cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Magnetic Effects in the Near Infrared Spectrum of Fe F 2

We have investigated the near infrared spin-allowed transitions in antiferromagnetic Fe${\mathrm{F}}_{2}$. At low temperatures we have observed a sharp transition accompanied by magnetic dipole structure; from the behavior of this structure with respect to temperature and magnetic field changes, it is possible to conclude that magnetic dipole magnon-assisted sideband processes are present in the spectrum. Using general symmetry considerations, selection rules are developed for magnetic dipole sidebands, and it is shown that the exciton-magnon transitions couple only at the $R$ point of the Brillouin zone. From phenomenological considerations, it is also possible to deduce that the magnon-exciton pair are in fact created in opposite sublattices. These conclusions are then used to predict and identify the sideband structure. The strength and the nature of the exciton-magnon coupling mechanism are discussed as well as the mechanism for temperature broadening of the central or no-magnon, no-phonon transition.
Phase Separation in Supported Phospholipid Bilayers Visualized by Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy in Aqueous Solution

An experimental approach for near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) of biological samples in an aqueous environment with a resolution of <100 nm has been developed. This was accomplished by using high-throughput bent optical fiber probes prepared by a two-step chemical etching method followed by focused ion beam milling to fabricate a reproducible aperture. The utility of the method for high-resolution fluorescence imaging of biological samples in liquid was demonstrated using phase separated, supported phospholipid bilayers as models for natural membranes. Bilayers with a phase separated dipalmitoyl−phosphatidylcholine/dilauroyl−phosphatidylcholine (DPPC/DLPC) mixture in one or both leaflets were imaged by both atomic force microscopy and NSOM. The addition of dihexadecanoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine−Texas Red (DHPE−TR) was used to visualize fluid and gel phases for the NSOM fluorescence measurements. Hybrid bilayers with 7:3 DLPC/DPPC in the bottom leaflet and DPPC on top showed phase sepa...
Comatacarus, Formerly Subgenus of Leeuwenhoekia, Restored to Generic Status, with Description of A New Species (Acarina: Trombiculidae)

Comatacarus Ewing, 1942 is reinstated as a genus and Comatacarus inconspicuus , n. sp. is described from Peromyscus maniculatus from Utah. The genus is briefly redescribed, a new diagnostic character is noted and a key to the 4 species is included.
Intracerebral injury following thermocoagulation of the trigeminal ganglion.

An unusual postoperative complication of percutaneous thermocoagulation of the gasserian ganglion is reported. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain disclosed an intracerebral lesion following the surgical procedure. Some rare abnormalities of the skull base could increase the risk of such complications. A meticulous surgical technique with fluoroscopic and neurophysiological control is mandatory in any percutaneous procedure on the trigeminal ganglion
Impacts of imminent changes in the semiconductor industry

One of the most critical issues facing the semiconductor industry today is the fact that the cost per transistor is increasing for the first time in decades. The semiconductor industry has several current or near-term transitions, which can be characterized as industry inflection points. Those inflection points are being driven by both technology transition issues (e.g. 450mm, EUV, 3D transistors) and industry consolidation. We will review some of the key aspects and concerns of these industry inflections. There is a continued drive for fabs to become more efficient, faster and more agile and we will highlight some of the areas where modeling will be utilized to implement smarter decision-making software tools for manufacturing.
Making Subject Matter Part of the Conversation in Learning to Teach

Conversations between four mentor and four novice teachers were analyzed to discover how they discussed issues about the teaching and learning of content. The four cases were drawn from a larger set of conversations that were part of the data gathered in a study of two different first- year teacher programs—an induction program and an alternative certification program. Analy sis of the conversations revealed a range of ways that mentors dealt with novices' understanding of subject matter, including presenting subject matter directly, indirectly, assuming adequate subject-matter knowledge, and ignoring it. The conversations are discussed in relation to four aspects of learning to teach academic content: (a) deepening one's understanding of subject matter, (b) learning to think about academic content from the students' perspective, (c) learning to represent subject matter in appropriate and engaging ways, and (d) learning to organize students for teaching and learning academic content.
Serum Cholesterol Levels in Rats Fed Skim Milk Fermented by Lactobacillus Acidophilus

The effects of reconstituted skim milk, and the same fermented by Lactobacillus acidophilus, were tested in rats. Rats were fed a stock diet and drinking water containing one of three milk treatments: (1) no supplementary milk; (2) 10% milk; or (3) 10% milk fermented by L. acidophilus. After 4 wk, rats receiving the fermented milk had lower (P < 0.05) serum cholesterol levels (65 mg/dl) than did the water-fed (78 mg/dl) or milk-fed (79 mg/dl) rats. Weight gain, feed intake, liver lipid contents and fecal lactobacilli counts were not different among treatment groups. Data indicate that factors influencing serum cholesterol levels were produced during fermentation of the milk.
New initiative in studies of Earth's deep interior

A multidisciplinary U.S. research community is undertaking a new coordinated effort to study the state and dynamics of the Earth's deep mantle and core. At an open meeting held at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, from September 11 to 12, 1992, over 120 Earth scientists gathered to discuss this new program, which is an outgrowth of activity during the previous year by an ad hoc steering committee. The research program will be coordinated by a community-based scientific organization and supported through competitive research proposals submitted to the National Science Foundation with the aim of facilitating cooperative research projects cutting across traditional disciplinary and institutional boundaries. The new organization is the U.S. Studies of the Earth's Deep Interior (SEDI) Coordinating Committee. This committee will facilitate communication among the U.S. SEDI research community, federal funding agencies, the AGU Committee for Studies of the Earth's Interior (SEI), the Union SEDI Committee of the International Union of Geodesy and Geophysics, and the general public (Figure 1).
Paramagnetic and Nuclear Scattering Cross Sections of Holmium Sesquioxide

The coherent neutron scattering cross section of Ho as determined from neutron diffraction measurements on ${\mathrm{Ho}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ is found to be (9.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.5) b with amplitude of positive phase. The total nuclear scattering cross section is estimated to be about 13 b. The magnitude and angular dependence of the differential cross section for paramagnetic scattering by the trivalent holmium ion in ${\mathrm{Ho}}_{2}$${\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ have been measured at room temperature. For small scattering angles the observed cross section is equal, within experimental error, to that calculated for the free-ion moment, i.e., 10.6 Bohr magnetons, and the angular dependence of the differential scattering cross section reflects the full contribution of the orbital as well as of the spin contribution to the total moment of the ion.
Developmental evolution: The unbearable likeness of beings

Comparative studies have revealed a remarkable range of genetic changes in the mechanisms that pattern the nematode vulva. Two new studies identify genetic variation within nematode species that affects cell division and competence in vulval precursors.
Linear systems methods in some problems of radiative transfer between parallel planes.

In practical problems of radiative transfer the methods of linear systems theory can often be used to calculate and understand better the plane-to-plane propagation of thermal radiation and scattered noncoherent radiation. In this approach the radiation on one plane due to a small surface element on the other is thought of as a spread function, its Fourier transform being a transfer function. The radiative transfer equations can then be written in either the spatial domain or the spatial frequency domain.
Optimal UAV Flights for Seeability and Endurance in Winds

University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. December 2010. Major: Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. Advisors: Yiyuan J. Zhao, William L. Garrard. 1 computer file (PDF); xii, 40 pages.
Democratization in Africa

Africa, like most regions of the world, has not been bypassed by the current wave of political transitions from various brands of dictatorships to more open political systems. Workers, students, women, religious leaders, rural and urban associations, and even sectors of the military have gotten fed up with repression, corruption, economic mismanagement, and the suffocation of civil society. In response, they have agitated for political liberalization, and a return to democratic politics and governance. The regimes have not readily relented. Rather, they have devised clever strategies to weaken, divide or domesticate the opposition. Thus, the patterns of democratization have varied from country to country, and from experience to experience.
The in situ generation of non-stabilized carbene complexes viaintramolecular acetylene insertion: A new two-alkyne annulation and a new preparation of γ-keto esters

Abstract Non-heteroatom stabilized carbene complexes can be generated in solution by mild thermolysis (50°C) of 4-hexynyl and 5-heptynyl (methoxymethylene) complexes of chromium and tungsten pentacarbonyl. These intermediates react with acetylenes to give a new type of two-alkyne annulation product. In the absence of acetylenes, these intermediates can be trapped with methanol as their carbonylated products which results in a new synthesis of γ-keto esters.
Assessing Double Injection and Intake Air Temperature Effects on Gasoline HCCI Engine Performance and Emissions Using Fully-Automated Experiments and Micro-Genetic Algorithms

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) is receiving attention as a new low emission engine concept. Little is known about the optimal operating conditions for this engine operation mode. Combustion at homogeneous, low equivalence ratio conditions results in modest temperature combustion products, containing very low concentrations of NOx and PM as well as providing high thermal efficiency. However, this combustion mode can produce higher HC and CO emissions than those of conventional engines. An electronically controlled Caterpillar single-cylinder oil test engine (SCOTE), originally designed for heavy-duty diesel applications, was converted to a HCCI direct-injection gasoline engine. The engine features an electronically controlled low-pressure common rail injector with a 60°-spray angle that is capable of multiple injections. The use of double injection was explored for emission control, and the engine was optimized using fully-automated experiments and a micro-genetic algorithm (μGA) optimization code. The variables changed during the optimization include the intake air temperature, start of injection timing, and split injection parameters (percent mass of the fuel in each injection, dwell between the pulses). The engine performance and emissions were determined at 700 rev/min with a constant fuel flow rate at 10 MPa fuel injection pressure. The results show that significant emissions reductions are possible with the use of optimal injection strategies.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Aggressive meningiomas involving the parotid gland

Parotid masses remain challenging secondary to the great diversity of primary tumors that may arise in the salivary glands and propensity for regional and even distant metastases to occur in this region. Meningioma must also be considered in the differential diagnosis of parotid masses, whether from direct extension, metastases, or as an extracranial primary. We herein report 4 cases of aggressive meningioma involving the parotid gland and the pathologic considerations in evaluating these tumors.
Theory of superfluidity

Abstract We have established the excitation energy spectrum of He II by including the Hartree term. We compare then the excitation energy spectrum thus obtained to experimental spectra. We can obtain approximately the temperature dependence density relation of the quasi particle and we see that the behavior of C v , the specific heat, versus T , the temperature, can be reproduced for all T ≤ 2.1 K.
Chemotherapy and novel therapeutics before radical prostatectomy for high-risk clinically localized prostate cancer

Although both surgery and radiation are potential curative options for men with clinically localized prostate cancer, a significant proportion of men with high-risk and locally advanced disease will demonstrate biochemical and potentially clinical progression of their disease. Neoadjuvant systemic therapy before radical prostatectomy (RP) is a logical strategy to improve treatment outcomes for men with clinically localized high-risk prostate cancer. Furthermore, delivery of chemotherapy and other systemic agents before RP affords an opportunity to explore the efficacy of these agents with pathologic end points. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy, primarily with docetaxel (with or without androgen deprivation therapy), has demonstrated feasibility and safety in men undergoing RP, but no study to date has established the efficacy of neoadjuvant chemotherapy or neoadjuvant chemohormonal therapies. Other novel agents, such as those targeting the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor, epidermal growth factor receptor, platelet-derived growth factor receptor, clusterin, and immunomodulatory therapeutics, are currently under investigation.
Modeling the effect of oxygen mass transfer on β-lactam antibiotic production by immobilizedCephalosporium acremonium

The oxygen effect on the production of β-lactam antibiotics was investigated whenCephalosporium acremonium was immobilized in calcium alginate. Theoretical effectiveness factors were calculated and compared with experimental ones. The approximate expressions of effectiveness factors reported in the literature were compared with the numerically obtained solutions to provide the best approximated expression for immobilizedC. acremonium cells. Yamane's approximate expression of effectiveness factor was best fit with the solutions numerically obtained in this investigation.
Substructure of the mammalian acrosome.

Acrosome ultrastructure was analyzed in the Chinese hamster, mouse, rat, and rabbit. The plasma membrane overlying the acrosome of Chinese hamster and mouse spermatozoa is coated with minute vesicles and tubules in specific regions. These vesicles and tubules are localized in an area on the surface of the sperm head which seems to have a “sticky” quality; in movies of living spermatozoa this area of the sperm head is observed to stick to other sperm heads or to the substrate. It is postulated that the sticky quality of the minute tubules and vesicles may be of biological importance, for instance in attachment during fertilization. We have found that the material making up rat and rabbit acrosome has characteristic, ordered substructure which is specific to certain regions of the acrosome. This suggests that acrosomal enzymes may be specifically distributed in various regions of the acrosome in paracrystalline arrays.
Condition for Injection of Intense Relativistic Electron Beams into a Z Pinch

Intense relativistic electron beams have been injected into the plasma of a Z pinch at various times during the formation of the plasma column. If the diameter of the plasma column exceeded a certain value, these beams were found to propagate with a high transport efficiency when injected either into the collapsing current sheet of the Z pinch or into the expanding plasma column after its diameter had reached a minimum. However, when the diameter of the plasma column is smaller than this critical value, the relativistic electron beam does not propagate. Instead, it continues to diverge until it strikes the glass wall of the Z pinch tube.
Quantitative immunolocalization of mu opioid receptors: regulation by naltrexone

The present study utilized a newly developed quantitative immunohistochemical assay to measure changes in mu opioid receptor abundance following chronic administration of the opioid receptor antagonist naltrexone. These data were compared with those obtained from mu receptor radioligand binding on adjacent tissue sections, in order to determine whether the characteristic antagonist-induced increase in radioligand binding is due to an increase in the total number of mu receptors and/or to an increase in the proportion of receptors that are in an active binding conformation in the absence of a change in the total number of receptors. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were administered naltrexone, 7-8 mg/kg per day, or saline continuously for seven days by osmotic minipumps, after which time their brains were processed for immunohistochemistry and receptor autoradiography on adjacent fresh frozen tissue sections. Semiquantitative immunohistochemistry was performed using a radiolabelled secondary antibody for autoradiographic determination and a set of radioactive standards. Results demonstrate an overall concordance between the distribution of mu opioid receptors as measured by the two different methods with a few exceptions. Following naltrexone administration, mu receptor immunoreactivity was significantly higher in the amygdala, thalamus, hippocampus, and interpeduncular nucleus as compared with the saline-treated control animals. [3H]D-Ala2,N-Me-Phe4,Gly-ol5-enkephalin binding to mu opioid receptors was significantly higher in the globus pallidus, amygdala, thalamus, hypothalamus, hippocampus, substantia nigra, ventral tegmental area, central gray, and interpeduncular nucleus of the naltrexone-treated rats. These findings indicate that in some brain regions chronic naltrexone exposure increases the total number of mu opioid receptors, while in other regions there is an increase in the percent of active receptors without an observable change in the total number of receptors. Quantitative receptor immunodetection together with ligand autoradiography provides a new approach for investigating the regulation of mu opioid receptors on tissue sections.
Color name as a function of surround luminance and stimulus duration

A color-naming experiment was performed in which both surround luminance and exposure duration were varied. The data showed substantial effects from these changes; however, none could be interpreted to indicate the presence of a Bezold-Brucke shift or tritanopia.
COGNITIVE TEST PERFORMANCE AND CRASH RISK IN AN OLDER DRIVER POPULATION

This paper reports on the usefulness of five brief tests of cognitive function for identifying older drivers who may be at increased risk of crash involvement; it also examines the broader issue of whether impaired cognitive function is associated with increased crash risk in the older driver population. Data for the study were collected from 3238 drivers aged 65 and older applying for renewal of their North Carolina driver's license. The specific cognitive assessments examined include the Trail Making Test parts A and B, the Short Blessed Orientation-Memory-Concentration test of cognitive impairment, a modification of the American Association of Retired Persons 'Reaction Time' test, and a timed Traffic Sign Recognition test. Information on crash involvements during the 3-year period prior to testing was obtained by linkage with the North Carolina driver history file. Although the individual tests were not found to be particularly effective screening tools for identifying subsets of high risk drivers, cognitive test performance remained significantly associated with crash risk even after controlling for driver age, race and measures of driving exposure. Drivers who scored in the lowest 10% on the cognitive tests were approx. 1.5 times more likely to be in crashes than were drivers who scored in the highest 10%. Implications for the counseling and licensing of older drivers are discussed, along with recommendations for future research.
Recognition and Management of Gliomas

Gliomas are the most frequent primary brain tumours. They include astrocytic gliomas, oligodendrocytic gliomas, ependymomas and gliomas with mixed cell populations. Each glioma type consists of both low-grade and malignant atypical varieties. The low-grade tumours occur predominantly in children and young adults, and the malignant forms in older people. The presenting symptoms are epileptic seizures, headache and mental confusion. Focal neurological symptoms and findings, such as hemiparesis, are mostly associated with the malignant forms. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain with and without gadolinium contrast demonstrates the tumour. However, stereotactic biopsy or surgical resection is necessary to obtain the correct pathological diagnosis, except for diffuse pontine astrocytomas, which have an unmistakeable imaging appearance and for which biopsy has substantial risks. Treatment depends on the pathological diagnosis. Complete surgical resection may be curative for low-grade tumours. Postoperative radiotherapy is recommended for partially resected tumours. Most malignant gliomas require aggressive combination therapy with radiotherapy and chemotherapy after maximal surgery. The standard initial regimens are nitrosourea-based chemotherapies, such as carmustine alone, a combination of procarbazine, lomustine and vincristine, or a combination of thioguanine, procarbazine, lomustine and hydroxycarbamide (hydroxyurea). Unfortunately, the prognosis of malignant gliomas is generally poor despite aggressive treatment, because of their infiltrative nature and high relapse rate.
Imaging velocity selective resonances in a magnetic field

We demonstrate techniques for imaging both magnetic fields and magnetic sublevel distributions using velocity-selective Raman transitions in cold 87Rb and 85Rb ensembles. When an expanding atom cloud is exposed to counterpropagating laser beams, resonant atom trajectories undergoing Raman transitions are perturbed and result in distinctive features in images of the expanded cloud. If the counterpropagating laser fields couple magnetic sublevels in different hyperfine manifolds, the images provide a spectrograph of sublevel occupation. The techniques are simple to implement and provide a useful, rapid diagnostic tool for cold atom experiments.
Reflections on the early history of Perception & Psychophysics.

Perception & Psychophysics was founded in 1966 by Clifford T. Morgan. After World War II (WWII) Cliff had received a faculty appointment at the Johns Hopkins University to build a psychology department. He quickly put together an outstanding faculty, nearly all of whom were or soon became prominent in their fields. But Cliff was a complex person who was always searching for the life that would satisfy him. He resigned from Hopkins in 1954 and moved to some acreage on the Choptank River on the Maryland eastern shore. There he spent his time on the Introduction to Psychology that he had written in collaboration with some of the members of the Johns Hopkins psychology department. (He had already authored the highly successful textbook Physiological Psychology as well as several other books, and the royalties from these gave him independence from a university appointment.) At the time that Cliff founded Perception & Psychophysics (PP otherwise, I would get the reputation for doing trivial and superficial research. It must be remembered, though, that Hilgard said this at a time when money for research had been quite scarce. It was not until the early 1950s that research grants in the behavioral and social sciences became available from NSF and NIMH. Although Cliff Morgan himself was no longer active in research, he was acutely aware of the publication bottleneck for experimental psychologists. The number of psychologists had mushroomed after the war. With research grants from NSF and NIMH, laboratories had been established and data were flowing forth. …
Altered regulation of insulin secretion in isolated islets of different sizes in aging rats.

Summary Glucose-stimulated secretion of immunoreactive insulin (IRI) was examined in perifused pancreatic islets of Langerhans of different sizes isolated from fed and fasted, Sprague-Dawley rats aged 2- to 24-months. Small and large islets show distinctly different biphasic secretory responses which are modified during starvation or aging. The rate of IRI secretion is several fold greater in large than in small islets, irrespective of donor age or nutritional status. Starvation severely reduces the rate of IRI secretion, essentially abolishing the stimulatory effect of glucose in small islets from fasted, old rats. Aging inhibits IRI secretion, but to a far greater degree in small than in large islets. The increased number of large islets in the pancreas of aging rats may represent a physiological compensatory response to the diminished functional capability of small islets with respect to glucose-stimulated secretion of IRI.
Self-study groups: Hope for the troubled normal

In response to the expressed need of manytroubled adults for help in better dealing with their everyday problems, the Old Colony Association for Mental Health of Brockton, Massachusetts, has sponsored courses in Self-Study for the past several years. These courses are organized with aneducational rather than atreatment emphasis although the manner in which each class is conducted draws much from the group therapy model. This paper discusses the group organization, presents anecdotal accounts of significant events in the life of certain groups, and encourages the use of this method in action programs for mental health.
Allometric patterning in the limb skeleton of bats: Implications for the mechanics and energetics of powered flight

Allometric analysis was employed to compare linear dimensions of forelimb and hindlimb bones (humeri, radii, third and fifth metacarpals, third and fifth manual phalanges, femora, and tibiae) of 227 species of bats and 105 species of nonvolant mammals of varying degrees of phylogenetic affinity to bats. After accounting for body size, all forelimb bones are longer in bats than in nonvolant species, with the exception of humeri and radii of a few highly arboreal primates. Hindlimb bones are generally, but not uniformly, shorter in bats than in other mammals. For the humerus, radius, and metacarpals, midshaft diameters are greater in bats than in their comparably sized relatives. Proximal phalangeal midshaft diameters are statistically indistinguishable from those of other mammals, and distal phalanges show significantly reduced outer diameters. The pattern of relative reduction in wing bone diameters along the wing's proximodistal axis parallels the reduction in bone mineralization along the same axis, and a similar pattern of change in cortical thickness from the smallest wall thicknesses among mammals in the humerus and radius to the greatest wall thicknesses among mammals in the phalanges. The combination of altered cross-sectional geometry and mineralization appears significantly to reduce the mass moment of inertia of the bat wing relative to a theoretical condition in which elongated bones preserve primitive mammalian mineralization levels and patterns of scaling of long bone diameters. This intercorrelated suite of skeletal specializations may significantly reduce the inertial power of flight, contributing significant energetic savings to the total energy budgets of the only flying mammals. J. Morphol. 234: 277-294, 1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Enhanced production and isotope enrichment of recombinant glycoproteins produced in cultured mammalian cells

NMR studies of post-translationally modified proteins are complicated by the lack of an efficient method to produce isotope enriched recombinant proteins in cultured mammalian cells. We show that reducing the glucose concentration and substituting glutamate for glutamine in serum-free medium increased cell viability while simultaneously increasing recombinant protein yield and the enrichment of non-essential amino acids compared to culture in unmodified, serum-free medium. Adding dichloroacetate, a pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase inhibitor, further improves cell viability, recombinant protein yield, and isotope enrichment. We demonstrate the method by producing partially enriched recombinant Thy1 glycoprotein from Lec1 Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells using U-13C-glucose and 15N-glutamate as labeled precursors. This study suggests that uniformly 15N,13C-labeled recombinant proteins may be produced in cultured mammalian cells starting from a mixture of labeled essential amino acids, glucose, and glutamate.
“Happier Than Ever to be Exactly What He Was”: Reflections on Shrek, Fiona and the Magic Mirrors of Commodity Culture

This article compares the models of subjectivity and identity in William Steig’s 1990 picture book Shrek! and in DreamWorks’ Shrek films. Steig presented his ogre hero as a model of the crises of subjectivity all children must face, and then reassured readers by showing how even a hideous figure such as Shrek can find resolution and be “happier than ever to be exactly what he was.” DreamWorks’ Shrek films, on the other hand, offer up models of identity based on consumption and rooted in commodity culture, tales which seek to transform their viewers into consumers and even into commodities themselves. As texts of commodity culture, the films must create, not resolve, anxiety and self-doubt. Has DreamWorks’ adaptation of Steig’s book merely replaced a self-confident ogre with an anxiety-ridden consumer? Or, can the films’ humor and absurdity, their parody of familiar commodities and corporate landscapes, and their introduction of boundary-crossing characters such as Fiona offer an alternative critique of commodity culture? This article demonstrates how the films work to uphold and reinforce commodity culture, but also examines how they might also provide moments of potential subversion and critique.
NCBI Reference Sequences (RefSeq): current status, new features and genome annotation policy

The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) Reference Sequence (RefSeq) database is a collection of genomic, transcript and protein sequence records. These records are selected and curated from public sequence archives and represent a significant reduction in redundancy compared to the volume of data archived by the International Nucleotide Sequence Database Collaboration. The database includes over 16,00 organisms, 2.4 × 0(6) genomic records, 13 × 10(6) proteins and 2 × 10(6) RNA records spanning prokaryotes, eukaryotes and viruses (RefSeq release 49, September 2011). The RefSeq database is maintained by a combined approach of automated analyses, collaboration and manual curation to generate an up-to-date representation of the sequence, its features, names and cross-links to related sources of information. We report here on recent growth, the status of curating the human RefSeq data set, more extensive feature annotation and current policy for eukaryotic genome annotation via the NCBI annotation pipeline. More information about the resource is available online (see http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/RefSeq/).
SU-E-P-03: Implementing a Low Dose Lung Screening CT Program Meeting Regulatory Requirements

Purpose: To provide information pertaining to IROC Houston QA Center's (RPC) credentialing process for institutions participating in NCI-sponsored clinical trials. Purpose: Provide guidance to the Radiology Departments with the intent of implementing a Low Dose CT Screening Program using different CT Scanners with multiple techniques within the framework of the required state regulations. Method: State Requirements for the purpose of implementing a Low Dose CT Lung Protocol required working with the Radiology and Pulmonary Department in setting up a Low Dose Screening Protocol designed to reduce the radiation burden to the patients enrolled. Radiation dose measurements (CTDIvol) for various CT manufacturers (Siemens16, Siemens 64, Philips 64, and Neusoft128) for three different weight based protocols. All scans were reviewed by the Radiologist. Prior to starting a low dose lung screening protocol, information had to be submitted to the state for approval. Performing a Healing Arts protocol requires extensive information. This not only includes name and address of the applicant but a detailed description of the disease, the x-ray examination and the population to be examined. The unit had to be tested by a qualified expert using the technique charts. The credentials of all the operators, the supervisors and the Radiologists hadmore » to be submitted to the state. Results: All the appropriate documentation was sent to the state for review. The measured results between the Low Dose Protocol versus the default Adult Chest Protocol showed that there was a dose reduction of 65% for small (100-150 lb.) patient, 75% for the Medium patient (151-250 lbs.), and a 55% reduction for the Large patient ( over 250 lbs.). Conclusion: Measured results indicated that the Low Dose Protocol indeed lowered the screening patient's radiation dose and the institution was able to submit the protocol to the State's regulators.« less
Agroforestry in the interior highlands

The USDA Agricultural Research Service, headquartered at the South Central Family Farm Research Center, Booneville, Arkansas, recently initiated an agroforestry research program for the interior highlands and the southeastern United States. The purpose of the agroforestry program is to develop a research and technology transfer program in agroforestry that will provide additional alternative income opportunities for family farms of this region. The objectives of the program are: 1) to develop new information on the establishment, maintenance, and utilization of conifer and hardwood tree stands in open pastures, 2) to develop new knowledge in multiple-use management and their environmental impacts, and 3) to facilitate multidisciplinary networks and partnerships of farmers, technical specialists, scientists, and managers for accomplishing agroforestry research and technology transfer.
A comparison of native and covalently crosslinked creatine kinases: denaturation and reassembly.

Abstract Creatine kinase from rabbit muscle, a dimeric protein of molecular weight 81,000, was crosslinked with glutaraldehyde. The time course of the reation was monitored by inhibition of activity, fluorescence polarization, and electrophoretic mobility in polyacrylamide slab gels containing sodium dodecyl sulfate. Inactivation is complete in 40 min. ADP (1.2 m m ) decreases the rate but does not prevent complete inactivation. Fluorescence polarization analysis of n -dansylaziridyl creatine kinase suggests the formation of high molecular weight oligomers. This is confirmed through electrophoretic molecular weight analysis, which demonstrates the formation of products with molecular weight greater than 150,000 throughout the course of reaction with glutaraldehyde. During crosslinking at least three other products appear with apparent molecular weights of 150,000, 95,000, and 85,000. The 150,000 and 95,000 molecular weight products are transient, disappearing after 40 min of exposure to glutaraldehyde. Monomers of 40,000 molecular weight have also been eliminated by 40 min. The 85,000 molecular weight product, which is not present until 10 min after crosslinking, is the only product other than oligomers present at 60 min of crosslinking. These two products are separated by gel filtration. The isolated 85,000 molecular weight protein exhibits absorption and fluorescence spectra identical to those of noncrosslinked creatine kinase. Upon denaturation in 8 m urea, the noncrosslinked and crosslinked preparations undergo a 2.8-fold and 2.0-fold increase, respectively, in intrinsic protein fluorescence. Since crosslinked enzyme is incapable of dissociation upon denaturation, the difference in fluorescence (28%) between crosslinked and noncrosslinked protein in denaturant may be attributed to the contribution of dissociation to the total fluorescence change resulting from denaturation. The kinetics of reassembly of both preparations exhibit a rapid, initial decrease in fluorescence, followed by a slower, more protracted decline until the level of fluorescence of the undenatured proteins is achieved. The decrease in fluorescence during the first phase of reassembly is 93 and 72% of the total fluorescence change for crosslinked and noncrosslinked enzyme, respectively. Since, the magnitude of these changes is considerably greater than the fluorescence change attributed to association of subunits, the first kinetic phase cannot reflect dimerization, and most probably constitutes the refolding of subunits. The second, slower phase of reassembly, which is approximately 28% of the fluorescence change observed in the reassembly of noncrosslinked enzyme, but only 7% for crosslinked species, may be assigned to reassociation.
System design considerations for ultra-wideband communication

This article discusses issues associated with high-data-rate pulsed ultra-wideband system design, including the baseband processing, transmitter, antenna, receiver, and analog-to-digital conversion. A modular platform is presented that can be used for developing system specifications and prototyping designs. This prototype modulates data with binary phase shift keyed pulses, communicates over a wireless link using UWB antennas and a wideband direct conversion front-end, and samples the received signal for demodulation. Design considerations are introduced for a custom chipset that operates in the 3.1-10.6 GHz band. The chipset is being designed using the results from the discrete prototype.
Properties of amylases from midguts of larvae of Sitophilus zeamais and Sitophilus granarius

Abstract Properties of amylases in homogenates of midguts of larvae of the granary weevil, Sitophilus granarius (L.), and maize weevil, Sitophilus zeamais Motchulsky, were studied. Amylases from both species were active in mildly acid buffers. The pH optima were 4.75 for S. zeamais and 5.0 for S. granarius. Amylases from both weevils were activated by Cl− and stabilized against thermal inactivation by Ca2+. Each species hydrolyzed soluble starch and amylopectin with identical kinetic parameters. However, different K m values for soluble starch were obtained in each species: 0.077% for S. granarius and 0.13% for S. zeamais. Action patterns of amylases of S. granarius and S. zeamais were identical and were similar to that of porcine pancreatic α-amylase. The larval enzymes were of the endoamylase type and should be classified as α-amylases (E.C. 3.2.1.1). NaHCO3 extracts of wheat strongly inhibited the amylases from both weevils. Extracts equivalent to 50 μg flour inhibited about 80% of the amylase activity in each species. Extract concentrations equivalent to 400 μg flour resulted in almost complete inhibition. Two strongly anionic amylase isozymes were demonstrated in larval midgut homogenates from S. zeamais by vertical slab polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A single anionic amylase was found in S. granarius.
History and review of bacterial vaginosis

Objectives: Review publications that significantly impacted on the knowledge of bacterial vaginosis. Study Design: Assessment of information on the epidemiology, bacteriology, and pathology of bacterial vaginosis. Results: Bacterial vaginosis has a complex microbiology. Further information is required on the epidemiology. The large increase in the concentration of vaginal bacteria among patients with bacterial vaginosis is associated with postpartum and postsurgical infections and with preterm delivery. Conclusions: Bacterial vaginosis is the most important vaginal infection because of its potential to cause upper genital tract infection in specific settings.
Analyses of gender differences in profiles of nursing home residents with Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive, neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss, language deterioration, impairment of visuospatial skills, poor judgment, and indifference, but preserved motor function, is the most common type of dementia, accounting for two thirds or more of all cases of dementia. The identification of differences between men and women with AD might present opportunities to improve the quality of AD-related care provided by nursing facilities, as well as lead to additional analyses of nursing home residents with AD. Objective: The objectives of this study were to gain additional insight into gender differences in nursing home residents with AD in the United States, and to provide a better understanding of their health status and the care they receive in nursing facilities. Methods: All admission assessments recorded in the Minimum Data Set (MDS) throughout the United States during 2000 were analyzed. P values for all significant differences were Results: A total of 49,607 residents with a diagnosis of AD (67.9% women) were identified. Female residents with AD were more likely to be older and widowed, whereas male residents with AD were more likely to be married. We found minimal gender differences in cognitive impairment among these residents with AD, although women were more likely to understand and be understood by others. Male residents with AD were more likely to exhibit behavioral symptoms, whereas female residents with AD tended to be more physically impaired and dependent on others for activities of daily living. Significant differences in comorbidities were found between the sexes, with greater proportions of male residents with AD having cardiac-related conditions, stroke, cancer, and other life-threatening chronic conditions. Male residents with AD were more likely to receive care in AD special-care units; daily antipsychotic medications; and intervention programs for mood, behavior, and cognitive loss than female residents with AD. Conclusions: In this study of nursing home residents identified using the MDS, key differences were found between male and female residents with AD, including age; cognitive and communicative abilities; and mental health, mood, and behavioral patterns.
Angiographic and clinical predictors of acute closure after native vessel coronary angioplasty

To determine predictors of acute coronary closure after PTCA performed with steerable catheter systems, we compared 140 procedures complicated by acute closure and 311 representative successful attempts from 4,772 procedures performed between April 1982 and March 1986. Sixteen clinical, 35 angiographic, and seven procedural variables were analyzed. Multivariate analysis found seven independent preprocedural factors related to closure: stenosis length of 2 or more luminal diameters, female gender, stenosis at a bend point of 45 degrees or more, stenosis at a branch point, stenosis-associated thrombus (filling defect or staining), other stenoses in the same vessel, and multivessel disease. In addition, four procedural factors were found to be associated with closure by univariate analysis: post-PTCA percent stenosis (p less than .001), intimal tear or dissection (p less than .001), use of prolonged heparin infusion (p less than .001), and post-PTCA gradient of 20 mm Hg or more (p = .004). Multivariate analysis of both preprocedural and procedural variables found six factors independently related to closure: post-PTCA percent stenosis, dissection, prolonged post-PTCA use of heparin, branch point location, fixed bend point location, and other stenoses in the vessel dilated. The risk of coronary closure after PTCA has many determinants. While an estimation of risk can be made before performing PTCA, the most powerful predictors of closure can only be assessed during the procedure itself.
Climate-driven trends in contemporary ocean productivity

Contributing roughly half of the biosphere's net primary production (NPP), photosynthesis by oceanic phytoplankton is a vital link in the cycling of carbon between living and inorganic stocks. Each day, more than a hundred million tons of carbon in the form of CO2 are fixed into organic material by these ubiquitous, microscopic plants of the upper ocean, and each day a similar amount of organic carbon is transferred into marine ecosystems by sinking and grazing. The distribution of phytoplankton biomass and NPP is defined by the availability of light and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate, iron). These growth-limiting factors are in turn regulated by physical processes of ocean circulation, mixed-layer dynamics, upwelling, atmospheric dust deposition, and the solar cycle. Satellite measurements of ocean colour provide a means of quantifying ocean productivity on a global scale and linking its variability to environmental factors. Here we describe global ocean NPP changes detected from space over the past decade. The period is dominated by an initial increase in NPP of 1,930 teragrams of carbon a year (Tg C yr(-1)), followed by a prolonged decrease averaging 190 Tg C yr(-1). These trends are driven by changes occurring in the expansive stratified low-latitude oceans and are tightly coupled to coincident climate variability. This link between the physical environment and ocean biology functions through changes in upper-ocean temperature and stratification, which influence the availability of nutrients for phytoplankton growth. The observed reductions in ocean productivity during the recent post-1999 warming period provide insight on how future climate change can alter marine food webs.
Isotopic constraints on the Easter Seamount Chain source

New isotopic data (Sr, Nd and Pb) for lavas from Easter and Salas y Gomez Islands, and nine seamounts along the length of the Easter Seamount Chain (ESC) to the east of these islands, exhibit a regular behavior that is consistent with two-component mixing between a MORB-like source and more enriched mantle (the Easter Plume source) characterized by relatively radiogenic Pb and unradiogenic Sr. Based on the linearity of mixing trends on the isotope diagrams, the plume source appears to have maintained approximately the same isotopic composition over the 20 to 30 Ma history of the Easter Plume sampled by the seamounts. In current nomenclature, the plume source resembles a mix of predominantly HIMU mantle with a small amount of EMI. The proportions of MORB and plume source mantle sampled by the lavas erupted along the ESC vary in a systematic way, with Easter Island and seamounts to the west containing larger fractions of the MORB component than Salas y Gomez Island and the older seamounts to the east. This variability is probably a reflection of the nearness to the spreading center, and therefore lithospheric thickness, at the time of volcanism
“Forbidden Return”: Return Migration in the Age of Restriction

Historically, international migration was a movement of people from overcrowded, resource-poor areas to ones that were underpopulated, had resources, and could put migrants to work. Return or temporary international migration then was basically a survival strategy for rural families that did not have the skills to easily hold year-round jobs in the country of destination. The present period is different; this is an age of restriction. A greater proportion of international return migration is involuntary return migration. It is in the aforementioned contexts that we seek to investigate return and the differential impacts of diverse experiences of returnees in India, Mexico, Guatemala, and Europe. Our findings confirm that we are indeed in a moment of transition in the nature of international migration—more marked in some countries than in others—where it is unlikely to contribute to development in the countries of origin because of the changing nature of their economies—from rural to urban—and is increasin...