cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Removal of the block to self-fertilization in the Ascidian Ciona

The eggs of Ciona intestinalis found on the Atlantic and Pacific coast of this country cannot be fertilized, as a rule, by sperm of the same individual. A similar phenomenon has long been known in flowering plants. In the latter case it has been shown that the block is due to factors in the pistil that retard the growth of the pollen tube; or else failure to self-fertilize is due to the absence of factors that cause an acceleration of growth in cross-fertilization. In Ciona the nature of the block was unknown despite many attempts to determine it. During the past summer at Woods Hole I have succeeded in bringing about self-fertilization in Ciona by the simple process of freeing the egg from its membranes. The eggs were taken from the oviduct, put into sea water in a flat bottomed watch glass, and by means of two very fine needles the membrane around the egg was torn open. Sometimes the entire egg squeezed out of the slit, sometimes only a part of it pushed out. In either case the extruded protoplasm rounded up into a sphere.
Lipase-mediated transesterification of menhaden oil with the ethyl ester of conjugated linoleic acid: multi-response kinetics

Abstract A 23 factorial design with a central point was utilized to develop a multi-response model of the kinetics of the transesterification reaction between menhaden oil and the ethyl ester of conjugated linoleic acid in the presence of an immobilized lipase from Rhizomucor miehei (Lipozyme L9). The factors considered were the molar ratio of reactants, the enzyme loading, and temperature. Rate expressions were developed to describe both the release of the individual fatty acid residues present in menhaden oil and the incorporation of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) residues in acylglycerol species. These mathematical models were of the general Michaelis–Menten form characteristic of a ping–pong bi–bi mechanism.
Condensins are Required for Maintenance of Nuclear Architecture

The 3-dimensional spatial organization of eukaryotic genomes is important for regulation of gene expression as well as DNA damage repair. It has been proposed that one basic biophysical property of all nuclei is that interphase chromatin must be kept in a condensed prestressed state in order to prevent entropic pressure of the DNA polymer from expanding and disrupting the nuclear envelope. Although many factors can contribute to specific organizational states to compact chromatin, the mechanisms through which such interphase chromatin compaction is maintained are not clearly understood. Condensin proteins are known to exert compaction forces on chromosomes in anticipation of mitosis, but it is not known whether condensins also function to maintain interphase prestressed chromatin states. Here we show that RNAi depletion of the N-CAP-H2, N-CAP-D3 and SMC2 subunits of human condensin II leads to dramatic disruption of nuclear architecture and nuclear size. This is consistent with the idea that condensin mediated chromatin compaction contributes significantly to the prestressed condensed state of the interphase nucleus, and when such compaction forces are disrupted nuclear size and shape change due to chromatin expansion.
Transport properties of a moderately dense gas

The initial density dependences of both viscosity and thermal conductivity are calculated according to a microscopically based theory which includes effects due to collisional transfer (from only free two-body phase space), three-monomer collisions, and monomer—dimer collisions. A Lennard-Jones potential is used to model the interactions. Comparison of the calculated results with experiment (in reduced form) shows very good agreement for both viscosity and thermal conductivity over a wide temperature range.
Calculation of the scattering of electromagnetic waves from a two-dimensional perfectly conducting surface using the method of ordered multiple interaction

Abstract Calculations, using the method of ordered multiple interaction (MOMI), of the scattering of electromagnetic waves from a two-dimensional, randomly rough, perfectly conducting surface with a ratio of RMS height [sgrave] to correlation length a of 1.0 or smaller are presented which demonstrate the robustness of the method. Convergence is achieved in six iterations or less. Some surfaces with [sgrave] = a = 1.0λ and certain topological features exhibited slow convergence. The MOMI inherently will show slow convergence when there are multiple back and forth scatterings. Since resonant scattering is characterized by this type of scattering, this suggests the presence of surface resonances on these surfaces.
Fibromyalgia Sydrome in Children and Adolescents: Signs and Symptoms at Presentation and Status at Follow Up • 1850

Aims: To: (1) describe the characteristic features of fibromyalgia syndrome (FS) in a pediatric population, (2) note similarities and differences with FS in adults, and (3) ascertain outcome following treatment.
A Remote Station to Monitor Gas Hydrate Outcrops in the Gulf of Mexico

: Outcrops of gas hydrates will be monitored via a remote station installed on the continental slope of the Northern Gulf of Mexico. The project, driven by the need to initiate collection of a data base for assessing stability of the sea floor, will also address other factors associated with the formation and dissociation of gas hydrates. A group of experts has been organized to supervise the assembly and operation of the station, which will monitor physical and chemical parameters of sea water and sea floor sediments on a more or less continuous basis.
A comparison of plant and grain wax from two varieties of sorghum.

A study was made of the wax from a forage and a grain type of sorghum taken at different stages in plant growth in order to compare the amount and the chemical composition of the wax laid down at different stages in the development of the plant. The sorghum leaf, grain, and stalk waxes were compared to each other and to carnauba and corn wax. It was found that the grain and plant waxes of both types of sorghum were laid down throughout the growth of the plant. A constant level was reached about the time that the grain heads became apparent. There appeared to be definite chemical changes in the wax during the growth period studied. These changes were not necessarily similar from one part of the plant to another or from one variety to another. The waxes laid down on the leaf, grain, and stalk differed from each other in quantity and in chemical composition.
Discriminant analysis as a possible tool in landslide investigations

As part of an investigation of mass movement on outslopes of contour surface-mines in West Virginia, discriminant analysis was used to determine whether selected spoil properties could statistically distinguish failed and unfailed embankments. The analysis utilized the variables degree of saturation, liquid limit, and shrinkage limit, and the a priori assignment of samples into either actively failing, unfailed, or regraded categories. Results were encouraging, with seventy-four percent of the samples being correctly classified. All misclassifications involved samples from active or regraded landslides, suggesting the method was conservative. Performance of discriminant analysis could probably be improved by modifying the sampling plan.
Evidence that the barrier to the penetration of oxygen into heterocysts depends upon two layers of the cell envelope

Mutants of Anabaena sp. PCC 7120 with O2-sensitive acetylene-reducing activity were studied to identify envelope components that contribute to the barrier limiting diffusion of oxygen into the heterocyst. Mutant strain EF114, deficient in a heterocyst-specific glycolipid, reduced acetylene only under strictly anaerobic conditions. Analysis of in vivo O2 uptake as a function of dissolved pO2 showed that EF114 has lost the low affinity, diffusion-limited respiratory component associated with heterocysts in wild-type filaments. The low affinity respiratory activity was also lost in EF116, a mutant in which the cohesiveness of the outer polysaccharide layer was reduced. Restoration of aerobic nitrogen fixation in a spontaneous revertant of EF116 and in a strain complemented with cosmid 41E11 was associated with restoration of the low affinity component of respiratory activity. The results provide evidence that the barrier to diffusion of gas into heterocysts depends upon both the glycolipid layer and the polysaccharide layer of the heterocyst envelope.
Survey of sinonasal inverted papillomata for Epstein-Barr virus.

Background Several studies have indicated an etiologic role for viruses in the development of sinonasal inverted papillomata (IP). A recent report demonstrates a strong relationship (65%) between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) and these lesions using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Methods The present study analyzes a series of paraffin-embedded tissues, comprising 25 surgically resected IPs and four fungiform papillomata (FP) for the presence of EBV using a sensitive in situ hybridization (ISH) assay and PCR. Results None of the specimens examined showed evidence of EBV infection by ISH, and only two papillomata (one sinonasal IP and one FP) gave positive reactions for EBV using PCR. Conclusions These data challenge the previous report and suggest that EBV is not a significant etiopathologic factor to be considered in the development of sinonasal IP. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Head Neck19: 98–106, 1997.
Secondary particle formation and evidence of heterogeneous chemistry during a wood smoke episode in Texas

[1] To evaluate the impact of regional wildfires in east Texas on fine particulate matter concentration and composition, source apportionment calculations were performed on a set of samples collected at three sites in Houston during a wood smoke episode. Separately, samples collected at the same sites on days not influenced by wood smoke, were analyzed for comparison. The analysis of the data collected on non–wood smoke episode days indicated that the major contributors to PM2.5 mass were secondary sulfate, diesel and gasoline powered vehicles, other organics (difference between the measured organic mass by carbon (OMC) and the sum of the primary OC source contributions), wood combustion and meat cooking. Secondary sulfate (not apportioned to a primary source) represented almost 100% of the sulfate measured whereas primary sources were found to account for the majority of the measured organic carbon at three sites (64–69%). On the wood smoke episode days, major sources of PM2.5 were found to be the same as on the days without wood smoke, except for the contribution of the meat cooking source, which became insignificant on the wood smoke episode days. The contribution of the wood combustion source increased by an average of 200% at all sites on wood smoke episode days, whereas the contributions of other primary sources did not increase significantly during the wood smoke episode. PM2.5 mass almost doubled during the wood smoke episode, largely because of the contributions of the secondary sources. The mass concentrations of secondary sulfate and organics not attributed to primary sources increased 68% and 228% at each site, respectively, during the wood smoke episode. The increase in the contributions of secondary sulfate aerosols during the wood smoke episode was examined using a 3-D photochemical grid model. The simulations, together with ambient data, indicated that the increases in sulfate concentrations observed during this wood smoke episode were consistent with heterogeneous/surface reactions on wood smoke particles.
Efficiency calculations for spectroscopic collection optics

Programme d'ordinateur pour le calcul de l'optique d'un systeme de spectrometrie optique: spectrometrie de fluorescence par exemple
Complete response of stage IV anal mucosal melanoma expressing KIT Val560Asp to the multikinase inhibitor sorafenib

Anal mucosal melanoma is a disorder with limited treatment options and is associated with a poor prognosis. The authors describe the case of a 79-year-old man who was diagnosed with stage IV anal mucosal melanoma expressing the KIT Val560Asp mutation, and was treated with surgery, radiotherapy, and a combination of sorafenib and temozolomide therapy. The authors discuss the potential therapeutic use of sorafenib in anal mucosal melanoma patients with specific mutations such as the KIT Val560Asp mutation. Background A 79-year-old man presented to his primary care physician with a 2-month history of pruritus ani and a pigmented nodular lesion was discovered in the posterior rectum. The patient had no other symptoms, or any family history of malignancy. Investigations Physical examination; excisional biopsy; CT scan of the chest, abdomen and pelvis; lung biopsy; blood tests; tumor immunohistochemistry for KIT, vascular endothelial growth factor platelet-derived growth factor receptor α and β, and mismatch-repair proteins MLH1, MSH2, and MSH6; and KIT and BRAF tumor genotyping. Diagnosis Stage IV M1b metastatic anal mucosal melanoma. Management Wide local excision with mucosal advancement of the rectal wall, external-beam radiation, and sorafenib–temozolomide therapy.
Mössbauer effect detection of fractal phase in frozen solution of deoxygenated myoglobin

Abstract Fractal phase in frozen solution of deoxygenated myoglobin has been deduced for the first time using the previously-reported Mossbauer data. The exponent of the Debye-Waller factor is found to vary with temperature as T 0.40±0.07 . This exhibits a scale invariance for a fractal dimension of 1.40 ± 0.07, and is consistent with the dimensionality obtained from computer-generated models.
Consent Procedures and Participation Rates in School-Based Intervention and Prevention Research: Using a Multi-Component, Partnership-Based Approach to Recruit Participants.

Evaluations of school-based interventions and prevention programs typically require parental consent for students to participate. In school-based efforts, program evaluators may have limited access to parents and considerable effort is required to obtain signed consent. This issue is particularly salient when conducting research in under-resourced, urban schools, where parent involvement in the school setting may be somewhat limited. The aims of this article were to (a) examine the published school-based prevention and intervention literature to assess the state of the field in terms of consent procedures and participation rates; and (b) describe two examples of health promotion studies that used multi-component, partnership-based strategies in urban schools to encourage communication among children, their parents, and researchers. The purpose of the case studies was to generate hypotheses to advance the science related to school-based participant recruitment for research studies. Of nearly 500 studies reviewed, only 11.5% reported both consent procedures and participation rates. Studies using active consent procedures had a mean participation rate of 65.5% (range: 11–100%). This article highlights the need for researchers to report consent procedures and participation rates and describes partnership-based strategies used to enroll students into two urban, school-based health promotion studies.
Molecular concepts in the pathogenesis of ameloblastoma: Implications for therapeutics

Ameloblastoma is a benign odontogenic neoplasm that may exhibit aggressive biological behavior as evidenced by its rapid growth and significance recurrence rates following initial surgical resection. Currently, the only therapy for ameloblastoma is surgical, and adjunctive treatment modalities are needed to mitigate tumor growth and to reduce the need for extensive and disfiguring surgeries. Many studies have identified markers expressed by ameloblastoma and these lend insight to our understanding of tumor progression. This review provides a summary of the specific molecular pathways implicated in tumor pathogenesis, including those involved in bone remodeling, apoptosis, cell signaling, and tumor suppression. Based on these data, we identify several prognostic or therapeutic markers that have been used successfully in the treatment of other neoplastic processes that may also have diagnostic and prognostic utility for ameloblastoma. Thus, it is important to determine which markers hold the greatest promise for clinical management of this benign neoplasm in order to improve treatment options, particularly in patients with aggressive forms of ameloblastoma.
Two distinct phenotypes caused by two different missense mutations in the same codon of the VHL gene.

We have identified a family segregating von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) disease with a previously unreported T547A mutation in exon 1 of the VHL gene that causes a Tyr112 to Asn missense alteration in the protein. The mutation was identified by nucleotide sequencing and confirmed by restriction enzyme digestion. The mutation cosegregated with the disease in all five tested affected individuals from the extended family. The family consists of more than 100 at-risk individuals over seven generations. To date, we have identified 13 affected individuals of whom seven have had renal cell carcinoma and one has had a pheochromocytoma. No other case of a neuroendocrine tumor of the pancreas or adrenal gland (pheochromocytoma) was found or recognized retrospectively. Other manifestations in this family include retinal angioma and hemangioblastoma of the central nervous system. We also found the T547A mutation in three asymptomatic members of the family, ages 12, 19, and 20. Another mutation, T547C, which causes Tyr112 to His, has been seen at the same position and has been associated with VHL type 2A (pheochromocytoma, but no renal cell carcinoma) in two families with a total of 22 affected individuals [Chen F, Slife L, Kishida T, Mulvihill J, Tisherman SE, Zbar B, 1996: J Med Genet 33:716-717]. Thus, different amino acid changes at the same position can cause very distinct clinical phenotypes. It will be interesting to elucidate the functional differences that underlie the different phenotypes.
Processos constitutivos das políticas educacionais no âmbito municipal: a pesquisa-ação colaborativa como postura epistemológica, metodológica e política

This text analyses the constitutive processes of the municipal education policies, highlighting the contributions from the collaborative action research in these processes as posture which feeds the political commitment, the critical thought and the cooperative relations for the constitution of learning communities. This article articulates the reflection from a meta-analytical posture of the investigative process itself with the composition of the education policies brought into focus, having as protagonists the education professionals who work in the Board of Education. The findings, from the analysis of the documents content; the reports of observations, of the formative meetings in the Field Diary and of the interviews, signalize that the impacts derived from the action research are not immediate, but expectable in the course of time - typical of groups which share and build scientific, epistemological and pedagogical complicities. Keywords: Education policies. Collaborative action research. Epistemological principles.
Alcohol Chain Length and Mole Fraction Dependence of the Stability of Tetrakis(cumylphenoxy)phthalocyanine and Alcohol Langmuir Films

While it has been known for about 10 years that octadecanol stabilizes Langmuir−Blodgett films of copper tetrakis(cumylphenoxy)phthalocyanine films, the mechanism for this stabilization is not fully understood. To understand more completely the molecular interactions responsible for making octadecanol a good transfer promoter, we studied mixed films' isotherms of tetrakis(cumylphenoxy)phthalocyanine and various saturated alcohols ranging in length from 13 to 24 carbons. By varying mole fraction and alcohol chain length in the various mixed films, a model of interaction was deduced based on pressure-versus-area isotherms obtained from a Langmuir trough. In this model, the aliphatic chains of the alcohols act as a stabilizing, hydrophobic support around phthalocyanine mounds of a preferred stack height. As film pressure increases, the mounds are forced above the alcohol sea, removing favorable ether−water interactions. Depending on chain length, a single or double collapse is observed, suggesting an adjusta...
Preparation and measurement in quantum physics

To honor Henry Margenau on the occasion of his 90th birthday, we attempt in this essay to integrate certain aspects of the physics, philosophy, and pedagogy of quantum mechanics in a manner very much inspired by Margenau's idealist scientific epistemology. Over half a century ago, Margenau was perhaps the first philosopher of science to recognize and elaborate upon the essential distinction between thepreparation of a quantum state and themeasurement of an observable associated with a system in that state; yet in contemporary quantum texts that distinction rarely receives adequate emphasis even though, as we demonstrate, it may be explicated through a series of simple illustrations.
Hypothermia for brain protection and resuscitation.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW Clinicians are actively looking for an effective brain protection technique. With pharmacologic agents, several phase III trials in stroke, severe traumatic brain injury, and post-cardiac arrest survivors have failed. Hence there is renewed interest in mild to moderate hypothermia for brain protection. Phase III clinical trials with hypothermia have been successful only in post-cardiac arrest survivors and neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy. This review focuses on the possible reasons for our inability to translate into positive clinical trials what is observed consistently in laboratory models. RECENT FINDINGS Several factors have been identified for the failure of successive hypothermia clinical trials. Patients with severe traumatic brain injury with Glasgow Coma Score of 4-7 on admission and those less than 45 years of age and neonates with hypoxic encephalopathy are more responsive to hypothermia. Similarly, early and effective cooling techniques and titration of hypothermia to a defined endpoint are likely to be more effective. New techniques such as local cooling of the brain and the combination of hypothermia with drugs are being evaluated. SUMMARY Hypothermia can at present be recommended only for post-cardiac arrest survivors and in neonatal hypoxic encephalopathy.
Effect of testosterone propionate and methyl testosterone on growth and skeletal maturation in rats.

Female albino rats were treated from age 28 to 70 days with testosterone propionate subcutaneously (0.25, 1.0, 2.5 and 6.0 mg/kg/day) and methyl testosterone by mouth (15, 30, 75 and 150 mg/kg/day). Evaluation of the effects on growth was based on body weight, stem length and tail length measured at sacrifice, and on length of tibia, radius, metatarsal III and metacarpal III measured on prepared bones. Skeletal maturation was assessed on the basis of the state of closure of 42 selected epiphysial plates, as observed on cleared and Alizarin Red S stained skeletons. The body weight of treated animals was increased significantly with both testosterone propionate and methyl testosterone. The effects on the length of individual bones were very small and not consistently significant statistically. Yet a common trend was noted, inasmuch as, with the lower doses of the 2 hormones, the selected bones were slightly longer, whereas this effect was abolished with larger doses and reversed with the largest doses. Skel...
Flow Distributions in Hollow Fiber Hemodialyzers Using Magnetic Resonance Fourier Velocity Imaging

Distribution of flow within the hollow fibers and the dialysate compartment of hemodialyzers is difficult to measure; previous work has suggested that flow distributions may be non uniform. Magnetic resonance Fourier velocity imaging was used to determine flow distributions within the hollow fibers and dialysate compartment of three commercial hemodialyzers (CA170, CT190, and F60A). Distilled water was pumped without pulsatility through the hollow fibers and the outflow was circulated in a countercurrent direction through the dialysate compartment. Steady state flow distributions were determined simultaneously in both directions using input flow rates of 300 and 600 ml/min. Flow distributions within the hollow fibers were relatively uniform in most hemodialyzer cross sections, approximately Gaussian, and similar for all hemodialyzers. Flow distributions in the dialysate compartment were non uniform and skewed to high flow rates. High flow in the dialysate compartment was largely outside the fiber bundle for the CA170 and CT190 hemodialyzers. Local regions containing both low flow within the hollow fibers and high flow in the dialysate compartment were observed for the F60A hemodialyzer, and these regions became more prominent at a flow rate of 600 ml/min. The results of this study demonstrate that flow distributions within the hollow fibers and dialysate compartment of hemodialyzers can be simultaneously determined using magnetic resonance Fourier velocity imaging. It is concluded that the distribution of flow within the hollow fibers of hemodialyzers is relatively uniform but in the dialysate compartment it is not uniform and depends upon hemodialyzer design.
The effect of partial substitution of In by X = Si, Ge and Al on the crystal structure, magnetic properties and resistivity of Ni50Mn35In15 Heusler alloys

The effect of partial substitution of In by X = Si, Ge and Al on the structural, electrical and magnetocaloric properties of Ni50Mn35In15 Heusler alloys was studied using x-ray diffraction, resistivity, magnetization and thermal expansion measurements. It was observed that the presence of X atoms (~7% X) at In sites strongly affects the crystal structure and electric and magnetic behaviours of Ni50Mn35In15. Martensitic (Pmmm space group) and austenitic ( ) crystal structures were observed at room temperature for Ni50Mn35In14Ge, Ni50Mn35In14Al and Ni50Mn35In14Si. All samples were found to show unidirectional anisotropy at low temperatures (T < 150 K). Giant positive and negative magnetic entropy changes, as large as ΔSM, + 82 J Kg−1 K−1 (at T = 274 K) and −6.6 J Kg−1 K−1 (at T = 307 K) were found for a magnetic field change of 5 T with X = Si. The net refrigeration capacity was also observed to change significantly. The maximum negative magnetoresistance was found to be 50% for Ni50Mn35In14Si at H = 5 T and T = 284 K. Phase transition temperatures attributed to martensitic transformation and to ferromagnetic ordering in martensitic and austenitic phases were determined. The influence of the interatomic distance on the properties of Ni50Mn35In15 was discussed.
Textures and Structures in Catahoula (Gueydan) Tuff, South-Central Texas: ABSTRACT

The Catahoula Tuff of Oligocene to early Miocene(?) age is composed almost entirely of volcanic rock debris or its alteration products. Pastel-colored tuffaceous clay predominates, but sandstone, conglomerate, bentonite, vitric tuff, and ash also are present. The rocks studied in outcrop have a maximum thickness of approximately 900 feet, and were deposited largely on a coastal plain not far from shore. Bed geometry and sedimentary textures and structures provide evidence that the coarse clastic sediments and some tuffaceous clay beds were deposited as mudflows. One bed of air-fall ash has been recognized by its geopetal fabric: conical piles of glass dust rest on flat shards. Vitric tuff and tuffaceous clay beds deposited as mud flows are characterized by massive (structureless) beds 1-4 feet thick, lack of sorting in beds that have particles ranging from fine ash to pebble-size tuff intraclasts, orientation of shards in random or swirl patterns, and desiccation polygons. One variety of tuff is characterized by moderate induration and the presence of tuff pisolites. The pisolites are generally 1-5 mm. in diameter and comprise as much as 30 per cent of a rock. Pisolites differ from their matrix by having different amounts or different sizes of shards and, in places, an opaque rind. A few pisolites grade imperceptibly into matrix of identical composition and texture where part of the rind is absent. The pisolites developed in tuffs by soil-forming processes, probably in an arid climate with seasonal rainfall. Many pisolites were reworked into successive mud flows. Another variety of tuff is well indurated and pervaded by sinuous tubules (up to 2 mm. in diameter) probably formed by plant roots. The tubules trend in all directions but are predominantly vertical. Tubules in some beds are filled with zeolite (heulandite group) or montmorillonite. Stream-deposited tuff is recognized by faint horizontal laminations and cross-bedding and by moderate sorting and sub-parallel orientation of elongate shards and tuff intraclasts. This type of tuff is friable, non-pisolitic, and lacks tubules. Pores in many of these tuffs are now reduced in size or filled by clay skins of montmorillonite that coat framework grains. Bentonite is free of crystal fragments, has no relic texture, and has a random orientation of montmorillonite particles. The lack of orientation of clay particles suggests that they crystallized during the in situ argillation of beds of glass dust rather than by sedimentation of clay particles in quiet water. Clay dikes from 1 mm.-2 cm. wide trend vertically through tuff and sandstone at some localities. Montmorillonite grains are well-oriented parallel with the dike walls, suggesting particle-by-particle deposition from injected slurries. End_of_Article - Last_Page 624------------
Nonlinear Photoemission Electron Micrographs of Plasmonic Nanoholes in Gold Thin Films

Nonlinear photoemission electron microscopy of isolated nanoholes in gold thin films maps propagating surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) launched from the lithographically patterned plasmonic structures. A damped elongated ringlike photoemission beat pattern is observed from the nanoholes, following low angle of incidence irradiation of these structures with sub-15 fs 780 nm laser pulses. A notable agreement between finite difference time domain simulations and experiment corroborates our assignment of the observed photoemission patterns to SPPs launched from isolated nanoholes and probed through nonlinear photoemission. We also demonstrate how the efficiency of coupling light waves into isolated plasmonic holes can be tuned by varying hole diameter. In this regard, a simple intuitive geometrical model, which accounts for the observed and simulated diameter dependent plasmonic response, is proposed. Overall, this study paves the way for designing nanohole assemblies where optical coupling and subsequent pl...
Spontaneous disordering of nm-grain-sized polycrystals and clusters of silica stishovite

We investigate spontaneous structural disordering of nm-grain-sized polycrystals and clusters of stishovite at ambient conditions using molecular dynamics, and compare to disordering in stishovite nanocrystals and single-crystal α-quartz at high pressures. For nanocrystals and clusters at ambient conditions and sub-ns time scales, the extent and rate of disordering increase with the surface-area-to-volume ratio, and the structure becomes completely amorphous if the size is less than about 2 nm. Within the stability field of stishovite, disordering at the grain boundaries is less pronounced. Low-pressure disordering of stishovite structure involves Si coordination number reduction from six to five and finally to four, a process opposite to the pressure-induced amorphization of quartz.
Tilt-click: One-handed eyes-free numeric and symbol input for calculator applications

Tilt operations with audio feedback can enable data input using handheld device, single handed and eyes free. This paper presents a prototype using 5 tilt positions for numeric and symbol input for calculator applications. Two tilt positions are mapped into a single digit or one operation symbol. Users click one physical key to indicate a tilt position and hear audio feedback. Controlled experiments showed that the tilt-click input technique is feasible and promising for small mobile devices.
Duplication of external genitalia in men.

Abstract The rare congenital anomaly of duplication of the external genitalia in men is reviewed with special reference to classification, associated congenital anomalies, and theories referring to the origin of the condition. Suggestions are made concerning the surgical management of the various forms, and 4 cases of diphallus are presented.
CONSTRUCTING A NEW VISION: UNDOING GENDER THROUGH SECONDARY EDUCATION IN HONDURAS

This article presents results from a qualitative study on how the Honduran secondary education programme, Sistema de Aprendizaje Tutorial (SAT), attempts to “undo gender” (Deutsch 2007: 122) by encouraging students to rethink gender relations in their everyday lives in a way that reflects their increased consciousness of gender equality. My findings suggest that SAT increased women’s gender consciousness and this heightened their desire for change in the domestic sphere. In some instances, women were able to negotiate a new sharing of responsibilities with their spouses. There are several features of SAT that make it a transformative innovation in education: (1) gender is mainstreamed into the curriculum; (2) gender is linked with the larger concept of justice; (3) students engage in reflection, dialogue and debate; (4) teachers are given the opportunity to reflect critically on their understanding of gender in professional development sessions; and (5) it emphasises that undoing gender requires change among individuals and in social structures such as the family.
Describing and predicting information-seeking behavior on the Web

This study focuses on the task as a fundamental factor in the context of information seeking. The purpose of the study is to characterize kinds of tasks and to examine how different kinds of task give rise to different kinds of information-seeking behavior on the Web. For this, a model for information-seeking behavior was used employing dimensions of information-seeking strategies (ISS), which are based on several behavioral dimensions. The analysis of strategies was based on data collected through an experiment designed to observe users' behaviors. Three tasks were assigned to 30 graduate students and data were collected using questionnaires, search logs, and interviews. The qualitative and quantitative analysis of the data identified 14 distinct information-seeking strategies. The analysis showed significant differences in the frequencies and patterns of ISS employed between three tasks. The results of the study are intended to facilitate the development of task-based information-seeking models and to further suggest Web information system designs that support the user's diverse tasks. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Rewarding Fire with Fire: Effects of Retaliation on Terrorist Group Dynamics

Abstract Comparative studies of the psychology of terrorism indicate that there is no one terrorist mindset, A theme in common among the disparate groups is the strong need of marginal alienated individuals to join a group of like‐minded individuals with a similar world view that “it's us against them, and they are the cause of our problems.” This strong need to belong gives particular force to the power of group dynamics. While the ideology is the glue that holds the group together and serves as the rationale for its actions, terrorists do not commit acts of terrorism for ideological reasons. The amelioration of the societal injustice which they indicate incites and justifies their terrorism does not reduce the lure of terrorism, because of the powerful hold of the group on its members. Paradoxically, a policy of reactive retaliation with the goal of deterring terrorist acts may have the opposite effect and reinforce the mind set of the terrorist. For the group under threat, the external danger has the c...
Promoting Argument-Counterargument Integration in Students' Writing

It is important, when writing opinion essays, for students to consider and integrate both arguments and counterarguments to develop a final conclusion. In this article, the authors explored the effect of criteria instruction and a graphic organizer to promote integration of arguments and counterarguments. The researchers randomly assigned 84 participants from an undergraduate educational psychology course to 1 of 4 conditions: training only, organizer only, combined, and control. The graphic organizer resulted in more refutations of counterarguments. However, criteria instruction resulted in better integration of argument and counterargument (with stronger rebuttals and more balanced reasoning). The authors discussed how the 2 interventions may have activated somewhat different argumentation schema in students.
Mechanistic Heterogeneity in Site Recognition by the Structurally Homologous DNA-binding Domains of the ETS Family Transcription Factors Ets-1 and PU.1

ETS family transcription factors regulate diverse genes through binding at cognate DNA sites that overlap substantially in sequence. The DNA-binding domains of ETS proteins (ETS domains) are highly conserved structurally yet share limited amino acid homology. To define the mechanistic implications of sequence diversity within the ETS family, we characterized the thermodynamics and kinetics of DNA site recognition by the ETS domains of Ets-1 and PU.1, which represent the extremes in amino acid divergence among ETS proteins. Even though the two ETS domains bind their optimal sites with similar affinities under physiologic conditions, their nature of site recognition differs strikingly in terms of the role of hydration and counter ion release. The data suggest two distinct mechanisms wherein Ets-1 follows a “dry” mechanism that rapidly parses sites through electrostatic interactions and direct protein-DNA contacts, whereas PU.1 utilizes hydration to interrogate sequence-specific sites and form a long-lived complex relative to the Ets-1 counterpart. The kinetic persistence of the high affinity PU.1·DNA complex may be relevant to an emerging role of PU.1, but not Ets-1, as a pioneer transcription factor in vivo. In addition, PU.1 activity is critical to the development and function of macrophages and lymphocytes, which present osmotically variable environments, and hydration-dependent specificity may represent an important regulatory mechanism in vivo, a hypothesis that finds support in gene expression profiles of primary murine macrophages.
Cloning of human pancreatic islet large conductance Ca(2+)-activated K+ channel (hSlo) cDNAs: evidence for high levels of expression in pancreatic islets and identification of a flanking genetic marker.

Insulin secretion from pancreatic beta cells is dependent on membrane potential changes that result from the concerted regulation of multiple ion channels. Among the distinct K+ channels known to be expressed in beta cells, large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels have been suggested to play an important role in stimulus-secretion coupling. In the course of a strategy to identify transcripts that are enriched in human pancreatic islet cells, we isolated a partial cDNA encoding a human large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channel mRNA (hSlo). Northern analysis of mRNA showed that among a panel of human tissues hSlo is expressed at its highest levels in pancreatic islets. Screening of human insulinoma and islet cDNA libraries with the partial cDNA resulted in the isolation of 19 hSlo cDNAs. These comprised three splice variants: one shared the common underlying structure of previously reported Slo cDNAs, another variant encoded a novel 60-amino acid insertion in the putative Ca2+-sensing domain of hSlo, while the third group of clones had an alternate exon encoding eight amino acids in the predicted COOH-terminal end. Analysis of somatic-cell hybrids containing different portions of chromosome 10 indicated that hSlo maps to chromosome 10q22.2–q23.1. Furthermore, high resolution localization was obtained by analysis of genome-wide radiation hybrids and the CEPH “B” mega-YAC library, both of which identified for the first time a highly polymorphic genetic marker (D10S195) linked to hSlo. These studies provide tools with which to explore the physiological role of Ca2+-activated K+ channel proteins in pancreatic islets, and also to investigate the contribution of this locus to the inherited susceptibility to non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.
Origin of the Felsic and Basaltic Dikes and Flows in the Rajula-Palitana-Sihor Area of the Deccan Traps, Saurashtra, India: A Geochemical and Geochronological Study

Rhyolite, trachyte, pitchstone, and granophyre dikes are associated with mafic dolerite dikes and basaltic flows of the northwestern part of the Deccan flood basalt province in the Saurashtra Penin...
A simple method to reach detection consensus in massively distributed sensor networks

A bio-inspired distributed detection protocol is proposed where the synchronization of pulsing devices is used to reach a consensus in the decision among sensor nodes. Each node encodes the local decision into their pulsing time and reaches an agreement when the pulsing instants converge to a common value. The protocol has low complexity and scales favorably with the size of the network. In fact, we prove that the probability of detection asymptotically goes to 1 as the number of sensors goes to infinity.
igr Genes and Mycobacterium tuberculosis Cholesterol Metabolism

Recently, cholesterol was identified as a physiologically important nutrient for Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival in chronically infected mice. However, it remained unclear precisely when cholesterol is available to the bacterium and what additional bacterial functions are required for its metabolism. Here, we show that the igr locus, which we previously found to be essential for intracellular growth and virulence of M. tuberculosis, is required for cholesterol metabolism. While igr-deficient strains grow identically to the wild type in the presence of short- and long-chain fatty acids, the growth of these bacteria is completely inhibited in the presence of cholesterol. Interestingly, this mutant is still able to respire under cholesterol-dependent growth inhibition, suggesting that the bacteria can metabolize other carbon sources during cholesterol toxicity. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that the growth-inhibitory effect of cholesterol in vitro depends on cholesterol import, as mutation of the mce4 sterol uptake system partially suppresses this effect. In addition, the Δigr mutant growth defect during the early phase of disease is completely suppressed by mutating mce4, implicating cholesterol intoxication as the primary mechanism of attenuation. We conclude that M. tuberculosis metabolizes cholesterol throughout infection.
Time-clustering of natural hazards

Natural hazards can be represented as point processes that are characterized by the occurrence times of the events and their intensities. It is crucial to investigate the correlation properties of these processes in order to gain a deep knowledge of the dynamical mechanisms which underlie hazardous phenomena. To this end, suitable methodologies must be developed to perform these correlation analyses on processes, which are described as point-like processes. The concept of time-clustering implies a time-structured organization of these processes, and is in direct opposition to the pure randomness typical of Poissonian processes in which the events are uncorrelated. This article reports several examples of natural hazards within the framework of time-clustering.
Fault-Tolerant Manycast to Mobile Destinations in Sensor Networks

Manycast is a group communication primitive wherein the source is required to send data packets to a certain number of a given set of destinations. In this article, we design fault-tolerant protocols for manycast operations in sensor networks with mobile destinations. To develop efficient protocols, we propose a location management scheme, which manages information about the locations of mobile destinations in a distributed manner. Based upon that, we develop rectangle-based and GridTree-based fault-tolerant manycast routing protocols. Simulation results show that the GridTree approach achieves sufficiently high success ratio, while using minimal transmission cost.
Contribution of α1 subunit-containing γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors to motor-impairing effects of benzodiazepines in squirrel monkeys

Benzodiazepines (BZs) are effective anxiolytics and hypnotics, but their use is limited by unwanted side effects, such as motor impairment. To assess the contribution of α1 subunit-containing γ-aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptor subtypes to the motor-impairing effects of BZs, the present study evaluated two observable measures of motor coordination (balance on a pole, resistance to hind-limb flexion) engendered by nonselective and selective BZ-site agonists in squirrel monkeys. Multiple doses of nonselective BZs (triazolam, alprazolam, diazepam, and chlordiazepoxide) and α1 subunit-preferring agonists (zolpidem and zaleplon) were administered to adult male squirrel monkeys (N = 4–6), and experimenters rated the monkey’s ability to balance on a horizontal pole (“ataxic-like effects”), as well as the degree of resistance to hind-limb flexion (“myorelaxant-like effects”). Administration of all BZ-type drugs resulted in ataxic-like and myorelaxant-like effects. Pretreatment with the α1 subunit-preferring antagonist β-carboline-3-carboxylate-t-butyl ester (βCCT) attenuated the ataxic-like effects engendered by both types of drugs. However, βCCT was largely ineffective at blocking the ability of both BZs and non-BZs to induce myorelaxant-like effects. These experiments demonstrate dose-dependent motor impairment in squirrel monkeys using quantitative behavioral observation techniques. Altogether, these findings suggest a lack of a prominent role for α1 subunit-containing receptors in the alteration of hind-limb flexion, a putative measure of myorelaxation, induced by BZ-type drugs in monkeys.
Nonlinear Multi‐Photon Excitation and Dissociation in Intense Laser Fields: Recent Developments in Floquet Theory and Quasi‐Energy Methods

A short account of several recent developments in semiclassical Floquet theory and quasi-energy (QE) methods for nonperturbative treatments of intense field multiphoton excitation (MPE) and dissociation (MPD) processes is given. Topics discussed include (a) non-Hermitian Floquet theory and complex QE method for MPD, (b) MPE quantum dynamics in intense laser and static electric fields, (c) nonadiabatic approach for resonant infrared (IR) multiphoton absorption spectroscopy, (d) IR MPE/MPD of triatomic molecules — most probable path approach, and (e) many-mode Floquet theory. Also presented are new methods and results for nonlinear MPE of finite level systems in linearly and circularly polarized bichromatic fields.