cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kinetics of Two Slow Conformational Transitions of the Quadruplex Structure of the Thrombin Binding Aptamer and their Potassium Dependence

The thrombin binding aptamer, TBA, forms an anti-parallel chair type quadruplex structure that has been found to have at least two slow conformational transitions. One of these involves the loop residues T4 and T13 that hydrogen bond to each other and stack with the G2-G5-G11-G14 quartet. This conformational transition appears to be between the stacked and unstacked states of T4 and T13. There are both enthalpic and entropic contributions to this transition barrier. The rate of this transition decreases with increasing potassium concentration in agreement with the model that has potassium stabilizing the stacking of T4 and T13. The other slow transition involves at least the G1 and G14 residues that are in quartets. The barrier to this transition is almost entirely entropic and the rate is not particularly sensitive to the concentration of potassium in the range of 10 to 40 mM. These two transitions have rates in the hundreds of millisecond range and can be monitored by standard NMR methods. These transitions offer insights into the properties of TBA as well as providing a model system for investigation of quadruplex structural transitions under a range of experimental conditions as well as validating models of the transitions.
Determining sugar composition of food gum polysaccharides by HPTLC

Most commercially important food gums, including gum arabic, guar gum, and carrageenan are polysaccharides which consist of multiple sugars, including uronic acids. For the first time, the sugars in these and other gums were determined by comparison ofR F values with standards by HPTLC on Si 50000 plates after acid hydrolysis of the polysaccharides. The solvent system consisted of npropanol∶water∶triethylamine∶30% NH3 (80∶20∶0.2∶4). Analysis was rapid, as the separations were accomplished using a single plate development and the sugars were located by simple charring. Sugar separations on Si 50000 with this solvent system are more efficient than others and provide the additional advantage over bonded-phase silicas in that sugars can be detected using aggressive methods.
Diagnosing the search cost effect: Waiting time and the moderating impact of prior category knowledge

Abstract Studies have concluded that cost of search and prior knowledge are two major influences on search. What is not known is whether the effect of search cost is the same for consumers of differing knowledge levels, particularly when consumers must wait to retrieve information. This paper studies the impact on search of different types of search cost: cognitive search cost, operationalized using prior category knowledge; and external search cost, operationalized using waiting times to obtain information. We focus on the prior knowledge × waiting time interaction effect on search in a computer search environment. We find that knowledge facilitates search, but only in low waiting time conditions. High knowledge consumers augment their search with more complex and cognitively demanding sources and patterns of information acquisition. But the search of low knowledge consumers remains largely unaffected. Implications of the study's findings are discussed. PsycINFO classification : 3900; 3920; 3940; 2320;
Changing patterns of hospitalization in eating disorder patients

Objective This study investigated the changing patterns of hospitalization of eating disorder patients over the past 15 years. Method The records of 1,185 eating disorder patients between 1984 and 1998 were examined on several variables. Results Over the 15 years, the number of first admissions increased from 20 to 182. There was a concomitant decrease in length of stay from 149.5 days in 1984 to 23.7 days in 1998. Readmissions increased markedly from 0% during the first year to 27% of total admissions in 1998. The discharge weight of anorectic patients significantly decreased from a body mass index (BMI) of 19.3 in 1984 to 17.7 in 1998. These changes were particularly salient in the past 3 years, concurrent with a dramatic rise in managed care cases. Conclusions Over the past 15 years, eating disorder hospital treatment has metamorphozed from long-term treatment of a disorder to stabilization of acute episodes. For some patients, this change has been deleterious and not cost effective. © 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 30: 69–74, 2001.
Synthesis of 5′ -0-Succinyl-2′, 3′-Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate

Abstract 5′-0-Succinyl-2′, 3′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate was synthesized in preparation for 2′,3′-cyclic nucleotide antibody production. Succinylation was performed with [14C]labeled and unlabeled succinic anhydride and morpholinodicyclohexylcarbodiimide. The products, resolved on QAE Sephadex, were purified and characterized by comparison with authentic 3′,5′-cyclic AMP succinyl derivatives. Yield: 73% monosuccinyl-(5′ -0)-2′,3′ -cyclic AMP; 10% disuccinyl-(N, 5′-0)-2′,3′-cyclic AMP. The phosphodiester ring in the monosuccinyl derivative was shown to be intact by its susceptibility to alkaline phosphatase only after exposure to 2′,3′- cyclic nucleotide 3′-phosphodiesterase.
Thermoresponsive nanostructures by self-assembly of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-lipid conjugate.

The synthesis and purification of a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)−lipid conjugate and its use in the preparation of a thermoresponsive lipid mesophase is described. Specifically, poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) with a single carboxyl group at one end was activated with dicyclohexylcarbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide to form an active ester. This N-hydroxysuccinimide ester was then used to form a dimyristoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine conjugate with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) via an amide bond, rendering the conjugate amphiphilic. Quaternary phases comprising the conjugate, a phosopholipid, dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine, and a cosurfactant, N,N-dimethyldodecylamine-N-oxide, dispersed in water were found to self-assemble at room temperature to form liquid crystalline gels, adopting an expanded lamellar structure. A modest increase in temperature triggered the reversible conversion of the aggregate to a collapsed lamellar structure, while a modest reduction in temperature resulted in its conversion to a nonl...
Retinal adaptation to non-uniform fields: average luminance or symbol luminance?

Abstract Various lighting and video display terminal design recommendations have been based on the assumption that the eye adapts to the average luminance of the field being viewed. Other evidence suggests that for irregular patterns the eye adapts to a level biased toward the peak luminance in the field being viewed. Subjects in this study adapted to uniform fields of varying average luminance and to two test patterns, one of which (dots) had a peak luminance equal to the brightest uniform field and an average luminance equal to the least bright uniform field. Time, to respond to a test pattern following adaptation to dots was intermediate between the two extreme uniform fields, but closer to that of the brighter field which had an average luminance equal to the test pattern's peak luminance. For that reason, proposed lighting differences based on image polarity or recommendations of positive image polarity do not appear to be warranted.
EXCESS OF MALIGNANT MELANOMAS IN WOMEN IN THE BRITISH ISLES

The incidence and mortality of malignant melanoma in women of reproductive and menopausal age in the British Isles are higher than the corresponding rates for men. This is not found at older ages in these populations, or in other countries. Rates for malignant melanoma are generally low in the British Isles, although the high rates in Australia and New Zealand, largely populated from the British Isles, indicate that the populations are susceptible to the disease. It is suggested that the low rates for environmentally produced tumours enable a hormone-dependent variant of melanoma to reveal itself in British populations.
On the “Hot Spots” Conjecture of J. Rauch

Rodrigo Banuelos' research partially supported by NSF grant DMS-9400854. Krzysztof Burdzy's research partially supported by NSF grant DMS-9322689.
Automatic data layout for distributed-memory machines

The goal of languages like Fortran D or High Performance Fortran (HPF) is to provide a simple yet efficient machine-independent parallel programming model. After the algorithm selection, the data layout choice is the key intellectual challenge in writing an efficient program in such languages. The performance of a data layout depends on the target compilation system, the target machine, the problem size, and the number of available processors. This makes the choice of a good layout extremely difficult for most users of such languages. If languages such as HPF are to find general acceptance, the need for data layout selection support has to be addressed. We beleive that the appropriate way to provide the needed support is through a tool that generates data layout specifications automatically. This article discusses the design and implementation of a data layout selection tool that generates HPF-style data layout specifications automatically. Because layout is done in a tool that is not embedded in the target compiler and hence will be run only a few times during the tuning phase of an application, it can use techniques such as integer programming that may be considered too computationally expensive for inclusion in production compilers. The proposed framework for automatic data layout selection builds and examines search spaces of candidate data layouts. A candidate layout is an efficient layout for some part of the program. After the generation of search spaces, a single candidate layout is selected for each program part, resulting in a data layout for the entire program. A good overall data layout may require the remapping of arrays between program parts. A performance estimator based on a compiler model, an execution model, and a machine model are needed to predict the execution time of each candidate layout and the costs of possible remappings between candidate data layouts. In the proposed framework, instances of NP-complete problems are solved during the construction of candidate layout search spaces and the final selection of candidate layouts from each search space. Rather than resorting to heuristics, the framework capitalizes on state-of-the-art 0-1 integer programming technology to compute optimal solutions of these NP-complete problems. A prototype data layout assistant tool based on our framework has been implemented as part of the D system currently under development at Rice University. The article reports preliminary experimental results. The results indicate that the framework is efficient and allows the generation of data layouts of high quality.
Molding optical wavefronts: flat optics based on metasurfaces (Presentation Video)

Metasurfaces based on sub-wavelength patterning have major potential for realizing arbitrary control of the wavefront of the diffracted light by achieving local control of the phase amplitude and polarization. We discuss novel devices based on this technique; a salient feature is the ability to create often with a single digital mask an arbitrary analog phase profile. A variety of flat optical components, including lenses, polarizers, vortex plates, coatings, holograms and couplers with polarization invariant coupling efficiency will be presented.
The far reaches of the solar wind - Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 plasma results

Selected plasma parameters observed by Pioneer 10 and Pioneer 11 between launch (1972 and 1973) and the end of 1979 are used to find the large-scale radial structure of the solar wind. Comparison of data from the two spacecraft is used to separate temporal from spatial variations. The average bulk speed is found to remain constant at about 430 km/s, with stream structure still evident, though of diminished amplitude, at 20.5 AU (Pioneer 10's distance by the end of 1979). Proton density, flux, pressure, and kinetic energy flux are found to have radial profiles consistent with 1/R-squared. Proton temperatures decrease as R to the -0.6 power, too slowly for an adiabatic expansion.
Wiretap codes: Families of lattices satisfying the Belfiore-Solé secrecy function conjecture

The Belfiore-Sole conjecture states that for a unimodular lattice Λ in Rn, the quotient of the theta series of Zn by the theta series of Λ, when restricted to the purely imaginary values z = ty, y > 0, attains its maximum at y = 1. This conjecture is vitally connected to the confusion at the eavesdropper's end in wiretap codes for Gaussian channels. In this paper we show that infinitely many lattices satisfy the Belfiore-Sole conjecture on the secrecy function of unimodular lattices. We further show that all lattices obtained by Construction A from binary, doubly even, self-dual codes of lengths up to 40 satisfy the conjecture.
Home-Based Early Intervention with Families of Children with Disabilities Who is Doing What?.

Home visits are one mechanism for providing comprehensive services to young children with disabilities and their families, as required by Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 1990. This study reports observational data describing the content addressed and the processes employed by early childhood special educators during home visits with children with disabilities, birth to 3 years of age, and their families. The extent to which home visits were individualized was examined in terms of available family resources and level of child's caretaking demands. Findings revealed that a model of child-focused intervention was most frequently implemented. Some evidence was found to indicate that the content of home visits was more likely to focus on the child when family resources were adequate, and that the role of the interventionist was more likely to be that of an observer when children had greater care-taking demands.
Photoelectron spectra of CeO− and Ce(OH)2−

The photoelectron spectrum of CeO− exhibits what appears to be a single predominant electronic transition over an energy range in which numerous close-lying electronic states of CeO neutral are well known. The photoelectron spectrum of Ce(OH)2−, a molecule in which the Ce atom shares the same formal oxidation state as the Ce atom in CeO−, also exhibits what appears to be a single transition. From the spectra, the adiabatic electron affinities of CeO and Ce(OH)2 are determined to be 0.936 ± 0.007 eV and 0.69 ± 0.03 eV, respectively. From the electron affinity of CeO, the CeO− bond dissociation energy was determined to be 7.7 eV, 0.5 eV lower than the neutral bond dissociation energy. The ground state orbital occupancies of both CeO− and Ce(OH)2− are calculated to have 4f 6s2 Ce+ superconfigurations, with open-shell states having 4f5d6s superconfiguration predicted to be over 1 eV higher in energy. Low-intensity transitions observed at higher electron binding energies in the spectrum of CeO− are tentatively...
ACCEPTANCE OF CARRIER TESTING AND FETAL DIAGNOSIS OF CYSTIC FIEROSIS (CF) IN AMISHMENNONITE AND HUTTERITE CF KINDERDS

This study examined the attitudes, feelings, and knowledge of 37 parents, 29 adult siblings, 126 aunts and uncles, and 30 cousins of 50 CF-affected individuals in 2 large inbred kindreds (Amish-Mennonite and Hutterite) prior to the availability of carrier testing and fetal diagnosis by DNA marker linkage analyses. Data was ascertained by selfadministered questionnaires. Some responses could be compared to 2 non-inbred CF populations studied by Kaback et al. (California) and Steele et al. (Pittsburgh). Knowledge of the recurrence risk of CF changed planned family size (51% - present study vs 48% - Kaback et al.). Families continued to reproduce when other than the first child had CF (50% - present study vs. 15% - Steele et al.). The majority incorrectly identified the recurrence risk for CF to carrier parents (57%) and felt that carrier screening (61%) and fetal diagnosis (56%) should be done. The majority also felt that CF might be a possible reason for pregnancy termination (54%). Despite our preconceived notions that these populations would not consider fetal diagnosis and carrier testing, our survey suggests that these optional procedures, which are now available may influence reproductive decisions in these families.
Electron donor-acceptor couples

Abstract Two-state small-polaron models commonly used to describe an electron donor—acceptor pair are reviewed. From such models, one obtains a one-dimensional model potential. In the homonuclear case, the reaction coordinate for the potential is an antisymmetric vibrational mode. Four situations are discussed in which the two-state small-polaron models break down. Frequency shifts in a nuclear mode upon addition of an electron correspond to vibronic coupling terms in the Hamiltonian which are quadratic in the nuclear coordinate. These quadratic coupling terms lead to the coupling of a totally symmetric mode. Similarly, when an additional electron state is coupled to the donor and acceptor orbitals, at least one additional (totally symmetric) mode becomes coupled to the electronic motion. If the Condon approximation is not invoked, the donor—acceptor distance coordinate becomes coupled to the electronic transition also. The same type of behaviour in the potential occurs when the electron donor—acceptor co...
SIMULATING NANOSCALE PROCESSES IN SOLIDS USING DFT AND THE QUASICONTINUUM METHOD

A framework is proposed for the investigation of chemical and mechanical properties of nanostructures. The methodology is based on a two-step approach to compute the electronic density distribution in and around a nanostructure, and then the equilibrium configuration of its nuclei. The Electronic Problem embeds interpolation and coupled cross-domain optimization techniques through a process called electronic reconstruction. In the second stage of the solution, the Ionic Problem repositions the nuclei of the nanostructure given the electronic density in the domain. The new ionic configuration is the solution of a nonlinear system based on a first-order optimality condition when minimizing the total energy associated with the nanostructure. The overall goal is a substantial increase in the dimension of the nanostructures that can be simulated by using approaches that include accurate DFT computation. This increase stems from the fact that during the solution of the Electronic Problem expensive DFT calculations are limited to a small number of subdomains. For the Ionic Problem, computational gains result from approximating the position of the nuclei in terms of a reduced number of representative nuclei following the quasicontinuum paradigm.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
On the extra-column band-broadening contributions of modern, very high pressure liquid chromatographs using 2.1 mm I.D. columns packed with sub-2 μm particles.

Abstract The efficiencies of two narrow bore columns (100 mm and 50 mm × 2.1 mm) packed with 1.7 μm totally porous BEH-C 18 particles were measured on two very high pressure liquid chromatographs (Acquity from Waters and 1290 Infinity HPLC System from Agilent) operating at maximum pressures of 1034 and 1200 bar, respectively. The probe compounds were a mixture of uracil, acetophenone, toluene, and naphthalene eluted in a 50/50 (v/v) solution of acetonitrile and water at 303 K with a flow rate of 0.40 mL/min. The apparent efficiencies of columns, which lumps the consequences of band broadening due to the column and the system contributions, may depend much on the extra-column volumes of the instruments used. Actually, it is known for a long time that the apparent column performance is strongly affected by the instrument characteristics, including the diameter of the connecting tubes, the injection technique (with or without needle seat capillary), and the detection cell volume. When the 1290 Infinity HPLC System is equipped with a needle seat, an inlet and an outlet connecting capillary tube with inner diameters around 115 μm, its extra-column variance for a 0.1 μL injection volume is 9.2 μL 2 while that of the Acquity instrument is 6.9 μL 2 . Minor modifications suggested by their respective manufacturers allowed significant reductions of these variances, to 6.2 and 3.9 μL 2 , respectively. Yet, in their optimized configurations and for weakly retained compounds ( k ≃ 1), these modern, sophisticated instruments cannot provide more than 75% (1290 Infinity) and 85% (Acquity) of the maximum efficiency of a 2.1 mm × 50 mm BEH column. For more strongly retained compounds ( k > 4), in contrast, they are both able to provide more than 95% of the maximum expected efficiency.
PET Imaging in Patients with Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis and Suspected Malignancy

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) with F-18-fluorodeoxyglucose is commonly used in the evaluation of lung nodules; however, there is limited data on the PET appearance of coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP) and its utility for diagnosing lung malignancy in this setting. Six cases of CWP and suspected malignancy are reported. Each patient had at least one nodule >1 cm in diameter for a total of 19 nodules >1 cm. On PET imaging 18 of the 19 nodules were hypermetabolic and five of the six patients had at least one nodule that was PET positive. Based on pathologic data and clinical follow-up, none of the six patients had any evidence of malignancy. In this series, PET imaging was often positive in patents with CWP; however, all were false positives with standardized uptake value measurements in the range that are typically seen with malignant nodules. Due to its high rate of false positives, PET imaging seems to be of limited utility in diagnosing malignancy in patients with underlying coal worker's pneumoconiosis.
The cognitive, behavioral, and personality profiles of a male monozygotic triplet set discordant for sexual orientation.

The neurohormonal theory of sexual orientation proposes that homosexual men and homosexual women are exposed prenatally to a hormonal environment that is similar to that of the other sex. Prenatal exposure to an opposite-sex hormonal environment may lead the nervous system to develop in a manner consistent with the opposite sex. If this cross-sex exposure occurs, one prediction would be that the cognitive ability profile of homosexual men would be similar to that of heterosexual women. This study examined a set of male monozygotic triplets, aged 21 years, discordant for sexual orientation: 2 of the triplets were heterosexual, 1 was homosexual. The triplets were administered measures of 23 domains of cognitive ability, as well as measures of sexual orientation and masculinity/femininity. On the measures of cognitive ability, the triplets performed similarly, yet consistent differences were found between the 2 heterosexual triplets and the 1 homosexual cotriplet. Differences having the same pattern were found for the number of Schafer homosexuality signs on the Rorschach, and on a homosexuality scale derived from items on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory--2 (MMPI-2). Responses from the homosexual triplet were in a more feminine direction than responses from his 2 heterosexual cotriplets on measures of masculinity–femininity, which included measures derived from Rorschach responses, the MMPI-2 Masculinity–Femininity scale, the Bem Sex Role Inventory, and the Boyhood Gender Conformity Scale. Responses to the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire also distinguished the 1 homosexual triplet from the 2 heterosexual cotriplets. These findings support the view that the prenatal hormonal environment may have enduring effects on selected behavioral traits.
Combined hydrologic sampling criteria for rainfall and streamflow

Abstract This paper considers the joint sampling of the rainfall and streamflow processes. The sampling frequencies in time and space are obtained as a function of basin and rainfall characteristics. The effectiveness of different sampling strategies is measured by the variance of the error of estimated or predicted streamflow. This is related to the rainfall and basin rainfall-discharge properties through parameterizations of these processes. Rainfall is modelled as a stochastic process with covariance structure separable in time and space. Streamflow is parameterized in terms of the fluvial geomorphology of the basin. Linear systems theory is used to link precipitation to flow and to compute the variance of basin discharge. The variance of the error in prediction of streamflow is computed in terms of the following: (1) basin and rainfall model parameters; and (2) measurement strategy consisting of numbers of rain gages plus rainfall and flow measurement intervals. This error variance is used to assess the effectiveness of a measurement strategy. The results should be of use in the formulation of hydrologic sampling strategies.
Influence of breed and season on ovarian and pituitary response in progestogen-PMSG-treated ewes

Abstract Breed and seasonal effects on LH release, ovarian steroid secretion, and ovulation were evaluated in mature Finnish Landrace (Finn) and Hampshire ewes that received either a progestogen-PMSG treatment in May, July and November (experiment 1) or estradiol-17β (50 μg) in May and July (experiment 2). The progestogen-PMSG treatment increased plasma estradiol within 12 hr after the PMSG injection at all three treatment periods and resulted in plasma LH and estradiol profiles similar to those during proestrus in cyclic ewes. Season, but not breed, affected the time from PMSG injection to preovulatory LH surge (56.5±1.4 hr in November vs 77.1±3.4 hr in July). Ovulation rate was higher in Finn than Hampshire ewes except in July when it decreased in Finn ewes. Magnitude of the estradiol-mediated LH release was decreased in July in Finn but not Hampshire ewes. Seasonal effects on reproduction in progestogen-PMSG treated ewes appear to be mediated through pituitary gonadotropin secretion with breed differences as to time and/or intensity of the seasonal effect(s).
SOD isoforms play no role in lifespan in ad lib or dietary restricted conditions, but mutational inactivation of SOD-1 reduces life extension by cold

The free radical theory of aging is one of the most prominent theories of aging and senescence, but has yet to be definitively proven. If free radicals are the cause of senescence, then the cellular anti-oxidant system should play a large role in lifespan determination. Because superoxide dismutase (SOD) plays a central role in detoxifying superoxide radicals, we have examined the effects of mutational inactivation of each isoform of sod on normal lifespan and lifespan extension by dietary restriction (DR) or cold-/hypothermic-induced longevity (CHIL). We find no significant decrease in lifespan for control worms or worms undergoing DR when sod isoforms are knocked-out even though sod mutational inactivation produces hypersensitivity to paraquat. In contrast, sod-1 inactivation significantly reduces lifespan extension by CHIL, suggesting that CHIL requires a specific genetic program beyond simple reduction in metabolic rate. Furthermore, CHIL paradoxically increases lifespan while reducing resistance to oxidative stress, further disassociating oxidative stress resistance and lifespan.
Temporal lobe hypometabolism on PET Predictor of seizure control after temporal lobectomy

To investigate the relationship of temporal lobe hypometabolism demonstrated on PET to surgical outcome and underlying pathology, we reviewed 30 consecutive epilepsy patients who underwent interictal PET studies with 18F fluorodeoxyglucose before temporal lobectomy. Two interpreters blindly reviewed the PET studies and graded them for degree, extent, and location of temporal lobe hypometabolism. Pathologic analysis of en bloc resected tissue showed mesial temporal sclerosis (n = 22), astrocytoma (n = 2), and no pathologic diagnosis (n = 6). Outcome (24 to 40 months' follow-up) was rated as seizure-free (21 patients), significantly improved (five patients), and not significantly improved (four patients). Both the degree and extent of the temporal lobe hypometabolism demonstrated on PET were strongly associated with subsequent seizure control. Pathologic findings, however, did not correlate with degree of PET hypometabolism or subsequent outcome. These data demonstrate that in patients judged to have temporal lobe epilepsy, the presence of temporal lobe hypometabolism is associated with a positive outcome after ipsilateral temporal lobectomy.
The coming unwinding of global imbalances and what it means for India

Large US current account deficits, financed mainly by East Asian countries and some OPEC members, gave rise to significant global imbalances in recent years. This paper argues that such imbalances are unsustainable going forward. Faced with lower asset valuations and tighter credit access, Americans are likely to curtail consumption and increase personal saving. The resulting decline in US imports will significantly impact export-driven Asian countries. Diminished foreign desire to finance excessive American borrowing, along with rising concerns over dollar's reserve status, will also affect global imbalances. The paper highlights the relevance of the evolving global economic landscape to India.
Technical Note-Some Special Cases of Stochastic Programs with Recourse

The purpose of this note is to work out in detail some specific instances of stochastic programming problems with simple recourse. We assume specific structure and specific distribution functions for the random elements and develop closed-form expressions for the objective functions.
Long-term stability in continuous wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy experiments

Allan variance has been used to characterize the slow drift of a near-IR distributed feedback laser-based continuous wave cavity ringdown spectroscopy (CW-CRDS) system. Long-term drift in the cavity loss rate, highly correlated with changes in ambient pressure but not temperature, is observed. With differential measurement of on- and off-peak decay rates, the drift between them largely cancels out, but some residual drift remains if the lasers are detuned more than a few hundred megahertz from each other. A sensitivity to bulk cavity loss (1sigma) of 4.4 x 10(-12) cm(-1) has been obtained during an optimum integration time of approximately 30 min with our CW-CRDS setup, which corresponds to the methane detection limit (3sigma) in N(2) of 0.24 parts in 10(9) by volume (ppbv) at 20 Torr or 29 parts in 10(12) by volume (pptv) at 760 Torr pressure. The stability of our system is demonstrated by measuring sub-ppbv methane in N(2) at 760 Torr through recording the spectrum of methane lines with our setup.
Progress in the Development of an Alternative Approach to Macromolecular Crystallization

We are developing an alternate strategy for the crystallization of macromolecules that does not, like current methods, depend on the optimization of traditional variables such as pH and precipitant concentration, but is based on the hypothesis that many conventional small molecules might establish stabilizing, intermolecular, noncovalent cross-links in crystals, and thereby promote lattice formation. Earlier experiments provided encouraging results that suggested further research was warranted (Larson, S. B.; Day, J. S.; Cudney, R.; McPherson, A. A novel strategy for the crystallization of proteins: X-ray diffraction validation. Acta Crystallogr., D: Biol. Crystallogr. 2007, 63, 310−318. McPherson, A.; Cudney, B. Searching for silver bullets: an alternative strategy for crystallizing macromolecules. J. Struct. Biol. 2006, 156, 387−406). Here we report additional, large-scale crystallization screening experiments that lend further support, though they suggest that additional mechanisms may play a positive ...
HI TECH COLLABORATIONS: PRODUCING A VIRTUAL CRITIQUE

ABSTRACT This article describes a pedagogical experiment involving the transpositionof a traditional semester’s-end juried critique to a modern medium: videoconferencing. Synchronized remote collaborations are increasingly commonin academia as the facilitating technologies become faster and more afford-able. The most exciting implication of media-supported remote juriedcritiques (or, similarly, joint studio work) is the possibility of working withscholars and acolytes worldwide. The author suggests that the developmentof imaginative and effective protocols for such remote exchanges is still inits infancy. INTRODUCTION During the Fall 2000 semester, Architecture and Environmental Design Programseniors at Bowling Green State University (BGSU) presented their semester’s-endwork to a guest critic from the Architecture and Planning Department at theUniversity of Colorado at Denver (UCD). The presence of an invited audience at astudio review is standard practice, but in this case it was the
Commentary on "A methodology for identifying married couples in Medicare data".

Authors of an article appearing recently in Demography propose a retrospective method to identify husband-wife pairs in administrative records. Although their premise is correct, they overstate the power of their methodology. The error stems from a misunderstanding of how persons entitled to both primary and secondary social security benefits are classified in program data. A retrospective look four years after the reference date shows that the number of pairs is increased by less than 10%, not by more than 50%, as the authors claim.
Mechanism by which exosites promote the inhibition of blood coagulation proteases by heparin-activated antithrombin.

Heparin activates the serpin, antithrombin, to inhibit its target blood-clotting proteases by generating new protease interaction exosites. To resolve the effects of these exosites on the initial Michaelis docking step and the subsequent acylation and conformational change steps of antithrombin-protease reactions, we compared the reactions of catalytically inactive S195A and active proteases with site-specific fluorophore-labeled antithrombins that allow monitoring of these reaction steps. Heparin bound to N,N′-dimethyl-N-(acetyl)-N′-(7-nitrobenz-3-oxa-1,3-diazol-4-yl)ethylenediamine (NBD)-fluorophore-labeled antithrombins and accelerated the reactions of the labeled inhibitor with thrombin and factor Xa similar to wild type. Equilibrium binding of NBD-labeled antithrombins to S195A proteases showed that exosites generated by conformationally activating antithrombin with a heparin pentasaccharide enhanced the affinity of the serpin for S195A factor Xa minimally 100-fold. Moreover, additional bridging exosites provided by a hexadecasaccharide heparin activator enhanced antithrombin affinity for both S195A factor Xa and thrombin at least 1000-fold. Rapid kinetic studies showed that these exosite-mediated enhancements in Michaelis complex affinity resulted from increases in kon and decreases in koff and caused antithrombin-protease reactions to become diffusion-controlled. Competitive binding and kinetic studies with exosite mutant antithrombins showed that Tyr-253 was a critical mediator of exosite interactions with S195A factor Xa; that Glu-255, Glu-237, and Arg-399 made more modest contributions to these interactions; and that exosite interactions reduced koff for the Michaelis complex interaction. Together these results show that exosites generated by heparin activation of antithrombin function both to promote the formation of an initial antithrombin-protease Michaelis complex and to favor the subsequent acylation of this complex.
Do audible and ultrasonic sounds of intensities common in animal facilities affect the autonomic nervous system of rodents

In animal facilities, noises, often poorly controlled, occur over a wide range of frequencies and intensities. Evidence demonstrates that audible noise and ultrasound have deleterious effects on rodent physiology, but it is not known how they affect the autonomic nervous system (ANS). This study exposed 3 unrestrained, male, Sprague–Dawley rats daily to a 15-min white noise regime (90 dB), a quiet regime, or a 15-min ultrasound regime (90 dB at 4 frequencies in the range 20 to 40 kHz)‐each for several weeks—and used radiotelemetry to monitor their cardiovascular responses. Exposure to audible noise increased heart rate and mean arterial pressure. Spectral analysis of HR variability showed diminished stimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, shifting the sympathovagal balance. However, ultrasound, at the frequencies used, did not reproducibly affect cardiovascular parameters. The preliminary data obtained from this study indicate that audible noise, but not ultrasound (delivered using the same pro...
Ten Easy Ways to Engage Your Students

Twenty years of research shows that using interactive techniques more often can make a class more effective. For example, a study of six thousand physics students compared classes using passive lecture to classes using interactive techniques that allowed for discussion among students and between the professor and students. The study showed that students in classes that used interactive approaches rather than lecture learned twice as much.
Shell corrections for electrons

The stopping power for the case of incident electrons is considered. We use our recently developed extension of Bethe's theory, which deals specifically with the binding of the electrons within the target atoms in the contributions from electron exchange. Shell corrections, which account for certain approximations used in the original presentation of this theory, are obtained. Our results expand the reach of Bethe's description of the stopping power to a regime of lower incident velocities. They indicate that there can be significant corrections arising from the treatment of the binding energy in the exchange contributions to the stopping power.
The problems and barriers of RHYA as social policy

Abstract The Runaway and Homeless Youth Act (RHYA) has been the dominant social policy for homeless youth in the United States since 1974. The Act has actually gone through a number of incarnations over the last three plus decades creating a complex and confusing guide in understanding and solving the problems of the various populations that fall under RHYA's umbrella. In this paper, first we trace our society's attitudes towards homeless youth, from the “Whole Child” movement of the early 20th century, through the Social Security Act, and the emergence of and changes in RHYA. Second, we suggest that part of the difficulties RHYA has in serving homeless youth lay in the differing perspectives of childhood and youth over the course of the twentieth century and our discordant view of youth populations that live their lives outside of mainstream society. Part of the reasons the United States has such difficulties in helping, and sometimes even recognizing homeless youths involve the definitions and social discourse we have developed for these populations — especially when compared to international definitions. Given the barriers RHYA as social policy, we suggest broader policy level solutions that involve more inclusive definitions of homeless youth, and acknowledge them as ‘citizens of the world’.
Exploring Indicators of Sexual Compulsivity Among Men Who Cruise for Sex on Campus

Assessments of sexual compulsivity were included in an exploratory study of 30 men who had a history of cruising for sexual partners on college campuses. A quantitative measure of sexual compulsivity was used to assess sexual compulsivity scores and to make comparisons with other populations from previous research. Qualitative data were analyzed to assess the extent to which cruisers described consequences of their behavior that have been suggested by professionals as indicative of sexual compulsivity. Some cruisers had characteristics indicative of sexual compulsivity and many described negative or potentially negative outcomes that would be anticipated to result from, or that are perhaps related to, compulsive sexual behavior. While the findings may need to be considered within the cultural and developmental context of men on college campuses, they provide insights into the need for additional training for health and social service providers and into the direction of future research in this area.
Distributed higher order association rule mining using information extracted from textual data

The burgconing amount of textual data in distributed sources combined with the obstacles involved in creating and maintaining central repositories motivates the need for effective distributed information extraction and mining techniques. Recently, as the need to mine patterns across distributed databases has grown, Distributed Association Rule Mining (D-ARM) algorithms have been developed. These algorithms, however, assume that the databases are either horizontally or vertically distributed. In the special case of databases populated from information extracted from textual data, existing D-ARM algorithms cannot discover rules based on higher-order associations between items in distributed textual documents that are neither vertically nor horizontally distributed, but rather a hybrid of the two. In this article we present D-HOTM, a framework for Distributed Higher Order Text Mining. D-HOTM is a hybrid approach that combines information extraction and distributed data mining. We employ a novel information extraction technique to extract meaningful entities from unstructured text in a distributed environment. The information extracted is stored in local databases and a mapping function is applied to identify globally unique keys. Based on the extracted information, a novel distributed association rule mining algorithm is applied to discover higher-order associations between items (i.e., entities) in records fragmented across the distributed databases using the keys. Unlike existing algorithms, D-HOTM requires neither knowledge of a global schema nor that the distribution of data be horizontal or vertical. Evaluation methods are proposed to incorporate the performance of the mapping function into the traditional support metric used in ARM evaluation. An example application of the algorithm on distributed law enforcement data demonstrates the relevance of D-HOTM in the fight against terrorism.
Challenges of Socio-economically Evaluating Wildfire Management on Non-industrial Private and Public Forestland in the Western United States

Non-industrial private forests (NIPFs) and public forests in the United States generate many non-market benefits for landholders and society generally. These values can be both enhanced and diminished by wildfire management. This paper considers the challenges of supporting economically efficient allocation of wildfire suppression resources in a social cost-benefit analysis framework when non-market values are important. These challenges include substantial gaps in scientific understanding about how the spatial and temporal provision of non-market values are affected by wildfire, the limited utility of benefit transfer in wildfire assessment, a lack of studies that have estimated marginal willingness-to-pay to conserve non-market values, violation of consumer budget constraints, and the infeasibility of valuing indigenous cultural heritage. These challenges present serious impediments to adapting price-based decision-support tools to accommodate non-market values and support decision-making consistent with contemporary federal wildfire policy. Departure from the historic range and variability of ecological conditions is proposed as a complementary framework to support wildfire management decisions when non-market values are important on NIPF and public forestland.
Multi-step TIMS and CA-TIMS monazite U-Pb geochronology

Abstract Multi-step chemical abrasion thermal ionization mass spectrometry (CA-TIMS) methods were developed for monazite using six samples that vary in composition and age— Amelia , Jefferson County , Burke , Elk Mountain , 554 and Madagascar . To evaluate whether the multi-step CA-TIMS approach reveals complexities in either age or composition that might be masked by single-step analysis, this study presents a side-by-side comparison of monazite samples dated via multi-step TIMS (not annealed) and CA-TIMS (annealed), and measurement of rare earth element ratios for each dissolution step. The data demonstrate three important contributions. First, annealing reduces solubility—after one partial dissolution step, not-annealed fractions were 3.3–4.1 times more digested than the annealed fractions. The difference in solubility suggests that monazite does not fully self-anneal at low temperatures. Second, multi-step TIMS analyses yielded high-precision U–Pb plateau ages for the Burke and Amelia monazites; CA-TIMS analyses yielded high-precision U–Pb plateau ages for Madagascar and Amelia monazites. Jefferson County , Elk Mountain and 554 yielded more complex results and no U–Pb plateau ages. Third, chemical analysis of partial-dissolution steps reveals heterogeneous age and compositional data for annealed samples. Because not-annealed samples yielded more consistent age and compositional data, high-temperature annealing is not recommended for monazite. Instead, optimal TIMS results are provided by slow, partial dissolution of monazite in weak acid.
Pathological changes in frontal cortex from biopsy to autopsy in Alzheimer's disease.

Abstract We evaluated the change in density of total senile plaques, plaque subtypes, and neurofibrillary tangles, from biopsy to autopsy in left frontal cortical sections from four patients with clinically typical Alzheimer's disease (AD). Comparisons were made on sections stained with modified Bielschowsky and Thioflavin S. In two cases, comparisons were also made on tissue stained with a monoclonal Alz-50 antibody and an antiserum to Aβ (β-amyloid protein). Despite a marked decline in mental status over several years of follow-up clinical evaluations, there was no consistent significant change in numerical density of plaques or tangles among the four cases. However, we did find fewer primitive plaques in the autopsy specimens. These results from longitudinally evaluated persons with typical AD suggest that although plaques and tangles may serve as adequate markers of the presence of AD, their numerical density within a single neocortical region may not reflect dementia severity. This conclusion supports the results of recent cross-sectional studies on the progression of pathology among persons with AD.