cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Compact, side-pumped 25 dBm Er/Yb co-doped double cladding fibre amplifier

A compact 1.5 /spl mu/m Er/Yb-doped double cladding fibre amplifier, diode side-pumped through an embedded v-groove, is demonstrated. A small signal gain of 47 dB, an output power of 312 mW and, separately, a noise figure of 4.5 dB are measured.
The contribution of evening primrose ( Oenothera biennis ) to a modern synthesis of evolutionary ecology

In this review, I consider the contribution that common evening primrose (Oenothera biennis) has made towards integrating the ecology, evolution and genetics of species interactions. Oenothera biennis was among the earliest plant models in genetics and cytogenetics and it played an important role in the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology. More recently, population and ecological genetics approaches have provided insight into the patterns of genetic variation within and between populations, and how a combination of abiotic and biotic factors maintain and select on heritable variation within O. biennis populations. From an ecological perspective, field experiments show that genetic variation and evolution within populations can have cascading effects throughout communities. Plant genotype affects the preference and performance of individual arthropod populations, as well as the composition, biomass, total abundance and diversity of arthropod species on plants. A combination of experiments and simulation models show that natural selection on specific plant traits can drive rapid ecological changes in these same community variables. At the patch level, increasing genotypic diversity leads to a greater abundance and diversity of omnivorous and predaceous arthropods, which is also associated with increased biomass and fecundity of plants in genetically diverse patches. Finally, in questioning whether a community genetics perspective is needed in biology, I review several multifactorial experiments which show that plant genotype often explains as much variation in community variables as other ecological factors typically identified as most important in ecology. As a whole, research in the O. biennis system has contributed to a more complete understanding of the dynamic interplay between ecology, evolution and genetics.
THE FORMATION OF NODAL ADVENTITIOUS ROOTS IN SALIX CORDATA

IT IS well known that stem-cuttings of certain willows, poplars, and other plants root very readily when placed under favorable conditions and that the adventitious roots usually appear at definite places on the stems; but no detailed investigation of the time and method of development of such roots has been published. Trecul (1846) studied the position of adventitious roots on cuttings of many species and suggested the possibility of the existence in certain species of primordia of roots in the stems which remain latent until the cuttings of these plants are placed under conditions favorable for the growth of roots. Vochting (1878) noted the regular arrangement of roots on cuttings of willow and other plants and found the primordia of roots in twigs three to four months old. He thought that the primordia must be present in still younger twigs, but too small to be seen. Van der Lek (1924) made a more detailed study of rootformation in cuttings of several species of Salix and Populus, in Ribes nigrum, and in Vitis vinifera and found root primordia in cuttings made in January, February, and March. In Ribes nigrum, primordia occur in three double series beginning immediately under the insertion of each leaf and extending downward through the internode; a few appear in one or more vertical series on the opposite side of the internode. The primordia lie outside the cambium. Those in series directly beneath the leaf are formed in those rays limiting the wood sectors which become the traces of the leaf in question; those on the opposite side are similarly related to the leaf next above. The rays are locally widened at the places where the root primordia appear. Each primordium is formed immediately under a lenticel. In Salix, Van der Lek found both nodal and internodal root primordia, the nodal ones "closely connected with the wide radial bands of parenchyma formed by the leaf strands leaving the wood cylinder." The internodal ones are similar in location to those of Ribes nigrum. In Populus, the root primordia are formed opposite the centers of the sectors which become the traces to the leaf above, rather than opposite the rays which bound these sectors. No pre-formed root primordia were found in Salix caprea, S. aurita, Populus alba, or Vitis vinifera. The present study was made to determine the time of origin and the method of development of the latent root primordia in nodes of stems of Salix cordata Muhl. Beginning early in May, when the buds had just begun to grow, shoots of this willow were collected at intervals until early autumn. Nodal regfions of shoots were prepared for sectioning in the
Multimodal Imaging in Autism: an Early Review of Comprehensive Neural Circuit Characterization

There is accumulating evidence that the neurobiol- ogy of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is linked to atypical neural communication and connectivity. This body of work emphasizes the need to characterize the function of multiple regions that comprise neural circuits rather than focusing on singularregions ascontributingto deficits inASD.Multimod- al neuroimaging — the formal combination of multiple func- tional and structural measures of the brain — is extremely promising as an approach to understanding neural deficits in ASD. This review provides an overview of the multimodal imaging approach, and then provides a snapshot of how multimodal imaging has been applied in the study of ASD to date. This body of work is separated into two cate- gories: one concerning whole brain connectomics and the other focused on characterizing neural circuits im- plicated as altered in ASD. We end this review by highlighting emerging themes from the existing body of literature, and new resources that will likely influence future multimodal imaging studies.
“Designer drugs” — A current perspective

Abstract Since the late 1970s, in an effort to quench the ever burgeoning appetite for pharmacological substances of abuse and to satiate their own need for profit, unscrupulous chemists have set up clandestine laboratories to produce and market new drugs for street sale. Using fairly common industrial chemicals, they have altered or modified preexisting controlled substances such as fentanyl, meperidine, mescaline, amphetamine, and phencyclidine, producing derivatives of these parent compounds that, up until 1986, were able to temporarily elude the guidelines of the Federal Controlled Substances Act due to their new and unique chemical structures. Unsuspecting users continue to use the drugs recreationally. This article will present a comprehensive review of these “Designer Drugs” looking at historical data, pharmacokinetics, treatment, abuse trends, and some of the more recent additions to the social pharmacopoeia.
Seasonal cycling of sulfur and iron in porewaters of a Delaware salt marsh

An extensive pore water data set has been gathered in the Great Marsh, Delaware over various seasons, salinities, and tides. The data all point to a complimentary redox cycle for sulfur and iron which operates seasonally and tidally. Surface oxidizing conditions prevail in summer, with more reducing conditions at depth during the winter. During the spring tides which flood the marsh, pyrite oxidation occurs releasing excess dissolved iron (II) and sulfate to the porewaters, and precipitating authigenic solid iron phases. The redox conditions in the porewaters of the upper zone during the summer is poised between mildly oxidizing and mildly reducing conditions as shown by pE calculations. This redox environment and intermediate iron-sulfur redox species may be important for the stimulation of plant growth (photosynthesis) and sustenance of a viable microbial community (heterotrophy and chemoautropy).
Vision models for 3D surfaces

Different approaches to computational stereo to represent human stereo vision have been developed over the past two decades. The Marr-Poggio theory of human stereo vision is probably the most widely accepted model of the human stereo vision. However, recently developed motion stereo models which use a sequence of images taken by either a moving camera or a moving object provide an alternative method of achieving multi-resolution matching without the use of Laplacian of Gaussian operators. While using image sequences, the baseline between two camera positions for a image pair is changed for the subsequent image pair so as to achieve different resolution for each image pair. Having different baselines also avoids the inherent occlusion problem in stereo vision models. The advantage of using multi-resolution images acquired by camera positioned at different baselines over those acquired by LOG operators is that one does not have to encounter spurious edges often created by zero-crossings in the LOG operated images. Therefore in designing a computer vision system, a motion stereo model is more appropriate than a stereo vision model. However, in some applications where only a stereo pair of images are available, recovery of 3D surfaces of natural scenes are possible in a computationally efficient manner by using cepstrum matching and regularization techniques. Section 2 of this paper describes a motion stereo model using multi-scale cepstrum matching for the detection of disparity between image pairs in a sequence of images and subsequent recovery of 3D surfaces from depth-map obtained by a non convergent triangulation technique. Section 3 presents a 3D surface recovery technique from a stereo pair using cepstrum matching for disparity detection and cubic B-splines for surface smoothing. Section 4 contains the results of 3D surface recovery using both of the techniques mentioned above. Section 5 discusses the merit of 2D cepstrum matching and cubic B-spline interpolation for 3D surface recovery either by motion stereo model or stereo vision model implemented in a machine vision system.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Relation of seed weight to grain yields in oats, Avena sativa L.

We measured yielding ability and weight per 100 seeds in 7 populations of oat lines, each derived from a different cross. The association between these two traits was curvilinear, with maximum yields occurring when 100-seed weights were between 2.75 and 3.10 g. In a simulated selection experiment conducted on a bulk population of 150 oat lines (i.e. only lines with seed weight between 2.75 and 3.10 g per 100 seeds were saved), the proportion of superior yielding lines was increased from 16% in the original to 32% in the new one. In the 100-seed weight class below 2.75 g, the proportion of high yielding lines was only 5%.
Longitudinal platelet reactivity to acute psychological stress among older men and women

Platelet reactivity to acute stress is associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk; however, little research exists to provide systematic methodological foundations needed to generate strong longitudinal research designs. Study objectives were: 1) to evaluate whether markers of platelet function increase in response to an acute psychological stress test among older adults, 2) to establish whether reactivity remains robust upon repeated administration (i.e. three occasions approximately 1 year apart), and 3) to evaluate whether two different acute speech stress tasks elicit similar platelet responses. The 149 subjects (mean age 71 years) gave a brief impromptu speech on one of two randomly assigned topics involving interpersonal conflict. Blood samples drawn at baseline and post-speech were assayed using flow cytometry for platelet responses on three outcomes (% aggregates, % P-selectin expression, and % fibrinogen receptor expression). Three-level hierarchical linear modeling analyses revealed significant stress-induced increases in platelet activation on all outcomes (p < 0.001). No significant habituation on any measure was found. Additional reactivity differences were associated with male gender, history of myocardial infarction, and use of aspirin, statins, and antidepressants. The results demonstrate that laboratory acute stress tests continued to produce robust platelet reactivity on three activation markers among older adults over 3 years.
Ozonolysis of surface-adsorbed methoxyphenols: kinetics of aromatic ring cleavage vs. alkene side-chain oxidation

Abstract. Lignin pyrolysis products, which include a variety of substituted methoxyphenols, constitute a major component of organics released by biomass combustion, and may play a central role in the formation of atmospheric brown carbon. Understanding the atmospheric fate of these compounds upon exposure to trace gases is therefore critical to predicting the chemical and physical properties of biomass burning aerosol. We used diffuse reflectance infrared spectroscopy to monitor the heterogeneous ozonolysis of 4-propylguaiacol, eugenol, and isoeugenol adsorbed on NaCl and α-Al2O3 substrates. Adsorption of gaseous methoxyphenols onto these substrates produced near-monolayer surface concentrations of 3 × 1018 molecules m−2. The subsequent dark heterogeneous ozonolysis of adsorbed 4-propylguaiacol cleaved the aromatic ring between the methoxy and phenol groups with the product conclusively identified by GC-MS and 1H-NMR. Kinetic analysis of eugenol and isoeugenol dark ozonolysis also suggested the formation of ring-cleaved products, although ozonolysis of the unsaturated substituent groups forming carboxylic acids and aldehydes was an order of magnitude faster. Average uptake coefficients for NaCl-adsorbed methoxyphenols were γ = 2.3 (± 0.8) × 10−7 and 2 (± 1) × 10−6 for ozonolysis of the aromatic ring and the unsaturated side chain, respectively, and reactions on α-Al2O3 were approximately two times slower. UV–visible radiation (λ > 300 nm) enhanced eugenol ozonolysis of the aromatic ring by a factor of 4(± 1) but had no effect on ozonolysis of the alkene side chain.
The importance of feeling understood in marital conversations about end-of-life health care

This study investigates processes within marital discussions about end-of-life medical treatment preferences. The associations among marital quality, the perception of having been understood following discussion, and intentions for whom to appoint as a health care surrogate are addressed. Data from 2,969 white married couples in their mid-60s are analyzed. Four-fifths of primary respondents reported that their partners understood their preferences extremely well. Primary respondents’ perceptions of high marital quality were associated with feeling extremely well understood. In turn, feeling understood partially mediated the relationship between perceptions of marital quality and the intention to appoint the partner as durable power of attorney for health care (DPAHC). Implications for research on marital communication and quality end-of-life health care are discussed.
Stability in forest lepidopteran communities: how sensitive are pest species to experimental forest management?

We tested how abundance shifts in lepidopteran species might impact two different aspects of moth community structure within managed forest stands of Morgan-Monroe State Forest, Indiana. Significant changes in species abundance and species richness were observed post-harvest. Sudden eruptions in abundance, however, were not observed at the scale of the regional forest moth metacommunity. The form of the species-abundance distribution within most forest stands did not deviate from the best-fit log-normal model across all three sampling years. Abundance shifts thus appeared to be spatially extensive, low density events. Frequency of stands occupied by early seral moths increased significantly post-harvest. Several species with larvae known to be row crop or forage pests were widespread throughout Morgan-Monroe State Forest (Ostrinia nubilialis, Hypsopygia costalis, Noctua pronuba, Helicoverpa zea) 2 years post-logging. Potential canopy defoliators were negatively affected by time since harvest even in unmanaged stands suggesting that outbreaks may not be expected as a consequence of harvest disturbance. This suggests that pre-harvest abundance is not a good predictor of a species' resilience to forest management. Importantly, weather-related stochastic changes in abundance might obscure forestry effects.
Inflammasome and IL-1β-Mediated Disorders

The NLRP3 inflammasome is an intracellular complex that regulates the release of proinflammatory cytokines such as interleukin-1β in response to exogenous pathogens and endogenous danger signals. Evidence from studies involving human genetics, human ex vivo mononuclear cell responses, and in vivo and in vitro murine models confirms the importance of the inflammasome and interleukin-1β in the pathogenesis of several inherited and complex diseases. The availability of several effective interleukin-1β targeted therapies has allowed for successful proof-of-concept studies in several of these disorders. However, many other diseases are likely to be mediated by the inflammasome and interleukin-1β, providing additional targets in the future.
The first modern codification of the Law of War: Francis Lieber and General Orders No. 100

It is unprofitable to indulge in much speculation concerning Lieber's sources for the Code. Since he had been a student of the law of war for at least a quarter of a century before the Instructions were promulgated, his primary source was Lieber reinforced with the notes and files that he had painstakingly built up during his teaching career. Under such circumstances, one can only mention his likes and dislikes. Chief among the latter were both Lawrence's Wheaton and “old” Vattel, whom he characterized as “Father Namby-Pamby”. Halleck's International Law was naturally looked upon with great favor, the more so because Halleck had drawn on Lieber's Political Ethics. Lieber probably relied heavily on Heffter's Das Europaische Volkerrecht der Gegenwart. He also consulted Grotius, Bynkershoek, and Pufendorff among the classical writers. In his library or mentioned in his works are books by a host of names, many of them long since forgotten : Zachariae, Trendlenburg, von Martens, Phillimore, Mackintosh, Whewell, Foelix, von Mohl, Bluntschli (a close friend of Lieber), Bernard, Kennedy, Kluber, Pinheiro-Ferreira, Kent, and Theodore Dwight Woolsey.
Design of reconfigurable slot antennas

In this paper the design of a compact, efficient and electronically tunable antenna is presented. A single-fed resonant slot loaded with a series of PIN diode switches constitute the fundamental structure of the antenna. The antenna tuning is realized by changing its effective electrical length, which is controlled by the bias voltages of the solid state shunt switches along the slot antenna. Although the design is based on a resonant configuration, an effective bandwidth of 1.7:1 is obtained through this tuning without requiring a reconfigurable matching network. Four resonant frequencies from 540-890 MHz are selected in this bandwidth and very good matching is achieved for all resonant frequencies. Theoretical and experimental behavior of the antenna parameters is presented and it is demonstrated that the radiation pattern, efficiency and polarization state of the antenna remain essentially unaffected by the frequency tuning
Development and Demonstration of a Prototype Free Flight Cockpit Display of Traffic Information

Two versions of a prototype Free Flight cockpit situational display (Basic and Enhanced) were examined in a simulation at the NASA Ames Research Center. Both displays presented a display of traffic out to a range of 120 NM, and an alert when the automation detected a substantial danger of losing separation with another aircraft. The task for the crews was to detect and resolve threats to separation posed by intruder aircraft. An Enhanced version of the display was also examined. It incorporated two additional conflict alerting levels and tools to aid in trajectory prediction and path planning. Ten crews from a major airline participated in the study. Performance analyses and pilot debriefings showed that the Enhanced display was preferred, and that minimal separation between the intruder and the ownship was larger with the Enhanced display. In addition, the additional information on the Enhanced display did not lead crews to engage in more maneuvering. Instead an opposite trend was indicated. Finally, crews using the Enhanced display responded more proactively, tending to resolve alerts earlier.
Class, Curriculum, and the Writing of History: A Rejoinder to Wilson

(1991). Class, Curriculum, and the Writing of History: A Rejoinder to Wilson. Curriculum Inquiry: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 223-230.
Update on antiangiogenic therapy in colorectal cancer: aflibercept and regorafenib.

Angiogenesis plays an important role in colorectal carcinogenesis and approaches targeting the vascular growth factor receptor (VEGF) signaling such as bevacizumab yielded significant survival improvement for metastatic colorectal cancer patients. Recent evidence demonstrated the benefit of continuing angiogenic suppression after first-progression following bevacizumab-containing cytotoxic regimen though no benefit was observed with the use of bevacizumab in adjuvant setting. Aflibercept, a soluble fusion protein with high affinity for VEGF-A, -B and PlGF, administered in combination with irinotecan-containing regimen improved the survival of metastatic colorectal cancer patients in second-line setting (VELOUR trial). Regorafenib, a small molecule multikinase inhibitor against various pro-angiogenic and –proliferation targets, improved the survival of metastatic colorectal cancer patients who had progressed on all standard therapy. These developments had renewed enthusiasm in the field and the role of aflibercept and regorafenib in other treatment settings will continue to be defined by on-going and future clinical trials. As other anti-angiogenic approaches are being tested clinically, other novel non-angiogenic targets deserve to be evaluated in our effort to improve the outcome of colorectal cancer patients.
Cis Regulatory Effects on A-to-I RNA Editing in Related Drosophila Species

SUMMARY Adenosine-to-inosine RNA editing modifies maturing mRNAs through the binding of adenosine deaminase acting on RNA (Adar) proteins to double-stranded RNA structures in a process critical for neuronal function. Editing levels at individual editing sites span a broad range and are mediated by both cis-acting elements (surrounding RNA sequence and secondary structure) and trans-acting factors. Here, we aim to determine the roles that cis-acting elements and trans-acting factors play in regulating editing levels. Using two closely related Drosophila species, D. melanogaster and D. sechellia, and their F1 hybrids, we dissect the effects of cis sequences from trans regulators on editing levels by comparing species-specific editing in parents and their hybrids. We report that cis sequence differences are largely responsible for editing level differences between these two Drosophila species. This study presents evidence for cis sequence and structure changes as the dominant evolutionary force that modulates RNA editing levels between these Drosophila species.
Interactive Sonification: Aesthetics, Functionality and Performance

The authors present a sonification installation that allows a group of players to interact with an auditory display of neural activity. The system is designed to represent electrical spike propagation in a neuron culture through sound propagation in space. Participants can simulate neural spikes by using a set of specially designed controllers, experimenting and sonically investigating the electrical activity of the brain. The article discusses some aesthetic and functional aspects of sonification and describes the authors’ approach for group interaction with auditory displays. It concludes with the description of a performance piece for the system and ideas for improvements and future work.
A Tetrahymena intron nucleotide connected to the GTP/arginine site

We have substituted all nucleotides at intron nucleotide 260 (N260) in transcripts related to the self-splicing Tetrahymena rRNA. Substitution slightly affects the binding and reaction of GTP with this group I catalytic center; kcat/Km varies over a three-fold range. The base of N260 therefore communicates with the rG site, but is unlikely to bond directly to GTP. Different nucleotides at this position also alter the binding of L-arginine to the intron, measured by inhibition of the reaction with GTP. Effects of similar small magnitude on interaction of RNA with both GTP and L-arginine support the previous argument from kinetic and structural comparison (Yarus, M. (1988) Science 240, 1751) that placed the two ligands of the RNA in the same binding site. G260 RNA shows the greatest affinity for both D- and L-arginine, but uniquely lacks stereoselectivity for the amino acid. Therefore G260 alters spatial relations within the G site, otherwise conserved in C260, U260, and A260 RNA's. Guanyl urea was used as a probe for the G/guanidino H-bonding part of the rG/arginine site. G260 RNA's dissociation constant for guanyl urea is similar to that of the other RNA's, suggesting that G260 RNA is unaltered at the G/guanidino end of the rG/arginine binding site. To account for all observations, we suggest that the G260 substitution alters the relative location of the RNA backbone near the 5' exon-intron junction, making this location more flexible and closer to the alpha-NH3+'s of L- and D-arginine.
JUMP: a tag-based database search tool for peptide identification with high sensitivity and accuracy

Database search programs are essential tools for identifying peptides via mass spectrometry (MS) in shotgun proteomics. Simultaneously achieving high sensitivity and high specificity during a database search is crucial for improving proteome coverage. Here we present JUMP, a new hybrid database search program that generates amino acid tags and ranks peptide spectrum matches (PSMs) by an integrated score from the tags and pattern matching. In a typical run of liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem MS, more than 95% of MS/MS spectra can generate at least one tag, whereas the remaining spectra are usually too poor to derive genuine PSMs. To enhance search sensitivity, the JUMP program enables the use of tags as short as one amino acid. Using a target-decoy strategy, we compared JUMP with other programs (e.g. SEQUEST, Mascot, PEAKS DB, and InsPecT) in the analysis of multiple datasets and found that JUMP outperformed these preexisting programs. JUMP also permitted the analysis of multiple co-fragmented peptides from "mixture spectra" to further increase PSMs. In addition, JUMP-derived tags allowed partial de novo sequencing and facilitated the unambiguous assignment of modified residues. In summary, JUMP is an effective database search algorithm complementary to current search programs.
LANGUAGE SOCIALIZATION: Reproduction and Continuity, Transformation and Change

▪ Abstract While continuing to uphold the major aims set out in the first generation of language socialization studies, recent research examines the particularities of language socialization processes as they unfold in institutional contexts and in a wide variety of linguistically and culturally heterogeneous settings characterized by bilingualism, multilingualism, code-switching, language shift, syncretism, and other phenomena associated with contact between languages and cultures. Meanwhile new areas of analytic focus such as morality, narrative, and ideologies of language have proven highly productive. In the two decades since its earliest formulation, the language socialization paradigm has proven coherent and flexible enough not merely to endure, but to adapt, to rise to these new theoretical and methodological challenges, and to grow. The sources and directions of that growth are the focus of this review.
ANOMALOUS CHARGE DYNAMICS IN THE SUPERCONDUCTING STATE OF UNDERDOPED CUPRATES

Abstract We present Fermi liquid expressions for the low temperature behavior of the superfluid stiffness, explain why they differ from those suggested recently by Lee and Wen, and discuss their applicability to data on high- T c superconductors. We find that a consistent description requires a strong, doping dependent anisotropy, which affects states near the zone corners much more strongly than those near the zone diagonals.
Measurable selection theorems and their application to problems of guaranteed performance

Within the framework of Guaranteed Performance Problems, we prove an extension of the so-called Measurable Selection Theorem. For a large class of integral performance functionals, this extension enables us to interchange the inf sup and integral operations. Consequently, we obtain a pointwise maximum principle which can be used to facilitate computation of solutions.
Wavelength selective detection using excitonic resonances in multiquantum-well structures

The wavelength and voltage dependence of photocurrent near excitonic resonances are used to study the wavelength selectivity of p-i(multiple quantum well, or MQW)-n photodiode structures with a parallel sequence of optical bits, each with a different wavelength. The selectivity is considered good if the state of a lambda /sub i/ wavelength bit can be detected regardless of lambda /sub j/(j not=i) state of the bits. Photocurrent is found to have very good selectivity only if lambda /sub j/ bits are all zero, i.e., the optical information is serial, but it is also found that differential photocurrent ( Delta I/sub ph// Delta V) provides a good selectivity for random states of lambda /sub j/ bits (i.e., parallel input). Four channel selectivity is demonstrated at 200 K. Specifically designed quantum-well structures can greatly improve this selectivity. >
Information Factorization in Connectionist Models of Perception

We examine a psychophysical law that describes the influence of stimulus and context on perception. According to this law choice probability ratios factorize into components independently controlled by stimulus and context. It has been argued that this pattern of results is incompatible with feedback models of perception. In this paper we examine this claim using neural network models defined via stochastic differential equations. We show that the law is related to a condition named channel separability and has little to do with the existence of feedback connections. In essence, channels are separable if they converge into the response units without direct lateral connections to other channels and if their sensors are not directly contaminated by external inputs to the other channels. Implications of the analysis for cognitive and computational neurosicence are discussed.
Metallization of nanobiostructures: a theoretical study of copper nanowires growth in microtubules

A theoretical study of possible metallization sites within polypeptide structures is reported. The study has involved performing density functional B3LYP calculations in order to describe the affinities of various amino acids and larger peptide fragments towards copper ions. The results obtained for small amino acid systems have been used in the theoretical analysis of feasible metallization sites in large protein segments and in the whole proteins. The goal of this study was to explain the preferred inner-surface copper metallization of microtubules over outer-surface metallization. The inner-surface metallization is a new process that yields copper wires of 15 nm in diameter and may be used for fabrication of molecular interconnects at the nano-device level.
More than just vanilla.

The year was 1969 and the immunological world mirrored the political world in its turmoil. Two camps of immunologists squared off: those who believed the thymus is a largely vestigial organ full of dying cells and those who believed this gland serves a crucial role, defined by the production of
Purification, characterization, and localization of neuropeptides in the cornea

Abstract The immunologically detected neuropeptides methionine enkephalin (ME), substance P (SP), β-endorphin (β-End), and α-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) were purified from bovine corneal extracts by gradient, followed by isocratic, reversed phase-high perofrmance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC) and characterized, after both chromatographic steps, by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Immunologically detected ME and SP were purified from canine corneal extracts by gradient RP-HPLC and characterized by RIA. An anatomical study of the bovine cornea separated the cornea into an epithelium-enriched and a stroma-enriched portion. After gradient RP-HPLC, RIA demonstrated that all the ME-like immunoreactivity was located in the corneal epithelium, whereas the SP-like immunoreactivity was distributed between the stroma and epithelium in an approximate two-to-one ratio.
Characteristics of patients receiving hospice care services: United States, 1994.

OBJECTIVE This report presents data on current hospice care patients. Numbers and percents are shown by selected characteristics of the agencies from which the patients received services, by selected patient characteristics, by services provided, by types of personnel that provided the services, and by diagnoses of these patients. METHODS The data used for this report are from the National Center for Health Statistics' 1994 National Home and Hospice Care Survey. This is an annual survey through which data are collected on the use of hospices and home health care agencies in the United States. RESULTS An estimated 61,000 patients were receiving hospice care services from 1,300 hospices and home health agencies in 1994. Fifty-five percent were women, 69 percent were 65 years of age and over, 81 percent were white patients, 48 percent were married, and 31 percent were widowed. Eighty-four percent were living in a private or semi-private residence, and 90 percent had a primary caregiver. Sixty percent received help from the agency with at least one activity of daily living (ADL), 46 percent with at least one instrumental activity of daily living (IADL), and 26 percent with walking. At admission, there was an average of 2.2 diagnoses per patient; 57 percent had a primary diagnosis of a malignant neoplasm and 9 percent had a primary diagnosis of heart disease.
Applications of Supercritical Drying in Catalyst Preparation

Publisher Summary The critical pressure solvent evaporation appears to provide a viable technique to prepare a catalytic material in which the ultrafine particles can be prevented from forming large agglomerates during the drying step. The technique has been useful for the preparation of a low-bulkdensity, high-surface-area zirconia and for the preparation of a molybdena supported on a low-density alumina or zirconia. The low bulk density is a result of the elimination or dramatic reduction in the formation of secondary agglomerates by significantly reducing the solvent forces derived from the meniscus liquid at contact points of the ultrafine solid particles. The use of methanol appears to provide an advantage over ethanol, and presumably higher carbon number alcohols, because dehydration to produce olefins and subsequently carbon on the finished catalyst occurs to a much less extent with methanol. The technique certainly appears to have potential for the preparation of catalysts where the goal is to maintain a low bulk density of ultrafine particles that can subsequently be utilized in a highly dispersed system.
Can We Improve Structured Sequence Processing? Exploring the Direct and Indirect Effects of Computerized Training Using a Mediational Model

Recent research suggests that language acquisition may rely on domain-general learning abilities, such as structured sequence processing, which is the ability to extract, encode, and represent structured patterns in a temporal sequence. If structured sequence processing supports language, then it may be possible to improve language function by enhancing this foundational learning ability. The goal of the present study was to use a novel computerized training task as a means to better understand the relationship between structured sequence processing and language function. Participants first were assessed on pre-training tasks to provide baseline behavioral measures of structured sequence processing and language abilities. Participants were then quasi-randomly assigned to either a treatment group involving adaptive structured visuospatial sequence training, a treatment group involving adaptive non-structured visuospatial sequence training, or a control group. Following four days of sequence training, all participants were assessed with the same pre-training measures. Overall comparison of the post-training means revealed no group differences. However, in order to examine the potential relations between sequence training, structured sequence processing, and language ability, we used a mediation analysis that showed two competing effects. In the indirect effect, adaptive sequence training with structural regularities had a positive impact on structured sequence processing performance, which in turn had a positive impact on language processing. This finding not only identifies a potential novel intervention to treat language impairments but also may be the first demonstration that structured sequence processing can be improved and that this, in turn, has an impact on language processing. However, in the direct effect, adaptive sequence training with structural regularities had a direct negative impact on language processing. This unexpected finding suggests that adaptive training with structural regularities might potentially interfere with language processing. Taken together, these findings underscore the importance of pursuing designs that promote a better understanding of the mechanisms underlying training-related changes, so that regimens can be developed that help reduce these types of negative effects while simultaneously maximizing the benefits to outcome measures of interest.
Using tutoring patterns to generate more cohesive text in an intelligent tutoring system

If we want students to read, pay attention to and understand the text generated by an ITS, the text needs to (a) be organized into cohesive turns, (b) flow in natural conversation patterns, and (c) have sufficient variety that neither syntactic structures nor pedagogical goals are repeated overly often. Circsim-Tutor v. 3 is a natural-language based ITS for cardiac physiology currently under development. Text planning for v. 3 will be accomplished by TIPS, a text planning engine based on current research in text generation. We describe how TIPS will achieve the goals mentioned above. We use transcripts of sessions conducted by expert human tutors to derive tutoring patterns for TIPS. Through the use of the TIPS planner, we expect Circsim-Tutor v. 3 to generate longer, more complex and more natural text than previous work.
Genetics and nursing: nurses' role in the oncogenetics counseling and in the molecular study of hereditary breast and ovary cancer syndrome

Genetic counseling has appeared in the nursing literature since the early 1960, and it became part of nursing standardized language when it was included in the Nursing Interventions Classification, being defined as an interactive helping process, a communication and educational intervention, focusing on assisting an individual, family or group, manifesting or at risk for developing or transmitting a birth defect or genetic condition. During genetic counseling clients receive information and education about genetic tests, benefits, risks, and meaning of tests results. This study proposed, for the first time in Latin America, the implementation of the nursing process, through nursing consultations, for clients in the oncogenetics counseling process for Hereditary Breast and Ovary Cancer Syndrome (HBOC). The conceptual model of Wanda Horta was adopted as theoretical framework and the case study method was used for 11 women with HBOC selected among a sample of 1168 individuals, during 2001-2003. Genetic tests for mutation detection in geneBRCA1 were performed by DHPLC (Denaturing High Performance Liquid Chromatography), PTT (Protein Truncation Test), and direct sequencing. Nursing diagnosis of knowledge deficit was observed in all clients, and the strategy of teaching and learning was used in the phases of planning, implementation and evaluation of the nursing process. All 11 clients presented alterations in BRCA1 gene. Six individuals presented IVS8-64delT variant and S1436S, four presented IVS16- 68A>G variant, and case 11 was the only one who also presented other three alterations, IVS8- 57delT, IVS18+66C>A, and the S1613G. These results suggest that these families could share the same haplotypes, sharing the same ancestral group. These techniques can identify a Brazilian panel of mutations. Incorporating molecular data, and genetic counseling as a part of the nursing process can provide important components of health care for families with hereditary breast cancer at oncogenetics services in Brazil.
Surgery for Colonic Diverticulitis and Other Benign Conditions of the Left Colon (Hartmann’s Procedure)

When left colon resection is required for diverticulitis or other benign process such as refractory lower gastrointestinal bleeding originating in the left colon, a less extensive mesenteric dissection is required. The conditions present for emergency left colon resection often preclude primary anastomosis, and in those cases, a Hartmann’s resection is indicated. This chapter describes those procedures.
Advanced Molecular Detection of Malarone Resistance

The rapid emergence of drug-resistant malaria parasites during the course of an infection remains a major challenge for providing accurate treatment guidelines. This is particularly important in cases of malaria treatment failure. Using a previously well-characterized case of malaria treatment failure, we show the utility of using next-generation sequencing for early detection of the rise and selection of a previously reported atovaquone-proguanil (malarone) drug resistance-associated mutation.
Vibration and Fatigue Analyisis of a Plugged-in Electronic Device Box

Method of vibration test is usually used in engineering practice to verify the vibration tolerance of products.It is a problem to know the residual fatigue life of the products that passed the vibration test.In this paper,the stress vibration response of a plugged-in electronic device box was found by modes analysis.According to the stress history,the residual fatigue life of the box was computed.The main steps are as follows.First,solve the normal modes of the system by matrix iteration.Second,solve the elements stress response under the sine wave sweeping and random exciting.Finally compute the fatigue damage of the elements according to Miner′s Rule.
A General Theory on the Causes of China's Great Leap Famine:An Argument on Political Rights

In response to Yang and Fan's comments,we re-clarify the following questions:Is Sen's famine theory applicable to the famines in planning economy? Did the excessive collective accumulation of people's commune during great leap forward decrease the peasants' food rationing? How to empirically measure the relative importance of famine's causes? Finally,we suggest that it is the key to develop a famine theory incorporated with political rights to understand the famines in planning economy.
Design and Development of High Performance Structures for Coordinate Measuring Machines

The choice of materials available to todays Coordinate Measuring Machine Designer are reviewed, and an example given of a material selection for one particular range of thermally stable machines. In addition the design techniques required to utilise the better properties of the materials and exclude the poor properties are detailed. Finally the necessity for thermal software compensation for such a range of machines is discussed together with the CMM manufacturers requirements of the CMM purchaser if this software compensation is to work reliably.
Linear response of independent electrons

Introduction The calculation of the linear response functions of an electron liquid is a very important, but obviously extremely difficult task. Even after many years of study, and in spite of much progress, a complete solution of the problem is still lacking. In preparation to the study of this difficult problem, we consider in this chapter the main response functions of the non-interacting electron gas, namely, the density–density, spin–spin, and current–current response functions, all of which can be calculated analytically. It turns out that understanding the response of the non-interacting electron gas is an essential prerequisite for understanding the richer and more complex response of the interacting liquid. Indeed, one of the most fruitful ideas in many-body physics is that the response of an interacting system can be pictured as the response of a non-interacting system to an effective self-consistent field, which depends on global properties such as the particle density, the density matrix, the current–density etc. ‥ This is true, in particular, for every dynamical mean field theory , which can be derived from the corresponding static mean field theory (such as the HF theory) with the help of the techniques introduced in Section 4.7. In the first part of this chapter we present a detailed study of the response functions of the homogeneous non-interacting electron gas in three, two, and one dimension. Electron–impurity scattering is included only at the most elementary level, and only to demonstrate its main effect, namely, the emergence of diffusion in the dynamics of density fluctuations. In the next chapter we shall present approximations for the effective self-consistent field.
Service Sector Data on 15 OECD Nations

This chapter provides service industry data pertaining to 15 OECD nations (Austria; Belgium; Czech Republic; Denmark; Finland; France; Germany; Hungary; Italy; Korea; Netherlands; Norway; Slovenia; Sweden; and the United States) for four ratios, namely, export ratio, import ratio, gross profit ratio and DGM Ratio. Readers interested in data specific to the United States may also want to refer to Chap. 3. Elaboration of the variables covered in this chapter along with their specific operationalization and data sources are provided at the beginning of each subsection. At the bottom of each corresponding table, a short note is provided on the data source and its operationalization, if applicable.
Computers in Medicine

To the Editor.— As active practitioners in medical computer science, we were delighted to see the "Computer Year" section in the CONTEMPO issue (1981;245:2242). However, we are concerned that it may have created some misconceptions in its effort to extend its focus beyond the clinical laboratory. The use of computers in medicine encompasses topics such as artificial intelligence, image processing, pattern recognition, and the manmachine interface problem as well as topics related to information systems. Dr Krieg correctly points out that no specialty certification in this field exists. However, there is a small but growing number of physicians with advanced training in computer science. Since the early 1970s, the National Library of Medicine (NLM) has supported a number of training programs in computers and medicine. A 1979 survey revealed the existence of 28 such programs (ten supported by NLM), with 251 students currently enrolled. 1 A total of 126 degrees