cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Infrared Absorption Spectroscopy of Polycarbonate at High Pressure

High-pressure Fourier-transform infrared absorption spectroscopy has been performed on polycarbonate, using a diamond anvil cell to produce pressures up to ∼6 GPa. The frequencies of the vibrational modes have been measured as a function of pressure. Individual mode Gruneisen parameters have been determined for six vibra- tional modes. The data were fit to models that included both volume-dependent and -independent Gruneisen parameters. The vibrational frequency shifts as a function of pressure have been found to be consistent with those measured for similar types of bonds in other molecules. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 46: 734-742,
A Programmable 34 nW/Channel Sub-Threshold Signal Band Power Extractor on a Body Sensor Node SoC

We present a synthesizable, sub-threshold, four-channel signal band power extractor for a batteryless body sensor node system on chip (SoC). The power extractor consists of a programmable 30-tap finite impulse response (FIR) filter and signal power circuit (SPC). The filter uses a serial, resource-shared architecture to reduce area, leakage, and power. The FIR supports a programmable number of taps, number of active channels, and coefficient register data. The SPC uses power-of-two arithmetic for reduced complexity, area, and power. The design was synthesized in 130-nm CMOS and consumes 34 nW (32 nW for FIR, 2 nW for SPC) per channel at 350 mV and 29 kHz.
Thirteen decades of foliar isotopes indicate declining nitrogen availability in central North American grasslands.

Summary •Humans are increasing both the deposition of reactive nitrogen (N) and concentrations of atmospheric CO2 on Earth, but the combined effects on terrestrial ecosystems are not clear. In the absence of historical records, it is difficult to know if N availability is currently increasing or decreasing on regional scales. •To determine the nature and timing of past changes in grassland ecosystem dynamics, we measured the composition of stable carbon (C) and N isotopes in leaf tissue from 545 herbarium specimens of 24 vascular plant species collected in Kansas, USA from 1876 to 2008. We also parameterized a simple model of the terrestrial N cycle coupled with a stable isotope simulator to constrain processes consistent with observed patterns. •A prolonged decline in foliar N concentrations began in 1926, while a prolonged decline in foliar δ15N values began in 1940. Changes in the difference between foliar and atmospheric C isotopes reveal slightly increased photosynthetic water use efficiency since 1876. •The declines in foliar N concentrations and foliar δ15N suggest declining N availability in these grasslands during the 20th century despite decades of anthropogenic N deposition. Our results are consistent with progressive-nitrogen-limitation-type hypotheses where declines in N availability are driven by increased ecosystem N storage as a result of increased atmospheric CO2.
Quantitative aspects of glucose catabolism by rainbow and lake trout ocular tissues including alterations resulting from various pathological conditions.

We have provided quantitative data on the amount of glucose utilized by the hexosemonophosphate shunt, Embden-Meyerhof and tricarboxylic acid pathways in corneal, lenticular and retinal tissues from trout eyes. In general, the amount of glucose utilized by rainbow trout ocular tissues was lower on a per gram dry weight basis than values for comparable tissues from lake trout eyes. Tissues from discased lake trout eyes had rates of giucose utilization above those for normal controls. With the development of corneal opacities, cataracts, and retinal and pseudobranch degeneration there were concurrent changes in the pattern of glucose utilization by these tissues. Causes for these physiological and biochemical changes as well as the significance of these changes are discussed.
Chroma analysis for quantitative immunohistochemistry using active learning

Protein expression analysis has traditionally relied upon visual evaluation of immunohistochemical reaction by a pathologist, who analyzes the grade of staining intensity and estimates the percentage of cells stained in the area of interest. This method is effective in experienced hands but has potential limitations in its reproducibility due to subjectivity between and within operators. These limitations are particularly pronounced in gray areas where a distinction of weak from moderate protein expression can be clinically significant. Some research also suggests that sub localization of the protein expression into different components such as nuclei versus cytoplasm may be of great importance. This distinction can be particularly difficult to quantify using manual methods. In this paper, we formulate the problem of quantitative protein expression analysis as an active learning classification problem, where a very small set of pre-sampled user data is used for understanding expert evaluation. The expert coveted confidence is mapped to derive an uncertainty region to select the supplemental learning data. This is done by posing a structured query to the unknown data set. The newly identified samples are then augmented to the training set for incremental learning. The strength of our algorithm is measured in its ability to learn with minimum user interaction. Chroma analysis results of a Tissue Micro-array (TMA) images are presented to demonstrate the user interaction and learning ability. The chroma analysis results are then processed to obtain quantitative results.
THE ASSOCIATION OF DESERT ANNUALS WITH SHRUBS

IT HAS LONG been noted by both professional and lay observers that many species of annual plants characteristic of desert habitats are more or less strictly confined to sites beneath shrubs. Not all species of desert annuals are thus associated with shrubs. In fact, the herbs of a given area can be classified rather clearly into two groups, one nearly always growing beneath some species of shrubs, the other preponderantly occupying the broad expanses of otherwise bare soil between the widely-spaced shrubs. A few herbaceous species occur more or less indiscriminantly in both kinds of habitats. Furthermore, there are some species of shrubs that do not harbor dependent annual herbs or do so only rarely. The pattern of distribution is thus a very clear one comprising widely-spaced shrubs of several species, annual herbs growing between the shrubs, other annual species more or less confined to the bases of certain shrubs, and other shrub species which seldom or never harbor dependent herbs. This pattern of distribution and association of shrub and herb species was studied by Went (1942) in the Mojave Desert and in the Borego Valley of the Colorado Desert in Southern California. He showed a strong dependence of Malacothrix californica DC., Rafinesquia neomexicana Gray, Phacelia distans Benth., and Emmenanthe penduliflora Benth. upon sites provided by Franseria dumosa Gray, Larrea tridentata CoV., Opuntia echinocarpa Engelm. and Bigel., Hymenocloa salsola Torr. and Gray, and similar woody species. The shrub Encelia farinosa Gray, on the other hand, seldom harbored these annual herbs. He noted also that dead shrubs of any species harbored these herbs in abundance. Where the herbs were found apparently independent of shrubs, investigation invariably revealed a rotting stump of some dead shrub at the site of each. The failure of Encelic fctrinosa to harbor shrubdependent herbs was investigated by Gray and Bonner (1948a). They demonstrated in the leaves of Encelia a growth-inhibiting substance which, in either aqueous or ether extracts, killed tomato seedlings in water culture in 1-3 days. They showed also a marked depression of growth of tomato seedlings in sand culture by the application of Encelia leaves to the top of the sand and irrigation through the Encelia leaf mulch. It is suggested in their paper
Three-dimensional NMR microscopy of rat spleen and liver

Three-dimensional microscopic NMR images of spleen and liver specimens from rats injected with dextran magnetite particles and from controls were obtained at 4.7 T, using a specially designed probe in conjunction with a 3D filtered back projection reconstruction algorithm. All of the images were reconstructed as 64(3) arrays with (25 microns) 3 isotropic voxels. With the aid of the MR contrast agent, the red pulp and marginal zone of the spleen and the portal triad of the liver could be distinguished from the surrounding tissue in T2-weighted images. For mature rat spleen, natural contrast in T2-weighted images was found to distinguish the same features. Histological examinations of the tissues with and without contrast agent were also performed using an optical microscope. Microscopic NMR images, despite their lower resolution, clearly revealed many features seen in the optical images.
Stochastic simulation of diurnal variations of CO, NO and NO2 concentrations in occupied residences

Abstract A stochastic approach to the problem of incorporating variable emission events in indoor air quality models is proposed. A nonstationary Poisson process is used to account for the occurrence of range-top burner use. The combination of this emission event sequence with a simple one-compartment mass-balance model results in output that qualitatively agrees with measured concentrations in two occupied townhouses. Improved monitoring of stove usage times, gas flow rates and emission factors under field conditions would allow more effective estimation of model input parameters and more accurate prediction of concentration distributions.
A SQL database system for solving constraints

It has long been recognized that practical contexts for constraint satisfaction problems (CSP) often involve large relational databases (RDB). Early attempts to marry constraint solving systems and relational database systems include deductive and constraint databases that reuse important ideas from logic programming. These techniques required knowledge outside the scope of traditional database users. The recent proposal by Cadoli and Mancini, "consql", shows that a simple extension to SQL provides a viable basis for modeling CSP. This opens the possibility for transparently integrating CSP with databases using SQL - the most widely known and popular database language. Such an extension brings the power of constraint problem solving to SQL knowledgeable users. Towards that end, the current research describes a case study in the engineering details of designing and implementing such a prototype. The SQL-based constraint data engine (SCDE) supports key concepts of "consql", with several new syntax to better align the administration of CSP related notions with ordinary SQL. SCDE manages the internal representation and solving of constraints through a combination of ordinary SQL and a satisfiability solver, SATO. Initial performance tests on the 1997-98 ACC Basketball Scheduling problem shows the feasibility and potential of the SCDE design. Ongoing and future work include completing a programming environment for end-users to specify, test and debug constraint problem specification; combining the database engine with a more interactive version of SATO to support objective functions, and automatic problem analysis and decomposition for improving the performance of hard constraint problems.
CALCULATION OF SIEGERT EIGENVALUES FOR MOLECULAR SYSTEMS: RESULTS FOR He(21/3S) + H

Abstract The variational calculation of Siegert eigenvalues has previously been shown to provide reliable positions and widths for atomic resonances. This approach is herein extended to molecular problems, and the first such calculations for a molecular autoionizing system, He(21,3S)+H→ He+H++e−, are reported.
Thyrotropin (TSH)-releasing hormone-responsive elements in the rat TSH beta gene have distinct biological and nuclear protein-binding properties.

Two TRH-responsive elements have been identified in the rat TSH beta gene by deletion/mutation analysis of the 5'-flanking region of the gene and transfection of TSH beta-luciferase constructs into the GH3 pituitary cell line. Biological responsiveness was confirmed by inserting synthetic oligonucleotides next to the heterologous viral thymidine kinase (tk) promoter in tk luciferase (tkLUC) constructs. Both DNA regions, termed TSH A (at -274 to -258 bp) and TSH C (-402 to -385 bp), have a high level of sequence similarity to binding sites for the POU domain pituitary transcription factor Pit-1/GHF-1. In transfection assays, the TSH A region had no basal enhancer activity, but did confer 3- to 6-fold TRH- and PMA-stimulated transcriptional responses to the tk promoter. The TSH C region conferred basal enhancer activity (3- to 10-fold above control tkLUC) as well as a 2- to 3-fold TRH or PMA response. Combinations of TSH A and TSH C elements conferred both enhancer activity and a TRH- or PMA-stimulated resp...
MONITORING THE DAMPING CHARACTERISTICS OF LIQUID FOODS IN CYLINDRICAL CONTAINERS

The oscillatory damping characteristics of model food solutions and gels in cans were studied in an apparatus designed for nondestructive testing. Oscillations, resulting from a small angular displacement, were monitored by an accelerometer and recorded by a fast recorder. An empirical damping coefficient, derived from an exponential decay constant was found to be sufficiently sensitive to monitor the apparent viscosity of liquid contents. In the case of gelation, the magnitude of the damping coefficient considerably increased when a very soft gel was formed. When the gel gained rigidity, however, there was a dramatic drop in the coefficient value to levels well below those of the nongelled contents. At this stage, however, there was also an appreciable drop in the system's natural frequency which could easily be recorded. This provided a complementary criterion that enabled unambiguous distinction between “viscous” and gelled contents.
Interaction of Poloxamers with Liposomes: An Isothermal Titration Calorimetry Study

The interaction between lipid bilayers and poloxamers has recently attracted much attention, and contradicting effects of poloxamers have been revealed on the integrity of lipid membranes; poloxamers are reported to be either effective sealants or permeabilizers of cell membranes depending on the cell type. To elucidate poloxamer-membrane interactions, we study the roles played by the lipid bilayer phase structure, poloxamer concentration, and temperature using isothermal titration calorimetry (ITC). Our results indicate that the lipid bilayer phase structure plays a critical role in its interaction with poloxamers. Poloxamers are found to partition only into fluid-phase, not gel-phase, membranes. Moreover, the partitioning of poloxamers into fluid-phase liposomes increases with temperature, owing to the enhancement in both the membrane fluidity and the hydrophobicity of the poloxamer at elevated temperatures. Our ITC results also point to a saturation concentration of poloxamers, below which poloxamers can partition into a lipid bilayer without disrupting liposomes and above which they instead disintegrate liposomes into micelles. To address the long-standing question as to whether poloxamers migrate through the lipid bilayer after their adsorption onto preformed liposomes, two ITC protocols are used to cross-validate the distribution of poloxamers over the two leaflets in the bilayer. We find that on a short timescale (approximately 200 min) poloxamers partition into the outer leaflet of the fluid-phase lipid bilayer without much interactions with the inner leaflet. However, on a longer timescale (38 h), they are found to migrate through the bilayer and eventually establish an even distribution in both the inner and outer leaflets of the membrane.
Unified view of moving boundary electrophoresis: practical implications (plenary lecture)

Abstract The physical conditions under which steady-state moving boundaries across strongly or weakly acidic and basic constituents arise, and the properties of these boundaries, can be predicted for any desired pH and range of net mobilities between leading and trailing constituents by theoretical treatments of Svensson (1943), Longsworth (1945), Schumacher (1964), Martin (1970) and Bier (1983) and their scientific offspring. These theoretical treatments are phrased in at least three different mathematical languages and have been differentially labeled as moving boundary electrophoresis, isotachophoresis, displacement electrophoresis, omegaphoresis, disc electrophoresis and multiphasic zone electrophoresis, among others, which obscures their essential equivalence. In practice, this identity, in spite of the terminological differences, should allow for an interconvertible application of these moving boundary theories and the computer programs of Routs (1971), Jovin (1973), Schafer-Nielsen (1981) and Mosher (1983) to (1) the prediction of steady-state phase compositions, pHs and ionic strengths, net mobility ranges of compounds capable of either migrating within, or in the trailing phase behind, a system of sequential moving boundaries and the dimensions of steady state phases in such a system; (2) separations in which optimal resolution depends on the exploitation of molecular size differences on a restrictive gel, as well as those in which optimal resolution is obtained in free solution; (3) separations of compounds migrating within moving boundaries from those migrating in their trailing phases; (4) preparative techniques and apparati with load capacities large enough to contemplate the isolation of proteins in the 0.1–1.0 kg range; (5) separations in moving as well as arrested sequential boundary systems.
A Dirac–Fock self‐consistent field method for closed‐shell molecules including Breit interaction

We present a method for including the Breit interaction in relativistic self-consistent field calculations for closed-shell molecular systems using atomic basis spinors of kinetically balanced Gaussian-type functions. The method extends the formalism described in a previous paper [A. Mohanty and E. Clementi, Int. J. Quantum Chem. 39, 487–517 (1991)] that dealt with the two-electron effect due to Coulomb interaction only. It is shown that both frequency-dependent and frequency-independent Breit interactions can be treated on equal footing, and the corresponding matrix elements are evaluated following the well-known Fourier transform technique applied to electron repulsion integral evaluation in nonrelativistic molecular calculations.
Mobility-Aware Cooperative Content Caching in Social Wireless Networks

This paper presents a conceptual framework of mobility-aware cooperative caching for minimizing electronic content provisioning cost in Mobile Social Wireless Networks (MSWNET). The MSWNETs are formed by wireless mobile devices sharing common interests in electronic content, and physically gathering in various public settings such as University campuses, work places, malls, and airports. Cooperative caching in such MSWNETs are shown to be able to reduce the content provisioning cost which depends heavily on the service and pricing dependencies among various stakeholders including the content provider, the network service provider, and the end consumers. This paper first develops practical network, search, and pricing models which are then used for creating an optimal cooperative caching strategy for static networks. In addition to proving its optimality for the static case, the paper constructs analytical models, simulation, and prototype experiments for evaluating the performance of the proposed strategy. Building on the static case, the paper then develops a mobility analysis technique and demonstrates the applicability of the proposed scheme in the presence of user mobility.
Methods of constraint-induced movement therapy for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy: Development of a child-friendly intervention for improving upper-extremity function

We delineate the methodology for constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) modified for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy (CP) and describe important considerations that need to be made when testing this intervention in children. The resulting intervention evolved from piloting and testing it with 38 children with hemiplegic CP who were between the ages of 4 and 14 years. Thirty-seven successfully completed the treatment protocol. The intervention retains the 2 major elements of the adult CIMT (repetitive practice, shaping) and was constructed to be as child-friendly as possible. It involves restraining the noninvolved extremity with a sling and having the child engage in unimanual activities with the involved extremity 6 hours a day for 10 days (60 h). Specific activities are selected by considering joint movements with pronounced deficits and improvement of which interventionists believe have greatest potential. The activities are chosen to elicit repetitive practice and shaping. The intervention is conducted in groups of 2 to 3 children to provide social interaction, modeling, and encouragement. Each child is assigned to an interventionist to maintain at least a 1:1 ratio. CIMT can be modified to be child-friendly while maintaining all practice elements of the adult CIMT. The modified therapy is tolerated by most children. Further modifications will likely be required to hone in on the specific components of the intervention that are most effective before applying them to children who are most likely to benefit.
Transcriptional analysis of chromatin assembled with purified ACF and dNAP1 reveals that acetyl-CoA is required for preinitiation complex assembly

To investigate the role of chromatin structure in the regulation of transcription by RNA polymerase II, we developed a chromatin transcription system in which periodic nucleosome arrays are assembled with purified recombinant ATP-utilizing chromatin assembly and remodeling factor (ACF), purified recombinant nucleosome assembly protein 1 (dNAP1), purified native core histones, plasmid DNA, and ATP. With this chromatin, we observed robust activation of transcription with three different transcription factor sets (nuclear factor kappaB p65 + Sp1, estrogen receptor, and Gal4-VP16) added either before or after chromatin assembly. In fact, the efficiency of activated transcription from the ACF + dNAP1-assembled chromatin was observed to be comparable with that from naked DNA templates or chromatin assembled with a crude Drosophila extract (S190). With ACF + dNAP1-assembled chromatin, we found that transcriptional activation is dependent upon acetyl-CoA. This effect was not seen with naked DNA templates or with crude S190-assembled chromatin. We further determined that acetyl-CoA is required at the time of preinitiation complex assembly but not during assembly of the chromatin template. These findings suggest that there is at least one key acetylation event that is needed to assemble a functional transcription preinitiation complex with a chromatin template.
Atomic clocks for astrophysical measurements

It is noted that recently developed atomic hydrogen masers have achieved stability well into the 10 to the -16th domain for averaging time intervals beyond 1000 sec and that further improvements are in prospect. These devices are highly adaptable for space use in very high precision measurements of angle through Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) and of range and range-rate through Doppler techniques. Space missions that will use these clocks for measuring the sun's gravity field distribution and for testing gravitation and relativity (a project that will include a search for pulsed low-frequency gravitational waves) are discussed. Estimates are made of system performance capability, and the accuracy capability of relativistic measurements is evaluated in terms of the results from the 1976 NASA/SAO spaceborne clock test of the Einstein Equivalence Principle.
Medicine and the arts.

Three years' experience in teaching a course in Literature and Medicine is reviewed. Examples of the ‘Laboratory’ or ‘in vitro’ functions of art are given, as they relate to and benefit both medical students and practitioners. The usefulness of literature (especially) in the medical setting is underscored, together with the need for medical personnel to be more aware of their heritage in this area. Examples of well-known physicians who have excelled in the arts (literature, music, painting/sculpture) are given and their major contributions discussed. There are some surprises.
Modulation of fatty acid composition in murine brain by dietary unsaturated fats

Abstract The response of individual phospholipid class fatty acid composition to dietary fats was studied in murine brain. Purified diets containing 10% (by weight) safflower oil, olive oil, linseed oil, or a mix of 9:1 (wt/wt) fish oil/safflower oil were fed to female mice. Offspring continued on the diets and were sacrificed on 3, 18, and 42 days after parturition. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA;22:6n-3), abundant in the fish oil fed group, was particularly enriched in phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl serine. Fish oil-fed mice accumulated more DHA than the linseed oil-fed mice. While olive oil contained just 0.6% n-3 PUFA, DHA levels in linseed oil-fed animals overall were only slightly higher than olive oil-fed mice and were only elevated in the phospholipids classes phosphatidyl ethanolamine and phosphatidyl inositol. By contrast, DHA levels in the safflower oil-fed group were dramatically lower, containing instead elevated levels of 22:4n-6 and 22:5n-6. Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA; 20:5n-3) levels were significantly lower in the brain relative to the other tissues we examined, implying that this fatty acid was selectively excluded from the brain or immediately metabolized to DHA in the brain. The amount of EPA in the brain was independent of the form of n-3 fatty acids in the diet, whereas DHA levels were strongly dependent. The type of n-3 PUFA was more important to 22:6n-3 accumulation in brain than the absolute quantity of 18:3n-3 and the vast majority of n-3 accumulation in all lipid classes examined occurred prior to weaning.
The relationship between clinical assessments of nutritional status and adverse outcomes in older hospitalized medical patients

BACKGROUND: Malnutrition is common in hospitalized older people and may predict adverse outcomes. Previous studies of the relationship between nutritional status and hospital outcomes are limited by inadequate accounting for other potential predictors of adverse outcomes, the failure to consider functional outcomes, and the omission of clinical assessments of nutritional status. OBJECTIVE: To measure the relationship between a clinical assessment of nutritional status on hospital admission and subsequent mortality, functional dependence, and nursing home use. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study SETTING: A tertiary care hospital PATIENTS: A total of 369 patients at least 70 years old (mean age 80.3, 62% women) admitted to a general medical service MEASUREMENTS: Nutritional status was measured with the Subjective Global Assessment, a validated measure of nutritional status based on historical and physical exam findings. Patients were classified as severely malnourished (generally at least a 10% weight loss over the previous 6 months and marked physical signs of malnutrition), moderately malnourished (generally a 5 to 10% weight loss and moderate physical signs), or well nourished. Vital status, independence in activities of daily living, and nursing home use were determined through patient or surrogate interview at admission and 90 days and 1 year after discharge. Indices of comorbidity and illness severity were determined from chart review. RESULTS: 219 patients (59.3%) were well nourished, 90 (24.4%) were moderately malnourished, and 60 (16.3%) were severely malnourished. Severely malnourished patients were more likely than moderately malnourished or well nourished patients to die by 90 days (31.7%, 23.3%, and 12.3%, respectively, P < .001) and 1 year (55.0%, 35.6%, and 27.9%, P < .001) after discharge. In logistic regression models controlling for acute illness severity, comorbidity, and functional status on admission, severely malnourished patients were more likely than well nourished patients to die within 1 year of discharge (OR = 2.83, 95% CI, 1.47-5.45), to be dependent in activities of daily living 3 months after discharge (OR = 2.81, 1.06–7.46), and to spend time in a nursing home during the year after discharge (OR = 3.22, 1.05–9.87). CONCLUSION: Malnutrition was common in hospitalized patients with medical illness and was associated with greater mortality, delayed functional recovery, and higher rates of nursing home use. These adverse outcomes were not explained by greater acute illness severity, comorbidity, or functional dependence in malnourished patients on hospital admission. J Am Geriatr Soc 47:532–538, 1999.
Role of Histidine 932 of the Human Mitochondrial DNA Polymerase in Nucleotide Discrimination and Inherited Disease

The human mitochondrial DNA polymerase (pol γ) is nuclearly encoded and is solely responsible for the replication and repair of the mitochondrial genome. The progressive accumulation of mutations within the mitochondrial genome is thought to be related to aging, and mutations in the pol γ gene are responsible for numerous heritable disorders including progressive external opthalmoplegia, Alpers syndrome, and parkinsonism. Here we investigate the kinetic effect of H932Y, a mutation associated with opthalmoplegia. Mutations H932Y and H932A reduce the specificity constant governing correct nucleotide incorporation 150- and 70-fold, respectively, without significantly affecting fidelity of incorporation or the maximum rate of incorporation. However, this leads to only a 2-fold reduction in rate of incorporation at a physiological nucleotide concentration (∼100 μm). Surprisingly, incorporation of T:T or C:T mismatches catalyzed by either H932Y or H932A mutants was followed by slow pyrophosphate release (or fast pyrophosphate rebinding). Also, H932Y readily catalyzed incorporation of multiple mismatches, which may have a profound physiological impact over time. His-932 is thought to contact the β-phosphate of the incoming nucleotide, so it is perhaps surprising that H932Y appears to slow rather than accelerate pyrophosphate release.
Perceptions of French Slang: l'autre face de la médaille

This article reports on a second study of reactions of native French persons to use of French slang. In the first study (Foreign Language Annals, December 1985), French interviewees listened to thirty selected French slang expressions spoken by young Americans. In the present study, the French listeners heard the same expressions used by French youths. A comparison of reactions to French versus American usage of French slang was therefore possible. The same interviewing procedure was used in both studies. French listeners residing in different areas of France rated the thirty tape-recorded slang expressions ranging in nonstandard usage from “very familiar” to “rather vulgar.” The possible reactions, tres mauvais gout (very bad taste), un peu incorrect (socially inappropriate) or langage normal (acceptable speech), were scored one, two and three, respectively, and mean scores were calculated for each expression. Reactions were evaluated according to the sex, profession, age and residence of the listeners as well as to the sample as a whole. As in the previous study, findings reveal a generally critical attitude toward slang usage. Several sample subgroups found the Americans' use of French slang less acceptable, and there were notably lower tolerance ratings for various expressions when used by the Americans. Results of this study reinforce those of the first and suggest the need for discrimination, especially in terms of the quality of the expression, when considering the inclusion of slang in French-language classrooms and in the curriculum.
Applying principles of community ecology to pest management in orchards

Conventional agriculture expends much effort opposing ecological processes to ensure high productivity and quality harvests. An ecological approach to integrated pest management (IPM) is presented where ecological processes are used and manipulated, when required, to arrive at the same goal of high production and quality. This approach will not only be more environmentally compatible, but will require less input of energy and resources than conventional pest management. A different approach to the way IPM programs are usually developed is also presented as an alternative to compliment and enhance traditional methods. Rather than starting with a conventional agroecosystem and removing inputs it is suggested to start with a nearly natural ecosystem and gradually add inputs, only as needed. This holistic approach, in conjunction with traditional approaches, should lead to an IPM system with less input than current practices and maintain high productivity and harvest quality.
Altered peptidase and viral-specific T cell response in LMP2 mutant mice

MHC class I molecules present peptides generated by processing of endogenously synthesized proteins to CD8+ T lymphocytes. Recently, large proteolytic complexes, termed proteasomes, were implicated in antigen processing. Two proteasomal subunits, LMP2 and LMP7, are encoded within the MHC class II region, but their precise role in antigen processing is unknown. We have generated mice that harbor a disruption in their LMP2 gene. Proteasomes purified from spleen and liver of these mutant mice exhibit altered peptidase activities, and antigen-presenting cells showed reduced capacity to stimulate a T cell hybridoma specific for H-2Db plus a nucleoprotein epitope of an influenza A virus. The mutant mice have reduced (60%-70% of wild type) levels of CD8+ T lymphocytes and generate 5- to 6-fold fewer influenza nucleoprotein-specific cytotoxic T lymphocyte precursors. These findings indicate that LMP2 influences antigen processing.
Using HyperCard to administer a figural test on the Apple Macintosh

To date, applications of automated assessment techniques in personality testing have largely been limited to objective personality instruments with text stimuli; few assessment applications have involved graphic stimuli. Although projective personality instruments generally include ambiguous graphic or pictorial stimuli, computer applications with these procedures have been limited to automated scoring and interpretation, administration of sentence completion devices employing text stimuli, and the use of mechanical methods rather than computer graphics to display visual stimuli. In the present report, we describe a Macintosh HyperCard application for administering an objective personality test with visual stimuli, the Barron-Welsh Revised Art Scale of the Welsh Figure Preference Test. This test consists of a series of figural stimuli and a binary “like”/“dislike” response format, and it thus represents an administration procedure between standard objective self-report inventories involving text stimuli and a “true”/“false” response or variant, and tests such as the Rorschach or TAT that are both figural and free-response. The HyperCard language provides a variety of promising techniques useful for microcomputer test administration.
Articular fractures of the distal part of the humerus.

Background: The purpose of this retrospective study was to identify the patterns of distal humeral articular fractures and to analyze the results of open reduction and internal fixation of these injuries. Methods: The cases of twenty-one patients with an articular fracture of the distal part of the humerus were reviewed at an average of forty months after the injury. Five components of the injury were identified: (1) the capitellum and the lateral aspect of the trochlea, (2) the lateral epicondyle, (3) the posterior aspect of the lateral column, (4) the posterior aspect of the trochlea, and (5) the medial epicondyle. All fractures were reduced and were stabilized with implants buried beneath the articular surface. Results: All fractures healed, and no patient had residual ulnohumeral instability or weakness. Ten patients required a second operation: six, for release of an elbow contracture; two, for treatment of ulnar neuropathy; one, for removal of hardware causing symptoms; and one, because of early loss of fixation. The average arc of ulnohumeral motion was 96° (range, 55° to 140°). The results according to the Mayo Elbow Performance Index were excellent in four patients, good in twelve, and fair in five. Conclusions: Apparent fractures of the capitellum are often more complex fractures of the articular surface of the distal part of the humerus. Treatment of these injuries with operative reduction and fixation with buried implants can result in satisfactory restoration of elbow function. Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, Level IV (case series [no, or historical, control group]). See Intructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Mediators of Microvascular Injury in Dermal Burn Wounds

In previous studies we have demonstrated that second-degree thermal injury of skin in rats leads to secondary effects, such as systemic complement activation, C5a-mediated activation of blood neutrophils, their adhesion-molecule-guided accumulation in lung capillaries and the development of acute pulmonary injury, largely caused by neutrophil-derived toxic oxygen metabolites. In the dermal burn wound, however, pathophysiologic events are less well understood. The injury is fully developed at four hours post-burn. To further elucidate the pathogenesis of the "late phase" dermal vascular damage, rats were depleted of neutrophils or complement by pretreatment with rabbit antibody against rat neutrophils or with cobra venom factor, respectively. In other experiments, rats were treated with blocking antibodies to IL-6, IL-1, and TNF alpha immediately following thermal burning or were pretreated with hydroxyl radical scavengers (dimethyl sulfoxide, dimethyl thiourea). Extravasation of 125I-labeled bovine serum albumin into the burned skin was studied, as well as, skin myeloperoxidase levels. The studies revealed that, like in secondary lung injury, neutrophils and toxic oxygen metabolites, are required for full development of microvascular injury. In contrast, however, development of dermal vascular damage in thermally injured rats was not affected by complement depletion. Our data suggest that the development of microvascular injury in the dermal burn wound is complement-independent, involves the pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1, TNF alpha and IL-6, and may result from reactive oxygen metabolites generated by neutrophils accumulating in the burn wound.
Treatment of hyperkinetic movement disorders

Summary Parkinson's disease, the most common hypokinetic movement disorder, has received much attention from the clinical and scientific community, but there has been a relative paucity of comprehensive reviews of hyperkinetic disorders, even though they are equally or even more disabling. Hyperkinetic movement disorders include tremors, dystonia, chorea, tics, myoclonus, stereotypies, restless legs syndrome, and various other disorders with abnormal involuntary movements. Substantial progress has been made in the understanding of the role of the basal ganglia in the pathophysiology of these hyperkinesia disorders and in motor control, muscle tone, posture, and cognitive processes. Although therapies that target pathogenesis are still lacking, effective management of hyperkinetic movement disorders demands that physicians are knowledgeable about current and novel pharmacological and surgical approaches. In addition to tetrabenazine, a monoamine-depleting drug, new formulations of botulinum toxin are being increasingly used in the treatment of these movement disorders. Finally, success with surgical approaches, particularly deep brain stimulation in patients with Parkinson's disease who have levodopa-induced dyskinesias, has been extended to the treatment of many hyperkinetic movement disorders.
Rapid updating of optical arbitrary waveforms via time-domain multiplexing.

We demonstrate high-fidelity optical arbitrary waveform generation with 5 GHz waveform switching via time-domain multiplexing. Compact, integrated waveform shapers based on silica arrayed-waveguide grating pairs with 10 GHz channel spacing are used to shape (line-by-line) two different waveforms from the output of a 10-mode×10 GHz optical frequency comb generator. Characterization of the time multiplexer's complex transfer function (amplitude and phase) by frequency-resolved optical gating permits compensation of its impact on the switched waveforms and matching of the measured and target waveforms to better than G′=5%.
Nascent RNA interaction keeps PRC2 activity poised and in check

Polycomb-repressive complex 2 (PRC2) facilitates the maintenance and inheritance of chromatin domains repressive to transcription through catalysis of methylation of histone H3 at Lys27 (H3K27me2/3). However, through its EZH2 subunit, PRC2 also binds to nascent transcripts from active genes that are devoid of H3K27me2/3 in embryonic stem cells. Here, biochemical analyses indicated that RNA interaction inhibits SET domain-containing proteins, such as PRC2, nonspecifically in vitro. However, CRISPR-mediated truncation of a PRC2-interacting nascent RNA rescued PRC2-mediated deposition of H3K27me2/3. That PRC2 activity is inhibited by interactions with nascent transcripts supports a model in which PRC2 can only mark for repression those genes silenced by transcriptional repressors.
Adult Attachment, Dependence, Self‐Criticism, and Depressive Symptoms: A Test of a Mediational Model

Attachment anxiety is expected to be positively associated with dependence and self-criticism. However, attachment avoidance is expected to be negatively associated with dependence but positively associated with self-criticism. Both dependence and self-criticism are expected to be related to depressive symptoms. Data were analyzed from 424 undergraduate participants at a large Midwestern university, using structural equation modeling. Results indicated that the relation between attachment anxiety and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by dependence and self-criticism, whereas the relation between attachment avoidance and depressive symptoms was partially mediated by dependence and self-criticism. Moreover, through a multiple-group comparison analysis, the results indicated that men with high levels of attachment avoidance are more likely than women to be self-critical.
Pacifism and Fightaholism in International Politics: A Structural History of National and Dyadic Conflict, 1816–1992

Can we put labels on states due to their history of conflict involvement? Popular folklore as well as the rhetoric of politicians suggests that we can. Germany up to the end of World War II and Japan in the same period were labeled “revisionist” or “aggressive” states. President Reagan called the Soviet Union “the Evil Empire,” due to its seemingly expansionist ideology, but also due to its presumably aggressive behavior. Israel is often depicted by many of its neighbors and other countries in and outside the Middle East as “inherently expansionist.” These examples suggest a notion that states can somehow be structurally characterized, independently of specific policies, leaders, political parties or regimes in power, economic and social conditions. If we can label states in structural terms, we can also label pairs or groups of states. For example, President George W. Bush branded North Korea, Iran, and Iraq as the “Axis of Evil,” due to these countries' pursuit of weapons of mass destruction. The Clinton administration identified Syria, Iran, and Iraq as a destabilizing axis in the Middle East, confronting the latter two through a policy of dual containment. The scholarly literature on international politics has identified structural patterns of warring or conflicting dyads through such concepts as protracted conflict, intractable conflicts, and—more analytically defined—the concept of enduring rivalries (Diehl and Goertz 2000; Maoz and Mor 2002). How scientifically sound are such labels? More importantly, are such labels helpful in understanding the causes, courses, and consequences of international conflicts? In other areas of human and social inquiry, structural characterization of units is of immense importance. Genetic research clearly indicates that certain people are far more prone to some diseases than others. Research on addiction attempts to identify structural propensities of drug or alcohol abuse. Research on recidivism in criminology …
Record of tropical interannual variability of temperature and water vapor from a combined AIRS-MLS data set

[1] We utilize a merged AIRS and MLS temperature and water vapor record (August 2004 to March 2010) to study the atmospheric variability of these quantities. The seasonal and spatial distribution of temperature and humidity shows the tropical western Pacific (TWP, 8°S–8°N, 120°E–170°E) to be a location with persistent deep convection and the tropical central Pacific (TCP, 8°S–8°N, 120°W–170°W) to be a region of subsidence, consistent with previous work. Furthermore, our estimates of 3.9 ± 0.3 ppmv and 4.9 ± 0.9 ppmv for the tropical mean stratospheric entry water vapor concentration and saturation mixing ratio, respectively, are well within previous estimates from a wide variety of observations. We also find that the interannual variability modes of the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO) both impact the tropopause region. The TWP (TCP) experiences enhancements (cancellation) of temperature anomalies when the ENSO and QBO are in phase. When these interannual modes fall out of phase the additive behavior of the anomalies migrate to the TCP with the TWP experiencing weaker anomalies. In both cases a change in the water vapor distribution is also observed. Our results are consistent with previous results, showing that this migration of anomaly enhancement and cancellation is a result of the ENSO impact on the Walker Circulation and the period when this occurs relative to the phase of the QBO. Our findings suggest that when the ENSO and QBO are out of phase, the TCP water vapor distribution may have a substantial impact on the tropical zonal water vapor distribution.