cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Identification of Eukaryotic DNA Replication Proteins Using Simian Virus 40 in Vitro Replication System

Publisher Summary At present, there is no in vitro DNA replication assay suitable for the direct analysis of chromosomal DNA replication in eukaryotes. Except in simple organisms such as yeast, the identification of replication origins and the proteins that bind to these sites has been extremely difficult. Eukaryotic DNA replication is tightly controlled during the cell cycle. It depends on the action of many regulatory proteins and to those directly involved in synthesizing DNA. One approach to circumvent these difficulties is to investigate the replication of viral DNA within eukaryotic cells. Viruses have small, well-defined genomes and the replication of viral DNA is free of some of the normal cellular constraints. Simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication requires only one viral protein; the large T antigen, which is an extremely useful tool for studying cellular DNA replication. The development of an in vitro SV40 DNA replication system I has led to the identification and characterization of many human replication proteins and has allowed for the isolation of homologous proteins from other eukaryotic species. This work has led to the realization that the basic replication machinery is conserved in all eukaryotes from yeast to man. SV40 DNA replication takes place within the nucleus of a permissive primate cell, where T antigen binds to and locally unwinds the circular SV40 minichromosome at the origin. This allows the host replication proteins to initiate bidirectional DNA synthesis and complete the duplication of the entire DNA molecule in a semidiscontinuous manner. SV40 DNA replication in vitro closely resembles the in vivo reaction and is dependent on the viral origin of replication, T antigen, and primate cell cytoplasmic extract. The cellular components necessary and sufficient for the replication of plasmid DNA containing the SV40 origin have been identified through fractionation of the cytoplasmic extract and reconstitution of activity.
Automated beehive surveillance using computer vision

The number of honey bees entering and leaving the hive throughout the day is an important metric for beekeepers. Some commercial systems that utilize infrared sensors at the hive's entrance exist for monitoring honeybee traffic. This research explores a solution that is based on visual information obtained through videos taken in front of the hives. This paper describes a system for surveillance based on traditional object detection and tracking methods. The project compares results from different algorithms within the system and discusses how the performance of the system can be effectively evaluated.
Psicologia i Ideologia. A proposit de l'article «Valoració de judicis sobre el caràcter català»

A debate is started concerning the article published in Quaderns de Psico-logia, 6 / 2 , entitled “Valoracio de judicis sobre el caracter catala”. The argument is against the generalizations made in this work on the Catalan character.
Lung MDSC-derived IL-10 in resolution of inflammation during bacterial pneumonia (INM2P.420)

Bacterial pneumonia remains a significant burden worldwide. Although an inflammatory response in the lung is required to fight against pathogenic microorganisms, persistent inflammation leads to collateral tissue damage and precipitates acute lung injury. Recently we have shown that interleukin (IL)-10 is essential for resolution of lung inflammation with Klebsiella pneumoniae, a bacterium commonly associated with hospital-acquired pneumonia. Although IL-10-/- mice cleared bacteria, they displayed increased morbidity with progressive weight loss and persistent lung inflammation in the later phase after infection. A source of tissue IL-10 was found to be resident CD11b+Gr1(Ly6G)intF4/80+ cells resembling myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs). These cells efficiently efferocytosed apoptotic neutrophils, which was aided by IL-10. However, our ongoing studies show that IL-10 production from lung MDSCs can be negatively regulated during pneumonia. Previous studies have documented increased levels of the lipid cardiolipin, which is generated from the mitochondria of dead cells, in the lungs of patients with severe pneumonia. We have observed that cardiolipin blunts pulmonary IL-10 production thereby compromising the efficiency of the MDSC-IL-10 system to dampen inflammation. Considering the important role of IL-10 in limiting inflammation and tissue damage, our study identifies new targets for maintaining IL-10 expression during resolution of inflammation in pneumonia.
Sustainable municipal solid waste management decision making

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assess a comprehensive model that computes a single score in order to evaluate the sustainability of the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system of a given city. The model was applied to calculate the sustainability index for the MSWM of Istanbul, Turkey as a case study. Design/methodology/approach – Different sustainability indicators (including environmental, economical, and social parameters) along with exergy analysis were integrated to utilize an analytical hierarchy process (AHP) under a life cycle perspective. Findings – The Istanbul case study helped to verify that AHP is an effective and efficient decision-making tool. According to the analysis, the current MSWM system of Istanbul is sustainable, and the sustainability can be improved only by changing the amounts to be treated by the current system without any new technological investments. Research limitations/implications – The Municipal Solid Waste Management Sustainability Index (MSWMSI) in thi...
Sphingolipid Metabolism and Interorganellar Transport: Localization of Sphingolipid Enzymes and Lipid Transfer Proteins

In recent decades, many sphingolipid enzymes, sphingolipid-metabolism regulators and sphingolipid transfer proteins have been isolated and characterized. This review will provide an overview of the intracellular localization and topology of sphingolipid enzymes in mammalian cells to highlight the locations where respective sphingolipid species are produced. Interestingly, three sphingolipids that reside or are synthesized in cytosolic leaflets of membranes (ceramide, glucosylceramide and ceramide-1-phosphate) all have cytosolic lipid transfer proteins (LTPs). These LTPs consist of ceramide transfer protein (CERT), four-phosphate adaptor protein 2 (FAPP2) and ceramide-1-phosphate transfer protein (CPTP), respectively. These LTPs execute functions that affect both the location and metabolism of the lipids they bind. Molecular details describing the mechanisms of regulation of LTPs continue to emerge and reveal a number of critical processes, including competing phosphorylation and dephosphorylation reactions and binding interactions with regulatory proteins and lipids that influence the transport, organelle distribution and metabolism of sphingolipids.
Effects of morphine on the incorporation of [14C]serine into phospholipid via the base-exchange reaction.

The effects of morphine on the incorporation of [14C]serine into phospholipid via the base-exchange reaction were examined using washed brain microsomal membranes as the enzyme source. The addition of morphine in vitro increased the basal rate (no added Ca++) of [14C]serine exchange, with the maximum increase occurring at 10 µM. This concentration of morphine also increased the Ca++-stimulated exchange at Ca++ concentrations of 10, 15, and 20 mM but not 5, 25, or 30 mM. These morphine effects in vitro were blocked by naloxone. Both acute and chronic prior treatment with morphine decreased the basal rate of [14C]serine exchange. However, chronic but not acute morphine treatment significantly increased the Ca++-stimulated exchange of [14C]serine at all Ca++ concentrations tested (2.5-30 mM). In contrast, chronic morphine treatment slightly but significantly stimulated [14C]ethanolamine exchange at one Ca++ concentration (2.5 mM) and decreased [14C]choline exchange at all Ca++ concentrations tested. Possible mechanisms underlying these various changes are discussed.
On-Line Dilutor for Use with Flame Photometers

This note describes a reliable, convenient way to provide automatic, on-line dilution of samples for flame photometry. The method applies to any flame photometer that has a vertical aspirating needle
Cell type-specific eQTLs in the human immune system.

A new study reports the mapping of gene expression in primary immune cell subsets, showing the presence of cell type–specific cis and trans expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs). The identification of cell type–specific trans-regulated networks can inform functional studies of susceptibility loci identified from genome-wide association studies for human complex diseases.
Computer simulations of particle deposition in the lungs of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

Epidemiology data show that mortality rates for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients increase with an increase in concentration of ambient particulate matter (PM). This is not seen for normal subjects. Therefore, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has identified COPD patients as a susceptible subpopulation to be considered in regulatory standards. In the present study, a computer model was used to calculate deposition fractions of PM within the lungs of COPD patients. The morphology of COPD lungs was characterized by two distinct components: obstruction of airways (chronic bronchitis component), and degeneration of alveolar structure (emphysema component). The chronic bronchitis component was modeled by reducing airway diameters using airway resistance measurements in vivo, and the emphysema component was modeled by increasing alveolar volumes. Calculated results were compared with experimental data obtained from COPD patients for controlled breathing trials (tidal volume of 5...
Many Large Medical Groups Will Need To Acquire New Skills And Tools To Be Ready For Payment Reform

Federal and state policy makers are now experimenting with programs that hold health systems accountable for delivering care under predetermined budgets to help control health care spending. To assess how well prepared medical groups are to participate in these arrangements, we surveyed twenty-one large, multispecialty groups. We evaluated their participation in risk contracts such as capitation and the degree of operational support associated with these arrangements. On average, about 25 percent of the surveyed groups’ patient care revenue stemmed from global capitation contracts and 9 percent from partial capitation or shared risk contracts. Groups with a larger share of revenue from risk contracts were more likely than others to have salaried physicians, advanced data management capabilities, preferred relationships with efficient specialists, and formal programs to coordinate care for high-risk patients. Our findings suggest that medical groups that lack risk contracting experience may need to develop...
Effect of interferon treatment on vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV): Release of unusual particles with low infectivity

Abstract As much as 200-fold inhibition in the titer of infectious vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) was achieved in cultures of Ly cells treated with 30 reference units/ml of interferon (IF); however, virus particle production, as measured by VSV particle-associated RNA, nucleocapsid (N) protein, or transcriptase, was inhibited a maximum of 10-fold by this concentration of interferon. A significant reduction was seen in the glycoprotein (G) and matrix protein (M) content of VSV from interferon-treated cells. These results indicated that IF-treated cells produce VSV particles with low infectivity. This may be related to the reduced amount of G protein incorporated into such particles. Only 42 S viral RNA was detected in the virus particles produced by interferon-treated cells; these particles did not interfere with the growth of wild-type VSV in BHK or Ly cells. The findings suggested that these particles are not defective-interfering forms of VSV. The results in many respects resemble those previously reported in IF-treated cells infected with murine leukemia viruses.
Estimating Spatial Correlations from Spatial-Temporal Meteorological Data

Abstract Meteorological data are collected over space and time. Techniques for modeling the temporal characteristics of meteorological data are well known and accepted. While methods for accommodating the spatial character of meteorological variables have been available for over 30 years, they are far less frequently used. In part, this is because many theoretical and computational issues remain to be resolved concerning the application of spatial modeling methods to meteorological data. One of these issues is the fitting of spatial-correlation functions. In this paper, it is shown that temporal correlations can seriously bias fitted covariance functions that are used in optimal interpolation and optimal spatial-averaging methods. A result of this bias is that the fitting of correlation functions to temporal correlations can result in overestimates of spatial correlations. In contrast, the fitting of structure function models from data for fixed time periods does not suffer from the temporal biases of cor...
Invariant subspaces for certain finite-rank perturbations of diagonal operators

Abstract Suppose that { e k } is an orthonormal basis for a separable, infinite-dimensional Hilbert space H . Let D be a diagonal operator with respect to the orthonormal basis { e k } . That is, D = ∑ k = 1 ∞ λ k e k ⊗ e k , where { λ k } is a bounded sequence of complex numbers. Let T = D + u 1 ⊗ v 1 + ⋯ + u n ⊗ v n . Improving a result of Foias et al. (2007) [3] , we show that if the vectors u 1 , … , u n and v 1 , … , v n satisfy an l 1 -condition with respect to the orthonormal basis { e k } , and if T is not a scalar multiple of the identity operator, then T has a non-trivial hyperinvariant subspace.
The Effects of Surface Gravity Waves on High-Frequency Acoustic Propagation in Shallow Water

A realistic 2-D time-evolving ocean surface model has been combined with an existing acoustic ray-based model to simulate the effects of sea surface roughness on acoustic wave propagation in coastal regions. Rough sea surface realizations are generated and used as sea surface boundaries in the acoustic model. An approach to achieve high resolution and accurate results while maintaining computational efficiency of a ray-based model is applied. The results are then compared against a unique set of experimental data collected in 15-m water depth in Delaware Bay. These data include simultaneous environment and acoustic propagation (1-18 kHz) measurements. Modeled arrival time-angle fluctuations compare well with data and suggest that there are physical processes which need to be included to improve the model, such as bubbles and turbulence as well as 3-D scattering effects.
Concurrent maintenance of rings

A central problem for structured peer-to-peer networks is topology maintenance, that is, how to properly update neighbor variables when nodes join or leave the network, possibly concurrently. In this paper, we consider the maintenance of the ring topology, the basisof several peer-to-peer networks, in the fault-free environment. We design, and prove the correctness of, protocols that maintain a bidirectional ring under both joins and leaves. Our protocols update neighbor variables once a membership change occurs. We prove the correctness of our protocols using an assertional proof method, that is, we first identify a global invariant for a protocol and then show that every action of the protocol preserves the invariant. Our protocols are simple and our proofs are rigorous and explicit.
Choquet fuzzy integral in handwritten word recognition

The Choquet fuzzy integral provides a useful mechanism for evidence aggregation. It is a flexible method which can represent weighted averages, medians, order statistics, and many other information aggregation mechanisms. In this paper, two applications are described to handwritten word recognition: as a match function in a dynamic programming based classifier and as a method for fusing the results from multiple word recognition algorithms. In the first case, the results are compared with traditional methods. In the second case, the results are compared with neural network and Borda count approaches.
Industry clusters and global value chains: analytical frameworks to study the new world of textiles

As the complexity of the textile industry has increased because of international regulations, advancements in technology, and resultant globalization, so too have the frameworks and theories used to explain these phenomena and how firms and countries can succeed within these new parameters of competition. Recently two schools of thought have been used to study the industrial organization patterns and strategic decisions of participants in the textile complex that have fundamentally altered previous ideologies on what connects people, places, and firm. Value chain scholars attest that to study today's global industries requires a network-based approach capable of ranging multiple spatial scales while elucidating the dynamic relationships between them (Bair, 2003; Gereffi, 2005). Industry cluster researchers emphasize the increasing importance of location and institutional actors to increase competitiveness that cannot be accessed from a distance (Porter, 1990). This article reviews the conceptual ideas tha...
Poly(3,4‐alkylenedioxypyrroles): The PXDOPs as Versatile Yet Underutilized Electroactive and Conducting Polymers

The poly(3,4-dioxypyrrole) (PXDOP) family of conducting and electroactive polymers has now been developed to the point that multiple synthetic routes allow many functionalized polymers with controllable optoelectronic and redox properties. These properties, which include high conductivity, multicolor cathodic and anodic electrochromism, and rapid redox switching, allow these materials to be used in a variety of applications that potentially include conducting coatings, electrochromic windows and displays, chemical sensors, bioactive materials, and mechanical actuators. Surprisingly, the scientific literature published on the PXDOP derivatives has been isolated and sparse compared to that of other conducting polymers. This report will highlight the synthesis and materials properties of PXDOPs and show how these powerful materials fit into the frontier of conducting polymers research.
Effect of nozzle spacing on ground interference forces for a two jet V/STOL aircraft

The effect of nozzle spacing on ground interference forces was investigated for a two jet V/STOL aircraft design. The need for information on the effect of jet spacing arises because of the tradeoff between mechanical complexity, which calls for close spacing, and roll control moments, which call for wider spacing. The ground interference forces on a two jet V/STOL aircraft model were measured for a range of nozzle spacings. Interference forces showed a complicated behavior with nozzle spacing, fuselage geometry, and height above ground. For some conditions a slight change in nozzle spacing resulted in a fourfold change in the interference force from 3% to 12% of the basic jet thrust. An understanding of the observed aircraft force behavior was developed using detailed measurements of the upwash flow properties, along with force and pressure measurements on a series of two dimensional fuselage representations.
Does Global Warming Cause Intensified Interannual Hydroclimate Variability

AbstractThe idea that global warming leads to more droughts and floods has become commonplace without clear indication of what is meant by this statement. Here, the authors examine one aspect of this problem and assess whether interannual variability of precipitation P minus evaporation E becomes stronger in the twenty-first century compared to the twentieth century, as deduced from an ensemble of models participating in Coupled Model Intercomparison Project 3. It is shown that indeed interannual variability of P − E does increase almost everywhere across the planet, with a few notable exceptions such as southwestern North America and some subtropical regions. The variability increases most at the equator and the high latitudes and least in the subtropics. Although most interannual P − E variability arises from internal atmosphere variability, the primary potentially predictable component is related to the El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). ENSO-driven interannual P − E variability clearly increases in ...
The 30-second effect: an experiment revealing the impact of television commercials on food preferences of preschoolers.

Abstract Objective To examine whether televised food commercials influence preschool children's food preferences. Design In this randomized, controlled trial, preschool children viewed a videotape of a popular children's cartoon either with or without embedded commercials. Children were then asked to identify their preferences from pairs of similar products, one of which was advertised in the videotape with embedded commercials. Preschoolers' parents were interviewed to determine children's demographic characteristics and media use patterns. Subjects Forty-six 2- to 6-year-olds from a Head Start program in northern California. Statistical analyses For demographic and media use characteristics, univariate data were examined and Student t and χ 2 tests were used to test for differences between the control and treatment groups. We calculated the Cochran Q statistic to assess whether the proportion of those choosing advertised food items was significantly higher in the treatment group than in the control group. Results Children exposed to the videotape with embedded commercials were significantly more likely to choose the advertised items than children who saw the same videotape without commercials ( Q diff =8.13, df =l, P Conclusions/applications Even brief exposures to televised food commercials can influence preschool children's food preferences. Nutritionists and health educators should advise parents to limit their preschooler's exposure to television advertisements. Furthermore, advocates should raise the public policy issue of advertising and young children, especially given the recent epidemic of childhood obesity and the ever-changing media environment. J Am Diet Assoc. 2001;101:42–46 .
Measuring Load on Working Memory: The Use of Heart Rate as a Means of Measuring Chemistry Students' Cognitive Load

Information processing provides a powerful model for understanding how learning occurs and highlights the important role that cognitive load plays in this process. In instances in which the cognitive load of a problem exceeds the available working memory, learning can be seriously hindered. Previously reported methods for measuring cognitive load have typically been collected posthoc and can be subjective. More recent methods, however, rely on the collection of physiological data such as blink rate, heat flow, galvanic skin response, or heart rate; these methods address many of the shortcomings associated with more traditional techniques. This manuscript presents our attempts to validate the use of heart rate as a means of measuring changes in cognitive load in chemistry students and faculty.
Venous thromboembolism in advanced ovarian cancer patients undergoing frontline adjuvant chemotherapy.

Objective The aim of this study was to define the incidence and prognostic significance of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with advanced, epithelial ovarian cancer undergoing frontline adjuvant chemotherapy after an extended period (28 days) of postoperative prophylaxis. Methods A retrospective analysis of patients with advanced, epithelial ovarian cancer who underwent surgery and chemotherapy at a single institution from January 2008 through December 2011 was performed. Exclusion criteria were history of VTE, VTE during the postoperative period, clear cell histology, use of anticoagulation for a different indication, and lack of compliance with 28 days of postoperative prophylaxis with a low-molecular-weight heparin. Baseline patient demographics and oncologic outcomes were analyzed. Clinically symptomatic VTE was identified and confirmed with imaging studies. Otherwise, VTE was identified on imaging studies done to assess disease status at the conclusion of adjuvant chemotherapy. Results One hundred twenty-eight patients met criteria for inclusion. Sixteen patients had a reported VTE during the time they were on frontline chemotherapy (12.5%). Nine patients (7%) had a pulmonary embolus, and 8 (6.3%) had a deep vein thrombus. The mean BMI in the group that developed VTE was 28, and in the group without VTE, it was 26.5 (P = 0.23). Three (23%) of the 16 patients who developed VTE had undergone a suboptimal cytoreduction compared with 12 (11%) of the 112 in the group with no VTE (P = 0.4). Six (37%) of the 16 patients who developed VTE during chemotherapy underwent a bowel resection and/or splenectomy during their cytoreductive surgery compared with 18 (16%) of the 112 patients who did not develop VTE (P = 0.079). Eight of the patients in the VTE group had indwelling venous catheters during chemotherapy (50%) compared with 39 (35%) in the group with no VTE (P = 0.27). In the group that developed VTE, there was a trend toward increased preoperative CA-125, higher rates of bowel resection and/or splenectomy during surgery, decreased use of aspirin, and inferior survival. On multivariate analysis, patients who developed VTE had significantly longer postoperative hospital stays (7 vs 5 days [P = 0.009]) and lower rates of complete response (P = 0.01). Conclusions A 12.5% risk for VTE merits consideration of prophylaxis during chemotherapy in this cohort. A randomized, controlled trial is needed to clarify whether the benefits of long-term prophylaxis outweigh the risks and costs of such therapy.
ERP abnormalities during semantic processing in schizophrenia.

To examine the neurophysiological and cognitive characteristics of thought disturbance in schizophrenic patients, we examined the amplitude, latency, and topography of a specific event-related brain potential (ERP), the N400, which is elicited by semantically incongruent words and phrases. Twelve chronic schizophrenic patients and twelve age-matched control subjects read sentences presented visually that had either semantically correct (e.g., ‘People pray in their local church’) or incorrect endings (e.g., ‘Every Sunday morning people pray in their local nest’). Relative to normal controls, schizophrenic patients had significantly reduced N400 amplitude and increased latency to semantically anomalous endings. Additionally, a late positive component which follows the N400 was significantly reduced in amplitude in schizophrenic patients. However, patients and controls did not differ significantly in terms of the topographical distribution of either the N400 or its late positive potential, examined at 28 electrode sites. Thus, N400 topography in schizophrenic patients was not accompanied by the asymmetry which frequently characterizes the well known auditory P300 disturbance in schizophrenic patients. We concluded that these findings may reflect a profound disturbance in attentional processes in chronic schizophrenia.
Response of the terrestrial biosphere to global climate change and human perturbation

Despite 20 years of intensive effort to understand the global carbon cycle, the budget for carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is unbalanced. To explain why atmospheric CO2 is not increasing as rapidly as it should be, various workers have suggested that land vegetation acts as a sink for carbon dioxide. Here, I examine various possibilities and find that the evidence for a sink of sufficient magnitude on land is poor. Moreover, it is unlikely that the land vegetation will act as a sink in the postulated warmer global climates of the future. In response to rapid human population growth, destruction of natural ecosystems in the tropics remains a large net source of CO2 for the atmosphere, which is only partially compensated by the potential for carbon storage in temperate and boreal regions. Direct and inadvertent human effects on land vegetation might increase the magnitude of regional CO2 storage on land, but they are unlikely to play a significant role in moderating the potential rate of greenhouse warming in the future.
Deterministic hyperspectral target detection using the DWT and spectral fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation

Recently, the 1-D spectral fringe-adjusted joint transform correlation (SFJTC) technique has been proposed as an effective means for performing deterministic target detection in hyperspectral imagery. In this work, we explore the use of the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) as a pre-processing tool for SFJTC-based target detection. To quantify improvement and compare performance in the detection process, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves are generated and the areas under the ROC curves (AUROC) are computed. The basic premise of this work is that selected coefficients generated from a desired level of the DWT decomposition of the data can be used in place of the original data for improved SFJTC-based detection. We illustrate this by conducting experiments on two different hyperspectral scenes containing varying amounts of simulated noise. Results indicate that use of the DWT coefficients significantly improves the detection performance, especially in the presence of noise.
The Structural Principles that Underlie the Higher Oxides of the Rare Earths

The structural principle that accounts for the aniondeficient, fluorite-related homologous series of higher rare earth oxides has awaited the determination of a sufficient number of their structures to test hypotheses. Recent structure refinement of five additional members has permitted extraction of a number of generalizations concerning their crystallization behavior. These general principles are outlined. Furthermore, based on the fluorite structure itself, a phenomenological structural principle is outlined that (1) unifies all known and possible phases in these fluorite-related systems under one generic formula, (2) models all known structures correctly and (3) enables modeling of any unknown structure or polymorph in the series. All that is required are electron diffraction patterns adequate to determine the supercell and a knowledge of its composition. Strukturelle Prinzipien bei den hoheren Oxiden der Seltenen Erden Zur Aufklarung der strukturellen Prinzipien der Fluorit-verwandten homologen Serie hoherer Selten-Erd-Oxide mit Anionen-Unterschus war die Bestimmung einer hinreichenden Anzahl ihrer Strukturen vonnoten. Neuere Strukturverfeinerungen an funf weiteren Mitgliedern dieser Serie erlauben eine Reihe von allgemeingultigen Aussagen uber ihr Kristallisationsverhalten. Uber diese generellen Prinzipien wird berichtet. Daruber hinaus wird, auf der Grundlage des Fluorittyps, ein phanomenologisches Prinzip vorgestellt, das erstens alle bekannten und moglichen Phasen in diesem fluoritverwandten Systemen durch eine Formel miteinander verknupft, zweitens alle bekannten Strukturen richtig wiedergibt und drittens uns in die Lage versetzt, Modelle fur alle noch unbekannten Strukturen oder Polymorphe dieser Serie abzuleiten. Benotigt werden hierzu lediglich Elektronenbeugungsaufnahmen, die die Bestimmung der Uberstrukturzelle zulassen sowie eine Vorstellung uber die Zusammensetzung.
Selective antibody deficiency to Haemophilus influenzae type B capsular polysaccharide vaccination in children with recurrent respiratory tract infection

Fifty-one children between 22 and 158 months of age referred to an immunology clinic with a history of recurrent respiratory tract infections were prospectively evaluated for immunologic abnormalities. Ten of the subjects had a poor response to the Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) capsular polysaccharide vaccine (failure to mount a twofold increase in titer or achieve a postimmunization titer greater than 0.2 micrograms ab/ml). There were no differences in mean serum concentrations of IgG, IgM, IgA, isohemagglutinins, or anti-tetanus toxoid between the responders and the nonresponders. None of the 10 nonresponders were deficient in IgG2. Eight of the vaccine failures were immunized with an Hib conjugate vaccine (HbOC) consisting of Hib capsular oligosaccharides coupled to diphtheria toxin. All responded with at least a fivefold increase in antibody after primary immunization with HbOC. Seven of the eight had a postHbOC primary immunization titer greater than 1.0 microgram/ml. This study demonstrates that some children with recurrent infections and with normal IgG subclasses are unable to respond to Hib capsular polysaccharide. This defect, which can be circumvented by presenting the polysaccharide antigen in an alternative form, may be contributing to the symptomatology experienced by these patients.
Diphtheria toxin and its ADP-ribosyltransferase-defective homologue CRM197 possess deoxyribonuclease activity.

Abstract The cytotoxic mechanism of diphtheria toxin (DTx) is associated with its ability to inhibit protein synthesis by ADP-ribosylation of elongation factor 2. Although DTx intoxication leads to internucleosomal DNA cleavage and cell lysis, these events do not occur when protein synthesis is inhibited by alternative treatments (e.g., cycloheximide). Here we show that endonucleolytic degradation of DNA is an intrinsic activity of DTx and also of the crossreactive mutant protein CRM197. Assays using DNA-impregnated gels as well as linear and supercoiled DNA in solution revealed not only that CRM197 has nuclease activity but also that its specific activity is actually significantly greater than that of the wild-type molecule. Since CRM197 contains a single amino acid substitution that renders it incapable of ADP-ribosylation, we propose that the active sites for ADP-ribosyltransferase and nuclease activities are distinct.
Scaling of the microwave and dc conductance of metallic single-walled carbon nanotubes

We measure the dynamical conductance of electrically contacted single-walled carbon nanotubes at dc and ac as a function of source-drain voltage in both low and high dc bias voltage. We show a direct relationship between the ac conductance and dc conductance. We also measure the microwave conductance of 2 nanotubes in parallel and observe an anomalous frequency dependence.
Legal and medical bases for granting asylum in the USA to women with female genital mutilation: a systematic review

Abstract Background A precedent exists for granting asylum based on fear of persecution in the form of female genital mutilation (FGM), but it does not apply to women who have already undergone FGM on the logic that they have no grounds to fear further persecution. I assessed the published work about whether women who have already undergone FGM should be granted asylum to the USA on the basis of the medical consequences of the procedure. Methods I searched legal and medical databases (HeinOnline and PubMed) for the terms: "asylum and female genital mutilation", "health consequences of female genital mutilation", "mental health consequences of female genital mutilation", and "PTSD and female genital mutilation". All articles published since 1994 were screened. In the legal database, only documents fitting the description "articles", rather than "notes" or "commentaries", were screened. I excluded: articles about asylum or FGM but not about both, articles that did not discuss asylum for women who have already undergone FGM, articles that relayed anecdotes about treatment or clinical advice for patients who have undergone FGM, articles about countries other than the USA, and articles analysing women's and health-care providers' attitudes toward FGM. Articles had to be about FGM in particular and not about other forms of violence against women. Findings The database searches yielded 1007 articles. Most articles (n=881) were from the legal database. The final analysis included 35 articles. The medical—especially obstetric—complications associated with FGM can be severe but might be reduced by deinfibulation, which is done in the USA. Women who are forced to return to their native countries might be subject to a repeat FGM procedure. Furthermore, return to the scene of FGM engenders substantial risk of worsening trauma-related psychiatric illness. Interpretation Women who have already undergone FGM should have the right to be granted asylum in the USA on the basis of significant threats to their physical and mental health if returned to their native countries. Funding None.
OSMOTIC TOLERANCE OF THE MUSCLES OF TWO DESERT-INHABITING TOADS, BUFO COGNATUS AND SCAPHIOPUS COUCHI.

Abstract 1. 1. The tolerance of the muscles of two desert toads, Scaphiopus couchi and Bufo cognatus , and Rana pipiens , an aquatic frog, was measured in hypertonic sucrose, urea and NaCl. 2. 2. It was shown that the muscles of B. cognatus and S. couchi can tolerate higher osmotic concentrations of sucrose than R. pipiens , and in addition the isometric tension produced by the muscles of the toads is higher at all sucrose concentrations than the isometric tension produced by the aquatic frog, R. pipiens . 3. 3. It is concluded that the combined phenomena of water loss and increased concentrations of inorganic ions critically limit the efficiency of anuran muscles in contracting. 4. 4. The effect of increased concentrations of an electrolyte, NaCl, on isometric tension was measured in B. cognatus, S. couchi and R. pipiens , and found to be comparable to the effects of sucrose. 5. 5. The muscles of B. cognatus and S. couchi were found to show a much higher tolerance to hypertonic urea solutions than the muscles of R. pipiens . It is suggested that this phenomenon may be adaptive since desert toads remain burrowed for many months out of the year and in this state of estivation they must produce urea from protein metabolism. This urea is probably stored in the body fluids while the toads remain burrowed in the ground. 6. 6. In all three species investigated the muscles tolerated a higher osmolarity of urea than of sucrose or NaCl.
PROSPECTIVE ANALYSIS OF 373 CONSECUTIVE WOMEN WITH STRESS URINARY INCONTINENCE TREATED WITH A VAGINAL WALL SLING: THE COLUMBIA-CORNELL UNIVERSITY EXPERIENCE

Purpose: We compare the efficacy and morbidity of 373 consecutive women who underwent a vaginal wall sling for stress urinary incontinence due either to anatomical incontinence or intrinsic sphincter deficiency. To our knowledge this series is the largest prospective database on surgical management of stress urinary incontinence in the urological literature.Materials and Methods: Preoperative evaluation included history, voiding diary, physical examination, cystoscopy, pad count and video urodynamic study. Outcome measures included postoperative presence of incontinence secondary to either stress and/or detrusor instability, number of pads used, complications, operating time, length of suprapubic catheterization, length of hospitalization and loss of work days.Results: A total of 373 consecutive women 18 to 85 years old (mean age 55.7) were followed for a mean of 39.8 months. Of these patients 183 (49%) presented with anatomical incontinence and the remaining 190 (51%) had intrinsic sphincter deficiency. ...
s-wave photodetachment in a static electric field.

Photodetachment from negative ions in a static electric field has been studied using ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ and ${\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$. These experiments were done with greater precision than previous studies and allow a quantitative comparison of data with theory. A 10-keV ion beam was sent through a region with fields of up to 1.5 kV/cm applied parallel to the beam velocity. A pulsed dye-laser beam, perpendicular to the ion beam, photoneutralized the ions. The relative cross sections were measured by detecting the resulting fast neutral atoms. Detachment below threshold and oscillations on the cross section above threshold were observed near the ${\mathrm{S}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ threshold at 16 269.5 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and near the ${\mathrm{Cl}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}}$ threshold at 29 138.3 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$. The phase of the oscillations in the data is in good agreement with predictions for s-wave photodetachment in a static electric field, but the amplitude of the oscillations is found to be slightly reduced.
Anomalies in Detonation Initiation of Liquid Explosives

ATTENTION has recently been directed to the study of low velocity detonations (LVD) (refs. 1 and 2), which propagate at velocities only slightly supersonic with respect to the unreacted liquid and may be very easily initiated in some liquids. It is the purpose of this communication to show that both the shape and material of the container and the presence of a witness plate affect LVD initiation. Theories proposed for LVD (refs. 1–3) require that the container sound speed be greater than that of the liquid explosive. We have tested this prediction by using lead tubes with 1,2-difluoroaminopropane, a liquid known to sustain normal and low velocity detonations4. Because of the low sound velocity, we expected that weak initiating shocks would not yield LVD in lead though identical shocks would in steel. Unexpectedly, there was definite evidence of LVD propagation. The experiments were repeated and photographed with a high speed framing camera. The lead tubes used were 1.27 cm inner diameter × 0.635 cm wall × 10.4 cm long, and the shock source consisted of an exploding bridge-wire detonator, a small (∼ 1 g) RDX pellet, two pressed tetryl pellets (each 3.87 em diameter × 2.54 cm long; density ∼1.51 g/cc; weight ∼90 g), and a ‘Plexiglas’ attenuator (3.87 cm diameter × 30.5 cm long). The shock strength at the end of the attenuator was about 1 kbar compared with about 60 kbar required to initiate normal detonation.
Dynamic analysis of a system of hinge-connected rigid bodies with nonrigid appendages

Equations of motion are derived for use in simulating a spacecraft or other complex electromechanical system amenable to idealization as a set of hinge-connected rigid bodies of tree topology, with rigid axisymmetric rotors and nonrigid appendages attached to each rigid body in the set. In conjunction with a previously published report on finite-element appendage vibration equations, this report provides a complete minimum-dimension formulation suitable for generic programming for digital computer numerical integration.
Investigating director agents' decision making in interactive narrative: a Wizard-of-Oz study

Interactive narrative planning offers significant potential for creating engaging narrative experiences that are tailored to individual users. Orchestrating all of the events in a storyworld to create optimal user experiences calls for effective narrative decision-making. A key requirement of this endeavor is understanding the role that different knowledge sources play in narrative decision making. To investigate knowledge sources for interactive narrative, a corpus was collected in a Wizard-of-Oz (WOZ) study conducted with a narrative-centered learning environment. With narrative planning and natural language dialogue functionalities provided by wizards, the data from the WOZ study offers insight into the knowledge sources involved in narrative decision making and suggests how these knowledge sources can be effectively utilized by a narrative planner to create engaging interactive narratives.
Origin of High Tritium Content of Atmospheric Methane, Hydrogen and Stratospheric Water

RECENT work (ref. 1 and Suess, H. E., private communication) has shown that atmospheric methane has a fractional tritium content orders of magnitude higher than that of rain water and approaching that of atmospheric hydrogen and stratospheric water. The rate of increase with time of this tritium in methane makes it appear likely that it originates in the testing of nuclear devices. (The finding by Bishop et al.1 that the specific activity of atmospheric methane appears to be lower in the troposphere than in the stratosphere or at the surface is, however, not obviously explained on the basis of origin in thermonuclear explosion, or for that matter by origin from any single source.) However, no satisfactory mechanism by which such tritium can be incorporated in methane has been advanced. The high temperature and oxidizing conditions supposed to exist in the bomb fireball seemed to rule it out as a source of tritiated methane1. Biological processes yielding methane of high specific activity are difficult to conceive; and indeed, sewage methane has little tritium content1. High atmosphere, radiation-induced mechanisms for exchange of methane with high specific activity atmospheric hydrogen can be formulated, but these mechanisms suggest that the methane is likely to be oxidized under the conditions required (Libby, W. F., private communication).
An interface agent for non-visual, accessible web automation

The Web is far less usable and accessible for the users with visual impairments than it is for the sighted people. Web automation has the potential to bridge the divide between the ways visually impaired people and sighted people access the Web, and enable visually impaired users to breeze through Web browsing tasks that beforehand were slow, hard, or even impossible to achieve. Typical automation interfaces require that the user record a macro, a useful sequence of browsing steps, so that these steps can be re-played in the future. In this paper, I present a high-level overview of an approach that enables users to find quickly relevant information on the webpage, and automate browsing without recording macros. This approach is potentially useful both for visually impaired, and sighted users.
Laminar source flow between parallel porous disks with equal suction and injection

An analysis is presented for laminar source flow between parallel stationary porous disks with suction at one of the disks and equal injection at the other. The solution is in the form of an infinite series expansion about the solution at infinite radius, and is valid for all suction and injection rates. Expressions for the velocity, pressure, and shear stress are presented and the effect of the cross flow is discussed.
To kill or not to kill? Lethal outcomes in injurious attacks

This research explores the utility of the notion of lethal intent for understanding the outcomes of injurious attacks. We suggest that assailants sometimes kill rather than merely injure victims to avoid either retaliation or criminal prosecution. We hypothesize that, for these tactical reasons, offenders will be more likely to kill when they have no accomplices, when their victims are male or black, and when the victim can identify them. These hypotheses are tested with a merged data set containing information on homicides and nonlethal victimizations involving robbery, rape, and pure assault. The results of multiple logistic regression analyses are largely consistent with theoretical expectations.
Field measurements of in-ice radiance

A new technique for measuring the light field within sea ice has been developed and deployed in first and multiyear ice. Portions of the radiance distribution are determined by profiling a 3° field-of-view radiance head at a number of zenith and azimuth angles. Results from two sampling periods conducted in 1995 are presented. We find that the radiance distribution is not isotropic. The light field nearly reaches the asymptotic state within the first 0.25 m, but small-scale ice structure prevents the asymptotic state from being fully achieved. We use the nearly asymptotic radiance distribution to estimate the inherent optical properties of the ice and find fair agreement with previously reported results. The spectral attenuation coefficients derived from the radiance measurements are in good agreement with previously determined values. The influence of particulate inclusions on the attenuation spectrum is also demonstrated.