cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
K-LL Auger transition probabilities for elements with low and intermediate atomic numbers

Radiationless K-LL transition probabilities have been calculated nonrelativistically in j-j coupling and in intermediate coupling, without and with configuration interaction, for elements with atomic numbers from 13 to 47. The system is treated as a coupled two-hole configuration. The single-particle radial wave functions required in the calculation of radial matrix elements, and in the calculation of mixing coefficients in the intermediate-coupling scheme, were obtained from Green's atomic independent-particle model. Comparison with previous theoretical work and with experimental data is made. The effects of intermediate coupling, configuration interaction, and relativity are noted.
Cytolocalization of zeatin O-xylosyltransferase in Phaseolus.

Abstract Zeatin O-xylosyltransferase (EC 2.4.2.-) mediates the formation of O-xylosylzeatin from trans-zeatin and UDP-xylose in immature seeds of Phaseolus vulgaris. Tissue printing with a monoclonal antibody specific for the enzyme and a cDNA probe demonstrated that the enzyme was primarily localized and synthesized in the endosperm. Immunolocalization performed on monolayer endosperm at the free-nuclei stage and on EM sections demonstrated that the enzyme was associated with the nucleus as well as with the cytoplasm. Immunoanalysis of nuclear fractions revealed that the enzyme was retained in the nuclear pellet. Western analysis also showed that the enzyme was present in the nuclei of cotyledons and endosperm callus. The findings suggest that the enzyme may be involved in the nuclear-cytoplasmic transport of cytokinins and related molecules or, possibly, with chromatin of rapidly dividing cells.
Simultaneous measurement of polymerization stress and curing kinetics for photo-polymerized composites with high filler contents.

Abstract Objectives Photopolymerized composites are used in a broad range of applications with their performance largely directed by reaction kinetics and contraction accompanying polymerization. The present study was to demonstrate an instrument capable of simultaneously collecting multiple kinetics parameters for a wide range of photopolymerizable systems: degree of conversion (DC), reaction exotherm, and polymerization stress (PS). Methods Our system consisted of a cantilever beam-based instrument (tensometer) that has been optimized to capture a large range of stress generated by lightly-filled to highly-filled composites. The sample configuration allows the tensometer to be coupled to a fast near infrared (NIR) spectrometer collecting spectra in transmission mode. Results Using our instrument design, simultaneous measurements of PS and DC are performed, for the first time, on a commercial composite with ≈80% (by mass) silica particle fillers. The in situ NIR spectrometer collects more than 10 spectra per second, allowing for thorough characterization of reaction kinetics. With increased instrument sensitivity coupled with the ability to collect real time reaction kinetics information, we show that the external constraint imposed by the cantilever beam during polymerization could affect the rate of cure and final degree of polymerization. Significance The present simultaneous measurement technique is expected to provide new insights into kinetics and property relationships for photopolymerized composites with high filler content such as dental restorative composites.
DaNaLIX: a domain-adaptive natural language interface for querying XML

We present DaNaLIX, a prototype domain-adaptive natural language interface for querying XML. Our system is an extension of NaLIX, a generic natural language interface for querying XML. While retaining the portability of a purely generic system like NaLIX, DaNaLIX can exploit domain knowledge, whenever available, to its advantage for query translation. More importantly, in DaNaLIX such domain knowledge does not have to be pre-defined; instead it can be automatically obtained from the interactions between a user and the system. In this demonstration, we describe the overall architecture of DaNaLIX. We also demonstrate how a generic system like DaNaLIX can take advantage of domain knowledge to improve its usability and query translation accuracy. In addition, we show DaNaLIX still possesses the portability of a generic system by using data collections from three different domains. Finally, we present how domain knowledge can be obtained through user interactions in an automatic fashion.
Controllable porous polymer particles generated by electrospraying

In this paper, an electrospraying technique was applied to prepare polycaprolactone (PCL) polymer particles with a different microstructure. The PCL particles can be controlled to have a porous microstructure by tailoring the evaporation of solvents during the electrospraying process. The effect of various concentrations on the morphology and microstructure of PCL particles was investigated. The experiment has demonstrated the versatile capability of the electrohydrodynamic atomization process for preparing polymer PCL porous particles and fibers. The thermally induced and evaporation-induced phase separations are proposed as the main mechanisms for the porous microstructure formation. The results demonstrate that the electrospraying method is a simple, innovative and cost-effective method for preparing polymer particles with controllable microstructures.
Drift‐free magnetic geometries in adiabatic motion

There exist magnetic fields in which particles bouncing between mirror points experience no net first-order guiding center drift. In such fields, even though the instantaneous gradient and curvature drifts are not zero, their total effect integrated over any bounce period vanishes, so that particles merely wobble back and forth around fixed field lines. A class of two-dimensional drift-free fields, somewhat resembling the configuration found in the geomagnetic tail, is described; several proofs of the drift-free property are given, including some that suggest that the property of vanishing net drift might extend to nonadiabatic orbits. A general criterion for identifying drift-free fields is developed, and a case of motion in a nearly drift-free field is also investigated. The theory is applied to the plasma sheet in the earth's magnetotail, and observational evidence is presented suggesting that the magnetic field there indeed approaches a drift-free configuration.
Application of vegetation index and brightness temperature for drought detection

In recent years the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has designed a new AVHRR-based Vegetation Condition Index (VCI) that has showed to be useful for drought detection and tracking. Validations showed that the VCI has excellent ability to detect drought and to measure time of its onset, intensity, duration, and impact on vegetation. The VCI provides accurate drought information not only for well-defined, prolonged, widespread, and intensive droughts, but also for very localized, short-term, and non well-defined droughts. In addition to the VCI, the AVHRR-based observations in thermal bands were used to develop the Temperature Condition Index (TCI). This index was used to determine temperature-related vegetation stress and also stress caused by an excessive wetness. This paper provides principles of these indices, describes data processing, and gives examples of VCI/TCI application in different ecological environments of the United States.
Snow-Band Formation and Evolution during the 15 November 1987 Aircraft Accident at Denver Airport

Abstract The formation and evolution of convective rain and snow bands prior to and during the crash of Continental Airlines flight 1713 on 15 November 1987 at Denver Stapleton Airport are discussed. Convective rain occurred during the early stages of the storm in association with the approach of an upper-level trough from the west. Snow bands were observed following the passage of a shallow Canadian cold front from the north. These bands formed above the cold front and moved from southeast to northwest at 7 m s−1 with a horizontal spacing of 10–30 km. The winds within the cloud layer were southeasterly from 5 to 10 m s−1, suggesting that the bands were advected by the mean, cloud-layer flow. The most likely mechanism producing these bands was a convective instability in the shear layer above the cold front. As the upper-level trough moved to the east, the winds in the cloud layer shifted to northerly, causing the bands to move southward with the major axis of the band oriented north–south. The high snowf...
Single-stage, batch, leach-bed, thermophilic anaerobic digestion of spent sugar beet pulp

Abstract Spent sugar beet pulp as received was digested in a single-stage, batch, unmixed, leach-bed, laboratory scale thermophilic anaerobic digester. Biogasification of each 0.450 kg (wet weight) batch of spent pulp was initiated by inoculating with anaerobically digested liquor from previous run. The average methane yield was 0.336 m3 CH4 at STP (kg VS)−1, the maximum methane production rate was 0.087 m3 CH4 at STP (kg VS)−1 d−1, average lag time to initiate methanogenesis was only 0.44 days and time required to achieve 95% methane yield was 8 days. The pH in the digesters ranged between 8.0 and 9.5. High rates of methane generation were sustained even at high pH values. The equivalent organic loading rate in the batch digesters was 4 kg COD m−3 d−1. The digestion process used here offers significant improvements over one-stage and two-stage systems reported in the literature with comparable performance as it is a single-stage system where the feedstock does not require size reduction, and mixing is not required in the digester.
Language and Environment: A Cross-Cultural Study of the Gestural Communication Systems of Chinese and American Deaf Children

The As have observed children who have not been exposed to conventional linguistic input to determine the properties of language that are resilient in the face of such severely degraded input conditions. In previous work, the As have shown that deaf children developed gestural communication systems that were structured in language-like ways. To determine the extent to which the structure in deaf children's gestures is a product of the way in which mothers and children jointly interact in their culture, the As. observe deaf children of hearing parents in a second culture, Chinese culture
Salvage hypofractionated radiotherapy for biochemically recurrent prostate cancer after radical prostatectomy.

Purpose To evaluate whether hypofractionation is well tolerated and to preliminarily assess biochemical control of this regimen in a postprostatectomy, salvage setting. Methods and Materials A retrospective analysis was performed in 50 patients treated between May 2003 and December 2005 with hypofractionated radiotherapy for biochemical recurrence after radical prostatectomy. Radiotherapy was prescribed to the prostatic fossa to 65–70 Gy in 26–28 fractions of 2.5 Gy each, using intensity-modulated radiotherapy with daily image localization. Toxicities were scored using a modified Radiation Therapy Oncology Group scale and the Fox Chase modification of Late Effects Normal Tissue scale. The median follow-up was 18.9 months (range, 5.3–35.9). Results No Grade 3 or greater acute or late toxicities were observed. Grade 2 toxicities included four acute genitourinary, one acute gastrointestinal, two late genitourinary, and two late gastrointestinal toxicities. Of the 50 patients, 39 demonstrated a continuous biochemical response after salvage therapy, 3 had an initial response before prostate-specific antigen failure, and 7 had prostate-specific antigen progression, 1 of whom died of progressive metastatic disease. Finally, 1 patient discontinued therapy because of the diagnosis of a metachronous pancreatic cancer and died without additional prostate cancer follow-up. All remaining patients were alive at the last follow-up visit. A lower presalvage prostate-specific antigen level was the only significant prognostic factor for improved biochemical control. The estimated actuarial biochemical control rate at 2 years was 72.9%. Conclusions The toxicity and early biochemical response rates were consistent with expectations from conventional fractionation. Additional follow-up is required to better document the biochemical control, but these results suggest that hypofractionation is a well-tolerated approach for salvage radiotherapy.
Amide conjugates of ketoprofen and indole as inhibitors of Gli1-mediated transcription in the Hedgehog pathway.

Abstract We have previously reported small-molecule inhibitors of Gli1-mediated transcription, an essential down-stream element of the Hh pathway. We created new derivatives of the previous compounds aiming to improve the druggable properties. The new compounds, amide conjugates of ketoprofen and indole, showed inhibitory activity and membrane permeability, while also improving the microsome stability. Among them, 33 and 42 inhibited Gli-luciferase reporter in C3H10T1/2 cells that were exogenously transfected with Gli1 with 2.6 μM and 1.6 μM of IC 50 , respectively, and in Rh30 cells that endogenously overexpress Gli1 , and were selective to Gli1 over Gli2.
Performance analysis of two high actuator count MEMS deformable mirrors

Two new MEMS deformable mirrors have been designed and fabricated, one having a continuous facesheet with an active aperture of 20mm and 2040 actuators and the other, a similarly sized segmented tip tilt piston DM containing 1021 elements and 3063 actuators. The surface figures, electro mechanical performances, and actuator yield of these devices, with statistical information, are reported here. The statistical distributions of these measurements directly illustrate the surface variance of Boston Micromachines deformable mirrors. Measurements of the surface figure were also performed with the elements at different actuation states. Also presented here are deviations of the surface figure under actuation versus at its rest state, the electromechanical distribution, and a dynamic analysis.
Optimal decentralized feedback control for a truss structure

One approach to the decentralized control of large flexible space structures involves the design of controllers for the substructures of large systems and their subsequent application to the entire coupled system. This approach is presently developed for the case of active vibration damping on an experimental large struss structure. The isolated boundary loading method is used to define component models by FEM; component controllers are designed using an interlocking control concept which minimizes the motion of the boundary nodes, thereby reducing the exchange of mechanical disturbances among components.
Xanthohumol-Mediated Suppression of Notch1 Signaling Is Associated with Antitumor Activity in Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells

Pancreatic cancer remains a lethal disease with limited treatment options. At the time of diagnosis, approximately 80% of these patients present with unresectable tumors caused by either locally advanced lesions or progressive metastatic growth. Therefore, development of novel treatment strategies and new therapeutics are needed. Xanthohumol (XN) has emerged as a potential compound that inhibits various types of cancer, but the molecular mechanism underlying the effects of XN remain unclear. In the present study, we have assessed the efficacy of XN on pancreatic cancer cell lines (AsPC-1, PANC-1, L3.6pl, MiaPaCa-2, 512, and 651) against cell growth in real time and using colony forming assays. Treatment with XN resulted in reduction in cellular proliferation in a dose and time dependent manner. The growth suppression effect of XN in pancreatic cancer cell lines is due to increased apoptosis via the inhibition of the Notch1 signaling pathway, as evidenced by reduction in Notch1, HES-1, and survivin both at mRNA as well as protein levels. Notch1 promoter reporter analysis after XN treatment indicated that XN down regulates Notch promoter activity. Importantly, overexpression of active Notch1 in XN-treated pancreatic cancer cells resulted in negation of growth suppression. Taken together, these findings demonstrate, for the first time, that the growth suppressive effect of XN in pancreatic cancer cells is mainly mediated by Notch1 reduction.
Adoption decision making process: A pilot study of effects of psychological needs

The present study examined an aspect of the adoption process which has received minimal research attention—time. Specifically, this study investigated the relationships between progression through the adoption process and the psychological needs for sensation and uniqueness. The results suggest that there exists an association between one's need for sensation and progression through the adoption process. A significantly weaker relationship was observed for the need for uniqueness.
Deep earthquake zones, anomalous structures in the upper mantle, and the lithosphere

The principal conclusion of this paper is that regional seismic data for deep and shallow earthquakes associated with the Tonga-Kermadec arc show that there exists in the mantle an anomalous zone whose thickness is of the order of 100 km and whose upper surface is approximately defined by the highly active seismic zone that dips to the west beneath the island arc and extends to depths of about 700 km. Limited data for other areas suggest that similar ‘anomalous zones’ are associated with other island arcs. The most important evidence for the above conclusion is that seismic body waves, particularly S waves, propagating in the anomalous zones are much less subject to attenuation than are waves of the same type propagating in parts of the mantle at similar depths elsewhere. One interpretation of the above results and of some additional seismic data is that the deep anomalous zone is continuous with the uppermost mantle east of Tonga. Such a structure is consistent with theories of mantle convection with down-going currents in the vicinity of island arcs. If low attenuation of seismic waves correlates with strength, this structure suggests that the lithosphere has been thrust or dragged down beneath the Tonga arc and hence implies a certain mobility for the lithosphere elsewhere. This possibility suggests, in turn, new approaches to a wide variety of problems ranging from the nature of the earthquake mechanism to the relation between complex surface geology and driving mechanisms whose configuration may be relatively simple.
SU‐E‐J‐180: SPECT‐Based Target Localization: Comparison between Full‐Size and Compact Detectors

Purpose: Single photon emission computed tomography(SPECT) is being investigated for imaging inside radiation therapy (RT) treatment rooms to target tumor biology. Because of the space occupied by RT devices and the size and weight of typical gamma cameras, it may be more practical to image with a compact detector. However, data truncation due to smaller detector size can potentially degrade target localization. Here target localization is evaluated for full‐size and compact parallel‐hole‐collimated SPECTdetectors. Methods: Twelve 1.5‐cm‐diameter tumors, with 6:1 activity ratios, were simulated in a XCAT phantom. Modeled scan time was 5 minutes. Ensembles of 100 scans were simulated for 3 cases: (a) 45‐cm‐wide detector, no image truncation; (b) 20‐cm‐wide detector with surface‐connected, completely‐sampled common volume (CV); and (c) 20‐cm‐wide detector with interior, incompletely‐sampled CV. On average, the 20‐cm‐wide detector could achieve closer proximity to the phantom, thus improving spatial resolution. Images were reconstructed using OSEM. Localization error was evaluated as the distance between the true tumor location and the location estimated by a numerical observer. Differences in localization were assessed for significance using the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test. Results: Localization errors from the 45‐cm‐wide detector were used as a baseline for evaluating the performance of the 20‐cm‐wide detector. Finding 1: For tumors inside the CV of the 20‐cm‐wide detector, localization performance was generally comparable to the 45‐cm‐wide detector. However, localization was significantly better (p=0.012) using the 20‐cm‐wide detector in one case. Finding 2: Localization was degraded for tumors on the CV boundary. Finding 3: Localization performance of the 20‐ cm‐wide detector was typically worse, and substantially so, for tumors outside its CV. Conclusions: These preliminary results show that, with 180‐ degree parallel‐hole‐collimated detector trajectories, localization performance of a compact detector was comparable to that of a full‐size detector within the CV of the smaller detector, even an interior CV.
An Intergroup Theories Approach to Direct Political Action among African Americans

Data from the 1984 US National Black Election Study were used to test a model of African American direct political action. Constructs derived from intergroup relations theories, churchbased resources, and socioeconomic status (SES) accounted for 72% of the variance in direct political action. The intergroup relations portion of the model shows that group consciousness influences group identification, which in turn, predicts direct political action. The organizational resources of African American churches were shown to promote direct political action when traditional political participation was limited. These churches influenced members’ involvement in customary electoral activities as these opportunities became more accessible. This model demonstrates that intergroup relations constructs and organizational resources operate over and above the human capital implied by one’s SES.
Mechanism of calcification: Role of collagen fibrils and collagen‐phosphoprotein complexes in vitro and in vivo

Samples of decalcified chicken bone together with varying concentrations of phosphoproteins from bone or egg yolk (phosvitin) were used in vitro as heterogenous nucleators for the induction of Ca-P apatite crystals. The lag time between exposure of the collagen-phosphoprotein complexes and the time nucleation of crystals occurred decreased as the concentration of Ser(P) and Thr(P) increased. Enzymatic cleavage of the phosphate groups by wheat germ and phosphatase reversed this effort, indicating that the phosphate group per se principally facilitated the nucleation of Ca-P crystals by the phosphoprotein complex and collagen.
Multi-objective optimal experimental designs for event-related fMRI studies

In this article, we propose an efficient approach to find optimal experimental designs for event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (ER-fMRI). We consider multiple objectives, including estimating the hemodynamic response function (HRF), detecting activation, circumventing psychological confounds and fulfilling customized requirements. Taking into account these goals, we formulate a family of multi-objective design criteria and develop a genetic-algorithm-based technique to search for optimal designs. Our proposed technique incorporates existing knowledge about the performance of fMRI designs, and its usefulness is shown through simulations. Although our approach also works for other linear combinations of parameters, we primarily focus on the case when the interest lies either in the individual stimulus effects or in pairwise contrasts between stimulus types. Under either of these popular cases, our algorithm outperforms the previous approaches. We also find designs yielding higher estimation efficiencies than m-sequences. When the underlying model is with white noise and a constant nuisance parameter, the stimulus frequencies of the designs we obtained are in good agreement with the optimal stimulus frequencies derived by Liu and Frank, 2004, NeuroImage 21: 387-400. In addition, our approach is built upon a rigorous model formulation.
AI and expert system myths, legends, and facts

The author identifies major causes leading to ineffective application of artificial intelligence (AI). His views are based on personal observations made over ten years of building, deploying, and reviewing AI-based systems. The author attributes most failures to one or both of the following: misconceptions regarding the nature of AI technology, and poor management skills in acquiring, nurturing, and applying that technology. He sets forth core AI concepts and then examines and debunks some common misconceptions about expert systems, their construction, and their maintenance. >
A Holocene pollen record for the Kalahari Desert of Botswana from a U-series dated speleothem

A 61 cm core through a speleothem column in Drotsky's Cave, Botswana, has yielded a U-series dated pollen record of Holocene vegetation changes in the Kalahari Desert. Between c.10000-7000BP, the site was surrounded by an arid grassland with dry-adapted trees and shrubs such as Acacia and Commiphora. An increase in pollen of Combretaceae and Cyperaceae, and the appearance of pollen of such mesic savanna plants as Grewia between c. 7000—6000 BP, may indicate the onset of slightly wetter conditions. Combretaceae and other mesic pollen types increase between c. 6000-3000 BP, but the late Holocene record appears variable, with the period c. 5000-4000 BP being somewhat dryer than the millennia before and after. It would appear that Kalahari vegetation has changed less during the Holocene than many other African environments previously investigated. Despite the limitations imposed by pollen analysis of cave sites, the record from Drotsky's Cave shows good agreement with regional trends derived from other studie...
Structural control of the monolayer stability of water-soluble gold nanoparticles

The thermodynamic and kinetic stability of three structurally related monolayer-protected gold clusters have been systematically investigated, revealing that the nanoparticles display significantly different stability against thermo- and cyanide-induced decomposition and external thiol agents.
Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Gingival Overgrowth

Epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) occurs normally in development. In pathology, EMT drives cancer and fibrosis. Medication with phenytoin, nifedipine, and cyclosporine-A often causes gingival overgrowth. Based partly on the histopathology of gingival overgrowth, the present study investigates the hypothesis that EMT could contribute to its development. We found that phenytoin-induced human gingival overgrowth tissues, the most fibrotic drug-induced variety, contain diminished epithelial E-cadherin expression, whereas fibroblast-specific protein-1 (FSP-1) and αvβ6 integrin levels are up-regulated. In connective tissue stroma, fibronectin and alternatively spliced fibronectin extra type III domain A (FN-ED-A) levels are increased in overgrowth lesions. Transforming growth factor (TGF)-β1 treatment of primary human gingival epithelial cells cultured in transwell plates resulted in inhibited barrier function as determined by reduced electrical resistance, paracellular permeability assays, and cell surface E-cadherin expression. Moreover, TGF-β1 altered the expression of other markers of EMT determined at the mRNA and protein levels: E-cadherin decreased, whereas SLUG, fibronectin, matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)2, MMP9, and MMP13 increased. Nifedipine- and cyclosporine A–induced gingival overgrowth tissues similarly contain diminished E-cadherin and elevated levels of FSP-1 and fibronectin, but normal levels of αvβ6 integrin. In summary, data in vitro support that human gingival epithelial cells undergo functional and gene expression changes consistent with EMT in response to TGF-β1, and in vivo studies show that important EMT markers occur in clinical gingival overgrowth tissues. These findings support the hypothesis that EMT likely occurs in drug-induced gingival overgrowth.
Mobile agents for monitoring distributed systems

Mobile agents can be employed to help a system adapt to diverse conditions and provide functionality that would otherwise be cumbersome and perhaps in-feasible. The benefits of mobile agents though are not without their own costs in performance and complexity. This paper gives an overview of our work in determining when mobile agents are appropriate for monitoring distributed applications. The high degree of variability resulting from the interaction between the users, applications, and the computing environment makes succinct descriptions of when mobile agents are appropriate very difficult. Our approach has been to identify the basic classes of variables in the evaluation formula and then to perform empirical tests to identify which aspects of the various components has the greatest impact. These results will then be used to identify guidelines as to when mobile agents are advantageous for the monitoring of distributed systems.
Aftershocks of microearthquakes as probes of the mechanics of rupture

[1] Using a waveform cross-correlation technique, Rubin and Gillard [2000] obtained precise relative locations for 4300 0.5 < M < 3.5 earthquakes occurring along 50 km of the San Andreas fault. This study adds to that another 5000 earthquakes distributed along 10 km of the San Andreas fault and 20 km of the Calaveras fault. Errors in relative location are typically tens of meters for earthquakes separated by hundreds of meters and, after correcting for time-dependent station delays, meters for earthquakes separated by tens of meters. Along both faults, the minimum separation between consecutive earthquakes scales with magnitude in a manner consistent with a magnitude-independent stress drop. By treating each earthquake on the San Andreas as if it were a main shock, scaling the distances to all subsequent earthquakes by main shock size, and stacking the results, a “composite” aftershock sequence is produced that has many of the characteristics predicted by rate-and-state friction models. Projected onto the fault surface, these aftershocks outline a quasi-elliptical, roughly 4-MPa stress drop main shock elongate in the slip-parallel direction by ∼40%. At the ends of the major axes of this ellipse over twice as many aftershocks occur to the NW than to the SE, an asymmetry attributed to the contrast in material properties across the fault. Unlike the San Andreas, the Calaveras fault exhibits little P wave velocity contrast and no discernible aftershock asymmetry; however, the earliest part of the aftershock sequence on the Calaveras might be truncated by the ∼30-s “blind” time of the network following a triggering event.
Permutation enumeration: four new permutation algorithms

Classical permutation enumeration algorithms encounter special cases requiring additional computation every nth permutation when generating the n! permutations on n marks. Four new algorithms have the attribute that special cases occur every n(n—1) permutations. Two of the algorithms produce the next permutation with a single exchange of two marks. The other two algorithms infrequently exchange more than two marks, but the rules for generating the next permutation are very simple. Performance tests which have counted execution of assignment statements, comparisons, arithmetic operations, and subscripted array references have shown superiority of the new algorithms compared to Boothroyd's implementation of M.B. Well's algorithm and Ehrlich's implementation of the Johnson-Trotter algorithm.
The role of hydrogen diffusion and desorption in moisture-induced embrittlement in intermetallics doped with alloying elements

Abstract A statistical model was developed to explain effects of alloying elements on moisture-induced embrittlement in intermetallics. This model shows that if alloying elements have strong binding to atomic hydrogen, they may suppress moisture-induced embrittlement by slowing hydrogen diffusion even at low alloying element concentrations. The concentration needed to effectively slow down the diffusion process decreases with temperature. Grain boundary segregation is not a necessary condition to suppress embrittlement as long as the alloying element binds to hydrogen sufficiently strongly and its concentration is above a certain level. In the other extreme, when the binding of hydrogen to the surface is so weak that hydrogen desorption occurs simultaneously as surface diffusion, the model demonstrates that above a certain desorption rate, there may be not enough hydrogen diffusing to the crack tip to cause embrittlement.
In situ production of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies

The use of antibodies as a treatment for disease has it origins in experiments performed in the 1890s, and since these initial experiments, monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have become one of the fastest growing therapeutic classes for the treatment of cancer, autoimmune disease, and infectious diseases. However, treatment with therapeutic mAbs often requires high doses given via long infusions or multiple injections, which, coupled with the prohibitively high cost associated with the production of clinical-grade proteins and the transient serum half-lives that necessitate multiple administrations to gain therapeutic benefits, makes large-scale treatment of patients, especially patients in the developing world, difficult. Due to their low-cost and rapid scalability, nucleic acid-based approaches to deliver antibody gene sequences for in situ mAb production have gained substantial traction. In this review, we discuss new approaches to produce therapeutic mAbs in situ to overcome the need for the passive infusion of purified protein.
Effect of acid on duodenal blood flow and mucus secretion measured by reflectance spectrophotometry: a prospective, randomized-controlled study

Summary Background : In animals, hydrochloric acid increases blood flow and mucus secretion in the duodenal mucosa. A significant correlation between index of haemoglobin oxygen saturation and mucosal blood flow, and between change in index of haemoglobin concentration and mucus thickness, respectively, has been demonstrated by reflectance spectrophotometry. Aim : To examine the effect of topical hydrochloric acid upon mucosal blood flow and mucus secretion in the human duodenum. Methods : This prospective study of 120 patients undergoing routine upper endoscopy, examined the effect of topical 0.1 n hydrochloric acid or 0.9% saline on the duodenal bulb in a randomized, double-blind fashion. Duodenal mucosal index of haemoglobin oxygen saturation and index of haemoglobin concentration were measured by endoscopic reflectance spectrophotometry before and after hydrochloric acid or saline. Results : Baseline index of haemoglobin oxygen saturation, calculated blood flow and index of haemoglobin concentration measurements were comparable between hydrochloric acid (n = 60) and saline (n =60) treated groups. A history of current use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug was associated with a significantly lower baseline index of haemoglobin oxygen saturation and calculated blood flow. Hydrochloric acid resulted in a significant increase in index of haemoglobin oxygen saturation and calculated blood flow, but a decrease in index of haemoglobin concentration, reflecting an increase in mucus thickness compared with saline. Conclusions : Our observations in humans confirm data in animal studies that topical exposure to hydrochloric acid induces an increase in duodenal mucosal blood flow and mucus secretion. Post hoc analysis of the data also revealed that attenuation of basal duodenal mucosal blood flow is associated with a history of current non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. Endoscopic reflectance spectrophotometry appears to be adequate to assess factors that influence duodenal defence mechanisms of blood flow and mucus secretion in humans.
Photographic evaluation of fuel injectors for spark ignition engines

Abstract The objective of this experimental investigation was to determine if measurements could be made of the spray pattern and subsequently of the mass distribution resulting from the fuel injectors for spark ignition engines with readily available and inexpensive equipment that would permit comparisons among competing prototype designs.
Metamaterials-based Salisbury screens with reduced angular sensitivity

We demonstrate that the incorporation of nonlocal nanowire metamaterials into Salisbury screens allows for a substantial reduction of the dependence of incident angle on the absorption maximum. Realizations of angle-independent Salisbury screens for the near-IR, mid-IR, and GHz frequencies are proposed and their performances are analyzed analytically and numerically. It is shown that nonlocal effective medium theory adequately describes the angular dependence of nanowire-based Salisbury screens.
Phosphorylation of Glycogen Synthase Kinase-3β During Preconditioning Through a Phosphatidylinositol-3-Kinase–Dependent Pathway Is Cardioprotective

We previously reported that activation of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3-kinase) is involved in ischemic preconditioning (PC). Our goal was to determine downstream targets of PI3-kinase. In perfused rat hearts, PC (4 cycles of 5 minutes of ischemia and 5 minutes of reflow) increased phosphorylation of glycogen synthase kinase-3beta (GSK-3beta), a downstream target of PI3-kinase and protein kinase B (PKB), an effect that was blocked by wortmannin. Because phosphorylation inactivates GSK-3beta, we examined whether PC-induced phosphorylation and inhibition of GSK-3beta is important in PC by using two inhibitors of GSK-3beta, lithium and SB 216763. Pretreatment of perfused rat hearts with lithium or SB 216763, before ischemia, mimicked the protective effects of PC; hearts treated with either lithium or SB 216763 had improved postischemic function and reduced infarct size. These findings indicate that inhibition of GSK-3beta is protective and that this PI3-kinase--dependent signaling pathway may play an important role in ischemic preconditioning.
Childhood obesity in Mexico: the effect of international migration

This article estimates the effect of international migration from Mexico to the United States on the obesity status of children who remain in Mexico. Theory suggests that increased liquidity as well as changing time allocations resulting from migration may influence obesity outcomes. Natural disasters are used as an identification strategy. Results suggest that older boys in urban areas are more likely to become obese when either a male or female migrates from the household, while girls in urban areas are less likely to become obese. Both changes in food expenditure patterns and time use changes after migration are likely pathways that affect childhood obesity. While there are some changes in food expenditures, we find more importantly that urban girls engage in more housework and screen time after migration, whereas urban teen boys do not substitute for adult work as much as girls. These changes in strenuous activities, particularly for girls, likely explain the differential effect that migration has on boys’ and girls’ obesity outcomes in Mexico.
Robust Tests for the Equality of Variances

Abstract Alternative formulations of Levene's test statistic for equality of variances are found to be robust under nonnormality. These statistics use more robust estimators of central location in place of the mean. They are compared with the unmodified Levene's statistic, a jackknife procedure, and a χ2 test suggested by Layard which are all found to be less robust under nonnormality.
To Touch or Not to Touch: That is the Question!

AbstractPeople attend museums to see artifacts and learn from them! Ideally, they want to see them, touch them, and learn the story about them. Artifacts have an uncanny ability to mute the passage of time, and unite young and old on common ground. During its sixty-plus-years in existence, the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History has displayed artifacts in a setting where children and adults can interact with them and in many cases handle them. As such, the museum's collection has evolved along two lines: 1) Permanent (non-touchable) Collection; 2) Teaching (touchable) Collection. Both parts of the collection have intrinsic value to the museum's mission of educating visitors.
Elevated fibroblast growth factor 23 in women with malignant ovarian tumors.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) concentrations are altered in women with ovarian cancers in which FGF physiology is known to be abnormal. PATIENTS AND METHODS Between May 2002 and September 2003 at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn, plasma or serum FGF23 concentrations were measured in 39 healthy women and in 14 with benign ovarian tumors, 14 with early-stage ovarian cancer, and 13 with advanced-stage ovarian cancer. Immunohistochemistry using anti-human FGF23 antibodies was performed on tissue from benign masses and advanced-stage tumors. RESULTS Serum or plasma FGF23 concentrations were significantly higher in women with advanced-stage ovarian cancer compared with concentrations in women with early-stage ovarian cancer or benign disease or in healthy women. A significant positive correlation was seen between serum iFGF23 and cFGF23 concentrations and stage of disease. Serum iFGF23 and cFGF23 concentrations were positively correlated with serum phosphorus among women with ovarian cancer. No patients with elevated iFGF23 or cFGF23 concentrations had hypophosphatemia. Immunohistochemistry detected FGF23 tissue staining in malignant ovarian cancer cells. CONCLUSION Serum or plasma FGF23 concentrations are elevated in patients with advanced-stage epithelial ovarian cancer without reductions in serum phosphate concentrations. The presence of elevated FGF23 concentrations in patients with an ovarian mass should suggest advanced-stage disease.
Pyrolysis of Polymers

The nature of their pyrolysis products, monomer, oligomers and carbonaceous residues enables one to group polymers into three classes, those that decompose by net main chain scission; by stripping of the main chain, for example the thermal dehydrochlorination of polyvinyl chloride; and by crosslinking of the main chain followed by some production of volatiles. Highly unsaturated or aromatic chains tend to follow the latter course.At the present time a theoretical framework exists which permits, provided adequate experiments are performed, the elucidation of the decompositions of the first type. For most of the well-known polymers in this class, this framework of knowledge gives very acceptable mechanistic explanations or interpretations of the decomposition process based on observations of rate of weight loss, of molecular weight changes and composition of volatile products.Knowledge of the decomposition of the second class of polymers is at an intermediate state development. However, an important practic...
Caregiver-Child Verbal Interactions in Child Care: A Buffer against Poor Language Outcomes when Maternal Language Input is Less.

Abstract Recent research has suggested that high quality child care can buffer young children against poorer cognitive and language outcomes when they are at risk for poorer language and readiness skills. Most of this research measured the quality of parenting and the quality of the child care with global observational measures or rating scales that did not specify the exact maternal or caregiver behaviors that might be causally implicated in the buffering of these children from poor outcomes. The current study examined the actual language by the mother to her child in the home and the verbal interactions between the caregiver and child in the child care setting that might be implicated in the buffering effect of high quality childcare. The sample included 433 rural children from the Family Life Project who were in child care at 36 months of age. Even after controlling for a variety of covariates, including maternal education, income, race, child previous skill, child care type, the overall quality of the home and quality of the child care environment; observed positive caregiver–child verbal interactions in the child care setting interacted with the maternal language complexity and diversity in predicting children's language development. Caregiver–child positive verbal interactions appeared to buffer children from poor language outcomes concurrently and two years later if children came from homes where observed maternal language complexity and diversity during a picture book task was less.
Self-Assembled Multilayer Films from Dendrimers

Composite molecular films of (AB)x type are fabricated by self-assembly of dendritic macromolecules of two adjacent generations using the electrostatic layer-by-layer deposition. Polyamidoamine dendrimers with surface amine groups for generations 4, 6, and 10 (G4, G6, G10) and carboxylic groups for generations G3.5, G5.5, and G9.5 have been used as building units. The molecular films are explored by scanning probe microscopy and X-ray reflectivity. All even generations are observed to form homogeneous, stable monolayers on a silicon surface. The thickness of a single monolayer varies with generation (molecular weight) from 1.8 nm (G4) to 2.8 nm (G6) and 5.6 nm (G10). Average thickness of a molecular layer in multilayer films is much smaller than the diameter of ideal spherical dendritic macromolecules. The model of molecular ordering of dendrimer films assumes compressed dendritic macromolecules of oblate shape with the axial ratio in the range from 1:3 to 1:6. The high interaction strength between “stick...
Sensitive assay for cellulase and dextranase.

Abstract Sensitive, rapid, and quantitative methods have been devised for the assay of cellulases and dextranases through the synthesis of two chemically modified carboxymethyl cellulose substrates. One contains a trinitrophenyl group as chromophore. The other contains a fluorescent fluorescamine group. The soluble hydrolytic products in the filtrate released from the substrates by cellulase are thus monitored either spectrophotometrically (for trinitrophenyl group) or spectrofluorometrically (for fluorescamine). The same principle has been applied to the determination of dextranases by utilizing chemically modified Sephadex G-200 containing either group as deseribed above for carboxymethyl cellulose. The methods are sensitive to about 5 μg of enzyme for trinitrophenyl-containing substrates, while the use of fluorescamine-containing substrates is about tenfold more sensitive.
L’Enfance, la maturité et la mort : la formation d’une identité nationale problématisée

Apres avoir precise le caractere « problematique » de l’identite taiwanaise, l’auteure analyse le film Le Temps de vivre, le temps de mourir (1985) de Hou Xiaoxian, selon le point de vue de la recherche identitaire. Elle demontre que le cineaste revele une identite nationale nouvelle, qui aspire a devenir un creuset ou tous les habitants de Taiwan, quelle que soit leur origine, peuvent trouver leur place, sauf les femmes. Bien qu’englobante, cette identite reste donc partielle.
Where asylum-seekers wait: feminist counter-topographies of sites between states

This article examines topographies and counter-topographies of power operating transnationally across a range of sites inhabited by asylum-seekers en route between nation-states. In locations such as tunnels, detention centers and islands, journeys across time and space are truncated in myriad ways. For asylum-seekers, temporality is often conceptualized as waiting, limbo or suspension. These temporal zones map onto corresponding spatial ambiguities theorized here as liminality, exception and threshold. A feminist counter-topography of sites along time–space trajectories between states addresses both the architecture of exclusionary enforcement practices that capture bodies, and the transgressive struggles to map, locate, counter and migrate through the time–space trajectories between states. In outlining such counter-topography, the analysis enters into conversation with transnational feminist scholarship on politics of location and differentiation in order to challenge the universal dimensions of Giorgi...