cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Empirical modeling of public safety voice traffic in the land mobile radio band

An RF measurement system with high time resolution is implemented to determine the statistical characteristics of various channels in the Land Mobile Radio bands. The applicability of simple statistical models to the observed data is investigated, as well as their validity over short and long periods of time. The results show that the statistics of the idle and holding times of communication on these channels vary significantly over time and demonstrate daily periodicity, requiring non-stationary models to accurately represent them. Over short durations of time however, conventional distributions such as the exponential and log-normal may adequately characterize the properties of these quantities, allowing convenient and compact representations of the data. Results based on empirical data are presented to quantify the probability of stationarity for voice traffic within a time span of given length. The findings are useful for network planning or streamlining, network simulation and modeling, and investigation of dynamic spectrum access.
Cardiac dysrhythmias in the acute setting: pathophysiology or anyone can understand cardiac dysrhythmias.

Abstract Cardiac dysrhythmias are easy. Unlike the lung (which has formidable neuroendocrine, metabolic, and respiratory responsibilities), the heart is simple. It is an innervated muscular pump. A resting Purkinje or ventricular muscle cell membrane maintains a charge of about 90 millivolts. The five phases of a cardiac action potential are similar to the action potential in skeletal muscle, however, the cardiac action potential lasts a hundred times longer. When sodium specific “fast” channels and calcium specific “slow” channels open, positive ions rush into the myocardial cell, thus causing rapid membrane depolarization. In order to produce an action potential, some stimulus must decrease the membrane potential from − 90 millivolts to “threshold” or − 60 millivolts. Purkinje fibers do not have a stable phase for diastolic potential. These fibers continuously depolarize during diastole. Hypoxemia or hypokalemia may exacerbate this diastolic depolarization, thus promoting “hyperexcitability” or “automatic” ectopy. When myocardium is damaged, characteristically with myocardial ischemia, rapid conduction of cardiac impulses may be slowed dramatically. Very slow impulses may course through muscle such that by the time the activation wave front returns to the initiating site, this origin has had a chance to repolarize. This is the basis for re-entrant dysrhythmias. All cardiac dysrhythmias are automatic, re-entrant or both.
Family poverty affects the rate of human infant brain growth.

Living in poverty places children at very high risk for problems across a variety of domains, including schooling, behavioral regulation, and health. Aspects of cognitive functioning, such as information processing, may underlie these kinds of problems. How might poverty affect the brain functions underlying these cognitive processes? Here, we address this question by observing and analyzing repeated measures of brain development of young children between five months and four years of age from economically diverse backgrounds (n=77). In doing so, we have the opportunity to observe changes in brain growth as children begin to experience the effects of poverty. These children underwent MRI scanning, with subjects completing between 1 and 7 scans longitudinally. Two hundred and three MRI scans were divided into different tissue types using a novel image processing algorithm specifically designed to analyze brain data from young infants. Total gray, white, and cerebral (summation of total gray and white matter) volumes were examined along with volumes of the frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes. Infants from low-income families had lower volumes of gray matter, tissue critical for processing of information and execution of actions. These differences were found for both the frontal and parietal lobes. No differences were detected in white matter, temporal lobe volumes, or occipital lobe volumes. In addition, differences in brain growth were found to vary with socioeconomic status (SES), with children from lower-income households having slower trajectories of growth during infancy and early childhood. Volumetric differences were associated with the emergence of disruptive behavioral problems.
Deliberative Discourse Idealized and Realized: Accountable Talk in the Classroom and in Civic Life

Classroom discussion practices that can lead to reasoned participation by all students are presented and described by the authors. Their research emphasizes the careful orchestration of talk and tasks in academic learning. Parallels are drawn to the philosophical work on deliberative discourse and the fundamental goal of equipping all students to participate in academically productive talk. These practices, termed Accountable TalkSM, emphasize the forms and norms of discourse that support and promote equity and access to rigorous academic learning. They have been shown to result in academic achievement for diverse populations of students. The authors outline Accountable Talk as encompassing three broad dimensions: one, accountability to the learning community, in which participants listen to and build their contributions in response to those of others; two, accountability to accepted standards of reasoning, talk that emphasizes logical connections and the drawing of reasonable conclusions; and, three, accountability to knowledge, talk that is based explicitly on facts, written texts, or other public information. With more than fifteen years research into Accountable Talk applications across a wide range of classrooms and grade levels, the authors detail the challenges and limitations of contexts in which discourse norms are not shared by all members of the classroom community.
Concealed weapons detection system using uncooled pulsed imaging arrays of millimeter-wave bolometers

We describe a system for detection of concealed weapons based on imaging the millimeter-wave reflectance contrast between the weapon and the human body. An architecture based upon pulsed illumination and gated integration has a large advantage in sensitivity over chopped CW illumination and synchronous detection. A simple sensitivity estimate based on an assumed range of 8 m, a 30 Hz frame rate, a primary collection area of 30 cm diameter, and an overall optical efficiency of 50 percent, yields a noise-equivalent reflectance difference of 0.66 percent in a single frame. The uncooled niobium micro bolometers provide a measured noise-equivalent power of 100 pW/Hz1/2 and a time constant of 175 ns, well matched to the source pulse width and the system sensitivity requirements. Optical coupling is provided by resonant slot-ring antennas, distributed in a focal plane array covering a single 75 mm diameter wafer. The optical and electrical systems used for coupling signals into and out of the focal plane array are also described.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Decision support for supercomputer acquisition

This paper reports on a decision support system DSS for computer capacity planning. The system was developed for Sandia National Laboratories SNL to support planning in an environment characterized by large-scale scientific computing needs, governmental budgetary limitations and specific planning documentation required by the funding source. The implementation of the system is based directly on the concepts of relational model management and logic-based model representation and manipulation. The implementation vehicle for this system is an extended version of Prolog, which allows interactions with externally defined computational routines and sources of data. This vehicle provides for the integration of various data sources with a set of models for estimating capacity requirements and optimizing different objective functions subject to budgetary constraints.
A concise synthesis of HIV integrase inhibitors bearing the dipyridone acid motif

An efficient route to dipyridone acid HIV integrase inhibitors is developed. The key steps include a one-pot three-step formation of the core template (containing one point of structural diversity) followed by a regioselective benzylation and in situ deprotection to afford the title compounds.
Text Message Reference at NYU Libraries

The New York University's Libraries text message reference service is two and a half years old. As a pilot project, NYU librarians used a dedicated mobile device to provide the text service before transitioning to LibraryH3lp's Android SMS gateway. The service is described as neither synchronous nor asynchronous. Having analyzed many of the transcripts generated by the service, NYU librarians have learned that patrons frequently send texts from within the library and engage in conversations of varying length and duration.
Total defense: A comparative overview of the security policies of Switzerland and Austria

(1990). Total defense: A comparative overview of the security policies of Switzerland and Austria. Defense Analysis: Vol. 6, Comparative Defense Analysis, pp. 17-33.
Becoming an Academic: Early vs. Later Professional Experiences

Abstract This paper investigates the relevance of both formal training and current career conditions for the professional activity of an academic. We focus on the socialization of a sample of Ph.D. sociologists submitting papers for publication. Using regression procedures, we relate productivity of the training faculty, current publication pressures, sex, and year of degree to publication-related activity. We find that current publication pressures is a better predictor of professional activity than is productivity of the training faculty. In addition, sex appears to mediate professional socialization experiences.
Medical Competence and Performance Assessment: A New Era

Historically, the competence of physicians has been based on peer review of their performance. Formal assessment at the time of licensure and certification has been done by cognitive testing, a relatively easy method that is supported by a science of psychometrics. The assessment of actual performance has been less scientific, but that is changing. The National Board of Medical Examiners (NBME) and the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) are developing tests of clinical skills using standardized patients for live or electronic simulations. Specialty boards are seeking standardized evaluations of residency performance as part of the certification process. Licensure boards propose to develop a final step of their examinations that will test the cognitive processes used by experienced clinicians. As recertification moves toward an evaluation of practice, there is a call for competence evaluations that will also examine practice performance. These may use a battery of techniques such as
Globalization of the HR function: The next step in HR's transformation?

A study confirms HR's progress in moving from a transactional function to a strategic partner. The function now faces pressures to globalize by adopting service delivery models that better rationalize costs, leverage common technology and processes, and focus resources on global HR processes that can create competitive differentiation for the enterprise. The authors discuss five service delivery models along a continuum of commonality of business needs, and present four cases of global companies that found the best fit for their needs. Key determinants include financial considerations, HR service requirements, and cultural readiness. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
The expanding clinical use of C-peptide radioimmunoassay

C-peptide levels are in many ways a better measure of endogenous insulin secretion than peripheral insulin levels. C-peptide may be measured in either blood or urine. Perhaps the major advantage of measuring C-peptide levels is the ability to readily distinguish endogenous insulin levels in the presence of exogenous administration of insulin. Early C-peptide immunoassays were troubled by lack of sensitivity. This problem has now been overcome, and it is possible to measure C-peptide values down to extremely low levels. The clinical indications for C-peptide measurement include diagnosis of insulinoma and differentiation from factitious hypoglycemia, follow-up of pancreatectomy and evaluation of viability of islet cell transplants. Recently these indications have been dramatically expanded to permit evaluation of insulin dependence in maturity onset diabetes mellitus.
Hegel’s political philosophy and the social imaginary of early Russian realism

This article considers aspects of the social imaginary underlying early Russian realist thought and narrative by exploring two canonical novels from the 1840s, Ivan Goncarov’s Obyknovennaja istorija and Aleksandr Gercen’s Kto vinovat?, in light of Vissarion Belinskij’s activist reception of Hegel’s political philosophy. The Russian texts are read symptomatically against their western counterparts as illustrating the intriguing transformations that dominant European models of narrative and sociality undergo as they migrate to Russia.
Psychological aspects of temporomandibular joint dysfunction

Reasonable grounds exist for asserting that there is a significant relationship of psychological factors to nonorganic TMJ dysfunction, that these factors can be treated, and that this treatment results in relief of physical symptoms as well.
Classroom Doors and Panoptic Control

In the eighteenth century, the English utilitarian philosopher Jeremy Bentham (1748–1832) proposed his system of social control or panopticonism, which kept the individual, whether a prisoner, hosp...
Public, private and commercial: variations in organizational purpose and practice of leisure service organizations.

ABSTRACT Organizational purpose and actual practice of selected public, private and commercial organizations comprising the community leisure service system were studied. The sample frame included organizations from local government park and recreation departments, YMCA's, clinical therapeutic institutions, local government special recreation associations and commercial recreation enterprises. A three-dimensional approach to characterizing organizational purpose revealed significant variations between organization types regarding their missions as well as their actual practices. Some organization types were found to exhibit more incongruity than others relative to the three purposes of increased ratio of revenue to expenses, compliance with popular public or market wants, and enhancement of human and/or environmental well-being.
Overwinter survival of mallards fed selenium

Adult male mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) were fed diets supplemented with 0, 10, 20, 40, or 80 μg/g selenium in the form of selenomethionine. Mortality in each of these treatments was 0, 0, 25, 95, and 100%, respectively, during a 16-week exposure that started in November. After one week of treatment, body weights were significantly depressed by the 20, 40, and 80-μg/g selenium treatments, but not by 10 μg/g selenium. Four weeks after being returned to an untreated diet, the body weight of birds fed 20 μg/g selenium had increased to the point of being statistically inseparable from the weight of controls. Signs of selenium poisoning in the dead included severe emaciation, mottling of the liver, empty gizzard, and the presence of a yellowish fluid around some organs. Concentrations of selenium in blood were related to dietary treatments, but mortality was not clearly related to a threshold concentration of selenium in blood.
In vitro agglutinin production by earthworm leukocytes.

Abstract Leukocytes of the earthworm, Lumbricus terrestris , secrete agglutinins in vitro , as shown by measuring agglutinin titers of the culture medium and by observing secretory rosette formation by leukocytes with erythrocytes. Leukocytes form the highest percentages of secretory rosettes with rabbit erythrocytes (RBC) and with other RBC species in the order: rat, guinea pig, mouse, calf, sheep, horse, goat. Leukocytes displayed allotypic specificity by forming rosettes selectively with erythrocytes from different individual rabbits. Eight sugars inhibited rosette formation, along with the polysaccharide mannan and the glycoproteins thyroglobulin and bovine submaxillary mucin. Cyclohexamide did not affect rosette formation, suggesting that agglutinins may be preformed and stored in leukocytes prior to secretion. Leukocytes also formed E-type rosettes with erythrocytes, but apparently utilized different receptors from those of secretory rosettes since they were not inhibited by the same sugars.
Temperature, solvent, proton transfer and complexation effects on the conformational flexibility of the anionic host calix[6]arenesulfonate

Abstract Calix[6]arenesulfonate is a flexible host that adopts the 1,2,3-alternate conformation in DMSO- d 6 solution at room temperature, as evidenced by 1 H NMR spectroscopic data. This conformational preference is lost at higher temperatures or in the presence of acid. In aqueous media this calixarene exhibits a very simple proton NMR spectrum, reflecting the fast exchange between several conformations. Electrochemical data obtained with electroactive guests (ferrocenemethanol [FcOH], ferrocenylmethyldimethylammonium [FcN + Me 3 ], and cobaltocenium [Cob + ]) indicate that the anionic calixarene host forms complexes with all of them. The stability of the corresponding complexes increases with the number of positive charges on the guest, but the uncharged forms of the guests are also bound. The affinity between the calixarene and the ferrocene-containing guests decreases substantially as the solution goes from neutral (pH 7.0) to acidic (pH 2.6). 1 H NMR spectroscopic data in neutral aqueous solution suggests that the calixarene ( 1 8− ) adopts the 1,2,3-alternate conformation as it forms very stable ternary complexes with either two Cob + or two FcN + Me 3 guests, respectively. The complex with FcOH is weaker. Overall, our data demonstrate that the conformational state of this anionic calixarene host is strongly affected by the nature of the solvent, pH, temperature, as well as by the presence of appropriate guests in the solution.
Educational websites--Bioinformatics Tools II.

In this issue, the highlighted websites are a continuation of a series of educational websites; this one in particular from a couple of years ago, Bioinformatics Tools [Pancreatology 2005;5:314–315]. These include sites that are valuable resources for many research needs in genomics and proteomics. Bioinformatics has become a laboratory tool to map sequences to databases, develop models of molecular interactions, evaluate structural compatibilities, describe differences between normal and disease-associated DNA, identify conserved motifs within proteins, and chart extensive signaling networks, all in silico.
Studies of onion root respiration I. Velocity of oxygen consumption in different segments of root at different temperatures as a function of partial pressure of oxygen

Abstract The rate of oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production in different partial pressures of oxygen at 15°, 20°, 30° and 35°C were measured manometrically in segments of onion root tip 5, 10 and 15 min in length. The rates for the regions 5–10 mm and 10–15 mm above the tip were determined by difference. Curves for the three zones of root tip relating oxygen uptake to pressure of oxygen were hyperbolic at all temperatures but the pressure just supporting the maximum rate (critical pressure) increased with temperature. R.Q.'s were essentially unity at pressures equal to or greater than the critical pressure and exceeded unity when the pressures were less than the critical pressure. Rate of carbon dioxide production paralleled that of oxygen consumption but showed a smaller proportionate reduction at low oxygen tensions. Log k vs 1/T curves each root segment at different pressures of oxygen permitted calculations of activation energy. For the two basal zones, μ values of approximately 12000 calories were obtained at all pressures. For the apical 5 mm, a μ value of 4300 calories was found at 5% oxygen and one of about 13000 calories at 100% oxygen. The curves at pressures of 10%, 15% and 21% oxygen for the same segment hadbreaks with the slopes of the two straight-line portions approaching these extremes. From these results, it is concluded that diffusion is the limiting factor in rate of respiration at the lower pressures of oxygen.
New results from Fermilab E866 (NuSea) for

The Fermilab dimuon experiment 866/NuSea measured Drell-Yan yields from an 800 GeV/c proton beam incident on liquid hydrogen and deuterium targets. Over 370,000 Drell-Yan muon pairs were recorded. From these data, the ratio of anti-down (d) to anti-up (u) quark distributions in the proton sea is determined over a wide range in Bjorken-x. A strong x dependence is observed in the ratio du, showing substantial enhancement of d with respect to u for x < 0.2. The results presented here for the full data sets confirm previously published results from E866 and are compared with parametrizations of parton distribution functions calculated both before and after the publication of the high-mass E866 data.
Ovarian follicular lipoapoptosis: structural, cytochemical and metabolic basis of reproductive tract atrophy following expression of the hypogonadal diabetes (db/db) syndrome

The diabetes (db/db) mutation (i.e., leptin membrane receptor defect) promotes a progressive, hypercytolipidemia within ovarian follicular granulosa, thecal and interstitial layers of C57BL/KsJ mice which manifests an infertile, acyclic hypogonadal syndrome. The current studies focus on the structural, cytochemical and gluco-/lipo-metabolic changes which induce cellular lipoapoptosis and the resulting cytostructural disruption of db/db follicular populations, relative to littermate control indices, following the expression of progressive ovarian hypercytolipidemia. Control (normal: +/+ and +/?) and diabetes (db/db) genotype groups were prepared for high resolution light microscopic (HRLM) analysis of cytolipidemia and nuclear apoptosis (TUNEL-labeled 3'-DNA fragmentation) indices and compared to the transmission electron (TEM) microscopic analysis of ovarian follicular samples collected from 8-16-week-old groups. Compared to controls, the db/db mutation induced a dramatic increase in cytolipid vacuole volume and density within all ovarian follicular layers. TEM analysis revealed that the lipid vacuoles initially aggregated along the inner membrane compartments of affected thecal and granulosa cells in response to the interstitial and vaso-lipidemic-hyperglycemic conditions which characterized the ovarian microenvironment of db/db follicles. Progressive cytoplasmic movement of lipid pools into the perinuclear compartment of affected granulosa cells induced nuclear isolation from cytoplasmic organelles that were displaced towards peripheral intracellular compartments. Cytochemical analysis of lipid vacuole accumulations indicated attraction towards, and incorporation within, the nuclear envelope of hyperlipidemic cells. Co-localization of nuclear apoptotic 3'-DNA fragments within identified hyperlipidemic granulosa cells was coincident with the cytochemical and ultrastructural identification of lipid penetration through the nuclear envelope in db/db mutants. These results are the first cytochemical evidence that the lipometabolic disturbances in db/db mutants, which promote hypercytolipidemia-induced premature ovarian involution, are coincident with lipoapoptosis-induced nuclear dissolution within follicular granulosa layers. The lipidemia-induced alterations in cellular and nuclear architecture suggests that the disturbances in glucose and lipid metabolic cascade activities in diabetes (db/db) mutants disrupts follicular cytointegrity, culminating in nuclear disregulation (as indicated by lipoapoptosis) which results in premature reproductive tract organo-involution and manifest reproductive sterility.
Effective treatment of murine cytomegalovirus infections with methylenecyclopropane analogues of nucleosides.

A number of new nucleoside analogues with a Z- or E-methylenecyclopropane structure exhibited significant activity against human and murine cytomegaloviruses (HCMV, MCMV) in tissue culture that was generally comparable to, or greater than, 9-[(1-3-dihydroxy-2-propoxy)methyl]guanine (ganciclovir, GCV). Several of these analogues were chosen for further evaluation of therapeutic efficacy utilizing a MCMV infection. Intraperitoneal (i.p.) inoculation of 3-week-old Balb/c mice with 2.0 x 10(5) plaque forming units (pfu) of MCMV results in an acute, lethal infection with rapid virus replication in visceral and glandular tissue, thus, making it an ideal model for identifying compounds that have potential for use in humans. Synadenol (QYL-284A) and synguanol (QYL-438) were administered i.p. once daily for 5 days initiated 6, 24, or 48 h post-viral infection. Significant protection was demonstrated at 50 and 16.7 mg/kg compared to placebo, with efficacy comparable to GCV. When delivered orally once or twice daily at 100 mg/kg per day, QYL-438 was active, but less effective than GCV. In addition, 2-amino-6-methoxypurine analogue (QYL-941) was active at 60 mg/kg administered orally twice daily, comparable to GCV, while it's prodrug (QYL-972) was as effective as GCV at 40 mg/kg when delivered twice daily for 5 days. Additionally, analogue 2-amino-6-cyclopropylaminopurine (QYL-769) was found to be highly efficacious when given orally twice daily for 5 days. Mortality of 0% and 13% was observed at 60 and 20 mg/kg, respectively, which was similar to GCV. Oral treatment with QYL-769 or GCV reduced virus replication in target organs, but neither resulted in complete clearance of MCMV. These data indicate that these new analogues have activity comparable to GCV when given orally to mice and should be evaluated further to assess their potential for use in humans.
Early Stopping Criteria for Energy-Efficient Low-Latency Belief-Propagation Polar Code Decoders

Capacity-achieving polar codes have gained significant attention in recent years. In general, polar codes can be decoded by either successive cancellation (SC) or the belief propagation (BP) algorithm. However, unlike SC decoders, performance optimizations for BP decoders have not been fully explored yet. In this paper, we explore novel early stopping criteria for polar BP decoding to significantly reduce energy dissipation and decoding latency. First, we propose two detection-type novel early stopping criteria for detecting valid outputs. For polar (1024, 512) codes, these two stopping criteria can reduce the number of iterations by up to 42.5% at 3.5 dB. Then, we propose a novel channel condition estimation approach, which can help select different stopping criteria in different SNR regions. Furthermore, the hardware architectures of polar BP decoders with the proposed stopping criteria are presented and developed. Synthesis results show that with the use of the proposed stopping criteria, the energy dissipation, and average latency of polar (1024, 512) BP decoder can be reduced by ${\hbox{10}}\% \!\sim\! {\hbox{30}}\%$ with ${\hbox{2}}\% \!\sim\! {\hbox{5}}\%$ hardware overhead, and average throughput can be increased by ${\hbox{20}}\% \!\sim\! {\hbox{55}}\%$ .
Src Kinase-mediated Phosphorylation Stabilizes Inducible Nitric-oxide Synthase in Normal Cells and Cancer Cells

Src kinases are key regulators of cellular proliferation, survival, motility, and invasiveness. They play important roles in the regulation of inflammation and cancer. Overexpression or hyperactivity of c-Src has been implicated in the development of various types of cancer, including lung cancer. Src inhibition is currently being investigated as a potential therapy for non-small cell lung cancer in Phase I and II clinical trials. The mechanisms of Src implication in cancer and inflammation are linked to the ability of activated Src to phosphorylate multiple downstream targets that mediate its cellular effector functions. In this study, we reveal that inducible nitric-oxide synthase (iNOS), an enzyme also implicated in cancer and inflammation, is a downstream mediator of activated Src. We elucidate the molecular mechanisms of the association between Src and iNOS in models of inflammation induced by lipopolysaccharide and/or cytokines and in cancer cells and tissues. We identify human iNOS residue Tyr1055 as a target for Src-mediated phosphorylation. These results are shown in normal cells and cancer cells as well as in vivo in mice. Importantly, such posttranslational modification serves to stabilize iNOS half-life. The data also demonstrate interactions and co-localization of iNOS and activated Src under inflammatory conditions and in cancer cells. This study demonstrates that phosphorylation of iNOS by Src plays an important role in the regulation of iNOS and nitric oxide production and hence could account for some Src-related roles in inflammation and cancer.
Characterization of phosphate accumulation in Lolium multiflorum for remediation of phosphorus-enriched soils.

Deterioration in water quality caused by the movement of excessive soil P has created a condition necessary for the development of a sustainable P remediation technology. In this investigation, the phytoremediation potential of Gulf and Marshall ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) grown in a greenhouse was determined under varying conditions of soil P concentration, pH, and temperature. Both genotypes demonstrated P accumulations ≥1% shoot dry weight depending on soil P concentrations (0−10 g of P/kg of soil), with higher shoot P in Gulf than Marshall ryegrass. An increase in plant biomass was proportional to the increasing concentrations of P up to a level of 10 g of P/kg of soil. The effect of soil pH on plant uptake of P was noticeable with a significant rise in shoot P in acidic soil (pH 5.6) as compared to soil with pH 7.8. Significant differences were observed in the biomass productivity and shoot P accumulation at varying temperatures in both grass types. The patterns of acid phosphomonoesterase and phyt...
Physik der Photosynthese: Wie Bakterien die Quantenphysik ausnutzen, um effizient Photosynthese zu betreiben

In biologischen Zellen arbeiten komplizierte, auf Nanoskalen konstruierte Apparate, die in der Kombination von Effizienz, Anpassungsfahigkeit und Zuverlassigkeit bislang unubertroffen sind. Durch Fortschritte in der Strukturauflosung kann die moderne Biophysik erklaren, wie biologische Zellfunktionen und die zugrundeliegenden physikalischen Prozesse auf atomarer Skala ablaufen. Ein Paradebeispiel dafur ist der Apparat, mit dem Purpurbakterien das Sonnenlicht „ernten”: Seine klare molekulare Architektur und die enge Verbindung von quantenmechanischen Prozessen mit einer biologischen Funktion demonstrieren besonders anschaulich, dass Lebewesen ihre Eigenschaften letztendlich den Gesetzen der Physik verdanken, und dass dieser Umstand mit dem gleichen Anspruch an Genauigkeit und Logik aufgeklart werden kann, den Physiker bislang an die Erklarung inorganischer Prozesse gelegt haben.
Site-Selective Spectroscopy of Garnet Crystals Doped with Chromium and Praseodymium Ions

In this paper we present various techniques that can be used for site-selective spectroscopic studies and we follow with a study of some garnet crystals doped with chromium and praseodymium ions.
Biocompatibility and in vivo morphine diffusion into a placebo morphine-triggered naltrexone delivery device in rabbits

Abstract Two key factors in developing a clinically useful triggered naltrexone delivery system are device biocompatibility and ability of morphine to diffuse from the blood into the device in concentrations useful to trigger delivery. Two types of devices were implanted subcutaneously into rabbits and their biocompatibility investigated. One device consisted of the outer semipermeable regenerated cellulose acetate tubing, closed at both ends with double knots and filled with poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) as osmotic filler. The other device was a placebo device that contained within the regenerated cellulose acetate tubing, also closed at both ends with double knots, all device components except naltrexone. Both devices were biocompatible. When the regenerated cellulose acetate device filled with osmotic filler was implanted in rabbits which were subsequently dosed at day 7 and day 14 post-implant with 150 mg kg−1 morphine sulphate, the concentration of morphine in the device was only about 10-fold less than that measured in rabbit blood. Thus, enough morphine diffuses into the device to make triggering in a real-life situation feasible.
Rim, a component of the presynaptic active zone and modulator of exocytosis, binds 14-3-3 through its N terminus

Rim1, a brain-specific Rab3a-binding protein, localizes to the presynaptic cytomatrix and plays an important role in synaptic transmission and synaptic plasticity. Rim2, a homologous protein, is more ubiquitously expressed and is found in neuroendocrine cells as well as in brain. Both Rim1 and Rim2 contain multiple domains, including an N-terminal zinc finger, which in Rim1 strongly enhances secretion in chromaffin and PC12 cells. The yeast two-hybrid technique identified 14-3-3 proteins as ligands of the N-terminal domain. In vitro protein binding experiments confirmed a high-affinity interaction between the N terminus of Rim1 and 14-3-3. The N-terminal domain of Rim2 also bound 14-3-3. The binding domains were localized to a short segment just C-terminal to the zinc finger. 14-3-3 proteins bind to specific phosphoserine residues. Alkaline phosphatase treatment of N-terminal domains of Rim1 and Rim2 almost completely inhibited the binding of 14-3-3. Two serine residues in Rim1 (Ser-241 and Ser-287) and one serine residue in Rim2 (Ser-335) were required for 14-3-3 binding. Incubation with Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II greatly stimulated the interaction of recombinant N-terminal Rim but not the S241/287A mutant with 14-3-3, again indicating the importance of the phosphorylation of these residues for the binding. Rabphilin3, another Rab3a effector, also bound 14-3-3. Serine-to-alanine mutations identified Ser-274 as the likely phosphorylated residue to which 14-3-3 binds. Because the phosphorylation of this residue had been shown to be stimulated upon depolarization in brain slices, the interaction of 14-3-3 with Rabphilin3 may be important in the dynamic function of central nervous system neurons.
Quantitative imaging of magnetization transfer using an inversion recovery sequence.

A new imaging method has been developed for quantitatively measuring magnetization transfer (MT). It uses a simple inversion recovery sequence, although one with very short (milliseconds) inversion times, and thus can be implemented on clinical imaging systems with little modification to existing pulse sequences. The sequence requires an inversion pulse with a length much longer than T2m (typically 10 μs) and much shorter than T2f (typically tens of ms) and 1/kmf (typically tens of ms), where T2m and T2f are the transverse relaxation times of the immobile macromolecular and free water protons, respectively, and kmf is the rate of MT between these populations. The resultant NMR signal is sensitive to MT when this inversion pulse affects the mobile and immobile proton pools to different degrees and by appropriate analysis of the signals obtained for different inversion times, quantitative information can be derived on the macromolecular content and exchange rates within the sample. The method has been used in conjunction with echo planar imaging to produce maps of the spatial distribution of the macromolecular content and MT rate in cross-linked bovine serum albumin. Comparisons between this method and other quantitative MT techniques are discussed. Magn Reson Med 49:501–505, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Pharmacology, clinical efficacy and safety of recombinant human DNase in cystic fibrosis

Recombinant human DNase (rhDNase) is a mucolytic agent that is primarily used to improve mucociliary clearance in cystic fibrosis (CF). rhDNase is a recombinant human enzyme that is synthesized in a Chinese hamster ovary cell line. rhDNase enzymatically cleaves extracellular DNA into molecules of shorter length. CF sputum shows high concentrations of DNA released by disintegrating inflammatory cells. Free DNA contributes to the abnormally high viscosity of CF sputum and therefore forms an important target in the treatment of CF lung disease. Clinical studies have shown that daily nebulization of rhDNase is associated with an increase in lung function and a decrease in the frequency of exacerbations in patients with CF.
Do sulfonylurea drugs increase the risk of cardiac events

Sulfonylureas have been a mainstay for maintaining glucose control in type 2 diabetes. There is ample evidence that maintaining euglycemia decreases the risk of vascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes; however, there is also evidence that sulfonylurea drugs may actually cause
Explaining Public Support for the Use of Military Force: The Impact of Reference Point Framing and Prospective Decision Making

This article examines the determinants of public support for the use of military force. It puts forward a Framing Theory of Policy Objectives (FTPO), which contends that public support for military engagements depends on the public's perception of the policy's objective. However, it is difficult for the public to judge a policy's objective because they cannot directly observe a policy's true intention and influential political actors offer competing frames to define it. This framing contestation, carried out through the media, sets the public's decision-making reference point and determines whether the policy is perceived as seeking to avoid losses or to achieve gains. The FTPO predicts that support will increase when the public perceives policies as seeking to prevent losses and decrease when the public judges policies to be seeking gains. I operationalize and test the theory using content analysis of national news coverage and opinion polls of U.S. intervention in Central America during the 1980s. These framing effects are found to hold regardless of positive or negative valence of media coverage.
Critical issues in mapping neural networks on message-passing multicomputers

Connectionist models such as artificial neural systems, offer an intrinsically concurrent computational paradigm. We investigate the architectural requirements for efficiently simulating large neural networks on a multicomputer system with thousands of fine-grained processors and distributed memory. First, models for characterizing the structure of a neural network and the function of individual cells are developed. These models provide guidelines for efficiently mapping the network onto multicomputer topologies such as the hypercube, hypernet and torus. They are further used to estimate the amount of interprocessor communication bandwidth required, and the number of processors needed to meet a particular cost/performance goal. Design issues such as memory organization and the effect of VLSI technology are also considered.
Thermal characterization of plastic and ceramic surface-mount components

The thermal performance of devices packaged with the 68-, 84-, 100-, and 124-lead members of the plastic and ceramic flatpack family of surface-mounted components (PFP and CPF, respectively) is characterized. Experimental data were collected in both natural and force convection conditions for individual components surface-mounted to small sections of epoxy circuit card. Average air velocity and chip power dissipation were the primary independent test variables, ranging from 0 to 3 m/s and 0.2 to 2.0 W, respectively, for which internal and external thermal resistance data are presented. Experimental thermal resistance data exhibited the usual dependence on both Reynolds and Grashof numbers. Molding compound and leadframe materials were found by the model to have a significant effect on PFP thermal performance. Ceramic and die-attach materials were found to have significant and negligible effects, respectively, on thermal performance of the CFP package. >
Inversion of a normally incident reflection seismogram by the Gopinath—Sondhi integral equation

Summary. The one-dimensional acoustic wave equation has been transformed to two coupled first-order equations whose inverse solution is obtained through application of the Gopinath and Sondhi integral equation. A scatter- ing solution of the Schrodinger wave equation for an explosive source leads us to express the kernel of the Gopinath-Sondhi integral equation in terms of a seismic reflection response. A numerical solution of the integral equation obtained by a trapezoidal rule yields a continuous impedance profile whose derivative has step-like discontinuities. The method is illustrated with computer model studies.
Connections for game education and research in the iSchools

There is a growing level of interest in games in the iSchools. Some schools are teaching courses focused on the creation of games, while others schools have researchers exploring game topics. In order to engage with game programs and researchers from outside the iSchools, it is important to understand the different areas of game education and research, and how concepts from information science can be used to advance game research.
Scientific argument and explanation: A necessary distinction?

In this paper, we argue that there is an emergent confusion in the literature in the use of the terms “argument'' and “explanation.” Drawing on a range of publications, we point to instances where these terms are either used inappropriately or conflated. We argue that the distinction between these two constructs is, however, important as a lack of clarity of fundamental concepts is problematic for a field. First, a lack of common conception hinders effective communication and, second, it makes defining the nature of the activity we might expect students to engage in more difficult. Drawing on a body of scholarship on argument and explanation, this paper is an attempt to clarify the distinction and to explain why such a distinction might matter. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed95:627–638, 2011
Size Matters: Commercial Banks and the Capital Markets

The conventional story is that the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act broke down the Glass-Steagall Act’s wall separating commercial and investment banking in 1999, increasing risky business activities by commercial banks and precipitating the 2007 financial crisis. But the conventional story is only one-half complete. What it omits is the effect of change in commercial bank regulation on financial firms other than the commercial banks. After all, it was the failure of Lehman Brothers — an investment bank, not a commercial bank — that sparked the meltdown. This Article provides the rest of the story. The basic premise is straightforward: By 1999, the Glass-Steagall Act’s original purpose — to protect commercial banks from the capital markets — had reversed. Instead, its main function had become protecting the capital markets from new competition by commercial banks. Once the wall came down, commercial banks gained a sizeable share of the investment banking business. To offset lost revenues, investment banks pursued riskier businesses, growing their principal investments and increasing the amounts they borrowed to finance them. In effect, they assumed the features of commercial banks — a reliance on short-term borrowing to finance longer-term (and riskier) investments. For the investment banks, combining the two was lethal and eventually triggered the financial meltdown. The divide between two sets of regulators, those regulating commercial banks and those regulating investment banks, enabled the change. The need for greater regulatory coordination has grown with convergence in the financial markets. Although new regulation has addressed some of the concern, the gap between regulators continues today — raising the risk of repeating mistakes from the past. Acknowledging the role of bank regulation (and de-regulation) in reshaping the capital markets is a key step in the right direction.
Nuclear factor-κB inhibitor peptide inhibits spontaneous and interleukin-1β-induced sleep

Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that when activated promotes production of several sleep-promoting substances such as interleukin-1β (IL-1β), tumor necrosis factor-α, and nerve ...
Radiation Oncology Practice: Adjusting to a New Reimbursement Model

Purpose:Use of hypofractionation is increasing in radiation oncology because of several factors. The effects of increasing hypofractionation use on departments and staff currently based on fee-for-service models are not well studied.Methods:We modeled the effects of moving to hypofractionation for prostate, breast, and lung cancer and palliative treatments in a typical-sized hospital-based radiation oncology department. Year 2015 relative value unit (RVU) data were used to determine changes in reimbursement. The change in number of fractions was used to model the effects on machine volume, staff time, and workforce predictions.Results:The per-case marginal reduction in technical revenue was $1,777, $4,297, $9,041, and $9,498 for palliative and breast, prostate, and lung cancer cases, respectively. The physician reduction per case in RVUs was 5.22, 10.44, 43.02, and 43.02 respectively. A department could anticipate an annual reduction in technical revenue of $540,661 and a reduction in workflow of approxim...
Continuous Re-Exposure to Environmental Sound Cues During Sleep Does Not Improve Memory for Semantically Unrelated Word Pairs

Two recent studies illustrated that cues present during encoding can enhance recall if re-presented during sleep. This suggests an academic strategy. Such effects have only been demonstrated with spatial learning and cue presentation was isolated to slow wave sleep (SWS). The goal of this study was to examine whether sounds enhance sleep-dependent consolidation of a semantic task if the sounds are re-presented continuously during sleep. Participants encoded a list of word pairs in the evening and recall was probed following an interval with overnight sleep. Participants encoded the pairs with the sound of "the ocean" from a sound machine. The first group slept with this sound; the second group slept with a different sound ("rain"); and the third group slept with no sound. Sleeping with sound had no impact on subsequent recall. Although a null result, this work provides an important test of the implications of context effects on sleep-dependent memory consolidation.
Economically optimal dietary crude protein and lysine levels for starting broiler chicks

Abstract An experiment was conducted to quantify the growth response of broiler chicks to cumulative dietary lysine and CP intakes. From d 7 to 17, chicks were fed one combination of dietary lysine and CP (17, 20, 23, and 26% CP and 3.5, 4.0, 4.5, and 5.0 g lysine per 100 g of CP) in a diet containing 3,200 kcal/kg ME. There were significant linear and quadratic effects of dietary CP intake and quadratic effects of dietary lysine intake on body weight gain (BWG), confirming that a diminishing response (marginal BWG decreased as intake of dietary lysine increased) existed (R2 = 0.92 and 0.95, respectively). A significant interaction between dietary CP and lysine for BWG complicates economic modeling because responses must be considered together. A quadratic growth response equation describing BWG as a function of dietary lysine and CP intake was used to develop and demonstrate a quadratic programming model. In general, increasing the price of soybean meal (SBM) decreased the dietary CP concentrations that gave maximum BWG and the concentration of dietary lysine decreased proportionally. In SBM-based diets, the concentration of dietary lysine that maximized BWG was less than or equal to the concentration reached by the proportions of corn and SBM needed to meet dietary CP constraints. Savings from using maximum-profit vs. least-cost formulation models could approach 637,000 dollars per year for a single model poultry complex under some economic situations for the starter diet alone.