cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
An experimental comparison of urban children with suburban children on eight tasks of basic skills

About 1500 children from an inner city school district and a suburban school district were asked to perform eight tasks of basic skills. There were differences in the performances of the children. The differences depended upon the socio-economic background of the children. On many of the skills, third grade urban children were similar to first grade suburban children. It is for this reason that the inner city children in this study were considered disadvantaged and a program of skill development has begun. Inner city children must have experiences that will help them acquire the skills that suburban children have acquired before entering school.
p21WAF1/CIP1 is a common transcriptional target of retinoid receptors: Pleiotropic regulatory mechanism through Retinoic Acid Receptor (RAR)/Retinoid X Receptor (RXR) heterodimer and RXR/RXR homodimer

The divergent response and the molecular mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer effects of retinoid X receptor (RXR) ligand (rexinoid) therapy are poorly understood. This study demonstrates that ligand-activated RXR homodimer facilitated G(1) arrest by up-regulation of p21 in vitro and in vivo but failed to induce G(1) arrest when p21 expression was blocked by p21 small interfering RNA. RXR ligand-dependent p21 up-regulation was transcriptionally controlled through the direct binding of RXR homodimers to two consecutive retinoid X response elements in the p21 promoter. Structural overlap of a retinoic acid response element with these retinoid X response elements led to a high affinity binding of retinoic acid receptor/RXR heterodimer to the retinoic acid response element, resulting in the prevention of RXR ligand-mediated p21 transactivation. These data show that p21 is a potential and novel molecular target for RXR ligand-mediated anti-cancer therapy and that the expression level of retinoic acid receptor and RXR in tumors may be crucial to induce p21-mediated cell growth arrest in RXR ligand therapy.
Variable neural adaptive robust controllers for uncertain systems

A class of variable neural adaptive robust controllers is proposed. Essential components of the proposed controllers are raised-cosine radial basis function (RCRBF) neural networks that can vary their structures dynamically by adding or removing RBFs online. The compact support of the RCRBFs alleviate the problem of determining the parameters of the RBFs and can, together with a simple adding and removing algorithm, significantly reduce the computational effort in the training process of the network. The stability of the overall closed-loop system is analyzed using the Lypaunov type of arguments. It is guaranteed that the tracking error of the closed-loop systems driven by the proposed controller is uniformly ultimately bounded. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Dynamic Model for Assessing 222Rn and Progeny Exposure from Showering with Radon-Bearing Water

In homes supplied by water with a high radon content, inhalation exposure from the radon in the water may occur on two different time scales: (a) long-term exposure that occurs due to an increase in the background radon concentration from radon released during water use and (b) short-term exposure that occurs during actual radon use such as in the bath, kitchen, and laundry room. While the former mode has been the subject of several studies, not much is known about the latter mode of exposure. During water use, the radon concentration can be considerably higher than the background and varies rapidly with time. Most of the exposure occurs well before a steady state can be reached. The goal of this work was to develop a dynamic, size-dependent model for the radon progeny activity during showering. The model includes radon and progeny decay, attachment of progeny to the existing aerosol, recoil, ventilation, and surface deposition. The model is used to evaluate radon exposure during and subsequent to showering as a function of environmental and other parameters (such as aerosol profile, bathroom dimensions, ventilation rate, and shower duration). These results are used in conjunction with a recent dosimetric model to obtain the integrated lung dose as a function of time.
Deoxygenated blood minimizes adherence of sonicated albumin microbubbles during cardioplegic arrest and after blood reperfusion: Experimental and clinical observations with myocardial contrast echocardiography

Abstract Both administration of cardioplegic solution and blood reperfusion result in endothelial dysfunction. The transit rate of albumin microbubbles during myocardial contrast echocardiography may reflect endothelial injury. Accordingly, we performed myocardial contrast echocardiography in 12 dogs undergoing cardiopulmonary bypass and measured the myocardial transit rate of microbubbles injected into the aortic root during delivery of cardioplegic solutions containing arterial and venous blood and delivery of pure crystalloid cardioplegic solution. The myocardial transit rate of 99m Tc-labeled red blood cells was measured and perfusates were sampled for biochemical analysis at each stage. The microbubble transit rate was markedly prolonged during delivery of crystalloid cardioplegic solution and improved significantly during infusion of blood cardioplegic solution ( p p + concentration. The red blood cell transit rate remained constant regardless of the cardioplegic perfusate infused. Myocardial contrast echocardiography was also performed in 12 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass who underwent sequential arterial and venous reperfusion after cardioplegic arrest. The microbubble transit rate was faster with venous than arterial blood reperfusion ( p = 0.01), although this gain was diminished when arterial blood reperfusion preceded venous blood reperfusion ( p = 0.05). Our results indicate that endothelial dysfunction after cardioplegic arrest may be ameliorated by reperfusion with venous rather than arterial blood. (J Therac Cardiovasc Surg 1997;113:1100-8)
Effect of pink pineapple mealybug hosts on Anagyrus ananatis Gahan size and progeny production

Abstract Studies were conducted to improve the colony production of Anagyrus ananatis Gahan (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) when reared on the pink pineapple mealybug (PPM), Dysmicoccus brevipes (Cockerell) (Hemiptera: Pseudococcidae). Parasitization of large PPM (>0.85 mm length) by A. ananatis resulted in an almost 3:1 ratio of female:male offspring. A strong positive correlation (r2 = 0.8935) was found between PPM weight and parasitoid size (i.e., length). Male parasitoids were not as food limited as females when the mealybug host was small. Despite the ability of A. ananatis to parasitize all host stages except crawlers, gravid adult female PPM produced larger parasitoids with higher fecundity. Allowing PPM to continue feeding on squash following parasitization produced larger parasitoids. However, for A. ananatis propagation it is more efficient to remove PPM from squash hosts and size them (via sieving) before exposing them to the parasitoid. Mealybugs >0.6 mg in weight and >0.5 mm in size can be used for parasitoid rearing to produce female A. ananatis (>1.4 mm length) that exhibit fecundities similar to those for A. ananatis that developed on PPM that fed on squash following parasitization (∼28 progeny per female). Furthermore, to maintain an A. ananatis female-biased sex ratio, PPM hosts >0.6 mm (medium size) would be preferable for use in parasitoid colony production. The length and width of PPM mummies were good predictors of the sex and body size of the parasitoid contained within, and may be potentially used as important indicators of parasitoid quality and fitness in a mass production system.
Application of quasilinearization to viscoelastic flow through a porous annulus

Abstract The problem of two-dimensional steady laminar flow of an incompressible viscoelastic fluid through a porous cylindrical annulus with walls of different permeability is discussed. A quasilinearization method is used to solve the governing flow equations in polar coordinates for moderately large cross-flow through the porous walls. The numerical results are presented for large suction or blowing at the outer cylinder, for several values of the cross-flow Reynolds number and the non-Newtonian fluid parameters.
Comparison of different needle leads in EMG recording from a single site.

Abstract Single fibrillation and motor unit potentials have been recorded in various lead combinations by double-core concentric needle electrodes and double-tip unshielded electrodes. The results indicate that the conventional single-core needle is practically as valid as the monopolar needle in recording local muscle activity in the sense that any “distortion” of activity form at the shielded core tip is negligible as compared to the variability of potential form in blind monopolar or shielded needle placement. A general theoretical evaluation of needle electrode leads is described. The related physiological significance of the potentials they record is discussed as are the general advantages and disadvantages of monopolar, single-core concentric, and double-core concentric needles.
A characterization of dilation-analytic potentials and vectors

Abstract We characterize multiplicative potentials and vectors dilation-analytic in a sector as analytic functions from this sector into the space L 2 (Ω) of square-integrable functions on the unit sphere, which satisfy certain estimates at 0 and ∞, uniformly on every subsector.
First Report of Forsythia Shoot Blight Caused by Phytophthora nicotianae in Connecticut.

Blighting of Forsythia × intermedia ‘Showoff’ was first observed affecting several hundred plants in a commercial nursery in Connecticut in September 2012. Symptoms included wilting, leaf and stem blight, and dieback progressing to plant death. A Phytophthora sp. was isolated from symptomatic tissues on half-strength potato dextrose agar (½PDA). Colonies were white and cottony on ½PDA, reaching 9 mm in 15 days at 25°C, but colorless and inconspicuous on pimaricin, ampicillin, rifampicin, pentachloronitrobenzene agar (PARP) with sparse and limited aerial mycelium, reaching 60 mm in 15 days at 25°C. The characteristics of the pathogen were observed and measured from a 3-month-old colony on ½PDA. Sporangia were abundant, various in shape, ovoid, ellipsoid to pyriform or limoniform, occasionally gourd shaped or irregular; (17.9) 27.2 to 41.4 (47.3) × (12.6) 19.1 to 30.5 (36.7) μm (n = 30), length/breadth ratio 1.4 ± 0.2, papillate and noncaducous. Papillae measured 2.9 ± 0.8 × 3.4 ± 0.8 μm (n = 10). Chlamydos...
The Social Bases of Welfare Stigma

Use of the concept of welfare stigma suggests the theoretical framework of the labeling approach to deviance. In a review of issues from that literature, we distinguish between feelings of shame and expectations of liability as possible responses to a stigmatized role. We argue that the former reflects a more extreme internalization of the deviant label and use this measure of stigma in our study of the social bases of welfare stigma for a sample of Southern AFDC recipients. Our data show that education, age, and time on AFDC have positive net effects on stigma, while familiarity with a local WRO has a negative effect.
The Changing Role of the Assistant Principal.

While the assistant principalship may be the most dynamic, changing position in education today, it all too often is the most overlooked in terms of significance and prestige. That's the opinion of these writers, who look at what the position has been and what it could become.
Dispersion analysis of FTIR reflection measurements in silicate glasses

Abstract Infrared reflection spectra from alkali silicate glasses exposed to water for various times are analyzed using several causal methods, based on Kramers–Kronig (KK) relations between the real and imaginary parts of the dielectric functions. The results show that use of causal Gaussian dispersion equations works well in producing peaks in the imaginary component of the dielectric function that remain fixed in wavelength position and width during a surface leaching process. This allows accurate definition of the behavior of associated composition and structural changes in the glass surface. This method is suggested for non-destructive surface analysis of materials.
The impact of crime victimization on quality of life.

The authors review the extant literature examining the functional impact of crime victimization on indices of quality of life. They present findings within a conceptual framework comprised of role functioning, life satisfaction, and well-being, and social–material conditions, including crime-related medical, mental health, and employer costs, and health care utilization. The review indicates that crime victimization impacts multiple domains, including parenting skills, impaired occupational functioning, higher rates of unemployment, and problematic intimate relationships. However, data on relationships between crime victimization and overall life satisfaction were mixed, suggesting the need for further investigation. The authors conclude with a brief discussion of directions for future research.
Dimensionality of DSM-IV nicotine dependence in a national sample: an item response theory application.

Background: Research focusing on the development of a dimensional representation of DSM-IV nicotine dependence is scarce and prior research has not assessed the role of nicotine use criteria in that a dimensional representation, nor the invariance of the DSM-IV nicotine dependence criteria across important population subgroups. Methods: Using a large, representative sample of the U.S. population, this study utilized item response theory (IRT) analyses to explore the dimensionality of DSM-IV nicotine dependence criteria and several candidate criteria for cigarette use among past-year cigarette smokers (n = 10,163). Results: Factor analyses demonstrated the unidimensionality of nicotine dependence criteria and IRT analyses demonstrated good fit of the observed responses and the underlying, unobserved latent trait of dependence severity. The model containing all seven DSM-IV dependence criteria, along with the consumption criterion of smoking at least a quarter of a pack of cigarettes in a day in the past year, was identified as the best-fitting model. No differential criterion functioning was shown across sex, race-ethnicity, and age subgroups. Discussion: Major implications of this study are discussed in terms of the addition of a dimensional representation of nicotine dependence to pre-existing categorical representations of the disorder in the DSM-V, and the need for a nicotine consumption criterion to improve representations of nicotine dependence severity.
Introversion-Extraversion Measures in Elite and Nonelite Distance Runners:

In this study were examined introversion-extraversion scores of 25 female and 73 male marathon runners with different performance levels. An attempt was made to verify whether long-distance runners are more introverted than other athletes and population norms. Training mileage and running experience were examined for their association with introversion-extra-version. Subjects' scores were similar to the population norms for introversion-extraversion and no significant differences were noted between the successful and unsuccessful performers. A significant interaction of sex with performance reflected higher scores for the elite women.
Determining, Monitoring, and Verifying Patient-Student Involvement (ED-2) in a Psychiatry Clerkship: Preliminary Findings.

This article describes the process and preliminary findings that a department of psychiatry developed to meet a new Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) educational standard known as ED-2. At an educational retreat, 92% of faculty and 56% of residents who attended developed the types of patient symptoms all students should see and document during a 6-week psychiatry rotation. Data from the first three rotations were collected, including the opinions of faculty and students. Both faculty and students found the system easy to use. Almost half (46%) of the encounters were met through observation with a range of 12% to 81%. There was a significant inverse correlation between students who met encounters through observation and Shelf examination scores. The Required Patient Encounter card tracks the patients whom students are seeing, thus enabling the clerkship to meet new LCME educational standards. Future directions will include evaluating whether the categories of symptoms need revision and whether there should be a maximum number of encounters that can be met through observation.
Polycationic β-Cyclodextrin “Click Clusters”: Monodisperse and Versatile Scaffolds for Nucleic Acid Delivery

Herein, a novel series of multivalent polycationic β-cyclodextrin “click clusters” with discrete molecular weight have been synthesized, characterized, and examined as therapeutic pDNA carriers. The materials were creatively designed based on a β-cyclodextrin core to impart a biocompatible multivalent architecture and oligoethyleneamine arms to facilitate pDNA binding, encapsulation, and cellular uptake. An acetylated-per-azido-β-cyclodextrin (4) was reacted with series of alkyne dendrons (7a−e) (containing one to five ethyleneamine units) using copper-catalyzed 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition, to form a series of click clusters (9a−e) bearing 1,2,3-triazole linkers. Gel electrophoresis experiments, dynamic light scattering, and transmission electron microscopy revealed that the macromolecules bind and compact pDNA into spherical nanoparticles in the size range of 80−130 nm. The polycations protect pDNA against nuclease degradation, where structures 9c, 9d, and 9e did not allow pDNA degradation in the presence ...
Diameter-Controlled Synthesis of Phase-Change Germanium Telluride Nanowires via the Vapor−Liquid−Solid Mechanism

The ability to control the size of nanostructures still presents one of the biggest challenges in nanosciences. While impressive progress has been made toward diameter-controlled synthesis of nanocrystals via solution-phase chemical techniques, control over nanowire diameters grown via the gas-phase vapor−liquid−solid mechanism is still challenging. Diameter-controlled growth of nanowires have been reported by controlling the size of the metal nanocatalysts, which is a general technique. However, the complex dynamics of gas-phase reactants and their reaction with catalysts requires in-depth understanding of the effect of various growth parameters on the size of catalysts during growth, which makes diameter-controlled growth of nanowires challenging. Here, we report diameter-controlled growth of GeTe nanowires, which are important materials for phase-change memory devices. Recently, several groups have investigated phase-change nanowires for memory applications, but the ability to control their diameters h...
Analysis of Cascading Incident Event Durations on Urban Freeways

Incident-induced traffic congestion is a major source of travel uncertainty. Sometimes multiple incidents occur sequentially because of queue back-ups, which substantially increase uncertainty. Such cascading incidents can be grouped into one event because of their spatial and temporal proximity. Events consisting of a primary and its secondary incidents are expected to have longer durations than single incidents and therefore to result in larger impacts on traffic. Though relatively rare, such cascading events are a major concern for transportation operations managers, and they are the focus of this paper. A unique event database, based on incident and road inventory data from Hampton Roads, Virginia, is created. Single-pair events (one primary and one secondary incident) and large-scale events (one primary and multiple secondary incidents) are identified and analyzed. "Event duration" is defined as the time elapsed from the notification of a primary incident to the departure of the last responder from t...
Determination of genomic copy number with quantitative microsphere hybridization

We developed a novel quantitative microsphere suspension hybridization (QMH) assay for determination of genomic copy number by flow cytometry. Single copy (sc) products ranging in length from 62 to 2,304 nucleotides [Rogan et al., 2001; Knoll and Rogan, 2004] from ABL1 (chromosome 9q34), TEKT3 (17p12), PMP22 (17p12), and HOXB1 (17q21) were conjugated to spectrally distinct polystyrene microspheres. These conjugated probes were used in multiplex hybridization to detect homologous target sequences in biotinylated genomic DNA extracted from fixed cell pellets obtained for cytogenetic studies. Hybridized targets were bound to phycoerythrin-labeled streptavidin; then the spectral emissions of both target and conjugated microsphere were codetected by flow cytometry. Prior amplification of locus-specific target DNA was not required because sc probes provide adequate specificity and sensitivity for accurate copy number determination. Copy number differences were distinguishable by comparing the mean fluorescence intensities (MFI) of test probes with a biallelic reference probe in genomic DNA of patient samples and abnormal cell lines. Concerted 5′ ABL1 deletions in patient samples with a chromosome 9;22 translocation and chronic myelogenous leukemia were confirmed by comparison of the mean fluorescence intensities of ABL1 test probes with a HOXB1 reference probe. The relative intensities of the ABL1 probes were reduced to 0.59±0.02 &!ndash;fold in three different deletion patients and increased 1.42±0.01 &!ndash;fold in three trisomic 9 cell lines. TEKT3 and PMP22 probes detected proportionate copy number increases in five patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Type 1a disease and chromosome 17p12 duplications. Thus, the assay is capable of distinguishing one allele and three alleles from a biallelic reference sequence, regardless of chromosomal context. Hum Mutat 27(4), 376–386, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
H2O2 and genistein differentially modulate protein tyrosine phosphorylation, endothelial morphology, and monolayer barrier function.

The effects of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the protein tyrosine kinase (PTK) inhibitor, genistein, to modulate protein tyrosine phosphorylation (PTP) and endothelial barrier function were examined in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cell (EC) monolayers. H2O2 stimulated a concentration (100-800 microM) and time-dependent increase in the phosphotyrosine (PY) content of multiple (56-72, 93-97, 113-142, and 161-183 kDa) EC proteins. A size-selected solute permeability assay of EC monolayer barrier function showed that (200 microM) H2O2 elevated EC monolayer permeability to large solutes. This effect was associated with paracellular hole formation and a loss of beta-catenin immunostaining at these sites. In contrast, genistein (100 microM, 1 h) reduced basal PY protein content and reorganized F-actin to beta-catenin containing cell-cell junctions, enhancing endothelial monolayer barrier function. In addition, genistein prevented the H2O2-induced increases in tyrosine phosphorylation, monolayer permeability, and paracellular hole formation. These data suggest that H2O2 and genistein differentially regulate PTP, endothelial morphology, and monolayer barrier function.
Contemporary measures of attitudes toward blacks

This paper reports the development of two scales to measure racial attitudes in contemporary society. Racial attitudes are difficult to assess in modern society since these negative attitudes are often masked by rationalizations that purportedly do not have to do with racial prejudice. The scales reported here are adapted from earlier racial attitude scales-specifically, the "Social Distance Scale" (Bogardus, 1933; Westie, 1953) and the "Social Situations Scale" (Kogan and Downey, 1956). Both were substantially revised and updated. Factor analyses, validity measures, and reliability coefficients are reported for the two scales and the subscales. The subjects were university teacher education students and students in general education courses in sociology (N = 286).
Delayed tooth emergence.

1. Jeffrey M. Karp, DMD, MS* 1. *Assistant Professor, Division of Pediatric Dentistry, Departments of Dentistry and Pediatrics, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY. After completing this article, readers should be able to: 1. Recognize abnormalities in tooth emergence timing and order based on oral inspection. 2. Discuss local and systemic causes of delayed tooth emergence. 3. List treatment modalities available for management of delayed tooth emergence. 4. Determine when timely referral to a dentist is necessary. Delayed tooth emergence (DTE) is a clinical term used when exposure of a tooth or multiple teeth through the oral mucosa is overdue, according to population norms based on chronologic age. DTE is common in childhood and adolescence, yet it is often overlooked or dismissed in pediatric primary care. Timely screening and recognition of DTE by clinicians can minimize medical, developmental, functional, and esthetic problems resulting from untreated underlying local and systemic causes. This article provides clinicians with an overview of conditions responsible for DTE in children. Multidisciplinary care for patients who experience DTE in medical, dental, and surgical settings also is discussed. Human teeth develop through a series of complex, reciprocal interactions between the oral epithelium and migrating cranial neural crest ectomesenchymal cells of the first branchial arch. This process is tightly regulated by more than 300 genes expressed temporospatially within the jaws. Dental patterning of the primary and permanent dentition is expressed in three dimensions, exerting morphogenetic controls over tooth number, position, size, and shape. In the end, the normal primary dentition consists of three tooth classes (four incisors, two canines, four molars) in each jaw, for a total of 20 teeth. Thirty-two teeth distributed among four tooth classes (8 incisors, 4 canines, 8 premolars, 12 molars) comprise the permanent dentition. Tooth emergence, the clinical exposure of any part of a …
Measuring spatial focusing in a migration system

Equality indexes used in other geographical contexts may be used to gauge the degree of spatial focusing in an entire migration system or within the gross in- and out-migration fields of specific regions. They provide useful indicators of overall shifts in the patterns of interregional migration and can help give insight into the population redistributive roles played by specific regions. Perhaps the most common equality index used to measure income distribution is the Gini coefficient, yet it appears almost never to have been applied in migration research. In this paper we set forth a variety of Gini indexes to be used for different migration analyses and illustrate their application with recent data on U.S. interstate movements. We argue that the Gini index provides some singularly useful insights that differ from those afforded by other measures more commonly found to date in the migration analyst’ s toolkit.
Stability of Sputter Deposited Al-Cu Bilayers on SiO2.

An investigation of the stability and electrical characteristics of Aluminum-Copper bilayer films on SiO2 has been carried out. In this investigation, a thin layer of sputtered aluminum is used as a diffusion barrier/adhesion promoter between the copper and SiO2. The electrical performance of these structures when subjected to thermal cycles and applied biases is determined. The interactions and diffusion of copper through aluminum into SiO2 was investigated using both blanket films and MOS capacitors. Results are compared with those obtained from structures of Al and Cu metallization on SiO2. Samples were annealed at various temperatures in the range of 200°C to 500°C. Analysis using four-point probe resistivity measurements, X-ray diffraction, and Rutherford Back Scattering were carried out. MOS capacitors are used to establish performance under applied bias. Capacitance-Voltage characteristics of formed alloys are discussed. These results will be presented and discussed in view of the applicability of aluminum as the adhesion promoter for copper interconnections on SiO2.
Spectrum and thermodynamics of the one-dimensional supersymmetric t-J model with 1/r2 exchange and hopping.

We derive the spectrum and thermodynamics of the one-dimensional supersymmetric t-J model with long-range hopping and spin exchange using a set of maximal-spin eigenstates. This spectrum confirms the recent conjecture that the asymptotic Bethe-ansatz spectrum is exact. By empirically determining the spinon degeneracies of each state, we are able to explicitly construct the free energy.
Thermodynamics of proton dissociations from aqueous l-valine and l-2-amino-n-butanoic acid: apparent molar volumes and apparent molar heat capacities of the protonated cationic, neutral zwitterionic, and deprotonated anionic species at temperatures from 278.15⩽T/K⩽393.15, at molalities 0.015⩽m/mol · kg−1⩽0.67, and pressure p=0.35 MPa

Abstract We have measured the apparent molar volumes Vφ and apparent molar heat capacities Cp,φ for aqueous solutions of l -valine and l -2-amino-n-butanoic acid in protonated cationic, neutral zwitterionic, and deprotonated anionic forms over the ranges 0.015⩽m/mol · kg−1⩽0.67 and 278.15⩽T/K⩽393.15 and at the pressure 0.35 MPa. We have applied Young’s rule and have accounted for chemical relaxation effects to resolve our observed Vφ and Cp,φ results for each solution into contributions from the various species that are present. We have also calculated estimates of ΔrVm, ΔrCp,m, ΔrHm, and pQa for the two proton dissociation reactions for each aqueous amino acid over the same ranges of T and m using values of pKa and ΔrHm0 from the literature as integration constants. Our results extend significantly the detailed description of the thermodynamic behavior of these two aqueous amino acid systems.
Leptonic signals for compositeness at hadron colliders

Abstract We consider composite models in which quarks and leptons have constituents in common. Detailed amplitudes for subprocesses of the type quark+antiquark → lepton+antilepton are constructed sing the presumed similarity between QCD and compositeness/pre-color interactions. We demonstrate that sensitivity to compositeness scales, Λ, as high as 100 TeV to 300 TeV may be achievable at a supercollider with center-of-mass energy, s = 40 TeV . For moderate values of Λ (≦15−20 TeV) cross sections are several orders of magnitude larger than the background Drell-Yan estimate, reflecting the presence of the new underlying strong interaction. Furthermore, some models exhibit a resonant structure in lepton anti-lepton pair mass spectra, near M l l ∼ Λ , corresponding to heavy preon-antipreon composite states. If Λ is in the SSC range, compositeness would probably dominate the cross sections of most processes and could readily be explored experimentally. Finally, at SppS energies, s = 540 GeV , observation of lepton-antilepton pair mass spectra with no deviation from the standard-model Drell-Yan prediction at M l l = 150 GeV would place limits on Λ in the range 1.5 to 3 TeV.
gp39-CD40 interactions are essential for germinal center formation and the development of B cell memory.

gp39, the ligand for CD40 expressed on activated CD4+ T helper cells, is required for the generation of antibody responses to T-dependent (TD) antigens. Treatment of mice with anti-gp39 in vivo inhibits both primary and secondary antibody formation to TD, but not T-independent antigens. However, the role of this receptor-ligand pair in the development of germinal centers and the generation of B cell memory is as yet undefined. Using an antibody to gp39, this study examines the in vivo requirement for gp39-CD40 interactions in the induction of germinal center formation, as well as in the generation of B cell memory. Animals were immunized, treated in vivo with anti-gp39, and evaluated using immunohistochemical staining for the presence of splenic germinal centers 9-11 d after immunization. The results demonstrate that the formation of germinal centers was completely inhibited as a result of treatment with anti-gp39. Moreover, adoptive transfer experiments demonstrate that the generation of antigen-specific memory B cells is also inhibited as a consequence of blocking gp39-CD40 interactions. Taken together, the data demonstrate that gp39-CD40 interactions are critical not only for the generation of antibody responses, but also in the development of B cell memory. Chemicals/CAS: Antigens, CD; Antigens, CD40; Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte; CD40 Ligand, 147205-72-9; Membrane Glycoproteins
Using indistinguishability in ubiquitous robot organizations

As robots become more pervasive and ubiquitous in the lives of humans, they become increasingly involved in everyday tasks formerly executed by humans. Humans should expect robots to take on tasks to simplify our lives, by working with humans just as other humans do, in normal organizations and societies. This labor specialization allows humans more comfort, time or focus on higher level desires or tasks. To further this unification of relationships, the defined line between humans and other non-humans must become more indistinguishable. This ever increasing degree of indistin-guishability provides we care less about who or what executes a task or solves a goal, as long as that entity is capable and available. In this paper, we propose a model and a simple example implementation which minimizes the strict line between humans, software agents, robots, machines and sensors (HARMS) and reduces the distinguishability between these actors.
Integral formulae associated with the Euler-Lagrange operators of multiple integral problems in the calculus of variations

All known field theories of m-fold integral variational problems are based on Carath6odory's method of equivalent integrals; the latter result from certain integrands which are such that the corresponding Euler-Lagrange equations are satisfied identically for all field functions. However, the integrands used for this purpose are not necessarily the only functions possessing this property, and accordingly an exhaustive characterization is given of all classes of integrands which cause the Euler-Lagrange equations to be satisfied identically. The functions thus obtained are useful only if they give rise to independent integrals, which is possible if and only if one may associate with them certain integral formulae which are non-trivial in that the resulting (m-1) fo ld integrals over the boundary aG of the m-dimensional domain of integration G assume the same values for all field functions which coincide on dG, even when the derivatives of these functions differ on t~G. It is shown that each integrand for which the Euler-Lagrange equations are identically satisfied does indeed give rise to an integral formula which is non-trivial in this sense. Moreover, it is found that this class of integrands contains those on which the known field theories are based as a proper subclass, and accordingly it is possible at least in theory to construct far more general field theories of multiple integral problems in the calculus of variations. This is not attempted here; instead, the integral formulae are used to derive sufficiency conditions for optimal control problems whose performance index is represented by an m-fold integral and whose state equation is defined by a system of first order partial differential equations.
Darstellung und Struktur von [Mo4(OMe)2(OiPr)10]; warum dimerisiert [W2(OiPr)6], nicht aber [Mo2(OiPr)6]?

On suppose que la difference de stabilite thermodynamique entre Mo≡Mo 6+ et W≡W 6+ , peut etre attribuee a des effets repulsifs des noyaux, qui sont plus grands dans le cas de W que dans celui de Mo. Structure moleculaire
Women's responses to unwanted sexual advances: The role of alcohol and inhibition conflict

In this study we investigated how alcohol consumption affects women's responses to unwanted sexual advances in a hypothetical dating situation. Sixty female social drinkers participated in a 2 × 2 between-subjects experiment, which examined the effects of moderate alcohol intoxication and relationship characteristics on behavioral responses to unwanted sexual advances. Hypotheses were tested regarding the influence of inhibition conflict on intoxicated participants. As predicted, intoxicated women were more likely than sober women to consent to their dating partner's sexual advances in high conflict situations. Additionally, alcohol consumption increased women's estimated likelihood of responding passively. These findings aid in explicating the relationship between alcohol consumption and women's increased vulnerability to sexual assault.
The resolving power of a low-energy electron diffractometer and the analysis of surface defects☆

Abstract The angular distribution of intensity in a LEED diffraction spot gives information on deviations from long-range order in surfaces and overlayers. Such information is in part obscured by the finite resolution of the instrument. It is demonstrated that the instrument can detect phase correlations over distances on the surface far greater than the conventionally used “transfer width” but that this capability has little to do with the ability to resolve deviations from surface order. A quantity, “the minimum angle of resolution”, is defined to describe the resolving power of a LEED instrument. It depends, in addition to the shape and width of the instrument response function, on the accuracy of the measurement. This concept is applied to a variety of model surfaces with varying degrees of short-range order. It is demonstrated that the size of ordered domain that can be resolved depends on the type of defects present. Comparison is made with the traditional “transfer width” approach.
IMAGE PROCESSING METHOD TO DETERMINE SURFACE AREA AND VOLUME OF AXI-SYMMETRIC AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS

ABSTRACT An image processing based method was developed to measure volume and surface area of ellipsoidal agricultural products such as eggs, lemons, limes, and peaches. The method assumes that each product has an axi-symmetric geometry and is a sum of superimposed elementary frustums of right circular cones. The product volume and surface area are calculated as the sum of the volumes and surface areas of individual frustums using Matlab®. The dimensions of individual frustums are determined from a digitized picture of the product acquired by a Charged Coupled Device (CCD) camera and processed in Adobe Photoshop®. The volumes and surface areas computed showed good agreement with analytical and experimental results. The developed method proved to be accurate, precise, and easy to use.
Human Betaine–Homocysteine Methyltransferase Is a Zinc Metalloenzyme

We have overexpressed recombinant human liver betaine–homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT; EC 2.1.1.5) inEscherichia coliand have purified the enzyme to homogeneity. The Michaelis constants for betaine andl-homocysteine are 2.2 mM and 4 μM, respectively. Analysis of the pure protein for metals by inductively coupled plasma emission spectrometry indicate that the recombinant enzyme contains zinc. Extensive dialysis in buffer containing high levels of EDTA could not strip the protein of zinc. However, dialysis against buffer containing EDTA and methyl methanethiosulfonate, followed by buffer containing EDTA and dithiothreitol, could remove zinc from the enzyme with concomitant loss of activity. Dialyzing the zinc-depleted enzyme against buffer containing 1 M urea and 2 mM zinc, followed by dialysis with buffer alone, completely restored BHMT activity and zinc content. BHMT was also partially purified from human liver. The purest BHMT-containing fractions also contained zinc and the enzyme was kinetically indistinguishable from the recombinant enzyme. As with the recombinant enzyme, the partially purified human liver enzyme could be inactivated by treatment with methyl methanethiosulfonate, EDTA, and dithiothreitol. Reconstitution of the zinc-depleted enzyme completely restored activity. We conclude that BHMT is a major zinc metalloenzyme in liver and that cysteineresidues are likely involved in zinc binding.
On a multi-dimensional transport equation with nonlocal velocity

Abstract We study a multi-dimensional nonlocal active scalar equation of the form u t + v ⋅ ∇ u = 0 in R + × R d , where v = Λ − 2 + α ∇ u with Λ = ( − Δ ) 1 / 2 . We show that when α ∈ ( 0 , 2 ] certain radial solutions develop gradient blowup in finite time. In the case when α = 0 , the equations are globally well-posed with arbitrary initial data in suitable Sobolev spaces.
New Media and Politics: Some Insights from Social and Political Psychology

Many fascinating questions have been raised about the “transformative” influence of the Internet on everyday social life. Some research suggests that the Internet has a positive and transformative influence on many lives, but other studies suggest that this influence is overstated and not always associated with such positive consequences. This article briefly discusses some of these claims, especially those grounded in research from social and political psychology. It focuses on the extent to which the Internet is providing (a) an important and increasingly influential forum for acquiring politically relevant information and (b) a new context for researchers to study traditional social-psychological processes that may be associated with the way citizens enhance their political knowledge online and bolster their political attitudes and partisan affiliations. More generally, the article suggests that there are potential theoretical and empirical payoffs associated with studying online information-seeking be...
Geology of the Wisconsin Range batholith, Transantarctic Mountains

Abstract The Wisconsin Range consists mainly of a composite batholith of Late Precambrian and Early Paleozoic age. It is one of several batholiths that constitute the core of the Transantarctic Mountains. The batholithic rocks are flanked by the metamorphosed greywackes and argillites of the La Gorce Formation and the metavolcanic rocks of the Wyatt Formation that were deposited in the Ross geosyncline in Precambrian time. The metasedimentary and metavolcanic rocks were metamorphosed and partially reconstituted into granitic rocks during the Late Precambrian Mawson Orogeny. The resultant polygenetic batholithic complex ranges in composition from granite to quartz diorite, and has both foliated and massive facies. Some facies are characterised by abundant porphyroblasts of rapakivi feldspars. Tourmaline granite and porphyritic quartz monzonite make up other facies of the complex. The various facies have both gradational and intrusive relations with each other. Andesite dikes and plugs of hornblendite were ...
Antimicrobial Wine Formulations Active Against the Foodborne Pathogens Escherichia coli O157: H7 and Salmonella enterica

We developed wine formulations containing plant essential oils and oil compounds effective against foodborne pathogenic bacteria Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella enterica. HPLC was used to determine maximum solubility of antimicrobials in wines as well as amounts of antimicrobials extracted by wines from commercial oregano and thyme leaves. Activity of essential oils (cinnamon, lemongrass, oregano, and thyme) and oil compounds (carvacrol, cinnamaldehyde, citral, and thymol) in wines were evaluated in terms of the percentage of the sample that resulted in a 50% decrease in the number of bacteria (BA50). The ranges of activities in wines (30 min BA50 values) against S. enterica/E. coli were carvacrol, 0.0059 to 0.010/0.011 to 0.021; oregano oils, 0.0079 to 0.014/0.022 to 0.031; cinnamaldehyde, 0.030 to 0.051/0.098 to 0.13; citral, 0.033 to 0.038/0.060 to 0.070; lemongrass oil, 0.053 to 0.066/0.059 to 0.071; cinnamon oil 0.038 to 0.057/0.066 to 0.098; thymol, 0.0086 to 0.010/0.016 to 0.022; and thyme oil, 0.0097 to 0.011/0.033 to 0.039. Detailed studies with carvacrol, the main component of oregano oil, showed that antibacterial activity was greater against S. enterica than against E. coli and that wine formulations exhibited high activities at low concentrations of added antimicrobials. The results suggest that wines containing essential oils/oil compounds, added or extracted from oregano or thyme leaves, could be used to reduce pathogens in food and other environments.
Aleatory quantile surfaces in damage mechanics

Abstract In statistical damage mechanics, a deterministic failure limit surface is replaced with a scale-dependent family of quantile surfaces. An idealized homogeneous isotropic matrix material containing cracks of random size and orientation is used to elucidate expected mathematical character of aleatory uncertainty and scale effects for initiation of damage in a brittle material. Scope is limited to statistics and scale dependence for the ONSET (not subsequent progression) of shear-driven failure. Exact analytical solutions for probability of such failure (with an interesting pole-point visualization) are derived for axisymmetric extension or compression of a single-crack sample. A semi-analytical bound on the failure CDF is found for a multi-crack specimen by integrating the single-crack probability over an exponential crack size distribution for which the majority of flaws are small enough to be safe from failure at any orientation. Resulting tails of the predicted failure distribution differ from Weibull theory, especially in the third invariant.
Pregnancy and iron homeostasis: an update

It has been nearly 15 years since the first review on pregnancy and iron deficiency was published in Nutrition Reviews. Many unresolved issues raised in that seminal review have been addressed. New proteins involved in nonheme and heme iron transport have been identified in the enterocyte, and information on the roles of these proteins in the placenta is evolving. The systemic iron regulatory hormone, hepcidin, has since been identified as a key regulator of iron homeostasis. Additional data on the efficacy and consequences of prenatal iron supplementation are available. Emerging data on developmental changes in iron absorption across early infancy have further emphasized the need to ensure that the iron endowment of the neonate at birth is optimal. This is especially important, given growing evidence linking neonatal iron status with subsequent cognitive and neurobehavioral outcomes. Along with the many advances, new questions and gaps in knowledge have been identified. This review summarizes new data on maternal iron utilization across pregnancy as it impacts the pregnant woman and the iron status of the neonate at birth.
Monofunctional alkylating agent-induced S-phase-dependent DNA damage

Abstract Alkylating agents are S-phase-dependent clastogenic agents: Chromosome aberrations are not observed unless the treated cells have first undergone a replicative DNA synthesis. While DNA gaps resulting from misreplication off the alkylated template are believed to underlie aberration formation, the specific alkylated DNA lesions that produce these DNA gaps are not known. To quantitate the DNA strand break induction that results from replication of an alkylated DNA template and attempt to identify those alkylated lesions which underlie DNA strand breakage, [ 14 C]thymidine-labeled Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were treated with either N -methyl- N ′-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) or methyl methane-sulfonate (MMS) in G 1 and then allowed to progress through S phase in the presence of [ 3 H]thymidine. When analyzed at the subsequent mitosis, DNA strand breaks were found in the nonalkylated ([ 3 H]thymidine-labeled) DNA strand. This did not appear to be the consequence of any recombinational or endonuclease-mediated event and was more likely due to DNA gaps produced by incomplete replication off the alkylated template. A portion of these breaks probably result from a failure to replicate past 3-methyladenine. Differences between MNNG and MMS in the frequency of S-phase-dependent breaks they produce relative to the overall alkylation damage suggest that the O 6 -methylguanine lesion might also be involved in S-phase-dependent DNA strand breakage.