cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Statistical analysis of an earthquake-induced landslide distribution — the 1989 Loma Prieta, California event

The 1989 Loma Prieta, California earthquake (moment magnitude, M=6.9) generated landslides throughout an area of about 15,000 km2 in central California. Most of these landslides occurred in an area of about 2000 km2 in the mountainous terrain around the epicenter, where they were mapped during field investigations immediately following the earthquake. The distribution of these landslides is investigated statistically, using regression and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) techniques to determine how the occurrence of landslides correlates with distance from the earthquake source, slope steepness, and rock type. The landslide concentration (defined as the number of landslide sources per unit area) has a strong inverse correlation with distance from the earthquake source and a strong positive correlation with slope steepness. The landslide concentration differs substantially among the various geologic units in the area. The differences correlate to some degree with differences in lithology and degree of induration, but this correlation is less clear, suggesting a more complex relationship between landslide occurrence and rock properties.
Acoustic phenomena in ultrasonic detection of brain tumours

Abstract It is possible to visualize brain tumours through the intact skull by the use of B-scope scanning. In doing so the author has found two ultrasonic effects which may help to identify the tumour: an acoustic shadow effect, probably caused by absorption and scattering of sound during its passage through the tumour; and a streaking effect found so far in scans of patients with metastatic brain cancer. The latter effect may possibly be caused by a decrease of sound attenuation due to brain swelling.
Concatenated Signal Codes with Applications to Compute and Forward

We present a new coding scheme based on concatenating a newly introduced class of lattice codes called signal codes with interleaved Low Density Parity Check (LDPC)codes. These codes are shown to possess a special algebraic structure which makes them suitable for recovering linear combinations (over a finite field) of the transmitted signals in a multiple access channel. This facilitates their use as a coding scheme for the recently proposed compute and forward paradigm. The decoding algorithm is based on an appropriate combination of the stack decoder with a message passing algorithm. Simulation results show that our proposed scheme can approach the uniform input AWGN capacity within 1.5 db, which is a 2 db improvement compared to using only signal codes when decoding using a stack algorithm with the same stack size. Simulation results for our proposed scheme applied to compute and forward are also presented.
Vibrational energy disposal in reactions of fluorine atoms with hydrides of groups III, IV and V

Abstract The HF infrared chemiluminescence from the reactions of F atoms with B 2 H 6 , CH 4 , CH 3 F, CH 2 F 2 , CH 2 Cl 2 , CH 3 ONO. CH 3 NO 2 , NH 3 (and ND 3 ). PH 3 and HNCO has been observed from a 300 K flowing-afterglow reactor. Experiments were done for a range of CH 4 and F atom concentrations to identify conditions which were free of vibrational relaxation and secondary reactions, and these conditions were used to assign initial HF( v ) vibrational distributions for each reaction. The emission intensity from each reaction also was compared to that from CH 4 in order to obtain the relative HF formation rate constants at 300 K. Since the absolute rate constant for F + CH 4 is well established, the combination of all of these data provides absolute rate constants for HF( v ) formation at 300 K. The ND 3 reaction was studied to obtain information on more vibrational levels in order to better estimate the HF( v = 0) and DF( v = 0) components of the ammonia distributions. With NH 3 and ND 3 there is no significant isotope effect on the energy disposal. Except for NHCO, for which an addition-elimination channel is possible, the HF( v ) distributions are inverted and f v > = 0.60. Differences between the HF( v ) distributions reported here and some other reports in the literature are noted: the present data are discussed as representative of direct H atom abstraction for 300 K Boltzmann conditions. The HCl infrared chemiluminescence from the F + CHCl 2 secondary reaction also was observed; the HCl( v ) distribution was v 1 : v 2 : v 3 : v 4 : v 5 - 0.47: 0.23: 0.18: 0.08: 0.04.
Active Sound Transmission Control for Windows Using Cabon Nanotube Based Transparent Thin Film Speakers

This paper explores the development of active sound transmission control systems for windows using transparent thin film speakers. A unique transparent thin film speaker consisting of a piezoelectric PVDF thin film coated with compliant carbon nanotube (CNT) based transparent conductors is developed. Acid treatment for single-walled carbon nantotubes (SWNTs) and layer-by-layer (LBL) nanoassembly based surface modification of the substrates are used to obtain highly transparent and conductive CNT thin films on both sides of a PVDF film. The developed thin film speaker shows good acoustic response over a broadband frequency range, and has the advantages of being flexible, transparent, and lightweight. Experimental results are presented showing that over 10 dB reduction in sound transmission is achieved globally. The transparent thin film actuators can thus be effectively used as actuators for active sound transmission control systems for windows.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
X-ray background, discrete sources, and diffuse processes

Possible sources are discussed for the cosmic residual X-ray background (XRB) radiation at energies from 3-50 keV. Sources have been identified that can account for at least 50 percent of the XRB. The residual has a spectrum with a flat slope up to 30 keV. Comptonized thermal gas emission is ruled out as the origin of the radiation since the emitting regions would be diffuse and Comptonization would require regions no more than a parsec across. Optically thin bremsstrahlung from discrete sources is a more viable candidate, although the associated spectra would not have been accessible with the Einstein Observatory. Future observations with the AXAF and ROSAT satellites in imaging and spectroscopic modes are discussed for gaining definitive data on the real sources of the XRB.
Magnetoresistance behavior in La 0.7 Ca x MnO 3 (x=0, 0.2, and 0.3) thin films

A systematic investigation focused on the magnetoresistance (MR) behavior of ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{x}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ ($x=0,$ 0.2, and 0.3) thin films has been carried out. As indicated by the unit chemical formula, ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{x}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ films with $x=0.3,$ 0, and 0.2 represent external, internal, and mixed (external and internal) doped lanthanum manganite systems, respectively. Thin films of these materials have been grown in situ on (100) ${\mathrm{LaAlO}}_{3}$ substrates using a pulsed laser deposition technique. Microstructural characterization carried out on these films has shown that the films are smooth, free from impurities, and highly textured. Electrical resistance and magnetoresistance have been measured in the 10--300 K range in magnetic field up to 5 T using a superconducting quantum interference device magnetometer. The MR ratios of ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{0.3}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ $(x=0.3),$ ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ $(x=0),$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{0.7}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{0.2}{\mathrm{MnO}}_{3}$ $(x=0.2)$ films are found to be 825%, 700%, and 750% at 200 K, 240 K, and 220 K, respectively. The variation in the insulator to metal transition and the MR ratio is attributed to internal chemical pressure and vacancy localization effects.
Trend breaks and non-stationarity in the Yugoslav black market for dollars, 1974-1987

We estimate a model of the black market premium for dollars in Yugoslavia from 1974 to 1987. Unlike previous applications of the model, our analysis addresses non-stationarity in the underlying data by allowing for trend breaks. Endogenous structural break tests indicate the presence of breaks closely associated with the death of Tito and changes in laws affecting the operation of the black market. After accounting for these breaks, we find strong support for the underlying model. In addition, we find evidence consistent with the era of increased government involvement in the black market leading to greater volatility of the premium following regime change.
Electrophysiological concomitants of spreading depression in caudate and thalamic nuclei of the cat.

Summary Spreading depression (SD) was induced by injection of KCl into striatal and thalamic sites. Unit activity, EEG and direct coupled (DC) recordings were made simultaneously from a number of different brain sites before and after KCl injection. Recording sites included the nucleus into which the injection was made, contiguous nuclei ( i.e. not separated by white matter), known projection areas of the injected nucleus and areas which were anatomically unrelated to the site of injection. The large slow potential changes characteristic of SD were generally confined to the injected nucleus and to contiguous nuclei. Unit activity in these areas infrequently ceased, but firing rate and pattern were often dramatically changed. Smaller DC changes were recorded in projection areas. Changes in unit firing patterns were also induced in these areas. The EEG changes little at any subcortical recording site. The experimental results suggest (1) that the method may have some utility as a neuronographic tool and (2) that subcortically-induced SD might be considered as a ‘disorganization’ rather than as a functional ablation.
The Impact of State Community Benefit Laws on the Community Health Orientation and Health Promotion Services of Hospitals

This study examined the effect of state community benefit laws and guidelines on the community health orientation and the provision of hospital-based health promotion services in hospitals. The sample included all not-for-profit and investor-owned acute-care hospitals in the United States during the year 2000. Multiple regression procedures were used to test the effect of community benefit laws and type of ownership while controlling for organizational and environmental variables. The results of these procedures indicated that, on average, not-for-profit hospitals in the ten states with community benefit laws/guidelines reported significantly more community health orientation activities than did not-for-profit hospitals in the forty other states. The results of the multiple regression procedures also indicated that, on average, the investor-owned hospitals in the ten states with laws/guidelines reported significantly more community health orientation activities than did the investor-owned hospitals in the forty other states. The study found that community benefit laws had the effect of decreasing ownership-related differences in reported community health orientation activities. Further, Levene's test of equality of variance showed that the not-for-profit hospitals in community benefit states exhibited significantly lower variance in the community health orientation activities when compared with the not-for-profit hospitals in non-community benefit states. However, none of the statistical tests supported the hypotheses that community benefit laws compelled or induced hospitals to offer significantly more health promotion services. The study concluded that coercive measures such as community benefit laws were effective in compelling not-for-profit hospitals to report increased community orientation activities, and it also concluded that the mimetic pressures associated with these laws were effective in inducing investor-owned hospitals to report increased community orientation activities.
Language-independent interactive data visualization

We introduce the Language-Independent Visualization Environment (LIVE) as a system for the visualization and manipulation of data structures and the computer programs that create and operate on them.LIVE interprets arbitrary programs containing arbitrary data structure definitions, showing diagrammatically the data that the process generates.It is language-independent in that a single program can be visualized in the syntax of multiple languages. LIVE is interactive in that not only does it show the effects of statements immediately as they occur at runtime, but it also generates new program source code automatically when the user manipulates the data on the screen. We anticipate that this tool will be most useful in a pedagogical setting such as a CS2 or data structures course, particularly with the introduction of pointers and linked structures.
The rate of homogeneous recombination of fluorine atoms

Abstract The recombination rate of fluorine atoms has been determined in a Teflon-coated flow reactor at 295°K and pressures of 10–81 torr with Ar as the carrier gas. Concentrations of atomic fluorine are measured by titrating with Cl 2 and using the intensity of chlorine atom recombination emission as an endpoint indicator. The data is fit with a third-order homogeneous recombination rate constant of 2.9 × 10 13 cm 6 /mole 2 sec. Possible systematic errors in the titration lead us to claim only a factor of two accuracy for the result. The measured rate constant is ca. a factor of 10 less than values calculated by two different theories and ca. a factor of 100 less than the accepted rate constants for homogeneous recombination of most other atoms under similar conditions.
Quaternion-Based Control Architecture for Determining Controllability/Maneuverability Limits

Dynamic inversion has often been used in the simulation environment to rapidly prototype controls for the full flight envelope, because of its capacity for assessing a vehicle s maneuver performance and proper sizing of control surfaces. Generally, the architectures involve either a direct inversion of the entire set of equations of motion or a sequential set of inversions exploiting time scale separation in the vehicle dynamics where faster parameters are considered as controls for slower varying parameters. The proposed architecture builds on the latter using a quaternion formulation that provides singularity free tracking. Of interest, the proposed architecture simplifies the sequential approach by exploiting a simpler kinematic inversion in place of a more difficult inversion typically used. This kinematic relationship accurately describes the angular rate required to drive some reference frame of interest to a desired attitude at some desired quaternion error rate. A simple PID control is used to define the desired quaternion error rate. The paper develops the theoretical framework for the approach, and shows results in tracking a desired trajectory.
Kinetics and Mechanisms of High-Temperature Creep in Silicon Carbide. II. Chemically Vapor Deposited,

Chemically vapor deposited (CVD) silicon carbide was subjected to constant compressive stresses (110 to 220 MN/m2) at high temperatures (1848 to 2023 K) in order to determine the controlling steady-state creep mechanisms under these conditions. An extensive TEM study was also conducted to facilitate this determination. The strong preferred crystallographic orientation of this material causes the creep rate to be very dependent on specimen orientation. The stress exponent, n, in the equation eασn was calculated to be 2.3 below 1923 K and 3.7 at 1923 K. The activation energy for steady-state creep was determined to be 175 ± 5 kJ/mol throughout the temperature range employed. At temperatures between 1673 and 1873 K, the controlling creep mechanism for CVD Sic is dislocation glide, which is believed to be controlled by the Peierls stress. Although the activation energy does not change, the increase in the stress exponent for samples deformed at 1923 K suggests that the controlling creep mechanism becomes dislocation glide/climb controlled by climb.
Atmospheric tides and the 4-day circulation on Venus

Venus upper atmosphere retrograde circulation correlation with solar couple effect on thermal semidiurnal atmospheric tide
On the critical current of tin Josephson junctions

Abstract Our tin-tin oxide-tin Josephson junctions show critical currents that are closer to the BCS value than any that have been reported previously and that are larger than the predictions of strong-coupling theory.
World financial update: Resolving reporting conflicts

The United States and foreign countries have been working for years to “harmonize” our differing financial reporting rules. Where do we stand today? © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
On the Effect of Coordination and Protonation Preferences in the Amphiphilic Behavior of Metallosurfactants with Asymmetric Headgroups

The metallosurfactants [NiII(LtBuODA)(OAc)] (1), [NiII(LtBuODA)2](2), [CuII(HLtBuODA)(LtBuODA)]ClO4·CH3OH (3), and [ZnII(HLtBuODA)2](ClO4)2 (4) {where HLtBuODA = 2,4-di-tert-butyl-6-[(octadecyl(pyridin-2-ylmethyl)amino)methyl]phenol}were synthesized and characterized in an attempt to establish how coordination modes and protonation preferences relate to amphiphilic behavior. The archetypical compounds [NiII(LtBuI)(OAc)]·CH3OH (5), [NiII(LA)2]·CH3OH·H2O (6), [NiII(LtBuA)2]·2CH3OH (7), [CuII(HLtBuA)(LtBuA)]ClO4 (8), and [ZnII(HLtBuA)(LtBuA)]ClO4 (9) were synthesized to model the stoichiometric, coordination, and protonation chemistry in the waxy metallosurfactants 1–4. Detailed data analysis and comparison between 1–4 and 5–9 involved mass spectrometric and spectroscopic methods along with crystallographic determination of 5 (P21/c), 6 (P), 7 (P21/c), 8′ (the analogue of 8 with tetraphenylborate counterions, P21/c), and 9 (P). DFT calculations were used to identify the frontier orbitals, polarizability, and dipole moments. Species 1–4 had their compression isotherms measured and monitored by means of Brewster angle miscroscopy. The nickel-containing 1 is square planar, while 2 has a neutral octahedral core with two deprotonated ligands. The five-coordinate copper-containing 3 has a monocationic core associated with one protonated ligand, whereas the dicationic zinc-containing 4 has a four-coordinate core with protonated ligands. It was observed that Langmuir films of 1 display approximately half of the average molecular area observed for 2–4 and that the flexibility and coordination number of the cores foster distinctive collapse mechanisms. Therefore, careful choice of the metal ion leads to control of surfactant-to-metal ratio, selection of coordination modes and structural properties, and the understanding of the protonation preferences of the ligands. This information will play an important role in the development of metal-containing responsive films. (© Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2009)
Panner's disease.

A propos d'un cas clinique d'un patient de 18 ans: donnees radiologiques et revue de la litterature, expliquant la physiopathologie de cette osteochondrite du condyle externe de l'humerus, appelee aussi epicondilite ou coude de «little Leaguer»
A quadratic metric with a simple solution scheme for initial placement

For the initial placement problem a nets-as-points model provides a quadratic cost metric which when minimized localizes the gates. Fixed constraints are added to the cost function so that a minimum is guaranteed to exist, and can be obtained by means of a simple iterative solution. The initial placement is obtained in near linear time. An annular snap-to-grid heuristic completes the initial placement. The nets-as-points metric is shown to produce desirable results.
A Real-Time Global Sea Surface Temperature Analysis

Abstract A global monthly sea surface temperature analysis is described which uses real-lime in situ (ship and buoy) and satellite data. The method combines the advantages of both types of data: the ground truth of in situ data and the improved coverage of satellite data. The technique also effectively eliminates most of the bias differences between the in situ and satellite data. Examples of the method are shown to illustrate these points. Sea surface temperature (SST) data from quality-controlled drifting buoys are used to develop error statistics for a 24-month period from January 1985 through December 1986. The average rms monthly error is 0.78°C; the modulus of the monthly blasts (i.e., the average of the absolute value of the monthly biases) is 0.09°C.
Wave Propagation Through Quasi-Optical Irregularities*

Diverse approximate solutions of Maxwell’s equations for propagation of plane electromagnetic waves through a layer of small dielectric irregularities which vary smoothly and slowly with respect to the wavelength, are compared. Regions of validity for each method in this quasi-optical realm are established, and modifications are made to account for energy conservation. The limitations on propagation distance and magnitude of the irregularities are less severe for the expressions which result from the Rytov complex-phase expansion than for those which result from WKB and first Born approximations (these are contained in the Rytov approximation). The results are presented most simply in the form of a parameter-space diagram.
Antidepressants and metabolites that block GABAA receptors coupled to 35S-t-butylbicyclophosphorothionate binding sites in rat brain

Twenty-three clinically effective antidepressants and 9 metabolites of antidepressants (together, about 50% of all antidepressants tested) were found to, fully or partially, reverse the inhibitory action of 1 microM GABA on 35S-TBPS binding. Amoxapine, the most potent of the complete reversers, is a strong convulsant in overdosage while mianserin, the most potent of the partial reversers and a pro-convulsant, almost never produces convulsions in humans, even after massive overdosage. Convulsant side effects, a pervasive property of antidepressants, can probably be attributed to GABA antagonism, perhaps at a subset of GABAA receptors. Further, the structures of the antidepressants, as well as the criteria used to select them for clinical trials, are diverse, raising the possibility that GABA antagonism, perhaps at another subset of GABAA receptors, could be also involved in clinical antidepressant action. We speculate that selective blockade of excessive GABAergic inhibition of reward systems may contribute to the clinical effects of many antidepressants, in some cases via active metabolites.
Peril, chance, adventure: Concepts of risk, alcohol use and risky behavior in young adults

This paper discusses issues in applying concepts of "risk" to alcohol use. There is a wide variety of definitions of "risk," including dimensions of positive vs. negative aspects of risk-taking, short-term vs. long-term harm, generality vs. specificity of risk behaviors, knowledge of probability of harm, and objective vs. subjective risk. Alcohol can play a role in risky behavior on multiple levels. The paper describes the methods used to examine a link between alcohol and risk-taking (population-based, person-based, event-based and experimental methods) and illustrates these methods from research findings on the association of alcohol to risky driving, crime and violent behavior, and sexual risk-taking. Theoretical models of the association of alcohol and risk-taking are outlined, and the implications of these models for alcohol policy and prevention are discussed.
Noise damage in the C57BL/CBA mouse cochlea.

The present study was designed to determine the response to noise of the auditory system of a genetically well-defined laboratory mouse in preparation for examining the effect of noise on mice with specific genetic mutations. The mice were C57BL/CBA F1 hybrids. Eight mice served as non-noise-exposed controls and 39 mice were exposed for 1-24 h to an octave band of noise with a center frequency of 2, 4 or 8 kHz and a sound pressure level of 100-120 dB. Auditory brainstem response thresholds were measured pre-exposure and several times post-exposure (i.e., 0-27 days) to determine the magnitude of the temporary threshold shift (TTS) and permanent threshold shift (PTS). After fixation by cardiac perfusion, the cochleas from each mouse were embedded in plastic, dissected into quarter turns of the cochlear duct and analyzed quantitatively. Immediately post-exposure, all mice had sizable TTSs at the tested frequencies (i.e., 3-50 kHz). At this time, two mice were killed. Thresholds of the other 37 mice recovered somewhat in the first 4 days post-exposure. One mouse fully recovered from its TTS; 10 mice were left with PTSs at all frequencies; 26 mice recovered at some frequencies but not others. Most mice with PTSs for 30-50 kHz had focal losses of inner and outer hair cells in the basal 20% of the organ of Corti, often with degeneration of adjacent myelinated nerve fibers in the osseous spiral lamina. On the other hand, mice with PTSs for the lower frequencies (i.e., 3-20 kHz) had stereocilia disarray without significant hair cell losses in the second and first turns. Considerable variability was found in the magnitude of hair cell losses in those mice that received identical noise exposures, despite their genetic homogeneity.
Transverse vorticity observations in large coherent structures

We suggest an inertially active, entangled vorticity distribution within the core of these large-scale structures, through the presentation of both instantaneous and phase-averaged transverse vorticity measurements.
Fixed frequency slotted waveguide beam reconfigurable antenna for mmWave application

Millimeter wave antennas are of recent interest due to their commercial applications for high data-rate links. However, at mm-waves, losses are of major concern. To mitigate losses, slotted waveguide antennas have been proposed due to their small power loss and low cost. For airborne transceivers, such antennas typically perform beam steering via frequency scan. However, beam steering using frequency variation is not suitable here since the beam direction is not fixed across the signal bandwidth, causing data rate variations.
Electrocardiogram-Based Sleep Spectrogram Measures of Sleep Stability and Glucose Disposal in Sleep Disordered Breathing

STUDY OBJECTIVES Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is independently associated with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Experimental sleep fragmentation has been shown to impair insulin sensitivity. Conventional electroencephalogram (EEG)-based sleep-quality measures have been inconsistently associated with indices of glucose metabolism. This analysis explored associations between glucose metabolism and an EEG-independent measure of sleep quality, the sleep spectrogram, which maps coupled oscillations of heart-rate variability and electrocardiogram (ECG)-derived respiration. The method allows improved characterization of the quality of stage 2 non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING N/A. PARTICIPANTS Nondiabetic subjects with and without SDB (n = 118) underwent the frequently sampled intravenous glucose tolerance test (FSIVGTT) and a full-montage polysomnogram. The sleep spectrogram was generated from ECG collected during polysomnography. INTERVENTIONS N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS Standard polysomnographic stages (stages 1, 2, 3+4, and rapid eye movement [REM]) were not associated with the disposition index (D(I)) derived from the FSIVGTT. In contrast, spectrographic high-frequency coupling (a marker of stable or "effective" sleep) duration was associated with increased, and very-low-frequency coupling (a marker of wake/REM/transitions) associated with reduced D(I). This relationship was noted after adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, slow wave sleep, total sleep time, stage 1, the arousal index, and the apnea-hypopnea index. CONCLUSIONS ECG-derived sleep-spectrogram measures of sleep quality are associated with alterations in glucose-insulin homeostasis. This alternate mode of estimating sleep quality could improve our understanding of sleep and sleep-breathing effects on glucose metabolism.
Carcinogenicity of p-chloroaniline in rats and mice

p-Chloroaniline (PCA), a dye intermediate, was evaluated for potential long-term toxicity and carcinogenicity. Groups of 50 F344/N rats of each sex were given by gavage PCA hydrochloride in deionized water at doses of 0, 2, 6 or 18 mg/kg body weight, 5 days/wk for 103 wk. Groups of 50 male and female B6C3F1 mice of each sex were given 0, 3, 10 or 30 mg/kg on the same schedule. In general, body weights and survival were unaffected by PCA administration. In rats the group given 18 mg/kg had mild haemolytic anaemia and slight increases in methaemoglobin at various times during the study. Fibrosis of the spleen was significantly increased in all PCA-treated groups of male rats and in the 18-mg/kg group of female rats. Sarcomas of the spleen occurred in male rats, their incidence being 0/49, 1/50, 3/50 and 38/50 in control low-, mid- and high-dose groups, respectively. There was a slightly increased incidence of pheochromocytomas of the adrenal gland in both male and female rats. Dosed groups of male mice had increased incidences of hepatocellular adenomas or carcinomas (11/50, 21/49, 20/50 and 21/50 in controls, low- mid- and high-dose groups, respectively). Haemangiosarcomas of the liver or spleen were also increased in the high-dose group (incidences of 4/50, 4/49, 1/50 and 10/50 in controls, low-, mid- and high-dose groups, respectively). In conclusion, PCA was carcinogenic in male rats and male mice.
VUV modification of surfaces to induce film formation

This work presents further evaluation of the mechanisms driving the formation of molecular contaminant films and arrays of droplets on silicon and other types of space system optical surfaces. A simple model is presented describing a competition between the self-cohesive forces of a liquid-like droplet and the adhesive forces between the droplet and surface. We show in this work that irradiation of the silicon surface prior to contaminant deposition increases the adhesive forces, enhancing film formation. However, the surface states achieved by the VUV exposure cannot be reproduced by simple approaches such as solvent wiping. Higher intensity VUV exposure produces a silicon surface that allows film formation for even very pure contaminant analogs with high self-cohesion.
Autophosphorylation of Purified c-Src at its Primary Negative Regulation Site

The phosphorylating and transforming activities of c-Src are negatively regulated by phosphorylation at Tyr-527 near its carboxyl terminus. Previous studies have indicated that c-Src preferentially autophosphorylates Tyr-416, a residue in the middle of the catalytic domain, in vitro, and that Tyr-527 is phosphorylated by the carboxyl-terminal Src kinase, Csk. However, indirect evidence suggests that c-Src may also autophosphorylate Tyr-527 as part of a negative feedback loop. While some in vivo evidence suggests that Tyr-527 can be autophosphorylated in an intermolecular interaction, it has not previously been possible to directly demonstrate significant autophosphorylation in vitro. Here we show that c-Src purified from recombinant bacteria can autophosphorylate Tyr-527 to high levels in vitro when incubated with sufficiently high concentrations of ATP (KM(Mg2+/ATP) approximately equal to 20 microM) that are well above those that have been used previously. In vitro Tyr-527 autophosphorylation can occur both as an intra- and intermolecular interaction; higher enzyme concentrations are required for intermolecular Tyr-527 phosphorylation than for Tyr-416 autophosphorylation. These results support the possibility that, like G-proteins, c-Src can switch itself off in vivo by its own enzymatic activity.
Translational redefinition of UGA codons is regulated by selenium availability

Incorporation of selenium into ∼25 mammalian selenoproteins occurs by translational recoding whereby in-frame UGA codons are redefined to encode the selenium containing amino acid, selenocysteine (Sec). Here we applied ribosome profiling to examine the effect of dietary selenium levels on the translational mechanisms controlling selenoprotein synthesis in mouse liver. Dietary selenium levels were shown to control gene-specific selenoprotein expression primarily at the translation level by differential regulation of UGA redefinition and Sec incorporation efficiency, although effects on translation initiation and mRNA abundance were also observed. Direct evidence is presented that increasing dietary selenium causes a vast increase in ribosome density downstream of UGA-Sec codons for a subset of selenoprotein mRNAs and that the selenium-dependent effects on Sec incorporation efficiency are mediated in part by the degree of Sec-tRNA[Ser]Sec Um34 methylation. Furthermore, we find evidence for translation in the 5′-UTRs for a subset of selenoproteins and for ribosome pausing near the UGA-Sec codon in those mRNAs encoding the selenoproteins most affected by selenium availability. These data illustrate how dietary levels of the trace element selenium can alter the readout of the genetic code to affect the expression of an entire class of proteins. Background: Selenium is incorporated into selenoproteins as the amino acid, selenocysteine. Results: Dietary selenium supplementation increases ribosome density downstream of selenocysteine-encoding UGA codons. Conclusion: Dietary selenium levels differentially regulate selenoprotein expression by controlling the rate-limiting step of selenocysteine incorporation. Significance: The mechanisms by which dietary selenium can affect the readout of the genetic code and selenoprotein expression have been illuminated.
The prenatal growth of the human body determined by the measurement of bones and organs by ultrasonography

This paper presents the ultrasonographic analysis of the growth of two groups of human fetuses, one longitudinal and the other cross-sectional. Measurements of all the long bones were taken, as well as measurements of the following diameters: Biparietal, occipitofrontal, thoracic and abdominal anterior/posterior and transverse, spinal canal width, arm, forearm, thigh and leg transverse. The bladder and the stomach were also measured. The pregnancies analyzed covered the period between the 8th and 38th week of gestation. Centiles (3rd-97th) were calculated for each structure and week. All pregnancies known or suspected to be abnormal were removed from the study. The values obtained were tested in 102 pregnancies (test group); the expected values (from the graphs) did not deviate from the values obtained from this group of fetuses, demonstrating the reliability of the values presented in these graphs. All structures measured showed linear growth. There was no significant difference between the longitudinal and cross-sectional groups.
The county courthouse as an archives: Local government sources for the history of the central plains

Abstract The county courthouse of the Central Plains contain a vast and diverse collection of valuable, but rarely used, historical sources—sources which could contribute significantly to our understanding of the social, economic, legal and political development of the region. This article is intended to acquaint the reader with the most important holding of these unique local archives. It offers a brief tour through a typical plains county courthouse, descriptions of the records available in each office, and suggestions for their use.
Choline uptake by the neuroblastoma x glioma hybrid, NG108-15.

: The neuroblastoma X glioma hybrid clone NG108-15 is able to release acetylcholine upon depolarization and form cholinergic neuromuscular synapses in culture. Normal functioning of cholinergic synapses is thought to be dependent on the ability of a neuron to take up extracellular choline, since neurons are unable to synthesize choline de novo. For these two reasons it became important to characterize the choline uptake system of NG108-15 cells. The uptake system appears to bear little if any resemblance to the Na+-dependent high-affinity choline uptake system normally associated with cholinergic neurons. Although the cells appear to possess both high- and low- affinity choline uptake systems, neither system is dependent on Na+ and uptake actually is increased about 60% by the substitution of sucrose for NaCl. Acetylcholine synthesis also is not dependent on Na+, since sucrose, substituted for NaCl, also stimulates acetylcholine synthesis. Changes in the concentrations of the other ions in the uptake medium have little effect on uptake, with the exception that elevated Ca2+ or Mg2+ reverses the stimulation of choline uptake produced by substitution of sucrose for NaCl. Choline uptake is inhibited by hemicholinium-3, but only at high concentrations of the drug (IC50= 30–80 μm). The metabolic poisons cyanide and iodoacetate inhibit uptake by only 30-40%. Growth of the cells in N6,O2′ dibutyryladenosine-3′,5′-cyclic monoposphate, which promotes functional and morphological differentiation of the cells, decreased slightly the total amount of choline taken up but had no additional effect on the uptake system. Thus, it appears that NG108-15 cells are capable of forming functional cholinergic synapses with muscle cells even though the neuroblastoma does not possess the high-affinity choline uptake system normally associated with cholinergic neurons.
Jade (Nephrite and Jadeitite) and Serpentinite: Metasomatic Connections

The lapidary term "jade" refers to two very tough, virtually monomineralic rocks used for ornamental carvings or gems. Both have metasomatic origins that are intimately connected with their host serpentinite bodies and convergent-margin petrotectonics. Amphibole jade is nephrite, a tremolite-actionalite rock with a felted, microcystalline habit; pyroxene jade is jadeite rock (jadeitite), which varies from micro- to macrocrystalline textures. Most nephrite occurs along fault contacts between serpentinite and mafic to felsic igneous rocks or metagraywacke in obduction settings. It forms by Ca- and Si-rich, aqueous fluid-mediated metasomatic replacement of serpentinite, typically antigorite, at greenschist-facies or lower P-T conditions. Other nephrite bodies reflect contact metasomatic replacement of dolomite by Si-rich aqueous fluids during felsic pluton emplacement. Like most nephrite, jadeitite is hosted by antigorite-dominated serpentinite bodies. However, these serpentinites are associated with HP/LT m...
Mapping the Cerebral Blood Vessels With High-Field MRI: Technical and Anatomic Review

The technical background and quality of images obtained upon studying the cerebral circulation with high-field MRI are reviewed. Fifty studies were se lected as representative of normal cerebral blood vessels to illustrate the ana tomic information derived from the review. MRI appears to be a safe, easy, and reliable method of imaging the cerebral circulation noninvasively.
A comparative study of avian auditory brainstem responses: correlations with phylogeny and vocal complexity, and seasonal effects

We conducted a comparative study of the peripheral auditory system in six avian species (downy woodpeckers, Carolina chickadees, tufted titmice, white-breasted nuthatches, house sparrows, and European starlings). These species differ in the complexity and frequency characteristics of their vocal repertoires. Physiological measures of hearing were collected on anesthetized birds using the auditory brainstem response to broadband click stimuli. If auditory brainstem response patterns are phylogenetically conserved, we predicted woodpeckers, sparrows, and starlings to be outliers relative to the other species, because woodpeckers are in a different Order (Piciformes) and, within the Order Passeriformes, sparrows and starlings are in different Superfamilies than the nuthatches, chickadees, and titmice. However, nuthatches and woodpeckers have the simplest vocal repertoires at the lowest frequencies of these six species. If auditory brainstem responses correlate with vocal complexity, therefore, we would predict nuthatches and woodpeckers to be outliers relative to the other four species. Our results indicate that auditory brainstem responses measures in the spring broadly correlated with both vocal complexity and, in some cases, phylogeny. However, these auditory brainstem response patterns shift from spring to winter due to species-specific seasonal changes. These seasonal changes suggest plasticity at the auditory periphery in adult birds.
Short-term mortality following cataract surgery: comparison of Veterans Health Administration and Medicare outcomes.

Purpose: To compare short-term risk of death following cataract surgery in veterans having surgery in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) and through Medicare.Methods: Medicare and VHA databases were merged to identify a cohort of veterans (N = 149,023) that had outpatient cataract surgery during 2007. National mortality sources were used to ascertain vital statistics. A Cox regression model estimated hazard ratios for routine and complex cataract extractions.Results: Ninety days after cataract surgery the rates of death were 0.80% for patients in Medicare and 0.70% for beneficiaries in the VHA (P > 0.05). There was no difference in death hazard 6 months following surgery, after adjusting for age, race, gender, and medical comorbidities. Significant Medicare hazard ratio (HR) was seen at one year with routine cataract extraction (HR 1.17, 95% confidence interval, CI, 1.09–1.27), and with complex cataract extraction (HR 1.17, 95% CI 1.08–1.27).Conclusions: The 6-month risk of death after cataract surg...
Passive Transfer of Sera with Antivirus Neutralizing Activity from Adult Channel Catfish Protects Juveniles from Channel Catfish Virus Disease

Abstract Juvenile channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus were found to be protected from experimental infections of channel catfish virus (CCV) after passive transfer of adult sera with anti-CCV neutralizing activity. Juveniles in control groups that received injections of normal serum or saline and were then challenged with CCV experienced average cumulative mortalities of 66 and 71%, respectively. In contrast, juveniles receiving serum with anti-CCV activity (neutralization index of 102.6) via intraperitoneal injections had an average cumulative mortality of 1%. Furthermore, fish in the control groups showed typical signs of channel catfish virus disease and contained virus concentrations of up to 107˙TCID50 (50% tissue culture infective dose endpoint) per gram of tissue. In comparison, no signs of disease were observed among fish receiving serum containing anti-CCV neutralizing activity. These studies demonstrated that serum with anti-CCV neutralizing activity (presumably due to anti-CCV antibody) obtaine...
Hydrogenic donor states in quantum dots in the presence of a magnetic field.

We report a calculation of the binding energy of the ground state of a hydrogenic donor in a quantum dot, assumed to be in the form of a disk, in the presence of a uniform magnetic field applied parallel to the disk axis. We assume that the impurity ion is located at the center of the disk. The quantum disk is assumed to consist of a finite length cylinder of GaAs material surrounded by Ga 1-x Al x As. The calculations have been performed by using a suitable variational wave function for infinite confinement potential at all surfaces. The binding energy of a donor impurity located at the center of the disk depends on the radius and length of the disk
Abstract A26: IL-1β dependent epithelial-mesenchymal transition in non-small cell lung cancer

A26 Pulmonary diseases associated with a heightened risk of lung cancer, such as emphysema and pulmonary fibrosis, show both increased and deregulated inflammation. Tobacco smoke exposure is associated with chronic airway inflammation and is a strong risk factor for the development of lung cancer. Inflammatory mediators and inflammatory cells are over expressed in the pulmonary microenvironment of both smokers and patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Expression of interleukin 1β (IL-1β) is increased in a number of cancers, including lung cancer and is associated with tumor aggressiveness and poor patient outcomes. A chronic increase in inflammatory mediators in the lung tumor microenvironment can lead to increased tumor promotion, invasion, angiogenesis and metastasis; however the mechanism by which this occurs has yet to be elucidated. We have found that IL-1β exposure leads to the down regulation of E-cadherin in NSCLC cell lines. Loss of E-cadherin is a hallmark of epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in which epithelial cells lose cell-cell junctions, undergo cytoskeletal reorganization and basement membrane degradation and switch from cadherin to integrin mediated adhesion. This transformation results in cells with a mesenchymal phenotype. An important feature of mesenchymal cells is their ability to migrate independently and invade locally - prerequisites for metastasis. Following IL-1β exposure we see, along with the loss of E-cadherin, changes in cellular morphology, down regulation of cytokeratin 18 and an up regulation of mesenchymal markers, particularly N-cadherin, vimentin and SNAI2 (Slug) - a transcriptional repressor of E-cadherin. Slug expression is increased at both the mRNA and protein levels and is found via chromatin immunoprecipitation to be bound to the E-cadherin promoter following IL-1β exposure. Further, in NSCLC cell lines which do not express E-cadherin, Slug expression is elevated. Blocking Slug expression using siRNA inhibits IL-1β mediated down regulation of E-cadherin IL-1β has many well-characterized effects on signaling pathways and protein expression, including the up regulation of COX-2 which has been shown previously to decrease E-cadherin expression. However, the IL-1β mediated effects on E-cadherin expression are COX-2 independent. Blocking COX-2 activity with celecoxib does not abrogate the E-cadherin down regulation seen here. Additionally, others have found that loss of E-cadherin is associated with resistance to epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors which are currently in use as treatment and have been suggested as prevention agents for NSCLC. Thus, the presence of inflammatory mediators in the pulmonary microenvironment may play a specific role in promoting resistance to targeted prevention and therapy. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2008;1(7 Suppl):A26.
Optimizing large scale chemical transport models for multicore platforms

The performance of a typical chemical transport model is determined on two multicore processors: the heterogeneous Cell Broadband Engine and the homogeneous Intel Quad-Core Xeon shared-memory multiprocessor. Two problem decomposition techniques are discussed: dimension splitting for promoting parallelization in chemical transport models, and time splitting, for reducing truncation error. Additionally, a scalable method for accessing random rows or columns of a matrix of arbitrary size from the accelerator units of the Cell Broadband Engine is presented. This scalable access method increases chemical transport model efficiency by an average of 30% and significantly improves the scalability of dimension-splitting techniques on the Cell Broadband Engine. Experiments show that chemical transport models are 31% more efficient on the Cell Broadband Engine when only six accelerator units are used than on a shared-memory multiprocessor with eight executing cores. Our fully-optimized models achieve an average 118% speedup on the Cell Broadband Engine, and an average 87.5% speedup on a shared-memory multiprocessor with OpenMP.