cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Standardization and ground-state branching of selenium-75.

Selenium-75 (Fig. 1) is much used as a radioactive tracer in nuclear medicine. Several thousand administered doses of selenium-75 compounds are given per year(1) in the U.S. for liver scanning and other purposes. Although accuracies of only ± 10% in activity measurements are required by the U.S. Pharmacopoeia, more accurately claibrated sources of selenium-75 are useful in nuclear medicine for the calibration of detectors in the energy region from 97 keV to 401 keV since γ-ray abundances are known to a few percent in most cases. For this and other reasons, the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) has developed, by means of an X-γ coincidence counting method, a radioactivity standard of selenium-75, and, at the same time, determined the poorly-known fraction, ƒg, of selenium-75 disintegrations going directly to the ground state of arsenic-75. ƒg has been calculated in this work from the difference between the measured value for the activity of a sample and its measured total γ-ray emission rate, using the NBS 8-in. NaI(Tl) detector system.(2) Most selenium-75 disintegrations produce a response in this system because of its high γ-ray detection efficiency and because most disintegrations produce two or more γ-rays. Values have been reported(3–5) for ƒg ranging from < 10−3 to 0.04. The Nuclear Data Tables,(6) taking a weighted average of published values, quotes ƒg = 0.023 ± 0.023 (uncertainty of 2σ). The value of ƒg determined by us was zero, with a 99% probability of being less than 1.2%. The measured value for the activity is independent of all decay-scheme parameters, except conversion-electron intensities (which are known to ± 4%)(6) and the probability of K capture, which appears in a small correction term.
Polymorphisms in the 5′‐UTR of the tissue factor gene are associated with altered expression in human endothelial cells

Summary. Background: Enhanced tissue factor (TF) expression mediates many disease processes. Recently, four completely concordant polymorphisms were detected in the 5¢-UTR of the TF gene. Three were single base changes and one was an 18-bp insertion/deletion at )1208. Objectives: This study was undertaken to determine if the I-allele or the D-allele would associate with elevated TF expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). Methods: HUVEC were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction for 18-bp insert status. TF expression was induced by interleukin (IL)-1 or phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). Total TF activity was determined by a one-stage clotting assay and surface TF activity by a chromogenic assay. Protein binding differences between the I- and D-alleles were examined by gel shift assays. Results :I L1- or PMA-induced total TF activity in D-allele HUVEC was increased 2.0–2.5-fold above that seen in II HUVEC. Surface clotting activity in D-allele cells was 1.3–1.7-fold greater than in II-allele cultures. Experiments with consensus site mutation oligos suggested that the 18-bp insert creates GATA and CCAAT-enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) transcription factor recognition sites. Conclusions: The D-allele is associated with enhanced TF activity in HUVEC. The differences in TF expression between the alleles may be due to variant transcription factor binding in the )1208 region. Further studies are warranted to investigate whether the D-allele is associated with increased incidence of pathological processes that involve TF.
Programmed and oscillatory motion in Bridgman-Stockbarger growth

Abstract The response of the solid-liquid interface was derived for a mechanical drive which is either oscillatory or programmed for a linear change. Because the interface responds in a linear fashion, Laplace transforms prove very powerful for problems of this type. As might be expected, the amplitude of the freezing rate fluctuations decreases as the frequency of the mechanical drive rate fluctuations increases. The damping increases as the heat transfer coefficient decreases, ampoule diameter increases, temperature difference between heater and cooler decreases, and as the insulation thickness increases.
Toxicological effects on mice following inhalation exposures to fluidized-bed coal combustor fly ash

Toxicological effects of exposure to reaerosolized fly ash from a fluidized-bed coal combustor were evaluated in mice following 500- and 1000-hr inhalation exposures. Alveolar macrophage function, organ histology, and hematopoiesis were assessed following 24-hr/day exposures in two 500-hr experiments. There was little mutagenicity detected by the Ames assay in the samples of the fly ash tested. The chemical characteristics of the fly ash were very similar to those of fly ash produced during conventional coal combustion. However, physical characterization revealed that the fluidized-bed combustion fly ash was not fused as is commonly the case in conventionally combusted fly ash, and as a result had a very large surface area. The function of the alveolar macrophages of exposed mice was impaired, and there were significant changes in the histology of the lung, including cellular infiltration and hyperplasia of bronchiolar and alveolar epithelium. These changes are characteristic of pulmonary responses to chronic irritation of the lung.
Optical data storage requirements on short-wavelength laser sources

Advances in diode-laser-based nonlinear blue sources as well as blue injection lasers have generated interest in using these sources for optical data storage. Recording results using a 429-nm, frequency doubled-diode laser are illustrative in understanding the requirement on these laser sources. A very stringent requirement on the laser source is the low cost necessary for high market penetration of the storage device.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Competing Agendas in Theories of Congress: Assessing Agenda Control Using Counterfactual Data

In legislative studies, a “roll rate” refers to the proportion of votes where a member or group of members is “rolled”—voting no on a measure that passes. Roll rates analysis is a potentially useful tool for evaluating arguments that the majority party in the House exercises influence by controlling what does and does not make it onto the agenda. Despite its promise, so far the use of roll rates to test these arguments has faced the problem of observational equivalence—that the predictions of partisan theories of agenda control are indistinguishable from those of arguments that have no place for parties. I address this problem by calculating party-less and partisan counterfactual roll rates data to pin down the predictions of these theories. This offers a powerful research design to evaluate observed roll rates from sample Congresses. The results provide intriguing evidence for partisan theories of the House agenda.
Superconducting measurement circuit for an EPR experiment with an rf squid

Leggett and Garg predict that joint probability densities for the flux linking an rf SQUID in a coherent state will violate a set of inequalities analogous to Bell’s inequalities for a conventional EPR experiment. Observation of this effect would be a powerful demonstration of non-classical behavior in a macroscopic system. In this paper, a design for superconducting circuitry which are analogous to polarizers and particle detectors in a conventional EPR experiment are described for the rf SQUID.
Electrochemical and ligand binding studies of a de novo heme protein.

Heme proteins can perform a variety of electrochemical functions. While natural heme proteins carry out particular functions selected by biological evolution, artificial heme proteins, in principle, can be tailored to suit specified technological applications. Here we describe initial characterization of the electrochemical properties of a de novo heme protein, S824C. Protein S824C is a four-helix bundle derived from a library of sequences that was designed by binary patterning of polar and nonpolar amino acids. Protein S824C was immobilized on a gold electrode and the formal potential of heme–protein complex was studied as a function of pH and ionic strength. The binding of exogenous N-donor ligands to heme/S824C was monitored by measuring shifts in the potential that occurred upon addition of various concentrations of imidazole or pyridine derivatives. The response of heme/S824C to these ligands was then compared to the response of isolated heme (without protein) to the same ligands. The observed shifts in potential depended on both the concentration and the structure of the added ligand. Small changes in structure of the ligand (e.g. pyridine versus 2-amino pyridine) produced significant shifts in the potential of the heme–protein. The observed shifts correlate to the differential binding of the N-donor molecules to the oxidized and reduced states of the heme. Further, it was observed that the electrochemical response of the buried heme in heme/S824C differed significantly from that of isolated heme. These studies demonstrate that the structure of the de novo protein modulates the binding of N-donor ligands to heme.
Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) 1a Structurally Substitutes for SERCA2a in the Cardiac Sarcoplasmic Reticulum and Increases Cardiac Ca2+ Handling Capacity

Ectopic expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) ATPase (SERCA) 1a pump in the mouse heart results in a 2.5-fold increase in total SERCA pump level. SERCA1a hearts show increased rates of contraction/relaxation and enhanced Ca(2+) transients; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying altered Ca(2+) handling in SERCA1a transgenic (TG) hearts are unknown. In this study, using confocal microscopy, we demonstrate that SERCA1a protein traffics to the cardiac SR and structurally substitutes for the endogenous SERCA2a isoform. SR Ca(2+) load measurements revealed that TG myocytes have significantly enhanced SR Ca(2+) load. Confocal line-scan images of field-stimulated SR Ca(2+) release showed an increased rate of Ca(2+) removal in TG myocytes. On the other hand, ryanodine receptor binding activity was decreased by approximately 30%. However, TG myocytes had a greater rate of spontaneous ryanodine receptor opening as measured by spark frequency. Whole-cell L-type Ca(2+) current density was reduced by approximately 50%, whereas the time course of inactivation was unchanged in TG myocytes. These studies provide important evidence that SERCA1a can substitute both structurally and functionally for SERCA2a in the heart and that SERCA1a overexpression can be used to enhance SR Ca(2+) transport and cardiac contractility.
Genistein Attenuates the Hypertensive Effects of Dietary NaCl in Hypertensive Male Rats

Diets high in polyphenols may protect estrogen-depleted women and rats from hypertension, but there is little evidence for this beneficial effect in males. On a polyphenol-free diet, ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), high dietary NaCl increases arterial pressure, and this effect is greatly blunted by a soy-based diet. High NaCl diets also elevate arterial pressure in male SHRs, and pilot studies indicated that soy polyphenols blunt this effect. The present studies tested the hypothesis that genistein (the primary polyphenol in soy) reduces NaCl-sensitive hypertension in young, male stroke-prone SHRs (SHR-SP, a very NaCl-sensitive strain of SHR). Seven-week-old male SHR-SPs were placed on polyphenol-free diets with or without normal dietary amounts of genistein [0.06% (wt/wt)] and containing high (4%), moderate (2%), or basal (0.7%) NaCl. SHR-SP on the genistein-free diet displayed a dose-related increase in arterial pressure in response to dietary NaCl, and dietary genistein blunted this response. Ganglionic blockade with hexamethonium reduced arterial pressure to similar levels in all six groups, suggesting that the antihypertensive effects of genistein are influenced by the autonomic nervous system. We further hypothesized that genistein, like estrogen, would improve insulin sensitivity and lipid profiles. Thus, in study 2, 7-wk-old male SHR-SP were placed on high (6%) or basal (0.7%) NaCl diets with or without genistein (0.06%). Dietary genistein reduced plasma insulin and insulin resistance in SHR-SP on a high NaCl diet and decreased plasma cholesterol and triglycerides in SHR-SP on the basal NaCl diet. Thus, in male SHR-SP, dietary genistein blunts NaCl-sensitive hypertension, and these effects may be regulated, in part, by the autonomic nervous system and/or metabolic mechanisms.
Race is not an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy in an equal access medical center.

Objectives. To compare the racial differences in clinical and pathologic features between black and white men who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP) in an equal access health care center and to determine whether race is an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence. Methods. A retrospective survey of 273 patients (125 black, 148 white) who underwent RP at the West Los Angeles Veterans Affairs Medical Center between 1991 and 1999 was undertaken. Patients were analyzed for racial differences in age at diagnosis, clinical stage, preoperative serum prostate-specific antigen (PSA), and Gleason score of the prostate biopsy specimens. Surgical specimens were studied to determine pathologic stage, Gleason score, incidence of seminal vesicle invasion, positive surgical margins, capsular penetration, and pelvic lymph node involvement. Patients were followed for PSA recurrence (greater than 0.2 ng/mL). Multivariate analysis was used to determine the clinical and pathologic variables that were significant in predicting biochemical recurrence after RP and to determine whether race was an independent predictor of biochemical failure. Results. No significant differences were found between black and white men in the preoperative factors (clinical stage, age at diagnosis, biopsy Gleason score, and serum PSA) or in the pathologic features of the RP specimens (Gleason score, pathologic stage, incidence of positive surgical margins, capsular penetration, seminal vesicle invasion, or lymph node involvement). In addition, no differences were found between black and white men in the PSA recurrence rates after RP using Kaplan-Meier survival curves (P = 0.651). Multivariate analysis revealed that serum PSA (P = 0.010), biopsy Gleason score (P = 0.003), younger age (P = 0.010), surgical Gleason score (P = 0.005), and lymph node involvement (P = 0.022) were all independent predictors of biochemical recurrence. Race was not a significant predictor of biochemical failure in multivariate analysis (P = 0.199). Conclusions. In an equal access medical care facility, no differences were evident between black and white men in the preoperative clinical factors or the pathologic features of the RP specimens. In addition, no differences were observed in the PSA recurrence rates after RP. Serum PSA, biopsy Gleason score, younger age, surgical Gleason score, and lymph node involvement were all independent predictors of biochemical recurrence. Race was not an independent predictor of biochemical recurrence.
Eustachian tube opening measured by sonotubometry is poorer in adults with a history of past middle ear disease

Objective Test the hypothesis that active Eustachian tube opening efficiency as measured by sonotubometry is higher in adults with no extant middle-ear disease and no history of previous otitis media (Group-1) when compared to adults with no middle-ear disease but a positive history for otitis media (Group-2).
Nanolasers on silicon for chip-scale optoelectronics

Scalable integration of optoelectronic devices with CMOS integrated circuits can address the growing needs for low power consumption optical interconnects, communications and signal processing. Furthermore, by augmenting electronics with optics, powerful new optoelectronic functionalities can be enabled and realized. It is well accepted that such integration should be compatible with the current CMOS infrastructure and process flows to be economically competitive. However, the high growth temperature of III–V materials places a critical roadblock on wafer-scale integration. In addition, mismatches of lattice constant and thermal expansion coefficient have fundamentally limited monolithic integration of III–V lasers onto silicon-based CMOS circuits over the past decades. In this work, we will discuss a brand new approach towards this integration using low-temperature synthesized III–V nanostructures. Excellent single-crystalline InGaAs/GaAs nanopillars and needles are grown on silicon despite of large lattice mismatches at 400C using MOCVD.
Autoradiographic studies of the projections of the midbrain reticular formation: Descending projections of nucleus cuneiformis

The descending projections of nucleus cuneiformis in the cat were traced by autoradiography in the transverse and sagittal planes following stereotaxically placed injections of 3H-leucine. Many descending axons are organized into distinct fiber systems, of which the largest and most well-defined crosses directly in the midbrain and descends through the ventromedial tegmentum of the brain stem. This fiber system first terminates profusely in n. reticularis tegmenti pontis and then proceeds through the rhombencephalic tegmentum emitting transversely oriented branches to n. reticularis pontis caudalis and gigantocellularis, the raphe magnus and the facial nucleus. Its most caudal field of termination is a restricted portion of the medial accessory olive. Because of its size, compactness, and ventromedial course, this fiber system was termed the ventral tegmental bundle. In contrast, fibers descending on the ipsilateral side are more loosely organized and describe many divergent paths. In their initial course they remain in a dorsolateral position and distribute to the n. locus coeruleus, n. raphe dorsalis, the central gray matter, and n. reticularis pontis oralis. At successively more caudal levels they converge ventromedially and descend through the rhombencephalic tegmentum in a position similar to that of the ventral tegmental bundle. At the level of the facial nucleus a group of fibers splits off to form a separate fiber bundle which descends lateral to the inferior olive and distributes to the lateral reticular nucleus. No evidence was found of projections to the spinal cord or cerebellum. A portion of the tegmentum ventromedial to nucleus cuneiformis was found to project bilaterally to the facial nucleus and to the ipsilateral medial accessory olive. The results of this study are discussed in relation to the role of the midbrain reticular formation in the elaboration of certain forms of behavior.
Oculomotor neurocircuitry, a structural connectivity study of infantile nystagmus syndrome.

Infantile Nystagmus Syndrome (INS) is one of the leading causes of significant vision loss in children and affects about 1 in 1000 to 6000 births. In the present study, we are the first to investigate the structural pathways of patients and controls using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Specifically, three female INS patients from the same family were scanned, two sisters and a mother. Six regions of interest (ROIs) were created manually to analyze the number of tracks. Additionally, three ROI masks were analyzed using TBSS (Tract-Based Spatial Statistics). The number of fiber tracks was reduced in INS subjects, compared to normal subjects, by 15.9%, 13.9%, 9.2%, 18.6%, 5.3%, and 2.5% for the pons, cerebellum (right and left), brainstem, cerebrum, and thalamus. Furthermore, TBSS results indicated that the fractional anisotropy (FA) values for the patients were lower in the superior ventral aspects of the pons of the brainstem than in those of the controls. We have identified some brain regions that may be actively involved in INS. These novel findings would be beneficial to the neuroimaging clinical and research community as they will give them new direction in further pursuing neurological studies related to oculomotor function and provide a rational approach to studying INS.
The equivalence of close piecewise linear embeddings

The main theorem (2.1) says that if N is an abstract regular neighborhood of a polyhedron X with collapsible retraction r: N → X, dimX < dimN − 3, and if g: N → intN is an embedding such that rg is close to the inclusion map X↪N, then g is isotopic to the inclusion X↪N by an ambient isotopy which is limited by r. As a corollary two close PL embeddings of a polyhedron X into a PL manifold Q are equivalent by small PL ambient isotopy if dimX < dimQ − 3 and if the embeddings are sufficiently close to a given topological embedding of X into Q. Some related results using a slightly weaker dimension restriction are also discussed, and some other corollaries are presented.
Course Grade as a Measure of the Effectiveness of One-Shot Information Literacy Instruction

SUMMARY In an attempt to gauge the effectiveness of their information literacy program, librarians at Stephen F. Austin State University began comparing average course grades in course sections that receive IL instruction to grades in sections that do not. The results varied, revealing no clear benefit to information literacy instruction. We discuss possible explanations for inconsistent results and suggest improvements to this methodology that may make it more effective.
Intravenous self-administration of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) in baboons

Background Abuse of gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) poses a public health concern. In previous studies, intravenous (IV) self-administration of GHB doses up to 10 mg/kg was not maintained in non-human primates under limited-access conditions, which was inconsistent with the usual good correspondence between drugs abused by humans and those self-injected by laboratory animals.
High-Sensitivity Mass Sensing Based on Enhanced Nonlinear Dynamics and Attractor Morphing Modes

This paper demonstrates two novel methods for identifying small parametric variations in an experimental system based on the analysis of sensitivity vector fields (SVFs) and probability density functions (PDFs). The experimental system includes a smart sensing beam excited by a nonlinear feedback excitation through two PZT (lead zirconate titanate) patches symmetrically bonded on both sides at the root of the beam. The nonlinear feedback excitation requires the measurement of the dynamics (e.g. velocity of one point at the tip of the beam) and a nonlinear feedback loop, and is designed such that the beam vibrates in a chaotic regime. Changes in the state space attractor of the dynamics due to small parametric variations can be captured by SVFs which, in turn, are collected by applying point cloud averaging (PCA) to points distributed in the attractors for nominal and changed parameters. Also, the PDFs characterize statistically the distribution of points in the attractors. The differences between the PDFs of the attractors for different changed parameters and the baseline attractor can provide different attractor morphing modes for identifying variations in distinct parameters. The experimental results based on the proposed approaches show that very small amounts of added mass at different locations along the beam can be accurately identified.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Countering Terrorism: Could Hezbollah and Hamas Show the Way?

Despite five years of concerted effort to eradicate it, terrorism has managed to taunt us continuously. Understanding terrorism and that which makes a person a terrorist is essential, but will not be enough. Dealing with terrorism is a multi-faceted problem reflecting numerous dimensions, peoples and cultures. To be effective, understanding must translate into wise policies, and policies into actions, carried out with judicious sensibility. The emotional desire to simplify terrorism as a characteristic of a certain culture or geographic region ought to be rejected as misguided and counter-productive. This article suggests a crucial distinction between leaders and recruits, and posits that terrorist movements with political aspirations may be converted. Two case studies, Hezbollah and Hamas, are briefly presented to illustrate that possibility.
VARIABLES AFFECTING INCIDENCE OF SELF REINFORCEMENT

Self reinforcement (sr), the administration of reinforcing stimuli by S to himself without external constraints, was investigated with regard to the effect of task and type of reinforcing stimulus. Each S received the same five tasks during each of two sessions. The tasks all involved a response followed by an sr (3 groups: with sr light, sr chips, sr rating scale). Two of the tasks were relatively unstructured; a second pair were less ambiguous and included a model's response to guide S; and the fifth was a verbal discrimination task learned to a 50% criterion. The results indicated: no consistent differences in rate of sr for the three types of reinforcing stimuli; increases in sr in Session 2 for tasks which showed a practice effect; rate of sr related to task with more sr when S agreed with the model's responses or the model was correct; and significant inter-session correlations on rate of sr for all tasks.
Solubility of fluorinated metal diethyldithiocarbamates in Supercritical carbon dioxide

Abstract Supercritical fluid separations of metal complexes in CO 2 have received little attention in the literature. This is believed to be caused by low solubilities of these compounds in supercritical CO 2 . The solubilities of several metals complexed with bis(trifluoroethyl)dithiocarbamate have been determined spectroscopi cally and their behavior in supercritical CO 2 studied using UV-VIS and FT-IR spectroscopy. Fluorination of the ligands in these metal chelates was found to increase solubilities of the complexes by several orders of magnitude.
Self-reported hyperarousal traits among insomnia patients.

Hyperarousal Scale scores for certain self-reported behaviors reportedly correlate with EEG arousal measures. We tested whether an insomnia subject group had different Hyperarousal Scale scores compared with hypersomnia, delayed sleep phase syndrome, procrastinator or normal subject groups. Compared with 139 normal subjects, mean scores for a group of 256 insomnia subjects was significantly 1.2 S.D. higher on Hyperarousal total scale score, 0.82 S.D. higher on React subscale score and 0.85 S.D. higher on Introspectiveness subscale score. The insomnia group median Extreme score was 2.25 times that of the normal group. These self-report findings suggest that insomnia subjects may be more responsive generally. All sleep disorder groups had increased total Hyperarousal scores, although these increases were accounted for by different scale items. The procrastinator group had Hyperarousal score patterns that generally differed from those of the other groups.
On the ranking of contingencies for on-line applications : extended formulation

Abstract In a companion paper (Electr. Power Syst. Res., 19 (1990) 207 - 212) performance indices for ranking of contingencies causing generator reactive power violations as well as the selection of real power (MV) injection contingencies adversely affecting transmission line flows were described. The aim of this paper is to improve on the development of the performance index for generator reactive power violations by including the prioritizing of these generators causing limit violations in the overall algorithm. Tests were carried out using the IEEE 24-bus network to compare the behaviour of this and improved indices.
Atomic inner-shell X-ray laser at 1.46 nanometres pumped by an X-ray free-electron laser

Since the invention of the laser more than 50 years ago, scientists have striven to achieve amplification on atomic transitions of increasingly shorter wavelength. The introduction of X-ray free-electron lasers makes it possible to pump new atomic X-ray lasers with ultrashort pulse duration, extreme spectral brightness and full temporal coherence. Here we describe the implementation of an X-ray laser in the kiloelectronvolt energy regime, based on atomic population inversion and driven by rapid K-shell photo-ionization using pulses from an X-ray free-electron laser. We established a population inversion of the Kα transition in singly ionized neon at 1.46 nanometres (corresponding to a photon energy of 849 electronvolts) in an elongated plasma column created by irradiation of a gas medium. We observed strong amplified spontaneous emission from the end of the excited plasma. This resulted in femtosecond-duration, high-intensity X-ray pulses of much shorter wavelength and greater brilliance than achieved with previous atomic X-ray lasers. Moreover, this scheme provides greatly increased wavelength stability, monochromaticity and improved temporal coherence by comparison with present-day X-ray free-electron lasers. The atomic X-ray lasers realized here may be useful for high-resolution spectroscopy and nonlinear X-ray studies.
Redundancy Allocation for Series-Parallel Systems Using a Column Generation Approach

An optimization method based on column generation decomposition is described and demonstrated for the redundancy allocation problem to maximize system reliability. The redundancy allocation problem is a well-known nonlinear integer programming problem, which involves the maximization of system reliability by selecting components and redundancy levels as part of engineering design. The proposed solution method is based on the formulation of a restricted master problem and generation of possible better solutions through a set of sub-problems. The main advantages of our approach over previously studied heuristic methods are that it considers the objective function directly without any approximations, it has superior computation time, and it is flexible. Flexibility means that there is no need for assumptions like convexity and linearity of the objective function or constraints, restrictions on the number of constraints, and restrictions on component mixing. However, it is necessary to assume that the objective function and constraints are separable in decision variables. Numerical results are presented and discussed based on previously studied examples. The overall quality of the solutions matches or surpasses most of the existing heuristic methods with less computation time in the majority of the presented cases.
Hydrated Acid Clusters

The nature of acids in an aqueous environment is fundamental to many aspects of chemistry. The defining feature of an acid is its ability to transfer a proton to water, but this seemingly simple process can be complex and highly dependent on solvation. This review describes studies aimed at obtaining molecular-level descriptions of acid-water interactions through the study of neutral acid-water complexes. Current understanding of the nature of hydrated protons is first summarized, and a parallel discussion of structural aspects of acid-water complexes is then presented. The nature of proton transfer, and its evolution with cluster size, is described. The review concludes with several examples that lie at the intersection between fundamental work on hydrated acids and important physiochemical processes in the atmosphere.
Field Significance of Regression Patterns

AbstractRegression patterns often are used to diagnose the relation between a field and a climate index, but a significance test for the pattern “as a whole” that accounts for the multiplicity and interdependence of the tests has not been widely available. This paper argues that field significance can be framed as a test of the hypothesis that all regression coefficients vanish in a suitable multivariate regression model. A test for this hypothesis can be derived from the generalized likelihood ratio test. The resulting statistic depends on relevant covariance matrices and accounts for the multiplicity and interdependence of the tests. It also depends only on the canonical correlations between the predictors and predictands, thereby revealing a fundamental connection to canonical correlation analysis. Remarkably, the test statistic is invariant to a reversal of the predictors and predictands, allowing the field significance test to be reduced to a standard univariate hypothesis test. In practice, the test...
The Effect of Training on Medical Students' Responses to Geriatric Patient Concerns: Results of a Linguistic Analysis

The results of a randomized, controlled study indicated that an experience-based educational intervention in which medical students interview volunteer nursing home residents significantly changed medical students' responses to two geriatric patient vignettes. Despite prevailing ageist biases, the intervention enhanced students' abilities to identify and respond therapeutically to hypothetical elderly patients' underlying expressions of concern and, furthermore, prepared students for patient-centered geriatric interviewing. The use of elderly volunteers to assist in practice interview sessions helps sensitize future physicians to the problems of aging and teaches them empathic communication skills.
In Search of Encephalitis Etiologies: Diagnostic Challenges in the California Encephalitis Project, 1998—2000

The California Encephalitis Project was initiated in June 1998 to identify the causes and characterize the clinical and epidemiologic features of encephalitis in California. Testing for >or=13 agents, including herpesviruses, enteroviruses, arboviruses, Bartonella species, Chlamydia species, and Mycoplasma pneumoniae, was performed at the Viral and Rickettsial Disease Laboratory (Richmond, California). Epidemiologic and clinical information collected for each case guided further testing. From June 1998 through December 2000, 334 patients who met our case definition of encephalitis were enrolled. A confirmed or probable viral agent of encephalitis was found in 31 cases (9%), a bacterial agent was found in 9 cases (3%), and a parasitic agent was found in 2 cases (1%). A possible etiology was identified in 41 cases (12%). A noninfectious etiology was identified in 32 cases (10%), and a nonencephalitis infection was identified in 11 (3%). Despite extensive testing and evaluation, the etiology of 208 cases (62%) remained unexplained.
Bullying and Internalizing Problems: Gender Differences and the Buffering Role of Parental Communication

Bullying is a widespread problem facing American adolescents. A better understanding of factors that may moderate the impact of bullying is important given its negative consequences for well-being. This study examines the association between bullying experiences and internalizing problems among a nationally representative sample of young adolescents. Additionally, we consider the ease of parental communication as a potential moderating factor in these associations. Using a structural equation modeling technique, results suggest that bullying is characteristically different for adolescent boys and girls and that its association with internalizing problems is stronger for adolescent females. Results also indicate that parental communication moderates the association between bullying and internalizing problems; higher levels of parental communication buffer adolescents against the negative influence of bullying.
Dielectric charging effects in electrostatically actuated CMOS MEMS resonators

Effects of dielectric charging on resonant frequency in an electrostatically actuated MEMS cantilever are experimentally observed over time and with changing bias voltage. Frequency sensitivity to bias of −11 Hz/V arises from non-linearity in the comb electrostatic force when the device is driven at 200 kHz oscillation. Frequency drift of greater than +200 ppm is observed over a 12 hr period when bias switches by more than 12 V. Borrowing from RF MEMS switch charging models, a device model is applied to the cantilever resonator oscillator system. These initial results inform design and compensation methods leading to decreased frequency drift and improved limit of detection for gravimetric sensing applications.
A mathematical analysis of the role of friction in occlusal trauma.

Abstract Statement of Problem. It is recognized that high or misdirected forces can cause occlusal trauma. It is also known that the coefficient of friction between contacting teeth depends on (salivary) lubrication and on the material surfaces in contact. Friction changes the directions and magnitudes of contact forces, but the exact influence of friction on occlusal trauma is unknown. Purpose. The purpose of this mathematical study was to ascertain the influence of changed friction (as a result of xerostomia or a restoration) on the forces experienced by contacting teeth and the temporomandibular joint (TMJ). Material and Methods. Equations were derived for the forces on teeth and the TMJ. To assess the effects of friction on these forces, a parametric analysis was performed in which the coefficient of friction between teeth was set to 0.0 (idealized frictionless contact), 0.2 (salivary lubrication), 0.4 (xerostomia), or 1.0 (some artificial saliva lubrication). Results. The computations indicated that a change in friction influences the directions and magnitudes of the forces experienced by teeth and the TMJ. The effect can be subtle or profound depending on the cusp angle and the direction of impending motion. Conclusion. Within the limitations of this study, the results suggest that change in friction between teeth, for any reason, should be considered a possible cause of occlusal trauma. (J Prosthet Dent 2001;86:636-43.)
Overview of Molecular Relationships in the Voltage-Gated Ion Channel Superfamily

Complex multicellular organisms require rapid and accurate transmission of information among cells and tissues and tight coordination of distant functions. In vertebrates, electrical signals and the resulting intracellular calcium transients control contraction of muscle, secretion of hormones,
The Moneylender as Magistrate: Nicholas Biddle and the Ideological Origins of Central Banking in the United States

Nicholas Biddle, the president of the Second Bank of the United States during its fateful battle with the Jackson Administration, was the nation’s first true central banker. He was also a prolific writer whose widely followed speeches, reports, and expository letters to editors and legislators made him the nation’s leading spokesperson for the rising power of finance capital. Relating Biddle’s little-studied legal, legislative, and literary experience to his better-known banking career, this paper considers in turn two fundamental problems of early American finance that Biddle confronted. One was a problem of regulation: while they were entrusted with quasi-sovereign authority over the money standard in the early United States, commercial banks could not actually control the circulation and value of the competing currencies they produced. Central banking, as Biddle conceived it, came partly in answer to bankers’ need to regulate the money supply as sovereigns once had. The second problem was one of representation: just when men of little or no property were gaining political power in the United States, and just when ordinary people were coming to rely on monetary transactions in qualitatively new ways, control over the supply of cash and credit was ceded to unelected bankers and faceless corporations. The logic of popular sovereignty appeared increasingly in tension with the sovereign privileges bestowed on state-chartered banks. Biddle’s vision of central banking arose, in large measure, in response to the ideological challenge of justifying the growing authority of banks and bankers in Jacksonian America.
Thermal Diffusion and Associated Stress Field due to High Speed Source

This paper presents a simple model of the thermal transport caused by a source moving at high speeds along an infinite half-space. The steady-state solution is obtained and examined to determine the effects of source velocity on the effective thermal penetration depth. The temperature field produced for a particular set of boundary conditions is then expanded to indicate how an abrupt temperature application can create a stress wave response incorporating the relationships included in a well-known hydrocode.
In Search of Mythopoetic Thought

The beginning of my career in psychological anthropology was concerned with cognition. Later I turned to matters more involved with emotion, such as dreams, shamanism, and imagination. Throughout, I had given serious consideration to a kind of thinking that has been variously described in anthropology as "primitive mentality," "magical thought," and sometimes "mythopoetic thought." I gave limited attention to the subject first in the context of waking dreams (Price-Williams 1987) and later in the context of imagination (Price-Williams 1997). The subject extended beyond the confines of anthropology into the domains of psychology and linguistics, indeed being touched on also by philosophers, proving more complex to deal with than it seemed at first sight. My contribution to this issue of Ethos summarizes further reflections on this subject. Turning first to matters of definition and philosophy, it should be noted that it was a classical scholar, Frederick Myers, who coined the term mythopoetic function at the end of the last century to refer to a kind of autonomous function of the mind to weave fantasies, while in a twilight state (Ellenberger 1970:314). Myers was not concerned with the targets of inquiry of anthropology, but his term opened the door for a more systematic investigation of the uses of spontaneous imagery. Ernst Cassirer elaborated profusely on the notion of mythical thought, recognizing like Myers a state of mind that hovered between the world of dream and "the world of objective reality" (1975:36), but insisting mainly on the identity aspect of mythical thought. There is a passage that is very characteristic of his line of thought: "Where we see 'representation,' myth, insofar as it has not yet deviated from its fundamental and original form, sees real identity. The 'image' does not represent the thing; it is the thing" (1975:38). This is a thought echoed much later by Michel Foucault (1973:67-71) in talking about symbols. When he stated that whereas for the contemporary Westerner symbols mean representations and are purely arbitrary devices of
Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli inhibits ileal sodium-dependent bile acid transporter ASBT

Apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT) is responsible for the absorption of bile acids from the intestine. A decrease in ASBT function and expression has been implicated in diarrhea associated with intestinal inflammation. Whether infection with pathogenic microorganisms such as the enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) affect ASBT activity is not known. EPEC is a food-borne enteric pathogen that translocates bacterial effector molecules via type three secretion system (TTSS) into host cells and is a major cause of infantile diarrhea. We investigated the effects of EPEC infection on ileal ASBT function utilizing human intestinal Caco2 cells and HEK-293 cells stably transfected with ASBT-V5 fusion protein (2BT cells). ASBT activity was significantly inhibited following 60 min infection with EPEC but not with nonpathogenic E. coli. Mutations in bacterial escN, espA, espB, and espD, the genes encoding for the elements of bacterial TTSS, ablated EPEC inhibitory effect on ASBT function. Furthermore, mutation in the bacterial BFP gene encoding for bundle-forming pili abrogated the inhibition of ASBT by EPEC, indicating the essential role for bacterial aggregation and the early attachment. The inhibition by EPEC was associated with a significant decrease in the V(max) of the transporter and a reduction in the level of ASBT on the plasma membrane. The inhibition of ASBT by EPEC was blocked in the presence of protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitors. Our studies provide novel evidence for the alterations in the activity of ASBT by EPEC infection and suggest a possible effect for EPEC in influencing intestinal bile acid homeostasis.
Survival benefit with imatinib mesylate versus interferon-α–based regimens in newly diagnosed chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia

A survival benefit for imatinib mesylate versus interferon-alpha therapy could not be demonstrated in the randomized study in newly diagnosed Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)-positive chronic-phase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) due to the high rate of crossover (90%) from interferon-alpha to imatinib mesylate within a year of study entry. We compared survival in 279 patients with newly diagnosed CML treated with imatinib mesylate at our institution (2000-2004) to 650 patients treated with interferon-alpha (1982-1997). The complete cytogenetic response rates were 87% with imatinib mesylate and 28% with interferon-alpha (P < .001). The estimated 3-year survival rates were 96% with imatinib mesylate and 81% with interferon-alpha (P < .01). Survival rates with imatinib mesylate were significantly better than with interferon-alpha within each of the CML prognostic risks groups. By multivariate analysis, imatinib mesylate therapy was identified as an independent favorable prognostic factor, after accounting for the impact of pretreatment factors (hazard ratio, 0.44; P < .01). By landmark analysis at 12 months, survival within each cytogenetic response category was similar with imatinib mesylate or interferon-alpha, suggesting that the survival benefit of imatinib mesylate (versus interferon-alpha in newly diagnosed CML) is through improving cytogenetic response.
Laser direct drive: Scientific advances, technical achievements, and the path to fusion power

Summary form only given. A family of simulations from several institutions shows the potential of Laser Direct Drive to provide the high gains needed for an attractive power plant based on pure fusion energy.1 Conventional designs show gains of 140 at laser energies of 2.4 MJ. Designs that exploit the deeper UV of a KrF laser show energy class gains (> 100) at 1 to 2 MJ. Shock Ignition designs offer the prospect of energy class gains with laser energies below 1 MJ. Shock Ignition, first proposed by the University of Rochester,2 has gains similar to Fast Ignition, but uses the simpler direct drive configuration without need for a separate multi-petawatt laser or complex targets. Using these designs we are developing the scientific and technical basis for laser fusion. We have a multi-disciplinary, multi-institutional program in which the key parts are developed together, coupling the science, technology, and fusion application. Advances have been made in all areas: two lasers (the Diode Pumped Solid State Laser, and electron beam pumped KrF gas laser), and the technologies applicable to both: final optics (grazing incidence and dielectrics); chambers, and target fabrication, injection and tracking. We have a three phase plan to take the current research to fusion power. Phase I develops full scale components: a laser beam line, target factory and injector, and chamber technologies. Phase II is a 5 Hz Fusion Test Facility (FTF).2 This could follow single shot ignition on the NIF. The FTF would have a -500 kJ laser and based on KrF targets could produce ~ 100 MW of fusion power. It would optimize the target physics and demonstrate integration. It would also be used to validate materials and sub modules in a fusion environment. Phase III would be a demonstration power plant based on the FTF, and would probably be led by industry.