cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Soil Phosphorus Release and Storage Capacity from an Impacted Subtropical Wetland

Cattle-based agriculture on sandy soils has generated concern over P leaching within the basin of Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Elevated P concentrations in surface and groundwater relate to P retention capacity of soils. To evaluate P release and storage capacity of impacted soils with fluctuating water tables, four intact soil cores were analyzed (one upland and three wetland) to determine their maximum sorption capacity (S max ), equilibrium P concentration (EPC 0 ), and soil P storage capacity (SPSC) up to 160-cm depth. Sorption isotherms were measured for samples at 10-cm depth increments and data fitted to a Langmuir model (r 2 ≥ 0.88). Both EPC 0 and water-soluble P were higher at the surface and decreased with depth. Oxalate-extractable Fe and Al correlated with (i) oxalate-extractable P (r 2 = 0.83), and (ii) S max (r 2 = 0.71). In situ pore water concentrations collected using multisamplers were consistently higher than EPC 0 values. This discrepancy was much greater for near-surface horizons for which the difference may partially be due to redox-induced release of P previously scavenged by Fe under anaerobic (flooded) conditions. The SPSC values were positive, however, even when discounting Fe (i.e., assuming in situ chemical reduction) for samples from deeper horizons, suggesting that the small discrepancies for these horizons are not attributable to Fe oxidation. All cores had negative SPSC at the surface and high EPC 0 , suggesting that neither wetland nor upland soils safely sequester additional P. High pore water P values in the surface horizons are consistent with the inference of the surface soils potentially being a source for P.
Interaction of Neisseria gonorrhoeae with classical complement components, C1-inhibitor, and a monoclonal antibody directed against the Neisserial H.8 antigen.

Abstract Strains of Neisseria gonorrhoeae were used to evaluate bactericidal and opsonic properties of McAb 10 directed against the Neisserial outer membrane antigen, H.8. Gonococci were either serum resistant in the absence but serum sensitive in the presence, of McAb 10, or serum sensitive or serum resistant regardless of the presence of McAb 10. Strain JS3, which fell in the former category, was used in subsequent studies. C1 zymogen formed by reassociation of isolated C1 subunits was not directly activated by JS3 in the presence or absence of C1-inhibitor. JS3 thus was unable to directly activate the classical pathway independently of antibody. When purified classical pathway components were used to deposit C3 on JS3 in the absence of serum regulatory proteins or antibodies, added C1-inhibitor reduced C3 binding to background levels. When McAb 10 was present, C3 binding was unaffected by C1-inhibitor. Covalently bound, large molecular weight C3 alpha-chain-gonococcal complexes were disbanded by methylamine release of ester linkages. Released 125I-C3 migrated as C3b without degradation by gonococcal proteases. Purified classical components alone or McAb 10 alone facilitated JS3 killing by neutrophils; when combined, the two provided maximal killing. Levels of McAb 10 that only slightly increase C3 deposition on JS3 are bactericidal in serum and maximally opsonic in combination with purified classical pathway components.
Urea transport in MDCK cells that are stably transfected with UT-A1

Progress in understanding the cell biology of urea transporter proteins has been hampered by the lack of an appropriate cell culture system. The goal of this study was to create a polarized epithel...
Biochemistry at 100°C: Explosive Secretory Discharge of Bombardier Beetles (Brachinus)

The defensive chemical spray of bombardier beetles is ejected at 100°C, with a heat content of about 0.2 calorie per milligram.
Polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in wheat and wild relatives: molecular evidence for a multigene family

Wheat polyphenol oxidase (PPO) is the major cause of browning reactions that discolor Asian noodles and other wheat products. It has been hypothesized that genes encoding wheat PPOs may have evolved by gene duplication into a multigene family. Here we characterized PPO genomic sequences from diploid (Triticum monococcum, T. urartu, Aegilops tauschii, and Ae. speltoides), tetraploid (T. turgidum, subspecies dicoccoides and durum) and hexaploid (T. aestivum cultivars Klasic and ID377s) wheat species to gain a better understanding of the structure and organization of PPO genes. DNA fragments were amplified from a highly polymorphic and phylogenetic informative region of the gene. As a result, we obtained highly discriminative sequences. Three distinct PPOs, obtained from the A genome of T. monococcum, provided evidence for gene duplication events (paralogous loci). Furthermore, the number of sequences obtained for bread and durum wheat was higher than the expected number of orthologous loci. Sequence comparison revealed nucleotide and structural diversity, and detected five sequence intron types, all with a common insertion position. This was hypothesized to be homologous to that of intron 2 of previously reported wheat PPOs. A MITE of the Stowaway family accounted for the major difference between the five intervening sequences, and was unique to T. aestivum cv. Klasic. Nucleotide and structural diversity, together with well-resolved phylogenetic trees, provided molecular evidence to support the hypothesis of a PPO multigene family structure and organization.
Materialism, Strong Psychological Continuity, and American Scientific Psychology

Historians of psychology commonly maintain that early American functional and behaviorist psychology was based upon two materialist achievements of the 19th century: the neurophysiological location of psychological faculties and the theory of evolution by natural selection. Yet early American functional and behaviorist psychology was based less upon these achievements than upon the principle of strong psychological continuity associated with them, according to which the psychology and behavior of humans and animals differ only in degree but not kind. This paper charts the historical development of the association between materialism and principles of strong continuity, noting that the neurophysiological location of psychological faculties and the theory of evolution by natural selection did not provide especially good reasons for preferring theories committed to strong psychological continuity.
Discovery of urchin-associated densoviruses (family Parvoviridae) in coastal waters of the Big Island, Hawaii.

Echinoderms are important constituents of marine ecosystems, where they may influence the recruitment success of benthic flora and fauna, and are important consumers of detritus and plant materials. There are currently no described viruses of echinoderms. We used a viral metagenomic approach to examine viral consortia within three urchins – Colobocentrotus atratus, Tripneustes gratilla and Echinometra mathaei – which are common constituents of reef communities in the Hawaiian archipelago. Metagenomic libraries revealed the presence of bacteriophages and densoviruses (family Parvoviridae) in tissues of all three urchins. Densoviruses are known typically to infect terrestrial and aquatic arthropods. Urchin-associated densoviruses were detected by quantitative PCR in all tissues tested, and were also detected in filtered suspended matter (>0.2 µm) from plankton and in sediments at several locations near to where the urchins were collected for metagenomic analysis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of echinoderm-associated viruses, which extends the known host range of parvoviruses.
Choosing duopoly solutions by consistent conjectures and by uncertainty

Abstract Breshnahan's consistent conjectures criterion and Robson's linear supply function equilibrium under uncertainty are equivalent in the sense that they single out the same Bowley conjectural variations as the unique conjectural variations satisfying the given consistency requirements.
Quivira: Europeans in the Region of the Santa Fe Trail, 1540-1820

New Mexico was a frontier to the wilderness, for Europeans, for almost three hundred years. No other frontier history in the area of what is now the United States can support such continuity, or even come close. It was the outside edge of the northern borderlands of New Spain, that later became the northern borderlands of Mexico. It was the western rim of the world for the French explorers and fur traders in the Mississippi valley and for the English who followed them there. It was lastly the frontier for the newly minted Americans who came with the opening of the nineteenth century to Missouri, the sill of the great plains, across which lay fabled Santa Fe, for Santa Fe, New Mexico's capital, was in effect another name for the entire province. The route between the Missouri River and New Mexico that eventually became known as the Santa Fe Trail was a road not for would-be settlers but for exploration, trade, adventure, and as such it was more an extension of the frontier itself than a road leading to a frontier. And it remained so throughout a very long sweep of time, from before from long before the founding of Santa Fe or the earliest Spanish exploration in the Southwest. "Quivira" provides a closely written synthesis of Spanish exploration eastward from New Mexico and French exploration westward from Louisiana and the Illinois in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Archaeological and ethnological evidence is presented to show that the country between these regions had been a frontier between east and west from time immemorial. William Brandon ably demonstrates that European efforts to penetrate this ancient frontier were predominately motivated by illusion misconceptions or outright fictions dealing with supposed riches someplace ahead. Brandon explores the question of whether the pursuit of illusion is a distinctive activity of all people or only of certain societies who possess an overwhelming interest in gain, profit, and money. Brandon concludes by asking whether or not a world established by Europe in American continues this bent for self-delusion."
Super-Resolution Imaging and Single Particle Tracking of Serotonin 5HT3A Receptor in Biomimetic Membranes

The serotonin 5HT3 receptor is a member of the Cys-loop super family of ligand gated ion channels (LGIC). Like all members of this family, 5HT3 is composed of five independent subunits. The receptor has a large extracellular domain, with the ion channel being constructed from the second trans-membrane segment of each subunit, and there is a smaller intercellular region that is thought to interact strongly with cytoskeletal proteins. We have shown that the 5HT3 receptor can be efficiently incorporated into planar supported biomimetic membranes and the orientation can be controlled. The mobility of 5HT3 is greatly affected by both the orientation of the LGIC and the composition of the biomimetic assembly. We have used single molecule fluorescence imaging to track the mobility of individual proteins within the supported lipid bilayer and have used c-terminal labeling to determine the orientation of individual proteins. We have recently constructed a low temperature super-resolution fluorescence microscope and have carried out experiments in frozen assemblies in order to identify the individual subunits that compose 5HT3A (the homopentamer of 5HT3).
Remote viewing as applied to futures studies

Abstract Remote viewing is set of related protocols that allow a viewer to intuitively gather information regarding a specific target that is hidden from physical view and separated from the viewer by either time or distance. Research suggests that the same processes used to gather spatially non-local information can also be used to gather information that is temporally removed from the observer. This paper reviews the most common protocols for remote viewing — including Coordinate Remote Viewing (CRV), Associative Remote Viewing (ARV), and Extended Remote Viewing (ERV). 1 This remains a controversial field of study. While over 30 years of data has been gathered with statistically significant results frequently occurring under laboratory conditions, skeptics are not convinced that RV is a useful pursuit. In addition to this, some of the output from RV can be vague and subject to personal interpretation. A number of factors have been shown to improve the success rate for remote viewing, including the use of experienced subjects, individual testing, feedback of results, and a short time-interval between the percipient response and the targeted future event. Finally, there also appears to be a relationship between the effectiveness of remote viewing efforts and sidereal time, which may be interpreted as evidence that some aspects of RV are subject to the same physical laws as are other phenomena studied by science. Remote viewing and related processes merit further exploration and study. While remote viewing may never be completely understood, it has the potential to make a meaningful contribution to the professional futurist′s toolbox.
Influence of head position on the effectiveness of twist drill craniostomy for chronic subdural hematoma.

Abstract Background Twist drill craniostomy with closed system drainage (TDC-CSD) is a well-accepted treatment of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH). Although this intervention has a long track record of effectiveness, little is known of its relationship with the head position of the patient (flat vs elevated). This study evaluated if the position of the patient's head influences outcome. Methods The database of a University Hospital Center was queried for patients who had CSDH treated by TDC-CSD between January 1997 and March 2001. Identified patients were grouped into 2 categories: head of bed (HOB) at 30% and HOB flat while undergoing treatment. Outcomes were then evaluated with regard to amount of drainage, complications, recurrence, and length of hospital stay (LOS). Results Forty-four patients were identified who received TDC-CSD treatment of CSDH. Of these, 24 patients had flat HOB and 20 had HOB elevated to 30°. Although patients with elevated HOB had higher amounts of drainage (239 vs 166 mL), this figure did not reach statistical significance ( P = .23). The number of recurrences and complications likewise did not reach statistical significance. Despite these findings, a statistically significant difference in LOS was found between the groups (flat = 5.5 days, elevated=8.1 days, P = .03). This was believed secondary to bias resulting from placing the HOB of healthier patients (based on Glasgow Coma Scale) flat. Conclusions Elevation of the patient's head during TDC-CSD treatment of CSDH does not seem to impact the amount of drainage, recurrence frequency, or complication rate. Although a statistically significant difference in LOS was observed based on this variable, it appeared to be the result of bias in patient selection for HOB elevation.
Impact of cardiac symptoms on self-reported household task performance in women with coronary artery disease.

PURPOSE Household tasks are highly salient physical activities for women. Inability to perform household tasks may serve as an important marker of limitations imposed by cardiac symptoms. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of cardiac symptoms on perceived ability to perform household tasks in women with coronary artery disease and to examine relationships among age, whether the woman lived alone, ability to perform household tasks, and cardiac-related quality of life. METHODS Forty-one women with confirmed diagnosis of coronary artery disease and a mean age of 66 years (SD 12 years) were interviewed about the impact of their cardiac symptoms and perceived ability to perform household tasks (Household Activities Scale) and cardiac-related quality of life (Seattle Angina Questionnaire). The women were primarily white (89.4%) and retired (65.9%). Forty-six percent were married, and 26.8% lived alone. RESULTS "Washing dishes" (51.3%) was the only task a majority of the sample could perform without limitation. Household tasks most commonly reported as no longer performed included carrying laundry (24.4%), vacuuming (30.0%), and scrubbing the floor (51.2%). The task most commonly modified because of cardiac symptoms was changing bed linens (60%). Of the 14 household tasks, women performed a mean of 3.39 (SD 3.36) activities without difficulty. Total number of household activities performed without difficulty was associated with better quality of life in the area of exertional capacity (r = 0.50, P = 0.001). Women who lived alone reported greater perceived ability to perform household tasks than women who did not live alone (r = 0.31, P = 0.05). Age was not significantly associated with perceived household task performance (r = -0.22, P = 0.17). CONCLUSION Women with coronary artery disease (CAD) perceived cardiac symptoms as disrupting their ability to perform household tasks. Future research is needed to determine the independent impact of cardiac symptoms on functional limitations, especially in older women with heart disease, and whether changes in ability to perform household tasks could be a marker for coronary artery disease progression in women.
Gender differences in the development of hyperlipemia and atherosclerosis in hybrid hamsters

In response to a diet enriched in saturated fat and cholesterol (CH), male Syrian hamsters develop hyperlipemia and changes of early atherosclerosis. However, it has not been determined if female hamsters are equally susceptible to an atherogenic diet. Male and female hamsters of the F1B hybrid strain (Bio Breeders, Fitchburg, MA) were fed either a chow diet or this diet (HiFat) with added saturated fat (10% coconut oil) and CH (0.05%) for up to 12 weeks. Female hamsters ate significantly more than males, and with the HiFat diet gained threefold more weight than males. However, with the HiFat diet, serum triglycerides (TGs) and CH were markedly increased only in male hamsters. Furthermore, only in males was there a significant increase in stainable fat in the aorta that corresponded to an increase in subintimal foam cells. In freely feeding males, the largest percentage increase in serum CH was in the TG-rich fraction of lipoproteins. After females were castrated, serum TG and CH levels increased to the same extent as in males. These studies demonstrate a profound gender difference in response to an atherogenic diet in these hamsters that has parallels to the lipid patterns of humans and their susceptibility to atherosclerosis.
Indestructibility and stationary reflection

If κ < λ are such that κ is a strong cardinal whose strongness is indestructible under κ -strategically closed forcing and λ is weakly compact, then we show that A = {δ < κ | δ is a non-weakly compact Mahlo cardinal which reflects stationary sets} must be unbounded in κ. This phenomenon, however, need not occur in a universe with relatively few large cardinals. In particular, we show how to construct a model where no cardinal is supercompact up to a Mahlo cardinal in which the least supercompact cardinal κ is also the least strongly compact cardinal, κ 's strongness is indestructible under κ -strategically closed forcing, κ 's supercompactness is indestructible under κ -directed closed forcing not adding any new subsets of κ, and δ is Mahlo and reflects stationary sets iff δ is weakly compact. In this model, no strong cardinal δ < κ is indestructible under δ -strategically closed forcing. It therefore follows that it is relatively consistent for the least strong cardinal κ whose strongness is indestructible under κ -strategically closed forcing to be the same as the least supercompact cardinal, which also has its supercompactness indestructible under κ -directed closed forcing not adding any new subsets of κ (© 2009 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Staining methods for calcium--a comparison based on reactions shown by cardiac calcinosis in DBA mice.

Spontaneous calcification, which occurs frequently in hearts of mice of the DBA strain, has been used to compare effectiveness of calcium stains. Three fixatives (1) 80% ethanol, (2) 10% formalin and 3.5% acetic acid in 95% ethanol (modified Lavdowsky's) and (3) a 1:1 mixture of concentrated formalin and absolute ethanol were tested for their subsequent effects on staining. Stains for Ca included purpurin, von Kossa's, phthalocyanin, and glyoxal bis(2-hydroxyanil). These, with appropriate counterstaining, were compared among each other, with hematoxylin-eosin (H-E), and with the periodic acid-Schiff (PAS) reaction. Fixatives (1) and (3) did not affect results appreciably, but the von Kossa technic was unsatisfactory after (2). All stain demonstrated sites of Ca deposits, but purpurin and von Kossa's gave greatest sharpness of definition and were the simplest to perform. H-E and PAS with Alcian blue showed the same Ca sites in addition to details of the surrounding tissue.
Alternate foundations for the land ethic: Biologism, cognitivism, and pragmatism

L'A. analyse les fondements philosophiques de l'ethique de la terre qui a beaucoup inspire la pensee environnementaliste developpee essentiellement par Aldo Leopold
Computational issues in the simulation of semiconductor quantum wires

This paper introduces the main numerical issues related to the simulation of electronic states in highly confined semiconductor systems. A typical example is the semiconductor quantum wire, where double size quantization confines carriers on the cross-section of a conduction channel. We introduce details of the numerical approach for the solution of the coupled Poisson/Schrequation system that describe the quantum system and outline an original iteration approach that uses a predictor-corrector procedure for convergence of the outer iteration. The numerical approach is illustrated by a number of examples for quantum wire structures based on the GaAs/AlGaAs and the Si/SiO2 material systems. The simulations for Si-based structures are interesting to understand the limit of scalability of traditional integrated devices in the plane transverse to the conduction channel. It is also shown that a quasi- monomode Si quantum wire is in principle possible at room temperature. " 2000 Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved.
Endoscopic laser management of supraglottic cancer

Current concepts of endoscopic management of supraglottic cancer are an extension of precepts fostered by Jackson. The current approach has been facilitated by a half century of technological developments: the surgical microscope, the CO2 laser, improved laryngoscopes, and general endotracheal anesthesia. Selected small-volume cancers can be curatively resected, whereas excisional biopsy can be performed on larger neoplasms. With this cost effective minimally-invasive surgical approach, there is less disturbance of normal tissue, thereby minimizing morbidity rate and hospitalization. If the transoral excision is inadequate, radiotherapy can not be depended on to eradicate known residual disease. Endoscopic resection of supraglottic cancer should not alter the surgeon's standard management of the neck.
A method for merging the results of separate least-squares fits and testing for systematic errors

Abstract A method is presented for merging the results of separate least-squares fits to obtain the most precise, single values for each of the molecular constants of a spectroscopic system. The output molecular constants and accompanying variance-covariance matrices from each of the separate fits are taken together as input to a correlated least-squares fit, which then yields the desired merged single values. The method is applied to a 1Σ-1Σ diatomic model band system using well-defined synthetic data as an example. Other currently used, multistate methods of obtaining molecular constants for a spectroscopic system are special cases of the method described here. For the nonlinear least-squares fits required for multiplet states, the merge method is particularly advantageous. The properties of the merged values of the molecular constants and their standard errors are examined with regard to forming confidence limits for these estimates and it is shown that, in most spectroscopic applications, the confidence limits have their usual meaning. Furthermore, it is similarly shown that the confidence limits for the variance of the merged fit provide a simple and convenient test for the presence of relative systematic errors between the separate least-squares results being merged. Although the method is illustrated here by merged separate band-by-band results, it also can be applied to any type of spectroscopic results.
Identification of Nitrogenous Organic Compounds in Aquatic Sources by Stopped-Flow Spectral Scanning Technique

Abstract The presence of nitrogenous organic compounds in raw water sources for municipal supplies is of environmental concern because many of them exert significant chlorine demand (1), while some produce complex stable mutagenic products upon chlorination (2, 3) or are precursors in haloform formation (1). To assist in assessing the importance of this problem high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) was utilized to identify trace quantities of N-organic contaminants in concentrated samples of municipal water supplies of northeastern Massachusetts. Chromatographic resolution of complex mixtures was achieved on a reversed phase column (Zorbax C-8, DuPont Co.) using a 0.05 M phosphate buffer (pH = 6.9) or a 0.05 M borate buffer (pH = 8.9) to 50% methanol gradient. Constituents of concentrated samples were identified by the amount of time required for elution from the analytical column (retention position), and the positions of maximum and minimum U.V. absorbances, which were measured by stoppedflow sp...
Electrocardiographic Criteria for the Diagnosis of Left Anterior Fascicular Block: Left Axis Deviation and Delayed Intraventricular Conduction

The two current criteria for diagnosis of left anterior fascicular block (LAFB) were evaluated; they are marked left axis deviation (LAD) and a delay in the time of inscription of the intrinsicoid deflection (ID) in lead aVL asynchronous to V 6 . From 400 electrocardiograms with a LAD of −30° or greater, 62 percent showed asynchronous activation of the left ventricle. There was only a general relationship between the degree of LAD and delayed ID in aVL. The incidence of delayed ID in aVL was as follows: 2 percent with mean frontal QRS axis at 0°; 9 percent at −15°; 41 percent at −30°; 69 percent at −45°; 82 percent at −60°; and 100 percent at −75° or greater. The lack of correlation between both criteria in many instances questions their validity. The LAD alone should not be considered synonymous with LAFB. Recognition of delayed inscription of the ID in aVL is a useful supplemental criterion for diagnosis.
The R2 retrotransposon RNA families.

Analysis of the R2 retrotransposons from multiple silkmoth and fruitfly species have revealed three segments that contain conserved RNA secondary structures. These conserved structures play important roles in the propagation of the R2 element, including R2 RNA processing and transposon integration into the host genome as well as a likely role in translation. Two of the structured regions comprise protein binding sites: one is located in the 3' UTR and the other is in the 5' UTR close to the putative start of the R2 open reading frame (ORF). The 3' structure was deduced from chemical mapping and sequence comparison. The 5' structure was determined using a combination of chemical mapping, oligonucleotide binding, NMR and sequence analysis and contains an unusual pseudoknot structure. The third structure occurs at the 5' end of the R2 RNA and is responsible for self-cleavage of the 5' end of the element from a 28S ribosomal RNA co-transcript. A structure for this fragment was proposed based on motif searchin...
Preparation of self-assembled monolayers with specific intermolecular interactions

Abstract A procedure is described to place different organic functionality spatially adjacent within a self-assembled monolayer formed between an alkyltriethoxysilane and a glass surface.
Use of excitons in materials characterization of semiconductor systems

Abstract The objective of this review article is to provide an overview of the use of excitons in the characterization of semiconductor alloys and quantum well structures. In particular it is shown how the measurements of the excitonic linewidth at low temperatures using a variety of optical spectroscopic techniques such as photoluminescence, cathodoluminescence, and absorption can be used to provide information about the structural quality of alloys and quantum well structures. The results of several theoretical approaches that have been developed to calculate the excitonic linewidth in semiconductor alloys as a function of compositional disorder, which is primarily responsible for excitonic line broadening, are reviewed. The measurements of the excitonic linewidths in a variety of III–V and II–VI based semiconductor alloys are described and compared with the calculated values to obtain information about their quality. This is followed by a review of the results of a theoretical formalism, which has been used to calculate the excitonic linewidth due to interfacial disorder in quantum well structures. The combined effects of both the compositional and the interfacial disorders on the excitonic linewidth in quantum well structures are discussed. The results of the measurements of excitonic linewidth in several III–V and II–V semiconductor based quantum well structures are reviewed and compared with those calculated to gain insight into their quality. This article is intended to provide a balanced review of both the theoretical and experimental developments in this field.
Logistic regression analysis of epidemiologic data: theory and practice

The use of logistic regression analysis is widely applicable to epidemiologic studies concerned with quantifying an association between a study factor (i.e., an exposure variable) and a health outcome (i.e., disease status). This paper reviews the general characteristics of the logistic model and illustrates its use in epidemiologic inquiry. Particular emphasis is given to the control of extraneous variables in the context of follow-up and case-control studies. Techniques for both unconditional and conditional maximum likelihood estimation of the parameters in the logistic model are described and illustrated. A general analysis strategy is also presented which incorporates the assessment of both interaction and confounding in quantifying an exposure-disease association of interest.
Poly(lactic acid) modifications

Abstract Poly(lactic acid) or polylactide (PLA) is the most extensively researched and utilized biodegradable and renewable thermoplastic polyester, with potential to replace conventional petrochemical-based polymers. In recent times, several PLA-based technologies have emerged with an emphasis on achieving chemical, mechanical, and biological properties equivalent or superior to conventional polymers. The frequent need for a chemical or physical modification of PLA to achieve suitable properties for its intended consumer and biomedical applications, however, has demanded significant attention in the last decade. In the first part of this review, we briefly discuss the advantages, limitations, production methods, and applications of unmodified PLA. The second part, the major objective of this paper, focuses on the various bulk and surface-modification strategies used to date and their basic principles, drawbacks, and achievements.
Three-dimensional analysis of scattering by pressure-release plane surfaces and the validity of the image solution

Because of the complexity of the scattering integrals in three dimensions, numerous approximations are used to obtain closed-form solutions. By considering the scattering by an infinite, pressure-release plane surface, the effects of various phase approximations and source directivity approximations can be examined independently of the surface roughness. Calculations are carried out using the Fraunhofer and Fresnel phase approximations, and two directivity approximations. It has been shown experimentally that the image solution is valid for the reflection of an acoustic beam by an infinite, pressure-release plane surface if the plane is in the farfield of the source. Consequently, the image solution is used to compare analytical solutions obtained using various phase and directivity approximations, and it is found that both the Fresnel phase approximation and a realistic directivity approximation are required to achieve a good fit. The solution produced by the Fraunhofer phase approximation is obtained as an asymptotic limit of the modified Fresnel solution. Criteria for the validity of the Fraunhofer and Fresnel phase approximations are developed. The Fresnel phase approximation is valid under fairly broad conditions, but the Fraunhofer phase approximation is never valid for an infinite plane surface that must be in the farfield of the source.
Estrogen Receptors are Present in Neocortical Transplants

Fetal neocortical tissue was grafted into neocortical lesion cavities made in newborn rats. After two weeks survival, in vitro binding of [H3]- estradiol to cytosolic preparations provided evidence of estrogen receptors within the transplants. The observed high levels correspond to previous work demonstrating elevated estrogen receptor levels during the first postnatal week in the rat cerebral cortex.
Rerefinement of deca­bromo­di­phenyl ether from new area-detector data

Refinement of the title compound, bis(pentabromophenyl) ether, C12Br10O, from 100 K CCD data yields physically reasonable anisotropic displacement parameters for the C atoms. The C—Br distances are in the range 1.867 (4)–1.891 (4) A and the dihedral angle formed by the phenyl rings is 78.3 (2)°. All endocyclic C—C—C angles are within 0.8 (4)° of the ideal value of 120°.
Identification of Distinct Sequences in Human Blood Coagulation Factor Xa and Prothrombin Essential for Substrate and Cofactor Recognition in the Prothrombinase Complex

Abstract To identify amino acid sequences in factor Xa (fXa) and prothrombin (fII) that may be involved in prothrombinase complex (fXa·factor Va·fII·phospholipids) assembly, synthetic peptides based on fXa and fII sequences were prepared and screened for their ability to inhibit fXa-induced clotting of normal plasma. One fII peptide (PT557–571 homologous to chymotrypsin (CHT) residues 225–239) and two fXa peptides (X404–418, CHT231–244, and X415–429, CHT241–252C) potently inhibited plasma clotting and prothrombinase activity with 50% inhibition between 41 and 115 μm peptide. Inhibition of prothrombinase by PT557–571 and X415–429 was fVa-independent, whereas the inhibition by X404–418 was fVa-dependent. X404–418 inhibited the binding of fVa to fluorescein-labeled, inhibited fXai in the presence of phosphatidylcholine/phosphatidylserine vesicles, whereas X415–429 inhibited binding of fII to phospholipid-bound fluorescein-labeled, inhibited fXai. PT557–571 altered the fluorescence emission of fluorescein-labeled fXai, showing that PT557–571 binds to fXai. These data suggest that residues 404–418 in fXa provide fVa binding sites, whereas residues 557–571 in fII and 415–429 in fXa mediate interactions between fXa and fII in the prothrombinase complex.
Examining differences in death rates for medicaid and non-medicaid nursing home residents.

Objectives: The purpose of this work was to examine differences in the probability of death for Medicaid and privately funded nursing home residents, controlling for differences in facility, market, and resident characteristics. Methods: Given that Medicaid residents are more likely to die in nursing facilities, the probability of dying within 1 or 2 years is estimated using a series of probit models, controlling for whether a resident is Medicaid-funded or privately-funded. As resident characteristics, market attributes, facility characteristics, and facility fixed effects are sequentially added to the specifications, the gap in the probability of death between Medicaid and private-pay residents is considered. Results: The overall mortality rate for Medicaid residents was 14.8% points higher than the death rate for privately funded residents. When considering death within 1 year and 2 years, Medicaid resident death rates were 4.2% and 7.8% higher, respectively. The apparent difference in mortality declines as one controls for resident, market, and facility characteristics. Both facility characteristics and facility fixed effects are relatively important in explaining differences in death rates between Medicaid and private-pay residents. Conclusions: Differences in death rates between Medicaid and private-pay residents are relatively small, suggesting that residents with different payment sources are not treated differently in nursing homes in ways that impact the probability of death. However, policymakers may want to look more closely at whether Medicaid residents are segregated into lower-quality facilities.
A partial theta identity of Ramanujan and its number-theoretic interpretation

We will interpret a partial theta identity in Ramanujan’s Lost Notebook as a weighted partition theorem involving partitions into distinct parts with smallest part odd. A special case of this yields a new result on the parity of the number of parts in such partitions, comparable to Euler’s pentagonal numbers theorem. We will provide simple and novel proofs of the weighted partition theorem and the special case. Our proof leads to a companion to Ramanujan’s partial theta identity which we will explain combinatorially.
Nilotinib: A Review of its Use in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is characterized by the reciprocal chromosomal translocation, t(9;22), forming the BCR-ABL oncogene known as the Philadelphia chromosome. The development of imatinib, a small-molecule kinase inhibitor targeted against BCR-ABL, has revolutionized the management of CML and significantly improved the prognosis and outcome and until very recently was the standard of care in patients presenting with newly diagnosed CML. Nilotinib (Tasigna®) is an orally administered kinase inhibitor made by the Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation that was rationally designed to bind to the ABL kinase domain of BCR-ABL resulting in enhanced BCR-ABL inhibition. It is well tolerated and has a favourable safety profile. Nilotinib has been shown to be effective in patients who have failed prior therapy with imatinib. Recently a large randomized control trial comparing imatinib and nilotinib has demonstrated that niloitinb is superior to imatinib in the frontline treatment of CML. This review summarizes the preclinical and clinical data supporting the use of nilotinib in the frontline and secondline treatment of CML.
Dogmatism, attitude extremity, and attitude intensity as determinants of perceptual displacement.

Summary This study examined the relationship of dogmatism, attitude extremity, and the tendency to displace perceptually a neutral communication to a position more discrepant from the subject's own than it objectively holds. Results indicate that dogmatism was not predictive of displacement tendency, but that extremity and intensity were both significantly related to displacement. It was also found that dogmatism was not correlated with having a conservative attitude on the issues studied. The results were consistent across four different attitude issues.
Silurian Conodonts from Death Valley, California: ABSTRACT

The northern part of the Panamint Range, Inyo County, California, contains many early and middle Paleozoic marine formations, but precise stratigraphic relations are poorly known for lack of abundant megafossils and because of postdepositional dolomitization and silicification of the rocks. The type section of the Hidden Valley Dolomite consists of 1,365 ft of light- to dark-gray, chert-bearing dolomite. On the basis of megafossil evidence, previous workers considered that the major part was Silurian and the upper 65 ft was Early Devonian. Approximately 1,000 conodonts were identified from samples collected in a measured section about 1.5 mi north of the type section. Specimens from the uppermost 50 ft of the underlying Ely Springs Dolomite indicate a Late Ordovician or Early Silurian age. Conodonts from the Hidden Valley Dolomite indicate the presence of the European and eastern North America Neospathogathodus celloni zone and the younger Pterospathodus amorphognathoides zone within the lower 325 ft of the formation. Both zones are of Llandovery age (C2-C6) and represent the first report of Early Silurian conodont zones from the Death Valley area. The middle part of the formation yielded no conodonts, but a sparse fauna about 150 ft below the upper boundary contains specimens Polygnathus lingulifo mis and Icriodus latericrescens, suggesting an Early Devonian age. No diagnostic Devonian conodonts were recovered from the lower 100 ft of the overlying Lost Burro Formation. End_of_Article - Last_Page 795------------
Regulation and function of the calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV/protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2A signaling complex.

Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CaMKIV) is a member of the broad substrate specificity class of Ca2+/calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinases and functions as a potent stimulator of Ca2+-dependent gene expression. Activation of CaMKIV is a transient, tightly regulated event requiring both Ca2+/CaM binding and phosphorylation of the kinase on T200 by an upstream CaMK kinase (CaMKK). Previously, CaMKIV was shown to stably associate with protein serine/threonine phosphatase 2A (PP2A), which was proposed to play a role in negatively regulating the kinase. Here we report that the Ca2+/CaM binding-autoinhibitory domain of CaMKIV is required for association of the kinase with PP2A and that binding of PP2A and Ca2+/CaM appears to be mutually exclusive. We demonstrate that inhibition of the CaMKIV/PP2A association in cells results in enhanced CaMKIV-mediated gene transcription that is independent of Ca2+/CaM. The enhanced transcriptional activity correlates with the elevated level of phospho-T200 that accumulates when CaMKIV is prevented from interacting with PP2A. Collectively, these data suggest a molecular basis for the sequential activation and inactivation of CaMKIV. First, in response to an increase in intracellular Ca2+, CaMKIV binds Ca2+/CaM and becomes phosphorylated on T200 by CaMKK. These events result in the generation of autonomous activity required for CaMKIV-mediated transcriptional regulation. The CaMKIV-associated PP2A then dephosphorylates CaMKIV T200, thereby terminating autonomous activity and CaMKIV-mediated gene transcription.
Ideogram Reading in Normal and Dyslexic Children

This study was concerned with the ideogram reading performances of groups of reading disabled and normal children. While adults with acquired alexia have associated defects in ideogram reading, all of the dyslexic children performed at normal adult levels. It was found that ideogram reading in control children is rather slow to develop, with only 7 and 8 year old subjects performing like normal adults; this is in contrast to other reading-related cognitive tasks in which normal performance develops earlier.
The politics of telecommunications reform in South Africa

Abstract This article reviews the international trend towards liberalization of telecommunications, and then describes the history and present structure of the sector in South Africa, which shows both First World and Third World features as a result of the apartheid system. Like many other countries, South Africa has in recent years taken steps to dismantle the old parastatal telecommunications monopoly, and has embraced commercial principles, but has stopped short of privatizing telecommunications, largely because of the opposition of the African National Congress. The author argues that there are good reasons to resist the call for privatization since in South Africa the overriding priority must be to extend basic telephone service to the African majority, and this probably cannot be achieved by relying on market forces.
Systemic deposition of metallic mercury.

Case 1. A 4-year-old Negro boy was seen at The Johns Hopkins Hospital with a chief complaint of "falling, unconsciousness, and jerking of the extremities" of 1 day's duration. Except for 5 days of oxygen therapy during the neonatal period, the past history was unrevealing. Careful inquiry elicited no information which would suggest the entrance of metallic mercury into the body. Physical examination was unremarkable. Laboratory studies, which included lumbar puncture, blood calcium, phosphorus, urea nitrogen, and fasting glucose determinations, were within normal limits. Mercury excretion during a 24-hour period, as determined by the polarographic method, was not significant. X-ray examination of the skull, neck, and trunk (Figs. 1, 2, 3) revealed the presence of many small round shadows of
A strangled wife.

neurointerventional unit for cervical and cerebral angiography. She had been seen at another hospital 3 weeks earlier with sudden onset of weakness of her left arm. She had been treated for hypertension and hyperthyroidism. Upon arrival she was awake, alert, and oriented, with normal cognition and speech. The function of her cranial nerves was intact with no signs of Horner’s syndrome. Motor examination showed left pronator drift, decreased left hand and arm strength, and poor rapid finger movements. Sensory examination was normal to all modalities. Auscultation revealed a carotid bruit on the left side. A computed tomograph scan showed right middle frontal and opercular gyrus infarcts (figure, A). Carotid angiography showed bilateral symmetrical stenoses of the internal carotid arteries at the level of C2–C3 (figure, B, C). There was no evidence of atherosclerosis. A filling defect suggestive of an embolus was shown in the ascending frontal branch of the right middle cerebral artery. Renal angiography showed no evidence of fibromuscular dysplasia. The angiographic appearances of the carotid lesions were consistent with healed spontaneous or traumatic carotid dissections.
On the existence of Tamm states

Abstract It is shown for a semi-infinite linear chain that the condition for the existence of an occupied Tamm state is critically affected by many-electron effects. This result is applied to semiconductors and metals.
Modulation of zinc- and cobalt-binding affinities through changes in the stability of the zinc ribbon protein L36

Cysteine-rich Zn(II)-binding sites in proteins serve two distinct functions: to template or stabilize specific protein folds, and to facilitate chemical reactions such as alkyl transfers. We are interested how the protein environment controls metal site properties, specifically, how naturally occurring tetrahedral Zn(II) sites are affected by the surrounding protein. We have studied the Co(II)- and Zn(II)-binding of a series of derivatives of L36, a small zinc ribbon protein containing a (Cys)3His metal coordination site. UV–vis spectroscopy was used to monitor metal binding by peptides at pH 6.0. For all derivatives, the following trends were observed: (1) Zn(II) binds tighter than Co(II), with an average K A Zn /K A Co of 2.8(±2.0)×103; (2) mutation of the metal-binding ligand His32 to Cys decreases the affinity of L36 derivatives for both metals; (3) a Tyr24 to Trp mutation in the β-sheet hydrophobic cluster increases K A Zn and K A Co ; (4) mutation in the β-hairpin turn, His20 to Asn generating an Asn-Gly turn, also increases K A Zn and K A Co ; (5) the combination of His20 to Asn and Tyr24 to Trp mutations also increases K A Zn and K A Co , but the increments versus C3H are less than those of the single mutations. Furthermore, circular dichroism, size-exclusion chromatography, and 1D and 2D 1H NMR experiments show that the mutations do not change the overall fold or association state of the proteins. L36, displaying Co(II)- and Zn(II)-binding sensitivity to various sequence mutations without undergoing a change in protein structure, can therefore serve as a useful model system for future structure/reactivity studies.