÷100 GHz.
Predicting the response to the treatment of hepatitis C virus infection.

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The selective insertion of carbon dioxide into a lanthanide(III) 2,6-di-t-butyl-phenoxide bond

Abstract An investigation of the CO2(g) insertion products for a series of fully characterized monomeric lanthanide 2,6-di-t-butyl-phenoxide compounds ([Ln(DBP)3]; Ln = Ce (1), Sm (2), Dy (3), Y (4), Er (5), Yb (6), and Lu (7)) was undertaken at low pressure (
Out of the closet and into the network: Sexual orientation and the computerized classroom

Abstract This essay examines ways that issues of sexual orientation can successfully be taught in the computer-assisted composition classroom. Beginning with Michel Foucault's understanding that sexuality in our culture is configured as identity, the essay asks how both gay and straight students can benefit from online and networked discussions of sexual orientation. Benefits for gay students con be tremendous, as they are allowed voice (even if that voice is mediated through pseudonymous participation), but straight students will often wonder at the relevancy of issues of sexual orientation for their own lives, preferring instead to think of homosexuality as something strange and alien and, thus, failing to realize the social implications of their heterosexuality as well as the social nature of all sexual orientation. In thinking about how to explore such issues safely and effectively, the writer suggests that computerized learning spaces offer possibilities for open discussion not available in conventional classrooms. The Internet, the World Wide Web, and synchronous conferencing software, staple features of many networked classrooms, provide powerful tools through which students can probe the relevance of sexual orientation to all students' lives, whether lesbian, bisexual, gay, or straight.
Doxoform and Daunoform: anthracycline-formaldehyde conjugates toxic to resistant tumor cells

The recent discovery that the clinically important antitumor drugs doxorubicin and daunorubicin alkylate DNA via catalytic production of formaldehyde prompted the synthesis of derivatives bearing formaldehyde. Reaction of the parent drugs with aqueous formaldehyde at pH 6 produced in 40-50% yield conjugates consisting of two molecules of the parent drug as oxazolidine derivatives bound together at their 3'-nitrogens by a methylene group. The structures were established as bis(3'-N-(3'-N,4'-O-methylenedoxorubicinyl)) methane (Doxoform) and bis(3'-N-(3'-N,4'-O-methylenedaunorubicinyl))methane (Daunoform) from spectroscopic data. Both derivatives are labile with respect to hydrolysis to the parent drugs. 3'-N,4'-O-Methylenedoxorubicin and 3'-N,4'-O-methylenedaunorubicin are intermediates in the hydrolysis. Daunoform reacts with the self-complementary deoxyoligonucleotide (GC)4 faster than the combination of daunorubicin and formaldehyde at an equivalent concentration to given drug-DNA adducts. In spite of hydrolytic instability, Doxoform is 150-fold more toxic to MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and 10000-fold more toxic to MCF-7/ADR resistant cells. Toxicity to resistant cancer cells is interpreted in terms of higher lipophilicity of the derivatives and circumvention of catalytic formaldehyde production.
Numerical Simulations of Slider Interaction With Multiple Asperity Using Hertzian Contact Model

A numerical simulation of slider-disk contact in a magnetic hard disk drive is studied using the Hertzian contact model. The slider-disk contact is caused by flying height fluctuation due to disk runout for very low flying sliders. The rough disk topography is generated numerically by combining a sinusoidal waviness and a Gaussian roughness. For each asperity contact, the radius of curvature is calculated from the disk topography, and the radius is used to calculate the contact force using the Hertzian contact model. The slider's response to a single asperity calculated using the Hertzian contact model agrees well with the result obtained using the impulse-momentum based contact model. The simulation results of slider-disk contact including suspension dynamics are calculated with and without friction for a nano-slider.
INHALED NITRIC OXIDE AND HYPEROXIA ACTIVATE BRONCHOALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES FOR GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL KILLING. • 1053

INHALED NITRIC OXIDE AND HYPEROXIA ACTIVATE BRONCHOALVEOLAR MACROPHAGES FOR GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL KILLING. • 1053
Complementation of mismatch repair gene defects by chromosome transfer.

The study of the multiple functions of mismatch repair genes in humans is being facilitated by the use of human tumor cell lines carrying defined MMR gene mutations. Such cell lines have elevated spontaneous mutation rates and may accumulate mutations in other genes, some of which could be causally related to the phenotypes of these cells. One approach to establish a cause-effect relationship between a MMR gene defect and a phenotype is to determine if that phenotype is reversed when a normal chromosome carrying a wild-type MMR gene is introduced by microcell fusion. This approach has the advantage of presenting the gene in its natural chromosomal environment with normal regulatory controls and at a reasonable dosage. The approach also limits candidate genes to only those encoded by the introduced chromosome and not elsewhere in the genome. Here we review studies demonstrating that hMSH2, hMSH3, hMSH6 and hMLH1 gene defects can each be complemented by transferring human chromosome 2, 5, 2 or 3, respectively. These transfers restore MMR activity, sensitivity to killing by MNNG, stability to microsatellite sequences and low spontaneous HPRT gene mutation rates.
Rethinking receiver operating characteristic analysis applications in ecological niche modeling

The area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) has become a dominant tool in evaluating the accuracy of models predicting distributions of species. ROC has the advantage of being threshold-independent, and as such does not require decisions regarding thresholds of what constitutes a prediction of presence versus a prediction of absence. However, we show that, comparing two ROCs, using the AUC systematically undervalues models that do not provide predictions across the entire spectrum of proportional areas in the study area. Current ROC approaches in ecological niche modeling applications are also inappropriate because the two error components are weighted equally. We recommend a modification of ROC that remedies these problems, using partial-area ROC approaches to provide a firmer foundation for evaluation of predictions from ecological niche models. A worked example demonstrates that models that are evaluated favorably by traditional ROC AUCs are not necessarily the best when niche modeling considerations are incorporated into the design of the test.
Thoughts on individualizing hormone replacement therapy based on the postmenopausal health disparities study data.

Background: This study presents an approach that can be used to address the controversy about the long-term risks and benefits of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Methods: Categories of estradiol (E2) levels based on the mean and standard deviation (SD) in postmenopausal women not treated with HRT were created. E2 levels achieved in women treated with oral or patch replacement therapy were examined. In the application of this method, data from the Postmenopausal Health Disparities Study were used because identical E2 assay methods were used for all postmenopausal women in the study population. Results: The findings demonstrated that approximately 42% of HRT-treated women had E2 levels less than the mean E2 level plus 1 SD in the controls (37 pg/ml). In contrast, approximately 11% had E2 levels greater than the mean E2 level plus 6 SD in the controls (126 pg/ml). Menopausal vasomotor and vaginal symptoms decreased ( p < 0.06) in increasing controlbased E2 categories. Levels of both follicle-stimulating h...
A Potential New Mechanism of Arsenic Carcinogenesis: Depletion of Stem-Loop Binding Protein and Increase in Polyadenylated Canonical Histone H3.1 mRNA

Canonical histones are synthesized with a peak in S-phase, whereas histone variants are formed throughout the cell cycle. Unlike messenger RNA (mRNA) for all other genes with a poly(A) tail, canonical histone mRNAs contain a stem-loop structure at their 3′-ends. This stem-loop structure is the binding site for the stem-loop binding protein (SLBP), a protein involved in canonical histone mRNA processing. Recently, we found that arsenic depletes SLBP by enhancing its proteasomal degradation and epigenetically silencing the promoter of the SLBP gene. The loss of SLBP disrupts histone mRNA processing and induces aberrant polyadenylation of canonical histone H3.1 mRNA. Here, we present new data supporting the idea that the lack of SLBP allows the H3.1 mRNA to be polyadenylated using the downstream poly(A) signal. SLBP was also depleted in arsenic-transformed bronchial epithelial cells (BEAS-2B), which led us to hypothesize the involvement of SLBP and polyadenylated H3.1 mRNA in carcinogenesis. Here, for the first time, we report that overexpression of H3.1 polyadenylated mRNA, and knockdown of SLBP enhances anchorage-independent cell growth. A pcDNA-H3.1 vector with a poly(A) signal sequence was stably transfected into BEAS-2B cells. Polyadenylated H3.1 mRNA and exogenous H3.1 protein levels were significantly increased in cells containing the pcDNA-H3.1 vector. A soft agar assay revealed that cells containing the vector formed significantly higher numbers of colonies compared to wild-type cells. Moreover, small hairpin RNA for SLBP (shSLBP) was used to knockdown the expression of SLBP. Cells stably transfected with the shSLBP vector grew significantly more colonies in soft agar than cells transfected with a control vector. These data suggest that upregulation of polyadenylated H3.1 mRNA holds potential as a mechanism to facilitate carcinogenesis by toxicants such as arsenic that depletes SLBP.
Artificial Control of Egg Production in Turkeys by Photoperiods

Abstract IN THE past, many of the investigations on lighting turkeys for egg production have been concerned with providing long days of approximately 14 hours during the winter months to spring-hatched turkeys. Since the reports of Marr et al. (1956) and Harper and Parker (1957), the emphasis on research has changed and is now directed toward getting out-of-season turkey poults from winter hatched turkeys. In their reports, it was shown that winter-hatched turkeys are normally refractory to long days unless given a special pretreatment involving a short day of 9 hours for a period of 3 to 4 weeks. This was done when the pullets were 22 or 24 weeks of age. Restricted photoperiods have been studied singly by the following investigators: Leighton and Shoffner (1961 b) used 6 hours; Marr et al. (1956) and Leighton and Shoffner (1961 a) used 8 hours; and Harper and Parker (1957), and McCartney et al….
Influence of severe hemorrhagic anemia during pregnancy on development of the offspring in the rat.

SummaryPregnant rats were rendered severely anemic by permitting free bleeding from the freshly severed tail on 3 successive days. This frequently caused early termination of pregnancy as a result ...
How accidental coincidences can mimic true coincidences in exclusive experiments

Abstract We examine in detail the structure of the accidentals spectra obtained in coincidence experiments. Intensity fluctuation, in pulsed and continuous beams, produces a rise in the background (accidental coincidences) precisely at the true coincidence peak. The shape and size of this effect depend in a detailed way on the beam characteristics. Care must therefore be taken to avoid the possibility of large errors in the subtraction of accidental coincidences.
An operational policy for a three-stage distributive supply chain system with retailers’ backorders

Abstract This research deals with a production-inventory problem consisting of three-stage tree-type single-producer multi-distributor and multi-retailer supply chain network where a model has been developed for achieving the lowest total cost for operating a supply chain system with allowable shortage. In this research, the shortage is assumed to occur in a form of backorder. The refrigerator manufacturing can suitably be used to illustrate the scenario which makes the situation more rational and realistic. By assumptions, the customers will not go somewhere else, the cost of lost sale is not included in this case. The total cost of this tree-type distributive supply chain system is comprised of setup costs and holding costs at all echelons, and the backorder cost at retailer level only. A replenishment policy is sought to operate the system at a minimum cost. The problem is formulated as an unconstrained mixed-integer programming problem and a newly developed doubly hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm is adopted as the solution procedure. The solutions which determine the desired replenishment policy for the producer, distributors, and retailers are obtained to minimize the total system cost. A sensitivity analysis is performed to evaluate the outcome of the proposed solution procedure presented in this research. Numerical results are generated to demonstrate the solution procedure, and future research is indicated for further study.
Changes in lectin, GAP-43 and neuropeptide staining in the rat superficial dorsal horn following experimental peripheral neuropathy

The density and distribution of reactivity for two lectins (soybean agglutinin (SBA) and RL-29), growth associated protein-43 (GAP-43) and the neuropeptides substance P and calcitonin gene-related peptide were analyzed in the spinal cord dorsal horn of rats with an experimental peripheral neuropathy. Twenty-eight days postsurgery, the density of label for RL-29 and GAP-43 was increased in laminae I and II on the experimental compared to the control side. In contrast, the density of neuropeptide label was decreased in the same region. Furthermore, on the experimental side, the distribution of both SBA and RL-29 reactivity was increased, extending into lamina III. We hypothesize that the increases in density and distribution of reactivity for the lectins and GAP-43, as well as the decreases in neuropeptide reactivity, reflect injury-induced regenerative changes in primary afferent terminals.
Implementation tradeoffs in the design of flexible transactional memory support

We present FlexTM (FLEXible Transactional Memory), a high performance TM framework that allows software to determine when (eagerly, lazily, or in a mixed fashion) and how to manage conflicts, while employing hardware to manage transactional state and to track conflicts. FlexTM coordinates four decoupled hardware mechanisms: read and write signatures, which summarize per-thread access sets; per-thread conflict summary tables (CSTs), which identify the processors with which conflicts have occurred; Programmable Data Isolation, which buffers speculative updates in the local cache and uses an overflow table to handle unbounded updates; and Alert-On-Update, which notifies a thread immediately when a specified location is written by another processor. The CSTs enable an STM-inspired commit protocol that manages conflicts in a decentralized manner (no global arbitration) and allows parallel commits. We explore the implementation tradeoffs associated with FlexTM's versioning and conflict detection mechanisms. Our results demonstrate that FlexTM exhibits ~5x speedup over high-quality software TMs, and ~1.8x speedup over hybrid TMs (those with software always in the loop), with no loss in policy flexibility. We find that the distributed commit protocol improves performance by 2%-14% over an aggressive centralized arbiter mechanism that also allows parallel commits. Finally, we compare the use of an aggressive hardware controller (as used in the base FlexTM design) to manage and to access any speculative transaction state overflowed from the cache, to a hardware-software approach dubbed FlexTM-S (FlexTM-Streamlined), where software manages the overflow region but uses a metadata cache to accelerate speculative data replacements and their subsequent accesses. We demonstrate that FlexTM-S's performance is within 10% of FlexTM's despite its substantially simpler virtualization mechanism.