cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AlPO4-supported rhodium catalysts. II. Determination of metal dispersion of Rh/AlPO4—SiO2 catalysts by TEM and XRD

Abstract The applications of X-ray diffraction (XRD) line broadening and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in determining metal crystallite size and size distribution in Rh/AlPO 4 —SiO 2 catalysts having wide ranges of rhodium loading were investigated. The average crystallite diameter, d v , and metal surface area were obtained from X-ray measurements, and cross-checked with the crystallite size distribution observed by electron microscopy. The results obtained in both experimental methods were in agreement. The rhodium surface area was linearly dependent on the metal loading up to 4 wt% Rh. This is a result of a change in the number of metal particles without remarkable change in particle dimensions ( d v from TEM). On increasing the metal loading up to 4–5 wt% Rh, a deviation from linearity is observed and the metal surface area increases more gradually.
Normal and tangential force-displacement relations for frictional elasto-plastic contact of spheres

Abstract In this paper, we present the data obtained from numerical experiments that are at the foundation of our successful elasto-plastic force–displacement (FD) models in both the normal direction and tangential direction of spheres in collision. We also present in detail how these data were obtained. Our numerical experiments are in the form of frictional elasto-plastic finite-element analysis of spherical particles in contact. We use the numerical experiments to observe the behavior of various quantities involved in the contact (e.g. contact-area radius, contact curvature, stresses, FD relations, etc.). This observation has helped us to devise an accurate and consistent model for frictional elasto-plastic contact of spherical particles that are used in granular-flow simulations that may involve tens of thousands of these particles.
Effects of buoyancy-driven flow and thermal boundary conditions on physical vapor transport

A 2D numerical model was developed in order to ascertain if reduced gravity conditions are beneficial to physical vapor transport (PVT) and to determine its tolerance limits to residual accelerations. This was solved using the PHOENICS finite-volume code. Reduction of gravitational accelerations to less than 0.1 g0 was found to be sufficient to suppress buoyancy-driven convection to an extent that diffusion was the dominant transport mode, whence a greater uniformity in the growth rate could be obtained. It is shown that a uniform temperature gradient on the ampoule walls causes the vapor to be supersaturated throughout the ampoule, potentially resulting in undesirable nucleation at the walls. A 'hump' in the wall temperature profile can be used to avoid this. The prevailing transport conditions determine the size of the hump needed.
Productive engagement of older Americans

As the US population ages, the capacity of the older population grows as well, with increasing levels of health and education. Older adults are also highly motivated to stay vitally involved in productive activities of working, volunteering, and providing assistance to family members and friends. Too often, older adults face barriers and disincentives to their ongoing participation in productive roles. We argue that the productive engagement of older adults can be maximized by increasing institutional capacity – that is, increasing the abilities of businesses, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and religious organizations to engage older adults. Through changes in policies, programs, and attitudes, we must loosen the connection between chronological age and opportunities for engagement in work and volunteer roles. Only by transforming work, education, and volunteer programs can we take advantage of the experience and human capital of our ageing society.
Mobile Phones for Maternal Health in Rural India

We present our findings from a mixed methods study of mobile phone practices of rural Indian women. We situate our study in the context of Projecting Health, a public health initiative we deployed in Uttar Pradesh (India) to target the dissemination of health information for mothers and newborns. Adopting the lens of feminist reflexivity, we reconsider our design of Projecting Health by factoring in the mobile media consumption and sharing practices of our target audience. We stress the importance of taking a community-oriented approach and show that although there are strict social conventions and patriarchal norms that constrain various practices of these women, they are able to exercise agency and mobilize help within their communities when needed.
Beliefs About the Rich, the Poor and the Taxes They Pay

. Beliefs about tax burdens are frequently distorted in the direction of the believer's economic self-interest, according to a study of 300 White women in the Boston Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area, of 50 of their husbands in a matched pairs analysis and of 25 Black women. Socioeconomic status is a consistently stronger predictor of the federal tax burden than is ideology, but neither is effective. The federal income tax component of the total tax burden is consistently overestimated. But there is a general tendency to underestimate the total tax burden of the poor.
MARKOV PROCESS AND CREDIT COLLECTION POLICY

This paper deals with the evaluation of credit collection policy alternatives, given the credit granting function. Credit collection policy determines the intensity of collection efforts and the timing for recognition of bad debts. The Markov Process is utilized to estimate dynamic cash flow behavior for available policy alternatives. For this purpose, both transient and steady-state components of cash-flow behavior are considered. Operational guidelines are outlined with the help of a single example. The strength of the proposed model stems from its a) consistency with the conventional capital budgeting process, b) modest input data requirements, and c) expediency in obtaining results.
Short-term test results for NTP noncarcinogens: an alternate, more predictive battery.

A battery of short-term tests used to predict whether or not a chemical is a carcinogen must be both sensitive (correctly identifying carcinogens) and specific (correctly identifying noncarcinogens). A recent publication [Shelby and Stasiewicz, 1984, Environ Mutagen 6:871-876] of results in four short-term tests for 70 noncarcinogens tested under the aegis of the National Toxicology Program (NTP) indicates that the battery of short-term tests lacked specificity. We have analyzed these results using the Carcinogen Prediction and Battery Selection (CPBS) procedure and calculated that the specificity of the NTP battery is indeed very low, i.e., 0.50. Using published data from NTP, the Gene Tox program of EPA, and the collaborative study of the WHO International Programme on Chemical Safety, we have constructed an alternate battery that has fewer false positives; this battery has a specificity of 0.80. Thus, the lack of specificity of the original NTP battery does not imply that no set of short-term tests is able to predict carcinogenicity accurately.
Choline biosynthesis by a preparation enriched in synaptosomes from rat brain

It is widely held that brain cells are unable to synthesize choline de novo, and that the only source of this compound for brain acetylcholine or membrane biosynthesis is the choline or choline-containing phospholipids taken up from the circulation1. This notion has been difficult to reconcile with observations2–4 that there is a net efflux of choline from the brain. Recently we5 and others6,7 have demonstrated that various preparations of mammalian brain contain enzymes, the phosphatidylethanolamlne N-methyltransferases (PeMT), which catalyse the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine (PC), using S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) as a methyl donor for the stepwise methylation of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE). The highest specific activity of PeMT was present in synaptosomal preparation5,6. We now report that rat brain synaptosomal preparations can also metabolize the PC generated by PeMT to liberate free choline.
Hormone Replacement Therapy Formulations and Risk of Epithelial Ovarian Carcinoma

Abstract Objective. Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been inconsistently linked to ovarian cancer. Estrogen formulations in HRT vary in their effects on estrogen-sensitive target tissues, such as the ovary. The aim of the study is to evaluate the impact of various HRT formulations and their characteristics of use on the risk of epithelial ovarian carcinoma (EOC). Methods. We assessed the association between the use of HRT and the risk of invasive EOC in women participating in a population-based, case-control study conducted in the Delaware Valley from 1994 to 1998. Cases aged 45 or above at diagnosis ( n = 484) were compared to community controls ( n = 926) frequency matched by age and area of residence. Information on HRT formulation, timing, and duration were obtained by in-person interview by trained interviewers. HRT formulations were classified as opposed (estrogen + progestin) or unopposed (estrogen alone). They were further categorized according to the estrogen component as either conjugated equine estrogen (CEE), the most common formulation, or non-CEE. Multivariate unconditional logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for age at diagnosis, number of live births, use of oral contraceptives, family history of ovarian carcinoma, and history of tubal ligation. Results. Overall, no association was found between any use of HRT and EOC. Although use of unopposed non-CEE was associated with a significant decrease in risk among hysterectomized women (OR = 0.17, 95%CI = 0.04,0.82), this was not true for women with an intact uterus (OR = 1.14, 95%CI = 0.44,2.98; P for interaction=0.049). No significant differences in EOC risk were observed for other HRT formulations. Conclusions. Our results did not suggest any consistent pattern of altered risk for EOC and the overall use of HRT by specific formulations of HRT.
Genitourinary oncology and its surgeon scientists: triumphant past, but does it have a future?

This article is based on the Society of Urological Oncolgy Whitmore Lecture that I gave in 2004. The somewhat rovocative title, I think, would have been appreciated by r. Whitmore. Although I knew him only briefly, he was ne of the wisest urologic oncologists I have encountered; ne who was always receptive to new ways of thinking. I believe that the surgeon scientist has been, is, and hould remain a vital entity for medicine and, thus, for both rology in general and urologic oncology specifically. As I ill subsequently explain, this belief is based on my own areer and on what I have come to realize about the illusrious history of surgeon scientists in many disciplines, ncluding urologic oncology. Yet, for many reasons that I ill describe, currently the survival of the surgeon scientist s an important influence in urologic oncology (and in edicine in general) is declining. Finally, I will propose ertain actions and attitudes that I hope can reverse this rend. For the purposes of this discussion, I will be talking ot about the clinical trialist or devotee of population scince but, rather, the translational surgeon scientist who, at east in part, works in a “wet laboratory” with test tubes, els, animals, gene chips, microarrays, and such.
Influence of disease severity and optic disc size on the diagnostic performance of imaging instruments in glaucoma.

PURPOSE. To evaluate the influence of disease severity and optic disc size on the diagnostic accuracy of three imaging technologies for structural assessment in glaucoma: confocal scanning laser ophthalmoscopy, scanning laser polarimetry, and optical coherence tomography. METHODS. One hundred five patients with glaucoma and 61 normal subjects were recruited from the Diagnostic Innovations in Glaucoma Study (DIGS). All individuals underwent imaging with the GDx Variable Corneal and Lens Compensator (VCC; Carl Zeiss Meditec, Inc., Dublin, CA), the Heidelberg Retina Tomograph II (HRT II; Heidelberg Engineering, GmbH, Dossenheim, Germany), and the Stratus OCT (Stratus OCT; Carl-Zeiss Meditec, Inc.) within a 6-month period. Severity of disease was based on the AGIS (Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study) visual field score. To evaluate the influence of severity of glaucoma and optic disc size on the diagnostic accuracy of the imaging instruments, the sensitivities of the tests were fitted as a function of the AGIS score and disc area, by using logistic marginal regression models. RESULTS. The severity of visual field loss had a significant influence on the sensitivity of all imaging instruments. More severe disease was associated with increased sensitivity. This influence was similar among the three instruments. With regard to optic disc area, larger optic discs were associated with decreased sensitivity for the Stratus OCT parameter Average Thickness and the GDx VCC parameter Nerve Fiber Indicator, whereas small optic discs were associated with increased sensitivity. For the HRT II parameter Moorfields regression analysis classification, an inverse effect was observed. CONCLUSION. The diagnostic performances of the GDx VCC, HRT II, and Stratus OCT were significantly influenced by the severity of the disease and optic disc size. These covariates should be taken into account when comparing the performances of these tests for glaucoma diagnosis.
Technical principles of direct innominate artery revascularization: A comparison of endarterectomy and bypass grafts

Abstract Occlusive lesions of the innominate artery that require operation occur infrequently. Direct repair has been performed with low morbidity and mortality. There is debate over the best method of direct reconstruction. Twenty-six patients undergoing transsternal innominate artery repair over a 12-year period were reviewed to determine if either grafting or endarterectomy was superior and what technical factors might be responsible for success or failure. Most of the patients were women. Twenty-four of the patients had atherosclerotic lesions, whereas the other two had Takayasu's arteritis. Either neurologic or right upper extremity symptoms were present in 24 patients. Sixteen patients had grafting, and 10 underwent endarterectomy. There was one death. There were no strokes or transient ischemic attacks. Three patients experienced recurrence of their symptoms; all had failures of reconstruction. The use of a bifurcated graft in one patient was probably responsible for one recurrence of symptoms. Single limb grafts with added side arms are probably preferable to bifurcated grafts. Innominate artery grafting and innominate endarterectomy are equally effective, although grafting is applicable to more patients. Direct transsternal repair is the procedure of choice to correct innominate occlusive disease in patients who are good candidates for correction. (J Vasc Surg 1989;9:718–24.)
Cell-free translation of a chimeric eucaryotic-procaryotic message yields functional chloramphenicol acetyltransferase

A vaccinia virus (VV) recombinant containing the DNA sequences encoding the bacterial chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) gene was constructed. The ability of the chimeric VV:CAT transcript to be translated in vitro into enzymatically active enzyme was assessed. Addition of mRNA isolated from the cytoplasm of VV:CAT infected cells to a mRNA-dependent reticulocyte lysate resulted in the synthesis of high levels of enzymatically active CAT. These results suggest that this assay may be used in concert with physical assays to study the expression and stability of chimeric transcripts in virus-infected cells.
Investigating the Invisible: Attenuation of Radio Waves

Students often think of light as only being the visible region of the electromagnetic spectrum. It is often difficult for students to visualize the electric and magnetic fields that compose light and that different frequencies of light have different wavelengths. This Activity helps students to investigate these concepts in an interactive and novel fashion. In this Activity, students investigate properties of radiation using a handheld radio. Students compare the abilities of conductive and dielectric materials to attenuate, or block, radio waves, and compare the attenuation of AM vs. FM radio waves.
Seismic Evidence for Partial Melt at the Base of Earth's Mantle

The presence of an intermittent layer at the base of Earth9s mantle with a maximum thickness near 40 kilometers and a compressional wave velocity depressed by ∼10 percent compared with that of the overlying mantle is most simply explained as the result of partial melt at this depth. Both the sharp upper boundary of this layer (
Interactions of energy and predicted metabolizable protein in determining nitrogen efficiency in the lactating dairy cow

Lactating cows are relatively inefficient in converting dietary N to milk N compared with the efficiency of N use for growth in simple-stomached animals. The majority of productive N losses occur in the postabsorptive system. The aim of the study was to test whether predicted metabolizable protein (MP) and dietary energy exerted independent effects on milk protein synthesis and postabsorptive N efficiency. If true, postabsorptive N efficiency would be expected to be greater when animals are fed high-energy diets. Forty mid-lactation cows (32 multiparous Holstein and 8 primiparous Holstein x Jersey crossbreds) were used in a complete randomized design with a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of diets. Cows were assigned to 1 of 4 dietary treatments: high-energy, high-protein (HE/HP); high-energy, low-protein (HE/LP); low-energy, high-protein (LE/HP); and low-energy, low-protein (LE/LP). Energy concentrations were 1.55 (HE/HP and HE/LP) or 1.44 (LE/HP and LE/LP) Mcal of net energy for lactation (NE(L))/kg of dry matter (DM). Changes in predicted MP were achieved by feeding diets with 6.6 (HE/HP and LE/HP) or 4.6% (HE/LP and LE/LP) ruminally undegradable protein (DM basis). Ruminally degradable protein was held constant at 10.1% of DM. All cows were fed the HE/HP diet from d 1 to 21 followed by the respective treatments from d 22 to 43 (n=10). Milk protein yield was reduced as dietary energy was reduced. Milk yield followed a similar pattern as milk protein yield. There was a trend for decreased milk yield as crude protein was reduced. There were no interactions between dietary energy and protein for either milk or protein yield. Plasma amino acid concentrations were not affected by treatment. Milk urea N was affected by energy and protein with a significant interaction (HE/HP=17.2, HE/LP=12.2, LE/HP=21.0, LE/LP=12.2 mg/dL). Nitrogen efficiency calculated from predicted MP supply was affected by energy and protein supplies with no apparent interaction and ranged from a low of 31% (LE/HP) to a high of 43% (HE/LP). The National Research Council model would predict N efficiency more accurately if a representation of the effects of energy on N efficiency were included in the postabsorptive system.
A psychologist's counsel on curriculum design

This paper was read at the Conference on Science Instruction in Elementary and Junior High Schools sponsored by the AAAS Commission on Science Instruction at Cornell University in July, 1962. Dr. Gagne's assignment was to set forth some ideas on curriculum development which would stimulate thought and discussion by the conferees. It is hoped that his paper will do the same thing for JRST readers and that their reaction will appear in Comment and Criticism in subsequent issues.
A Tale of Two Signals: Wnt and Hedgehog in Dentate Neurogenesis

It is now widely accepted that discrete regions of the adult brain contain stem cells that continue to generate new neurons. However, it remains unclear what molecular signals define the neurogenic niche and how such signals act on the heterogeneous cell populations within these regions. Here we discuss two recent studies that demonstrate the role of Wnt and Sonic Hedgehog signaling in neurogenic zones. Wnts act on neuronal precursors that mature and contribute to the dentate gyrus (DG), whereas Sonic Hedgehog affects the bona fide stem cells and transit amplifying cells (the partially committed progeny of stem cells). These studies further define how discrete populations of cells react to specific extracellular signals provided within the neurogenic niche to survive, proliferate, and form functional mature cell types.
In vitro metabolism and in vivo binding of benzo(a)pyrene in the California killifish (Fundulus parvipinnis) and speckled sanddab (Citharicthys stigmaeous).

Aquatic species in the nearshore environment are exposed to potentially carcinogenic and toxic hydrocarbon pollutants. The pathogenic activity of many of these hydrocarbons is frequently dependent upon host metabolic activation and deactivation patterns. To better understand the potential hazard of these substances to aquatic species, thein vitro metabolism andin vivo binding of the ubiquitous hydrocarbon pollutant benzo(a)pyrene (BaP) were studied in an estuarine fish (Fundulus parvipinnis) and in a benthic marine fish (Citharicthys stigmaeous) and compared to BaP metabolism and binding in mice. While significant amounts of the proximate carcinogen 7,8-di-hydro-7,8-dihydroxybenzo(a)pyrene were produced by the hepatic microsomes of both fish species, total binding of BaP to hepatic DNAin vivo was significantly less in both aquatic species compared to hepatic DNA binding in C57B1/6J mice. The binding of BaP to hepatic proteins ofC. stigmaeous, however, was greater than its binding to proteins in C57B1/6J mice. These findings suggest that this fish may be more resistant than mammalian species to the carcinogenic effects of BaP, but that they may be more sensitive to a variety of toxic effects potentially more damaging to a species than cancer which are also caused by polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Effects of vegetable production system on epigeal arthropod populations

Abstract Populations of epigeal arthropods were monitored in vegetable production systems under varying degrees of sustainable agricultural practices in Fletcher, NC (USA). Two tillage types (conventional plow and disk, strip-tillage (ST)), two input approaches (chemically based, biologically based) and two cropping schedules (continuous tomato Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.], 3-year rotation of sweet corn [Zea mays L.]/cabbage [Brassica oleracea L.], cucumber [Cucumis sativus L.]/cabbage and tomato) were employed from 1995–1998. A second study with tomatoes was performed in 1997–1998 to separate effects of pesticide use, intercropping and herbicide application. Pitfall traps (48-h sample period) were used at ∼25-day intervals to monitor relative activity of carabid beetles (Coleoptera: Carabidae), staphylinid (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) beetles and lycosid spiders (Araneidae: Lycosidae). Carabids and lycosids appeared to be more active in systems with ground cover. Trap catches of carabid species were not significantly affected by insecticide input, but trap catches of lycosids were lower in plots with conventional insecticide use. No consistent effect of tillage was found over time, although Scarites spp. were more active in minimally disturbed habitats in 1998. Two distinct patterns of seasonal activity were observed for carabid beetles and lycosid spiders. Ground cover generally enhanced abundance of carabids and lycosids, while tillage type, pesticide use and crop rotation had different effects.
Rhodanese folding is controlled by the partitioning of its folding intermediates

Rhodanese is used widely as a model for protein folding, since the enzyme as usually studied refolds poorly unless the process is assisted. Here, the influence of the partitioning of the folding intermediates of bovine rhodanese on the efficiency of its refolding has been investigated. Metastable intermediates can be formed during unfolding of the enzyme. The stabilities of these intermediates and the native protein with respect to chemical unfolding can be greatly increased by high concentrations of glycerol. The concentration dependence of the protein folding kinetics indicates that associative processes occur during renaturation. It is suggested that, during enzyme refolding, rhodanese undergoes fast collapse to an intermediate state I' which partitions to at least two other states (I" and I"'). One of these states (I"') is able to refold to the native enzyme, while the other state (I") is in equilibrium with I' and is prone to slow irreversible aggregation. Stabilization of I" against irreversible aggregation by glycerol results in increased yield of the protein refolding and a complex temperature dependence of the protein renaturation. The nature of the I" type intermediate has been investigated. Based on the fact that extensive hydrophobic surfaces are exposed during formation of the intermediates, it is suggested that partial dissociation of the two structural domains of rhodanese is an early event in unfolding. Interactions of different folding intermediates of rhodanese with the chaperonin GroEL were investigated, and the results suggest that the more extensively unfolded intermediates bind tighter than those that appear later on the rhodanese refolding pathway.
Special functions of circuits and systems

Abstract The polynomial solutions of the equation fy″ + gy′ + λy = 0 are obtained and classified for f, g, and λ certain second-degree, first-degree, and zero-degree polynomials, respectively. Applications are given illustrating the use of these polynomials in the construction of amplitude functions and system functions and in tree counting. In particular, all-pole and rational filter functions are considered which include as special cases the Chebyshev, Butterworth, elliptic, Bessel, and various transitional filter functions.
Lagrangian numerical simulations of canopy air flow effects on maize pollen dispersal

A three-dimensional Lagrangian random flight model was constructed for numerical simulations of maize pollen dispersion. The model simulates the paths of tracer particles which are interpreted as individual pollen grains, with particle motion determined by the mean flow and a stochastic turbulent velocity. The Lagrangian approach was chosen because it can be extended to complex flow regimes. The capacity of the model to simulate measured patterns of pollen deposition was tested by comparing simulations to measurements for a small maize canopy isolated within a large field of soybeans near Ames, Iowa, USA in August 2003. For this application, measurements from a single point meteorological observation were used to generate a surface layer wind profile over the maize canopy and surrounding soybean field. The method used to construct the wind field included development of internal boundary layers as the airflow passed from one canopy surface to another. The dispersion model produced spatial patterns of particle deposition that included the sharp near-source deposition gradient consistent with observations. The model tended to over-predict particle deposition near the source field and under-predict deposition at greater distances. Inclusion of the effect of the roughness difference between the maize canopy and the surrounding soybean canopy on the flow field was found to be essential for simulation accuracy. Agreement with observations improved considerably by including an approximation for vertical motions induced by changes in surface cover. These results indicate that the Lagrangian random flight model provides a realistic simulation of pollen dispersal from an isolated maize canopy. A more complete hydrodynamic model should be explored to better represent the influence of surface inhomogeneities on winds and turbulence.
9th international congress on isozymes, genes, and gene families: An overview

The 9th International Congress on Genes, Gene Families, and Isozymes marked a historic transition in the series formerly known as the International Congress on Isozymes. The name of the congress was changed to reflect the broadened scope of this field and the new directions in which it is moving. To recognize and promote this transition, a number of new features were incorporated into this congress. Accordingly, the broad-based program featured preeminent biologists from 29 different countries. A total of 350 people attended the congress. A special new feature of this congress was the Student/Fellow Program, which was designed to enhance participation by advanced undergraduate and graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This congress celebrated the progress that has occurred during the past 40 years beginning with studies of isozymes and leading into studies of specific genes and gene families. As we move into the next millennium, it is clear that our field is strongly positioned and will continue to be the focus of exciting and important new research.
A randomized study of contingency management and spirometric lung age for motivating smoking cessation among injection drug users

Even after quitting illicit drugs, tobacco abuse remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in former injection drug users. An important unmet need in this population is to have effective interventions that can be used in the context of community based care. Contingency management, where a patient receives a monetary incentive for healthy behavior choices, and incorporation of individual counseling regarding spirometric “lung age” (the age of an average healthy individual with similar spirometry) have been shown to improve cessation rates in some populations. The efficacy of these interventions on improving smoking cessation rates has not been studied among current and former injection drug users. In a randomized, factorial design study, we recruited 100 active smokers from an ongoing cohort study of current and former injection drug users to assess the impact of contingency management and spirometric lung age on smoking cessation. The primary outcome was 6-month biologically-confirmed smoking cessation comparing contingency management, spirometric lung age or both to usual care. Secondary outcomes included differences in self-reported and biologically-confirmed cessation at interim visits, number of visits attended and quit attempts, smoking rates at interim visits, and changes in Fagerstrom score and self-efficacy. Six-month biologically-confirmed smoking cessations rates were 4% usual care, 0% lung age, 14% contingency management and 0% for combined lung age and contingency management (p = 0.13). There were no differences in secondary endpoints comparing the four interventions or when pooling the lung age groups. Comparing contingency management to non-contingency management, 6-month cessation rates were not different (7% vs. 2%; p = 0.36), but total number of visits with exhaled carbon monoxide-confirmed abstinence were higher for contingency management than non-contingency management participants (0.38 vs. 0.06; p = 0.03), and more contingency management participants showed reduction in their Fagerstrom score from baseline to follow-up (39% vs. 18%; p = 0.03). While lung age appeared ineffective, contingency management was associated with more short-term abstinence and lowered nicotine addiction. Contingency management may be a useful tool in development of effective tobacco cessation strategies among current and former injection drug users. Clinicaltrials.gov NCT01334736 (April 12, 2011).
Gas permeability of highly oriented dibutyl maleate–ethylene copolymer films

The effects of extreme uniaxial orientation on gas permeation through dibutyl maleate–thylene copolymer films have been examined. Gases employed were helium, argon, and methane. Permeability constants were measured as functions of temperature between 25 and 55°C., in unstretched film and in films stretched to elongations of 490, 512, 540, and 608% (breaking point). Uniaxial cold drawing of dibutyl maleate–ethylene copolymer films into the stable necking region (elongation ca. 490%) causes only a small (30%) decrease in permeability and virtually no change in apparent activation energy of permeation; when the necked films are further stretched to elongations approaching the breaking point (ca. 600%), a significant decrease in permeability and increase in activation energy is observed. It is deduced that the major changes in crystalline texture and arrangement which this polymer undergoes in the necking process have only a minor effect upon total level of crystallinity, amorphous-phase properties, and diffusional impedance offered by the crystallites, suggesting that changes in crystallite orientation, perfection, and shape throughout the drawing process are compensatory. When necked polymer is further stretched, however, severe restraints are imposed upon the mobility of oriented chain segments in the amorphous regions, which are primarily responsible for the observed large changes in permeabilities and permeation activation energies.
Pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus in kidney transplant recipients: twice daily versus once daily dosing.

Tacrolimus a macrolide immunosuppressant that is routinely given in two equally divided doses every 12 h. However, the time-dependent pharmacokinetics of tacrolimus suggest that once daily morning administration of tacrolimus may produce appropriate drug exposure. The purpose of this pilot study was to compare the pharmacokinetics and safety of twice vs. once daily administration of tacrolimus in stable kidney transplant recipients. Steady-state tacrolimus pharmacokinetic parameters were estimated on two occasions in an open-label, three-arm, two-period sequential study: twice daily dosing (Phase I) and once daily dosing (Phase II). In phase II, 18 patients were assigned to one of three arms: those taking 67%, 85% and 100% of their total twice daily dose once in the morning. In phase I, the mean area under the blood concentration‐time curve (AUC) was higher after the morning dose, AUC 0‐12 117 ± 40 vs. AUC 12‐24 97 ± 30 ng/h/mL, p = 0.012. In the 85% Group, the mean AUC ratio between twice and once daily was 1.0 (95% CI, 0.9‐1.1) which predicted the best conversion ratio. Tacrolimus given once daily in the morning, at 85% of the twice daily dose, provides safe and equivalent drug exposure to twice daily dosing. This convenient dosing schedule may help to increase compliance and lower costs.
QueryTracker: An Agent for Tracking Persistent Information Needs

Most people have long term information interests. Current Web search engines satisfy immediate information needs. Specific sites support tracking of long term interests. We present an agent that satisfies a gap in these services. QueryTracker implements a search engine interface with state. A userýs query and a learned alternative is automatically submitted daily to a search engine. A profile of the userýs interest is constructed based on user relevance feedback. Daily search results are disseminated if they correspond closely to the userýs profile. Changed pages are checked for relevant additions.We evaluate the impact of generating the alternate query and assess alternative methods of filtering the results in a month long user study. Results show that QueryTracker is effective at disseminating relevant documents over a period of time.
Modal analysis of convection with axial diffusion

The one-dimensional model for convection with diffusion and with a source term for mass or energy generation or interchange is analyzed for the eigenvalues and the corresponding spatial eigenmodes as a function of the Peclet number. It is shown how the modal analysis of the source case, when the source coefficients for heat exchange and chemical reaction are spatially independent, is directly related to the no source solution. Numerical examples of determining the source term coefficient are included. These solutions form a base to discuss dynamic characteristics and stability and to which solutions for spatially dependent coefficients can be compared.
Misfit Dislocation Introduction During The Epitaxial Growth of Inas Islands on Gap

The initial growth of InAs on 11% lattice mismatched GaP substrates by molecular beam epitaxy was investigated. High resolution transmission electron microscopy (HREM) images showed that the InAs grew in the form of three-dimensional islands of dissimilar sizes. Mismatch induced strain relief was effected by the direct introduction of (mostly) edge dislocations at the corners of the islands. An examination of HREM images of several islands revealed that the island aspect ratio decreased with the introduction of misfit dislocations. Strain relaxation in the smaller, relatively dislocation-free islands occurred by elastic deformation of InAs lattice planes, which was more effective far from the constrained island-substrate interface. As a result, these islands grew taller and narrower, with a gradient in the elastic strain energy. However, a higher aspect ratio resulted in a higher surface area - to - volume ratio, and increased the surface energy of the InAs islands. Consequently, there was a driving force for the reduction of the aspect ratio if an alternate avenue for strain relaxation existed. The alternate route was plastic deformation by the introduction of misfit dislocations. As the island grew, the strain at the island corners increased, and beyond a critical value, misfit dislocations were added. These dislocations relieved strain at the heterointerface, and promoted the islands to grow laterally, i.e., the aspect ratio decreased. Islands coalesced, and a continuous layer resulted by a nominal thickness of 3 nm. Thus, the morphology of InAs islands grown on GaP was determined by the balance between elastic and plastic deformation.
Transcription Termination within the Iron Transport-Biosynthesis Operon of Vibrio anguillarum Requires an Antisense RNA

The iron transport-biosynthesis (ITB) operon in Vibrio anguillarum includes four genes for ferric siderophore transport, fatD, -C, -B, and -A, and two genes for siderophore biosynthesis, angR and angT. This cluster plays an important role in the virulence mechanisms of this bacterium. Despite being part of the same polycistronic mRNA, the relative levels of transcription for the fat portion and for the whole ITB message differ profoundly, the levels of the fat transcript being about 17-fold higher. Using S1 nuclease mapping, lacZ transcriptional fusions, and in vitro studies, we were able to show that the differential gene expression within the ITB operon is due to termination of transcription between the fatA and angR genes, although a few transcripts proceeded beyond the termination site to the end of this operon. This termination process requires a 427-nucleotide antisense RNA that spans the intergenic region and acts as a novel transcriptional terminator.
Precancerous lesions and an emerging model of endometrial serous carcinogenesis: clinical implications

Endometrial serous carcinomas (ESCs; also known as uterine papillary serous carcinomas) only represent approximately 10% of endometrial carcinomas [1], but are responsible for up to 40% of all deat...
The Socialization of Introspection and Illness Behaviour

The decision to seek medical care depends on the process through which individuals become aware of symptoms and interpret their significance, as well as the severity of an illness. Many social and psychological factors affect this process (Mechanic, 1978), but it has its roots in one of the most fundamental human characteristics — the capacity to think about oneself and one’s feelings. Because a symptom must first be perceived by an individual before it can be interpreted and dealt with, a reasonable hypothesis is that people who spend more time and energy introspecting will recognize and report more symptoms than less introspective individuals.
Neutron Scattering to Characterize Cu/Mg(Li) Destabilized Hydrogen Storage Materials

Cu-Li-Mg-(H,D) was studied as an example of destabilizer of the Ti-(H,D) system. A Cu-Li-Mg alloy was prepared resulting in the formation of a system with 60.5 at% of CuLi 0.08 Mg 1.92 , 23.9 at% of CuMg 2 and 15.6 at% of Cu 2Mg. Titanium was added to a fraction of this mixture so that 68.2 at% (47.3 wt%) of the final mixture was Ti. The mixture was ground and kept at 200 °C/473 K for 7h under H 2 or 9h under D 2 at P = 34 bar. Under those conditions, neutron powder diffraction shows the formation of TiD 2, as well as of the deuteride of CuLi 0.08 Mg 1.92. Similarly inelastic neutron scattering shows that at 10 K TiH 2 is present in the sample, together with the hydride of CuLi 0.08 Mg 1.92 . Interestingly, at 10 K TiH 2 is very clearly detected and at 300 K TiH 2 is still clearly present as indicated by the neutron vibrational spectrum, but CuLi 0.08 Mg 1.92 -H is not detected anymore. These results indicate that Ti(H,D) 2 is possibly formed by diffusion of hydrogen from the Cu-Li-Mg-(H,D) alloys. This is an intriguing result since TiH 2 is normally synthesized from the metal at T > 400°C/673 K (and most commonly at T ~ 700 °C/973 K). In the presence of CuLi 0.08 Mg 1.92 , TiH 2 forms at a temperature that is 300 – 400 K lower than that needed to synthesize it just from the elements.
Species-specific defense reactions and avoidance learning.

The prevailing theories of avoidance learning and the procedures that are usually used to study it seem to be totally out of touch with what is known about how animals defend themselves in nature. This paper suggests some alternative concepts, starting with the assumption that animals have innate species-specific defense reactions (SSDRs) such as fleeing, freezing, and fighting. It is proposed that if a particular avoidance response is rapidly acquired, then that response must necessarily be an SSDR. The learning mechanism in this case appears to be suppression of nonavoidance behavior by the avoidance contingency. The traditional approaches to avoidance learning appear to be slightly more valid in the case of responses that are slowly acquired, although in this case, too, the SSDR concept is relevant, and reinforcement appears to be based on the production of a safety signal rather than the termination of an aversive conditioned stimulus. Avoidance learning as we know it in the laboratory has frequently been used to "explain" how animals survive in the wild. The purpose of this paper is to turn this inferential process around and use the limited knowledge of natural defensive behavior to help account for some of the anomalies that have been found in laboratory studies of avoidance learning. Let us begin by recalling a little fable. It is a very familiar fable. It was already part of our lore when Hull gave his version of it in 1929, and the story has been told again many times since then. It goes something like this: Once upon a time there was a little animal who ran around in the forest. One day
Stoichiometric response of nitrogen-fixing and non-fixing dicots to manipulations of CO2, nitrogen, and diversity

Human activities have resulted in increased nitrogen deposition and atmospheric CO(2) concentrations in the biosphere, potentially causing significant changes in many ecological processes. In addition to these ongoing perturbations of the abiotic environment, human-induced losses of biodiversity are also of major concern and may interact in important ways with biogeochemical perturbations to affect ecosystem structure and function. We have evaluated the effects of these perturbations on plant biomass stoichiometric composition (C:N:P ratios) within the framework of the BioCON experimental setup (biodiversity, CO(2), N) conducted at the Cedar Creek Natural History Area, Minnesota. Here we present data for five plant species: Solidago rigida, Achillea millefolium, Amorpha canescens, Lespedeza capitata, and Lupinus perennis. We found significantly higher C:N and C:P ratios under elevated CO(2) treatments, but species responded idiosyncratically to the treatment. Nitrogen addition decreased C:N ratios, but this response was greater in the ambient CO(2) treatments than under elevated CO(2). Higher plant species diversity generally lowered both C:N and C:P ratios. Importantly, increased diversity also led to a more modest increase in the C:N ratio with elevated CO(2) levels. In addition, legumes exhibited lower C:N and higher C:P and N:P ratios than non-legumes, highlighting the effect of physiological characteristics defining plant functional types. These data suggest that atmospheric CO(2) levels, N availability, and plant species diversity interact to affect both aboveground and belowground processes by altering plant elemental composition.
Photoionization hole burning and nonlinear Zeeman effect in CaF(2):Sm(2+).

Persistent spectral hole burning has been observed in CaF(2):Sm(2+) and originates from photoionization of the Sm(2+) ion. This represents a new class of persistent hole-burning materials. We have used hole burning to measure the nonlinear Zeeman effect of the (7)F(0)A(1g) ? A(1u) transition at 695.8 nm with a resolution of ~100 MHz. We find a nonlinear coefficient of 0.93 Hz/G(2), which is close to the value of 1.0 Hz/G(2) calculated for the (7)F(0)-(7)F(1) interaction. This shows that the dominant contribution to the nonlinear Zeeman effect comes from the ground state.
Long range cooperative interactions regulate the initiation of replication in the Tetrahymena thermophlla rDNA minichromosome

The Tetrahymena thermophila rDNA exists as a 21 kb palindromic minichromosome with two initiation sites for replication in each half palindrome. These sites localize to the imperfect, repeated 430 bp segments that include the nucleosome-free domains 1 and 2 (D1 and D2). To determine if the D1 and D2 segments act independently or in concert to control initiation, stable DNA transformation assays were performed. Single domain derivatives of the plasmid prD1 failed to support autonomous replication in Tetrahymena. Instead, such constructs propagated exclusively by integration into endogenous rDNA minichromosomes and displayed weak origin activity as detected by 2D gel electrophoresis. D1/D1 and D2/D2 derivatives also transformed Tetrahymena poorly, showing similar replication defects. Hence, the D1 and D2 segments are functionally non-redundant and cooperate rather than compete to control initiation. The observed replication defect was greatly reduced in a plasmid derivative that undergoes palindrome formation in Tetrahymena, suggesting that a compensatory mechanism overcomes this replication block. Finally, using a transient replication assay, we present evidence that phylogenetically-conserved type I elements directly regulate DNA replication. Taken together, our data support a model in which cooperative interactions between dispersed elements coordinately control the initiation of DNA replication.
Least squares optimal filtering with multirate observations

The paper addresses the problem of optimal filtering from a least squares perspective when multiple observation sequences are available with differing sampling rates. In such cases, the processes are jointly cyclostationary and the resulting linear optimal filters are periodically time-varying. The data matrices for this problem have an interesting structure and we develop the form of the resulting least squares multirate Wiener-Hopf equations. Filtering results are illustrated for a typical example and issues of computation and amount of training data needed are investigated.