cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced susceptibility of burned mice to experimental infection with Candida albicans.

Summary: The susceptibility of mice with nonlethal burns of 30% body surface area to experimental infection with Candida albicans was investigated. Random bred (CF1) and inbred (C3H/HeN) mice with burn injuries along with unburned controls were injected 2 h post-burn i. v. with graded doses of Candida albicans. At varying intervals, 5 mice from each group were sacrificed and the number of viable organisms in homogenized kidneys and liver was determined by plate count. Significantly higher numbers of organisms were recovered at 3 and 5 days post-infection from the kidneys and liver of both strains of burned mice than that of controls. However, enhanced susceptibility of burned animals could only be demonstrated in C3H/HeN but not in CF1 mice when the animals were challenged i. v. with lethal doses of Candida albicans and resistance was measured by 30-day survival. In an attempt to elucidate the mechanism for this enhanced susceptibility of burned mice, the phagocytic activity of their peritoneal macrophages was investigated. However, no significant impairment of macrophage function was observed after burn injury. This experimental model with inbred mice represents a reproducible means of studying the mechanisms of enhanced susceptibility of burned animals to Candida infections. Zusammenfassung: Es wurde die Empfanglichkeit von Mausen mit nicht-letalen Verbrennungen an 30% der Korperoberflache fur experimentelle Candida-albicans-Infektionen untersucht. Mause eines Nicht-Inzucht-Stammes (CF1) und eines Inzucht-Stammes (C3H/HeN), denen Brandwunden gesetzt worden waren, wurden zwei Stunden nach dem Setzen der Brandwunden mit abgestuften Dosen von Candida albicans i. v. infiziert. Als Kontrollen dienten Tiere beider Stamme ohne Verbrennungen. Nach unterschiedlichen Infektionszeiten wurden funf Mause jeder Gruppe getotet und die Lebendkeimzahl in Nieren- und Leberhomogenaten durch kulturelle Anzuchtung bestimmt. Signifikant hohere Keimzahlen wurden 3 und 5 Tage post infektionem in den Organen von Tieren beider Stamme mit Verbrennungen gefunden, verglichen mit den Ergebnissen in Kontrolltieren. Eine erhohte Empfanglichkeit von Tieren mit Verbrennungen konnte jedoch nur im Inzucht-Stamm C3H/HeN, nicht jedoch bei den CF1-Mausen nachgewiesen werden, wenn die Tiere i. v. mit letalen Candida-albicans-Dosen infiziert und die Infekt-resistenz als 30-Tage-Uberlebensrate bestimmt wurde. Es wurde weiterhin versucht, den Mechanismus der erhohten Empfanglichkeit der Mause mit Verbrennungen uber die Bestimmung der Phagozytose-Aktivitat der Peritoneal-Makrophagen zu erfassen; es konnte jedoch nach dem Setzen der Verbrennungen keine signifikante Hemmung der Makrophagenfunktion beobachtet werden. Inzucht-Mause mit derart definierten Verbrennungen stellen ein reproduzierbares Experimentalmodell dar, um den Mechanismus der erhohten Empfanglichkeit von Tieren mit Verbrennungen fur Candida-Infektionen zu untersuchen.
An empirical study of sensing and defaulting in planning

Traditional approaches to task planning assume that the planner has access to all of the world information needed to develop a complete, correct plan which can then be executed in its entirety by an agent. Since this assumption does not typically hold in realistic domains, we have implemented a planner which can plan to perform sensor operations to allow an agent to gather the information necessary to complete planning and achieve its goals in the face of missing or uncertain environmental information. Naturally this approach requires some execution to be interleaved with the planning process. In this paper we present the results of a systematic experimental study of this planner's performance under various conditions. The chief difficulty arises when the agent performs actions which interfere with or, in the worst case, preclude the possibility of the achievement of its later goals. We have found that by making intelligent decisions about goal ordering, what to sense, and when to sense it, the planner can significantly reduce the risk of committing to premature action. We have studied the problem both from the perspective of reversible and irreversible actions.
10 - Nonuniform Filter Banks: New Results and open Problems

Abstract A nonuniform filter bank (FB) is one whose channel decimation rates need not all be equal. While the theory and design of uniform FBs is a very well developed subject, there are several interesting open issues in the area of nonuniform FBs. Most nonuniform FB designs either result in approximate or near-perfect reconstruction, or involve cascading uniform FBs in tree structures. This leaves unanswered many important theoretical issues involved in obtaining perfect reconstruction (PR) in nonuniform FBs. The purpose of this paper is to address these issues. We only study FBs with integer decimation rates, as FBs with rational decimators can also be shown to be transformable to them. The central problem of interest is as follows: Let S be a set of positive integers obeying maximal decimation (i.e., with reciprocals summing to unity). Find necessary and sufficient conditions on S for existence of a PRFB belonging to some FB class C and using S as its set of decimators. The class C is defined by some constraint on the filters of its constituent FBs; examples of interest are the class of all rational FBs (FBs with rational filters), FIR FBs, orthonormal FBs, etc. A condition that immediately suggests itself is the one stating that the integers be arrangeable in a tree so that the required PRFB can be built by cascading uniform PRFBs in a tree structure. However, this condition, while clearly sufficient, is not necessary for many classes C of interest. In fact there are sets violating it which can be used to build delay-chain PRFBs (in which all filters are delays). Many of our new results focus on the class of rational FBs. We strengthen considerably the known necessary conditions in this case, and provide new ones. The basic problem remains unresolved – necessary and sufficient conditions are still unknown, however we believe our work is an important step towards a full solution. We conclude by listing all known conditions, studying their inter-relationship, and pointing out several open problems.
Development of Techniques for Real-Time Monitoring and Control in Plasma Etching

Process control strategies have been developed for plasma etching of silicon (Si) and silicon dioxide (SiO 2 ) in a CF 4 /O 2 plasma. The analysis considered four measured variables, four manipulated variables, and up to seven performance variables. Empirical input-output models were developed by regression analysis. Relative gain array analysis and singular value decomposition were used to select manipulated/process variable control loop pairings and to evaluate potential difficulties in control system performance. Singular value decomposition was also used to determine process/performance variable pairings. Block relative gain analysis of multivariable interactions in the process indicated that partial decoupling was necessary for adequate control, which was verified by simulation.
Software Test Techniques for System Fault-Tree Analysis

System fault-tree analysis is a technique for modeling dependability that is in widespread use. For systems that include software, the integration of software data into fault trees has proved problematic. In this paper we discuss a number of techniques that can be used to make the assessment of software dependability by testing both more tractable and more suitable for use in system fault-tree analysis. Some of the techniques are illustrated using an experimental control system for a research nuclear reactor as an example.
Subtilisin Amylosacchariticus III. ISOLATION AND SEQUENCE OF THE CHYMOTRYPTIC PEPTIDES AND THE COMPLETE AMINO ACID SEQUENCE

Abstract The denatured diisopropylphosphoryl derivative of subtilisin Amylosacchariticus was digested with chymotrypsin and the peptides resolved by ion exchange chromatography on Dowex 50-X2. The 44 peptides obtained in pure form accounted for 259 of the 275 residues in the protein. Sequence studies were performed on some of these peptides. This information combined with that previously obtained from tryptic and cyanogen bromide peptides and, in some cases, from comparisons of the sequence to that in subtilisin BPN' has provided enough evidence for the complete amino acid sequence of subtilisin Amylosacchariticus. There are 35 differences in sequence between subtilisins Amylosacchariticus and BPN' with most of these being conservative in nature.
Application of an adjoint neighborhood‐scale chemistry transport model to the attribution of primary formaldehyde at Lynchburg Ferry during TexAQS II

[1] During the 2006 Second Texas Air Quality Study (TexAQS II) field study, ambient mixing ratios of formaldehyde (HCHO) up to 52 ppbv were observed at Lynchburg Ferry in the Houston Ship Channel on the morning of 27 September 2006. These elevated mixing ratios coincided with a flare event during a sequential planned shutdown of a petrochemical facility ~8 km from the monitoring site. An adjoint version of the Houston Advanced Research Center (HARC) neighborhood air quality model was used to perform 4-D variational inverse modeling of industrial emissions of HCHO and other ozone precursors based on Lynchburg Ferry observations. The simulation employed a horizontal domain size and grid resolution of 8 km × 8 km and 400 m, and was conducted for a 1.5 h period (8–9:30 A.M.) during which the highest HCHO concentrations were recorded. The event emissions of ethene and propene computed by the inverse model are consistent with the largest estimated emissions for the facility in question derived from the Solar Occultation Flux technique during TexAQS II. Moreover, the computed peak flare emissions of HCHO during the shutdown event were around 282 kg/h, which is less than but comparable in magnitude to the largest area-wide total (primary plus secondary) formaldehyde flux from the Houston Ship Channel measured by Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy during TexAQS II. The estimated flare event emissions of primary formaldehyde are roughly 50 times larger than HCHO emissions from flares used in routine operations, as inferred from remote sensing and/or real-time in situ measurements during the 2009 SHARP campaign.
Current concepts of bone formation.

The influence of environment on cell function during osteogenesis has been emphasized in this presentation. It should be remembered, however, that the milieu controls the functional activity of all cells to an important degree. For example, the cell membrane and the environment to which it is exposed control the raw materials entering the cell. These materials then determine, in part, the products that the cell can synthesize and release. Once released, the products influence the extracellular microenvironment. In the special case of connective tissues, even the pattern in which the products are put together may be influenced by that environment. To put it another way: Products released by cells are dependent upon genetic information + environment. Tissue structure is dependent upon products released by cells + environment. Environment, in part is dependent upon tissue structure + products released by cells. Finally, an analogy may be drawn between the genetic coding system within the cell and a data-processing center. Both have greater capabilities than they can express at any one time. Both are able to act only on materials provided to them and will respond in different manners following different stimuli.
A Colour-Based Technique for Measuring Visible Loss for Use in Image Data Communication

The concept of the global information infrastructure and specifically that of the World Wide Web (WWW) has led to users accessing data of different media including images and video data over a wide area network. These data objects have sizes the order of megabytes and communication time is very large. The data size can be reduced by applying loss-inducing techniques and this will lead to reduction in communication time. Several loss-inducing techniques have been developed and each image is treated differently by each technique. In some cases an acceptable quality of the image is obtained and in some cases it is not. In this paper we develop a color-based technique to quantify the data loss when a loss-inducing technique is applied to an image. This will result in estimating whether the resulting image is indistinguishable from the original with respect to the human eye. We illustrate its use to classify images according to the loss they can tolerate. This avoids redundant communication of a high quality image when a lower quality image can satisfy the application resulting in the conservation and better usage of network resources. We present the technique and experimental evaluation to prove its validity.
Investigating monoclonal antibody aggregation using a combination of H/DX-MS and other biophysical measurements

To determine how structural changes in antibodies are connected with aggregation, the structural areas of an antibody prone to and/or impacted by aggregation must be identified. In this work, the higher-order structure and biophysical properties of two different monoclonal antibody (mAb) monomers were compared with their simplest aggregated form, that is, dimers that naturally occurred during normal production and storage conditions. A combination of hydrogen/deuterium exchange mass spectrometry and other biophysical measurements was used to make the comparison. The results show that the dimerization process for one of the mAb monomers (mAb1) displayed no differences in its deuterium uptake between monomer and dimer forms. However, the other mAb monomer (mAb2) showed subtle changes in hydrogen/deuterium exchange as compared with its dimer form. In this case, differences observed were located in specific functional regions of the CH 2 domain and the hinge region between CH 1 and CH 2 domains. The importance and the implications of these changes on the antibody structure and mechanism of aggregation are discussed.
Mechanism of interaction of PITPα with membranes: Conformational changes in the C-terminus associated with membrane binding

Abstract Eukaryotic phosphatidylinositol transfer proteins (PITPs) are composed predominantly of small (∼32 kDa) soluble proteins that bind and transfer a single phospholipid, normally phosphatidylinositol or phosphatidycholine. Two forms, PITPα and PITPβ, which share approximately 80% amino acid sequence similarity, are known. Rat PITPα was labeled at specific single reactive Cys residues with I-AEDANS and used to examine PITP–membrane interactions. Upon binding to phospholipid vesicles, PITP labeled with AEDANS at the C-terminus, a region postulated to be involved in membrane binding, shows significant decreases in both steady-state and dynamic fluorescence anisotropy. In contrast, PITPs labeled with AEDANS at sites located distal to the C-terminus show increases in both steady-state and dynamic anisotropy. These results suggest that interaction of PITP with membrane surfaces leads to significant alterations in conformation and perhaps melting of the C-terminal helix.
Surface structure and metal epitaxy: STM studies of ultrathin metal films on Au(111) and Cu(100)

Abstract The scanning tunneling microscope (STM) is an important tool for studying the growth of ultrathin metal structures. The behavior of atoms arriving at the surface determines nanometer-scale structure that is readily measured with the STM. These structural features are important in determining properties. The variety of structural possibilities is illustrated with the difference between substrate-controlled island nucleation of Ni on Au(111) and diffussion-controlled aggregation of Ag on Au(111). The STM also provides a fairly complete picture of the intermixing that occurs in the early stages of room-temperature growth of Fe on Cu(100).
GAZE: Using Mobile Devices to Promote Discovery and Data Collection

Developments in citizen science, community sensing, and crowdsourcing offer the opportunity of large scale data collection of the physical world because of the ubiquity of sensor-rich, mobile devices. Despite this opportunity, large-scale data collection about physical spaces is currently not widespread because of high-effort participation. In this paper, we explore the ability for people to contribute on the go. We developed Gaze, a system that will collect information about people's responses to physical spaces through low-effort feedback. To enable low-effort contributions for large scale data collection, we have developed a design pattern called Identify-Focus-Capture that identifies opportunities for users given current situational context, helps users to focus in on the opportunity, and captures useful data through simple actions or gestures. Through our pilot, users successfully helped collect 50+ data points about their environment, showing that useful data can be collected when the opportunity is low-effort.
Control Mechanisms for Residential Electricity Demand in SmartGrids

We consider mechanisms to optimize electricity consumption both within a home and across multiple homes in a neighborhood. The homes are assumed to use energy management controllers (EMCs) to control the operation of some of their appliances. EMCs, which are a feature of the emerging SmartGrid, use both prices and user preferences to control power usage across the home. We first present a simple optimization model for determining the timing of appliance operation to take advantage of lower electricity rates during off-peak periods. We then demonstrate, using simulation, that the resulting solution may in fact be more peaky than the ``non-scheduled'' solution, thereby negating some of the benefits (for the utility) of off-peak pricing models. We then propose a distributed scheduling mechanism to reduce peak demand within a neighborhood of homes. The mechanism provides homes a guaranteed base level of power and allows them to compete for additional power to meet their needs. Finally, we introduce a more powerful EMC optimization model, based on dynamic programming, which, unlike our first optimization model, accounts for the potential for electricity capacity constraints.
Physiological shifts in the microbial community drive changes in enzyme activity in a perennial agroecosystem

Perennial agroecosystems have the potential to promote plant–microbial linkages by increasing the quantity of root carbon entering the soil. However, an understanding of how perennial cropping systems affect microbial communities remains incomplete. The objective of this study was to determine the potential for a fertilized perennial bioenergy cropping system to impact microbial growth and enzyme activity. Three times throughout the growing season we examined the activity of four enzymes involved in decomposition (s-glucosidase, s-xylosidase, cellobiohydrolase, and N-acetyl glucosaminidase) in replicated plots of an annual (corn) and perennial-based (switchgrass) cropping system. We also took simultaneous measurements of microbial biomass and potential rates of microbial respiration and net N mineralization. Microbial biomass was unaffected by cropping system. Mid-summer, however, we observed increases in enzyme activity and potential microbial respiration in the perennial system that were independent of microbial biomass, likely in response to labile carbon inputs. Further, we observed lower net N mineralization, higher microbial biomass nitrogen and higher activity of nitrogen liberating enzymes, which are indicative of a community with high nitrogen demands. Overall, our research demonstrates that perennial agroecosystems can affect the physiological capacity of the microbial community, yielding communities with greater nitrogen retention and greater rates of decomposition as a result of allocation of resources towards enzyme production and nitrogen mining. These results can inform biogeochemical models with respect to the importance of temporally dynamic changes in carbon and nitrogen availability and microbial carbon use efficiency as drivers of enzyme production.
Lack of Evidence for Changing Virulence of HIV-1 in North America

BACKGROUND Several long-term cohort studies and in-vitro fitness assays have resulted in inconsistent reports on changes in HIV-1 virulence, including reports of decreasing, stable, and increasing virulence over the course of the AIDS pandemic. We tested the hypothesis of changing HIV-1 virulence by examining trends in prognostic clinical markers of disease progression from 1984 to 2005 among nearly 400 antiretroviral-naive participants in the United States Multicenter AIDS Cohort Study (MACS), a longitudinal study of HIV infection in men who have sex with men (MSM). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Because clinical AIDS endpoints could not be used (due to antiretroviral therapies and prophylaxis), three prognostic markers of disease progression were used as proxies for HIV-1 virulence: plasma viral RNA load and CD4+ T cell count at "set point" (between approximately 9 and approximately 15 months after seroconversion), and rate of CD4 cell decline within three years after seroconversion. We performed multivariate analyses of the association between these markers and seroconversion year, with covariates including MACS site, race/ethnic group, seroconversion age, and CCR5Delta32 status. No statistically significant association was found between year of seroconversion and "set point" plasma viral load (at approximately 9 months after seroconversion: slope = -0.004 log(10) copies/mL/year, p = 0.76; at approximately 15 months: slope = -0.005 log(10) copies/mL/year, p = 0.71), CD4 cell count after seroconversion (at approximately 9 months: slope = -0.112 cells/microL/year, p = 0.22; at approximately 15 months: slope = -0.047 cells/microL/year, p = 0.64), or rate of CD4 cell decline over the first three years after seroconversion (slope = -0.010 cells/ul/yr(2), p = 0.88). CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE The lack of significant trends from 1984 to 2005 in these prognostic markers of HIV disease progression suggests no major change in HIV-1 virulence over the AIDS pandemic in MSM in the US.
A miniaturized lightweight wideband null steerer

By using very lightweight hybrid microwave integrated circuitry, the size and weight of an analog, correlation-controlled, null-steering array at C band has been greatly reduced, to the order of 1 lb for a four-element array. The key components, the adaptive weights, and correlation control circuitry, have been demonstrated in miniaturized form, with a null depth of 25-30 dB attained over a 60-100 MHz bandwidth.
Realizing self-similar pulses in solid-state laser systems

A novel path to achieving self-similar pulses in an all-normal-dispersion solid-state laser resonator is presented and numerically examined. The spatially asymptotic self-similar solution to the nonlinear Schrodinger equation with gain is approached over many cavity round trips and the resultant steady-state solution, stabilized with a saturable absorber possessing a nearly rectangular power response profile, displays minimal spectral, temporal, and amplitude breathing. This method simplifies cavity construction and allows for a more than thirtyfold increase in pulse energy when compared to dispersion-managed soliton mode-locking schemes. A path to directly generable microJoule femtosecond pulses is identified.
The Growth and Decay of Finite-Amplitude Baroclinic Waves

Abstract The finite-amplitude dynamics of an unstable baroclinic wave in an f-plane, two-layer model is examined in the case where the degree of Ekman friction is unequal in the two layers. In particular, the case is examined where one layer is free of frictional dissipation. The method employed requires the calculations of the wave amplitude evolution on two long-time scales in order to describe the essential equilibration of the wave which at intermediate times is rendered unstable by asymmetric Ekman dissipation. The method of reconstitution is used to combine equations appropriate for each epoch of the wave's history to provide a single equation useful for calculation. The main physical result is the emergence of a finite lifetime for the unstable wave. The wave grows, equilibrates and then decays, leaving a wave-free state and an altered zonal flow with reduced potential energy. The speculation is offered that this process will be repetitive with the addition of a weak dissipative process to restore ...
Cultural Communities and Parenting in Mexican-Heritage Families

SYNOPSIS Objective. To identify different cultural communities and associated parenting practices of low-income Mexican-heritage families in the United States. Design. One hundred twenty-five mothers participated in this longitudinal research. The mothers were recruited during their pregnancy or shortly after the birth of a child and randomly assigned to either intervention or control in the National Early Head Start Evaluation. Data collection continued until the children were 7 years old. Ethnographic fieldwork, maternal clinical interviews, naturalistic observation, and videorecording were all used for data collection. Results. By triangulating ethnographic fieldwork and multivariate latent class analysis, we identified four different cultural communities within low-income Mexican-heritage families and examined parenting practices including parental warmth and intrusiveness and childcare use across these four communities. These different communities of mothers differed in immigration experiences, house...
Analysis of Rebuild Processing in RAID5 Disk Arrays

RAID5 tolerates single disk failures by exclusive-ORing (XORing) the blocks corresponding to a requested block on the failed disk to reconstruct it. This results in increased loads on surviving disks and degraded disk response times with respect to normal mode operation. Provided a spare disk is available, a rebuild process systematically reads successive disk tracks, XORs them to recreate lost tracks and writes them onto a spare disk, thus returning the system to its original state. Rebuild time is important since RAID5 disk arrays with a single disk failure are susceptible to data loss if a second disk fails. According to the vacationing server model (VSM), rebuild read requests on surviving disks are given a lower priority than external user requests, so as to have less impact on their response time. Given that disk loads are balanced due to striping, rebuild time can be approximated by the time to read the contents of any one of the surviving disks. The analysis of the M/G/1 queueing model of VSM, given in this article, is more accurate and yet simpler than a previous analysis, but it also takes into account the effect of disk zoning explicitly. We also present a heuristic method to estimate rebuild time, which can be combined with the new analysis. The ability to quickly and accurately estimate rebuild time is useful in computing the reliability of RAID5 systems, especially during design tradeoff studies. The accuracy of the various analyses to estimate rebuild time are checked against detailed simulation results.
Tectonics and Dispersal of Miocene Rift-Fill Sediments, Southern New Mexico: ABSTRACT

Late Tertiary rifting in southern New Mexico took place in two stages: early to late Miocene and Pliocene-Pleistocene. Sedimentary rocks of the earlier stage are represented by the Hayner Ranch and Rincon Valley Formations, which were examined at San Diego Mountain, Dona Ana County, New Mexico. The Hayner Ranch Formation consists of 950 m of red fanglomerate derived from volcanic rocks. The Rincon Valley Formation consists of 325 m of limestone- and volcanic-cobble fanglomerate overlain by 25 m of red playa shale. Measurements of maximum clast size at 50 m intervals (n = 1,820) and cobble imbrications at 50 m intervals (n = 650) indicate that the initial stage of rifting took place in two distinct phases and involved two separate source areas. The lower 600 m of the Hayner Ranch Formation were derived from volcanic rocks north of San Diego Mountain. Following a period of tectonic quiescence, represented by a 150 m thick fining-upward sequence, uplift occurred to the south of the study area, depositing the upper 350 m of the Hayner Ranch Formation and the lower 300 m of the Rincon Valley Formation. Limestone cobbles recovered from the Rincon Valley Formation are identical to lithologies in the Permian Hueco formation exposed in the Robledo and Dona Ana Mountains, 15 km south and southeast of San Diego Mountain, respectively. End_of_Article - Last_Page 314------------
H/D exchange and mass spectrometry-based method for biophysical analysis of multidomain proteins at the domain level.

A protocol was developed to characterize the domain-specific thermodynamic stabilities of multidomain proteins using SUPREX (Stability of Unpurified Proteins from Rates of H/D Exchange). The protocol incorporates a protease digestion step into the conventional SUPREX protocol and enables folding free energy (ΔGf) and cooperativity (m-value) measurements to be made on the individual domains of multidomain proteins in their native context (i.e., in the intact protein). Three multidomain protein systems (calmodulin, a Fyn construct, and transferrin) were used to validate the SUPREX-protease digestion protocol. The ΔGf and m-value of each domain in the intact test proteins were measured in the absence and presence of ligands using the new protocol. Domain-specific thermodynamic parameters were obtained on each system; and the measured parameters were consistent with known biophysical properties of the test proteins. The known stabilization of the N-terminal domain of CaM in the context of the intact protein a...
The ordered magnetic field of the magnetosheath

Magnetic field of magnetosheath and relation to interplanetary space using data from IMP SATELLITES
Effects of onset- and rhyme-related distractors on phonological processing in children with specific language impairment.

Purpose This study used the cross-modal picture–word interference task of P. J. Brooks and B. MacWhinney (2000) to compare effects of phonologically related words on lexical access in children with...
K+p interactions near 3 GeV/c. (I) elastic scattering☆

Abstract K+p elastic scattering is studied at incident K+ beam momenta of 2.53, 2.76 and 3.20 GeV/c. From the analysis of about 10 000 elastic events at each energy, we present data on the forward and backward elastic scattering peaks. No structure is observed in the forward peak for − t ⩽ 2 (GeV/c)2. In addition, the statistics available from this exposure permit a measurement of the differential cross sections near 90° in the center of mass system. These results exhibit a strong energy dependence and are compared to similar results at other energies.
Reevaluation of stereoelectronic contributions to the conformational properties of the phosphodiester and N3'-phosphoramidate moieties of nucleic acids.

The anomeric effect in the phosphodiester backbone of nucleic acids is a stereoelectronic effect that has conventionally been linked to interactions between lone pairs on the Oester atoms and P−Oester antibonding orbitals. The present study demonstrates that the anomeric effect in the phosphodiester backbone is significantly more complex than portrayed by this description. The presence of multiple lone pairs and antibonding orbitals around the phosphorus atom leads to additional contributions to the anomeric effect, especially involving the anionic oxygen lone pairs. On the basis of the structural changes and Natural Bond Orbital analysis it is shown that a complex balance between stereoelectronic effects involving both the ester and anionic oxygen lone pairs governs the conformational properties of the phosphodiester backbone. The N3‘-phosphoramidate DNA backbone differs from the phosphodiester backbone due to the N3‘−H moiety having only a single lone pair instead of the two lone pairs present on the O3...
Violent Death Among Recently Released Prison Inmates: Stories Behind the Numbers

Research on rates of violent deaths in prison releasees exists, however little work has gone into examining their associated contexts and circumstances. Using North Carolina Department of Corrections and North Carolina Violent Death Reporting System data, the authors sought to understand the contexts surrounding the deaths of recently released inmates. Findings revealed that homicides (64% of deaths) were associated with violence as a result of argument and with criminal activity. Suicides (30%) were in response to risk of reincarceration, relationship problems, depression, and situational difficulties. Six percent of deaths were the result of legal intervention. Implications for social work practice and research are examined.
Silorane resin supports proliferation, differentiation, and mineralization of MLO-A5 bone cells in vitro and bone formation in vivo

Methyl methacrylate used in bone cements has drawbacks of toxicity, high exotherm, and considerable shrinkage. A new resin, based on silorane/oxirane chemistry, has been shown to have little toxicity, low exotherm, and low shrinkage. We hypothesized that silorane-based resins may also be useful as components of bone cements as well as other bone applications and began testing on bone cell function in vitro and in vivo. MLO-A5, late osteoblast cells, were exposed to polymerized silorane (SilMix) resin (and a standard polymerized bisGMA/TEGDMA methacrylate (BT) resin and compared to culture wells without resins as control. A significant cytotoxic effect was observed with the BT resin resulting in no cell growth, whereas in contrast, SilMix resin had no toxic effects on MLO-A5 cell proliferation, differentiation, nor mineralization. The cells cultured with SilMix produced increasing amounts of alkaline phosphatase (1.8-fold) compared to control cultures. Compared to control cultures, an actual enhancement of mineralization was observed in the silorane resin-containing cultures at days 10 and 11 as determined by von Kossa (1.8-2.0 fold increase) and Alizarin red staining (1.8-fold increase). A normal bone calcium/phosphate atomic ratio was observed by elemental analysis along with normal collagen formation. When used in vivo to stabilize osteotomies, no inflammatory response was observed, and the bone continued to heal. In conclusion, the silorane resin, SilMix, was shown to not only be non cytototoxic, but actually supported bone cell function. Therefore, this resin has significant potential for the development of a nontoxic bone cement or bone stabilizer.
Temperature and current dependence of electroluminescence in a-Si: H

Abstract Forward-bias steady-state currents in p-i-n a-Si:H structures produce significant electroluminescence (EL). We have measured the EL as a function of temperature under constant-current conditions. We find that the EL exhibits the same temperature dependence as photoluminescence (PL), namely exp(∼T/T∗0). For EL, however, T∗0 is proportional to the cube root of the current. A simple model based on the experimental results is presented.
A NEW LIMB-REDUCED, LOAM-SWIMMING SKINK (SQUAMATA: SCINCIDAE: BRACHYMELES) FROM CENTRAL LUZON ISLAND, PHILIPPINES

Abstract We describe a new species of scincid lizard of the genus Brachymeles from montane forests (1400–1450 m) of Mt. Palali, Caraballo Mountain Range, in central Luzon Island, Philippines. The new species is the second known species of Brachymeles that has only three digits on both the forelimb and hindlimbs. Additional morphological characters include unique scale pigmentation and absence of a pineal eyespot and an auricular opening. The new species is the eighth known Brachymeles from Luzon Island and the twelfth non-pentadactyl species. With this new discovery, the Luzon Faunal Region holds the greatest diversity of species of the genus Brachymeles in the world.
The Cognitive Neuroscience of Human Laterality: Lessons From the Bisected Brain

With the discovery that surgical separation of the cerebral hemispheres produces two independent and differently abled cognitive spheres, Gazzaniga, Bogen, and Sperry (1962) launched a revolution in the field of psychology: the study of human laterality. More than thirty-five years later, the scientific progeny of Roger Sperry continue to study split-brain patients in order to solve some of the many mysteries confronting cognitive neuroscience today. Historically, split-brain studies catalyzed research on hemispheric differences in neurologicall y intact subjects. More recently, the bisected brain has served as the proving ground for various models of complex cognitive processes. What lessons have been learned from splitbrain patients? How does research on split-brain patients converge with other methodologies, including the advances in neuroimaging gaining prominence in the field?
Risk and direct protective factors for youth violence: results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Multisite Violence Prevention Project.

Background This study was conducted as part of a multisite effort to examine risk and direct protective factors for youth violence. Purpose The goal was to identify those factors in the lives of young people that increase or decrease the risk of violence. These analyses fill an important gap in the literature, as few studies have examined risk and direct protective factors for youth violence across multiple studies. Setting/participants Data on 4432 middle-school youth, from the CDC Multisite Violence Prevention Project were used. Main outcome measures Evaluations were made of effects of variables coded as risk and direct protective factors in the fall of 6th grade on violence measured in spring of 7th and 8th grades. Factors tested included depression, delinquency, alcohol and drug involvement, involvement in family activities, academic achievement, attitudes toward school, truancy, and peer deviance. Most variables were coded with two sets of dummy variables indicating risk and protective directions of effects. Results Results showed that higher teacher-rated study skills were associated with lower subsequent violence across genders and ethnic groups. Affiliation with deviant peers was significantly associated with increased subsequent violence among youth reporting their race/ethnicity as white or other, marginally associated with increased violence among African-American youth, and unrelated among Latino youth. Conclusions This study identified some factors than should be areas of interest for effective prevention programs. Some ethnic differences also should be considered in planning of prevention. Trial registration The CDC Multisite Violence Prevention Project completed enrollment prior to July 2005.
Human B cells that hyperexpress a triad of costimulatory molecules via avipox-vector infection: an alternative source of efficient antigen-presenting cells

Dendritic cells (DCs) are the most potent of the antigen-presenting cells (APCs). Preparation of sufficient numbers of mature DCs, however, is both costly and time-consuming. We have examined here the possibility of using an alternative source of APCs that would be easier to obtain, would not require extensive culture, and thus would be more applicable to human immunotherapy protocols. We show here that freshly isolated human B cells can be efficiently infected by a replication-defective fowlpox recombinant vector, designated rF-TRICOM (TRIad of COstimulatory Molecules), to markedly increase surface expression of the human costimulatory molecule B7-1 and moderately increase expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and leukocyte function-associated antigen-3 (LFA-3). Peptide-pulsed rF-TRICOM–infected B cells were highly efficient in activating antigen-specific human T cells and shown to be superior to the use of CD40L in enhancing APC potency. Moreover, when infection of freshly isolated B cells with rF-TRICOM was combined with CD40L, a still further marked enhancement of the antigen-presenting potency was observed. Ex vivo–generated antigen-specific T cells activated in this manner might be applied to experimental protocols or used for adoptive transfer in immunotherapy protocols.
Congruences for degenerate number sequences

The degenerate Stirling numbers and degenerate Eulerian polynomials are intimately connected to the arithmetic of generalized factorials. In this article, we show that these numbers and similar sequences may in fact be expressed as p-adic integrals of generalized factorials. As an application of this identification we deduce systems of congruences which are analogues and generalizations of the Kummer congruences for the ordinary Bernoulli numbers.
Finite-element-based higher order diffusion approximation of light propagation in tissues

Diffusion approximation (first-order) and Monte Carlo methods have been widely used in modeling light propagation tissues. Diffusion theory can provide a reasonably accurate description of light distributions in regions some distance from boundaries and sources, whereas Monte Carlo methods can give a more accurate solution without these limitations, but are computationally time-consuming. A higher-order diffusion approximation of light propagation in 2D tissue geometries using a finite element method is presented in this paper. We demonstrate that higher-order diffusion approximation can provide more accurate solutions than the usual first-order diffusion model yet is still much lower in computational cost than Monte Carlo simulation. Two benchmark problems are tested. The first one which consists of a rectangular geometry has an exact analytical solution and confirms our higher-order diffusion model implementation. The second test problem is an optically homogeneous, 2D cylindrical geometry and the computed solutions are compared with measrued data along the boundary of a tissue-like liquid phantom. The agreement is found to be promising and potentially more accurate than the conventional first-order diffusion equation approximation.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Weight loss with psychiatric residents in a behavioral self control program.

A behavioral self-control program for 14 psychiatric residents living in a semi-independent residential facility is described. The group of 7 in behavior therapy lost significantly more weight than...
Cryosurgical treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

Abstract Over a 5-year period from November 1973 to November 1978, 248 patients with abnormal cervical smears and satisfactory colposcopy were treated with cryosurgery following colposcopically directed cervical biopsy. Eighty-eight patients (35.5%) were lost to follow-up. Of the 160 patients followed, 134 (83.7%) were cured; 26 of the 160 (16.3%) were treatment failures. Although this cure rate is acceptable, this form of treatment should be used with caution in a clinic population because of the high percentage of patients lost to follow-up immediately following the procedure.
Partial purification of SV40 A protein and a related cellular protein from permissive cells.

Abstract A simple and reproducible method for the purification of SV40 A protein (T antigen) from permissive cells has been developed. Two cellular proteins are also purified in smaller quantities by the same procedure. The cellular proteins have molecular weights similar to undegraded SV40 A protein. Peptide maps of the viral and cellular proteins are not similar but one of the cellular proteins apparently shares limited antigenicity with the SV40 A protein.
Growth of Juvenile Scup, Stenotomus chrysops, Fed Three Commercial Diets

Juvenile scup, Stenotomus chrysops, 0.5–1.5 g weight were fed three different commercial diets for six weeks to determine growth rates. Diets were hand-distributed to triplicate groups of 30 fish, four times a day. Survival for all treatments was 93%. The diets used were INVE Aquaculture NRD marine diet (NRD), Skretting Feed Products Gemma starter feed (Gemma), and Salt Creek Progression fish starter diet (Progression). While all diets supported good growth, after 6 weeks scup fed the NRD diet were of significantly greater length and weight (P < 0.05) than fish fed the other diets. The effects of each diet on fish growth were significantly different from each other (P < 0.05), with final live weight (g), total length (mm), relative growth rate (RGR), and daily weight gain (DWG) measurements higher for fish fed the NRD diet. Scup fed the Gemma diet were of significantly greater length and weight than fish fed the Progression diet. The specific growth rate (SGR) of scup fed either the NRD or Gemma diets wer...
“Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” The evangelical left and justice

One of the most important influences on my perspective on justice has been my Christian faith, and, in particular, my roots in evangelical Christianity. Because of the media’s too frequent portrayal of evangelical Christianity as monolithic in its political viewpoints, many may doubt that evangelical Christianity has much to contribute to the discussion of social justice. In fact, evangelical Christianity is actually multivocal, and the evangelical left’s views on social justice have been life changing for me. This essay describes that influence.
Relative ability of laser fluorescence techniques to quantitate early mineral loss in vitro

This in vitro investigation was undertaken to explore two different nondestructive methods to detect very early demineralization. These methods were based on the premise that the clinical detection of caries at a very early stage of formation might permit more efficient reversal of the caries process than may occur when lesions are detected at a more advanced stage, such as a so-called 'white spot'. The methods evaluated in this study were quantitative laser fluorescence (QLF) and an experimental dye-enhanced laser fluorescence (DELF) technique. Prepared and polished bovine enamel specimens were demineralized in a conventional lactic acid-Carbopol solution for varying periods of time between 0 and 24 h with an area of sound enamel retained on each specimen. The coded and randomized specimens were then analyzed for the presence and severity of enamel demineralization using QLF after which they were exposed to a selected dye (Pyrromethene 556) and similarly examined using DELF. The specimens were then sectioned and examined by conventional transverse microradiography and by confocal laser-scanning microscopy. Results were analyzed statistically with sensitivity and specificity determined using sound enamel as the reference. The results indicated that QLF could detect demineralization which occurred as a result of 8 h exposure to the decalcification solution and was able to quantify changes in lesion severity associated with longer demineralization. While DELF was capable of detecting enamel demineralization after only 2 h exposure to the decalcification solution, it was unable to quantify increasing amounts of demineralization associated with longer periods of exposure to the decalcification solution. In summary, while DELF was able to detect very early demineralization, only QLF was capable of detecting and quantifying changes in the extent of the decalcification occurring with demineralization periods up to 24 h.