cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Digital technologies in context: Prehistoric engravings in the Northern Cape, South Africa

Abstract This project in the Northern Cape of South Africa focuses on engravings, a relatively understudied genre of prehistoric imagery in the region. Combined with an earlier pilot study of paintings, I attempt to identify a digital technique that would allow us to record and analyze prehistoric images. The central criterion in this selection is that the technique be low cost and be suitable for specific postcolonial contexts. Moreover, it should be sustainable into the future, without requiring extensive staff training in museums where the archive would be available to local communities. These prerequisites are a methodological as well as a theoretical challenge to the project in South Africa, and will likely resonate with archaeologists who work in similar contexts. In describing the project design, I discuss some of the challenges of work in remote areas. Multiple images are shown to illustrate the challenges and solutions.
Effects of light levels on germination of five Asteraceae species native to the tallgrass prairie

The ability of plants to detect variations of light conditions is an essential mechanism for seed survival and germination. In this experiment, germinability and mean germination time were measured in five species of Asteraceae that are native to the tallgrass prairie in Kansas. Seeds were exposed to four light levels in a greenhouse experiment: 100% of natural light, approximately 50% of light, 10% of light, and dark conditions. Ageratina altissima (White snakeroot), Rudbeckia laciniata (Cutleaf coneflower), and Solidago ulmifolia (Elmleaf goldenrod) were non-photoblastic, as light levels had little effect on germinabilities. Aster drummondii (Drummond's aster) and Eutrochium purpureum (Sweet Joe-Pye weed) were positively photoblastic, as increasing light increased germinabilities. However, there were significant differences among species that might correlate with ecological roles. Ageratina altissima and R. laciniata had fast germinating seeds ( 10 d) in all light levels. A. drummondii and E. purpureum had germination times that ranged from fast to intermediate to slow, depending on light levels. Mean germination times decreased with increased light. Measurements of germinability and mean germination time are essential for understanding establishment, succession, and regeneration processes that occur in prairie communities.
The role of recalling previous errors in middle-school children's learning.

BACKGROUND Committing errors is a common part of the learning process, and adults are more likely to correct errors that they can recall. However, preadolescent children's recall of previous errors (i.e., memory for errors) may be limited. AIMS We examined children's ability to recall their past errors and tested whether recalling an error aids error correction. SAMPLES We worked with 102 (Study 1) and 173 (Study 2) middle-school children in the United States. METHODS In Study 1, children studied and were tested on their memory for math definitions. After reviewing the correct answers, children recalled their initial test answers and then took a final test. Reminders of past errors were provided for some children in Study 2. In two other conditions, children either recalled their past errors or studied the correct answers only. RESULTS Children's recall of their past errors was poor, and errors that were recalled were no more likely to be corrected than errors that were not recalled. Across children, there was a positive association between memory for errors and error correction even after controlling for covariates. Being reminded of past errors and recalling past errors reduced error correction relative to studying the correct answers only. CONCLUSIONS Preadolescents' memory for errors is very limited, their ability to recall past errors predicts error correction overall, and recalling an error or being reminded of an error does not facilitate error correction.
Macromodeling of Electric Machines From Ab Initio Models

We extract the lumped-parameter model of a wound-rotor synchronous machine from its physics-based magnetic-equivalent circuit model. Model extraction is formulated as a weighted least square optimization with nonlinear constraints in which time-domain trajectories of flux linkages, currents, and the electromagnetic torque are used as input data to obtain the parameters of the $qd0$ model of the machine. The resulting problem is non-convex and cannot be solved using standard methods. The optimization problem is, therefore, convexified using a cone programming relaxation. The solution to the relaxed problem is used as an initial point for the interior-point method, leading to a reliable framework. Accurate estimations on stator resistance, leakage and mutual inductances in stator and rotor, rotor speed, effective turns-ratio between the field and stator windings, and the number of poles are obtained. Estimated parameters are validated against measured and estimated values reported in literature, and are used to develop a behavioral $qd0$ macromodel of the machine.
Treat phage like living antibiotics.

Bacteriophage therapeutics has emerged as one of the few potential beacons that represent possible solutions to the growing global crisis of antimicrobial resistance. Bringing science to the bedside (and vice versa) will maximize the potential of this compelling opportunity.
A Bayesian Nonparametric Latent Space Approach to Modeling Evolving Communities in Dynamic Networks

The evolution of communities in dynamic (time-varying) network data is a prominent topic of interest. A popular approach to understanding these dynamic networks is to embed the dyadic relations into a latent metric space. While methods for clustering with this approach exist for dynamic networks, they all assume a static community structure. This paper presents a Bayesian nonparametric model for dynamic networks that can model networks with evolving community structures. Our model extends existing latent space approaches by explicitly modeling the additions, deletions, splits, and mergers of groups with a hierarchical Dirichlet process hidden Markov model. Our proposed approach, the hierarchical Dirichlet process latent position clustering model (HDP-LPCM), incorporates transitivity, models both individual and group level aspects of the data, and avoids the computationally expensive selection of the number of groups required by most popular methods. We provide a Markov chain Monte Carlo estimation algorithm and apply our method to synthetic and real-world networks to demonstrate its performance.
Insertable cardiac monitor extraction technique: hook and reel

The use of insertable cardiac monitors (ICM) has been increasing because of their ability to provide long-term electrocardiographic monitoring and symptom correlation. Indications for implantation include evaluation of cryptogenic stroke, unexplained syncope, intermittent palpitations, and atrial fibrillation. When the ICM needs to be removed because of battery depletion and/or diagnostic revelation, its removal can be challenging because of its small size and the capsule that forms around the proximal end of the device. A simple technique is described that takes advantage of the ICM design to facilitate its successful extraction.
Covid-19 & Obesity: Beyond Bmi

The pandemic of novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has triggered an international crisis resulting in excess morbidity and mortality with adverse societal, economic, and geopolitical consequences. Like other disease states, there are patient characteristics that impact clinical risk and determine the spectrum of severity. Obesity, or adiposity-based chronic disease, has emerged as an important risk factor for morbidity and mortality due to COVID-19. It is imperative to further stratify risk in patients with obesity to determine optimal mitigation and perhaps therapeutic preparedness strategies. We suspect that insulin resistance is an important pathophysiologic cause of poor outcomes in patients with obesity and COVID-19 independent of body mass index. This explains the association of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (HTN), and cardiovascular disease with poor outcomes since insulin resistance is the main driver of both dysglycemia-based chronic disease and cardiometabolic-based chronic disease towards end-stage disease manifestations. Staging the severity of adiposity-related disease in a "complication-centric" manner (HTN, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, T2DM, obstructive sleep apnea, etc.) among different ethnic groups in patients with COVID-19 should help predict the adverse risk of adiposity on patient health in a pragmatic and actionable manner during this pandemic.
Efficient calculation of gradients in classical simulations of variational quantum algorithms

Calculating the energy gradient in parameter space has become an almost ubiquitous subroutine of variational near-term quantum algorithms. "Faithful" classical emulation of this subroutine mimics its quantum evaluation, and scales as O(P^2) gate operations for P variational parameters. This is often the bottleneck for the moderately-sized simulations, and has attracted HPC strategies like "batch-circuit" evaluation. We here present a novel derivation of an emulation strategy to precisely calculate the gradient in O(P) time and using O(1) state-vectors, compatible with "full-state" state-vector simulators. The prescribed algorithm resembles the optimised technique for automatic differentiation of reversible cost functions, often used in classical machine learning, and first employed in quantum simulators like Yao.jl. In contrast, our scheme derives directly from a recurrent form of quantum operators, and may be more familiar to a quantum computing community. Our strategy is very simple, uses only 'apply gate', 'clone state' and 'inner product' primitives and is hence straightforward to implement and integrate with existing simulators. It is compatible with gate parallelisation schemes, and hardware accelerated and distributed simulators. We describe the scheme in an instructive way, including details of how common gate derivatives can be performed, to clearly guide implementation in existing quantum simulators. We furthermore demonstrate the scheme by implementing it in Qiskit, and perform some comparative benchmarking with faithful simulation. Finally, we remark upon the difficulty of extending the scheme to density-matrix simulation of noisy channels.
Where Local Meets Plethora: Media Usage and Community Integration in Rural Communities

As scholarship increasingly focuses on the q uestion of a nationalized media ecosystem, the question of why audiences choose a local option often goes unaddressed. This paper addresses two gaps in ...
Stabilizer Classes Determined by Simply Presented Modules

In this note stabilizer classes (classes closed under formation of direct sums and homomorphic images) which consist of groups G for which G/tG is divisible (tG denotes the torsion subgroup) are examined. Particular attention is given to singly generated stabilizer classes-those determined by a single group. It is shown that simply presented torsion-free rank one groups determine stabilizer classes that depend only on the height matrix of the group. Localization techniques are employed to isolate at a prime and thereby to consider modules over the integers localized at a prime p.
Production of O/1S/ from photodissociation of carbon dioxide.

The production efficiency was measured with the aid of a method based on the detection of the OI (5577 A) 'green' line. A sodium salicylate screen was used to monitor the intensity of the photons. Measurements at each of several individual wavelengths are conducted. The relative production efficiencies are shown in a graph. The absolute scale for the efficiency was determined in essentially the same way as in the Cameron band work reported by Lawrence (1972).
Asynchronous design techniques

Various techniques used in the design of asynchronous and self-timed systems are presented. The methods discussed include traditional asynchronous sequential circuit design, a graph-theoretic approach, and methods based on CSP specifications. Example chips developed such as asynchronous RISCs and microprogrammed controllers are presented. The challenges in asynchronous ASIC design and the most recent developments are reported. >
Combustion optimization in a hydrogen-enhanced lean burn SI engine

As part of ongoing research on hydrogen-enhanced lean burn Sl engines, this paper details an experimental combustion system optimization program. Experiments focused on three key areas: the ignition system, in-cylinder charge motion produced by changes in the inlet ports, and uniformity of fuel-air mixture preparation. Hydrogen enhancement is obtained with a H 2 , CO, N 2 mixture produced by a fuel reformer such as the plasmatron. The ignition system tests compared a standard inductive coil scheme against high-energy discharge systems. Charge motion experiments focused on the impact of different flow and turbulence patterns generated within the cylinder by restrictor plates at the intake port entrance, as well as novel inlet flow modification cones. The in-cylinder fluid motion generated by each configuration was characterized using swirl and tumble flow benches. Mixture preparation tests compared a standard single-hole pintle port fuel injector against a fine atomizing 12-hole injector. Results indicate that optimizations of the combustion system in conjunction with hydrogen-enhancement can extend the relative air/fuel ratio A at the lean limit of operation by roughly 25% compared against the baseline configuration. Nearly half of this improvement may be attributed to improvements in the combustion system. Furthermore, hydrogen-enhancement produces a nearly constant lean misfire limit improvement of -0.20 - 0.25 A values, regardless of baseline combustion behavior. In contrast, the improvement of the amount of dilution with excess air at the point of peak engine efficiency decreases as engine operation becomes leaner, due to the inherently lengthening burn duration as λ increses.
Capital investments, capabilities, and uncertainty: An empirical analysis of incumbent adaptation to radical technological change

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the impact of capital investments on new capabilities development during competence‐destroying change. The moderating role of uncertainty is also explored.Design/methodology/approach – This paper utilizes two distinct but related research streams; the literature on organizational capabilities and real options, to build the theory and hypotheses.Findings – Data from a sample of 767 alliances between incumbent pharmaceutical firms and new biotechnology firms reveal that incumbent firms who increase capital investments in emerging technological domains despite the uncertainty present in them, are more likely to develop new products based on emerging technology.Research limitations/implications – The results encourage future research on the nexus of managerial cognition, capital investments, uncertainty and the adaptation process.Originality/value – Extant literature implicitly suggests that capital investments are critical for developing new capab...
Cyclic neutropenia in grey collie dogs.

Cyclic neutropenia in a grey collie dog was first diagnosed at 10 weeks of age and has persisted 12 months. The average cycle length was 10.6 days with a range of 8 to 12 days. The condition was found in 2 other dogs of the type described and appears to be inherited along with a grey (silver) coat. The peripheral neutropenia results from a cyclic maturation arrest in the bone marrow at the level of differentiation from the stem cell.
New nano-particle material (NPM) for micro- and opto-electronic packaging applications

A new advanced nano-particle material (NPM) has been developed by the SBIR ERS/Siloptix Co. This material has many attractive applications in micro- and opto-electronic packaging. Particularly, an effective practical technology for making NPM-based optical silica fiber coatings has been developed under grants from DARPA/Navy. The developed technology enables one to create ultra-thin, highly cost-effective, highly mechanically reliable, and highly environmentally durable coatings for silica light-guides. The obtained results have demonstrated the performance superiority of the developed technology over polymer-coated and metallized fibers, as well as a potential that the NPM has for various commercial and military applications in micro- and opto-electronics packaging and beyond.
An iterative learning control algorithm for systems with measurement noise

We present a convergent iterative learning control (ILC) algorithm that can be used when the plant to be controlled is subject to measurement noise. The algorithm is based on previous work that exploited a multi-loop control interpretation of the signal flow in ILC to derive a necessary and sufficient condition for convergence of discrete-time, linear, time-invariant systems. The previous multi-loop approach resulted in an ILC algorithm that can converge in as few as four trials. The scheme used a deterministic adaptive gain adjustment technique (adaptive in trial number) that does not have to be "tuned". The basis of the algorithm was online determination of the Markov parameters of the system. In the present work we extend the previous result to the case where the output measurements are corrupted by noise. In this case it is necessary to compute estimates of the (most significant) Markov parameters using parameter estimation. This parameter estimation is done in both trial number and in time, exploiting the diagonal structure of the matrix of Markov parameters. New estimates of each parameter are obtained after each trial. These estimates are then used in the derivation of the new input for the next trial, using a standard iterative learning control update algorithm. Simulations demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Tourism and income strategies in Nazaré, Portugal

Abstract The stratification literature indicates that those who control the means of production gain greater benefits than those who do not, and that their introduction may affect a community's income distribution. This research attempts to determine the impacts of tourism on household incomes and the pattern of stratification in a Portuguese village and the various strategies which families employ to deal with change. It concludes that housing is a key factor because of tourism and that those families who have housing can significantly increase their incomes and elevate their position in the community hierarchy, although access to the elite strata is limited and tourist revenues have not affected the overall pyramidal form of stratification in the village.
The New Labor Culture and Labor Law Reform in Mexico

There are two competing labor law reform proposals in the Mexican legislature, both of which would profoundly reshape labor-capital-government relations should they be passed. The Plan Abascal is based on idealized relations of production derived from the post-Fordist theory that new global economic realites demand new regulations that allow employers more flexibility to deal with sudden market shifts. In contrast, the reform authored by an independent union confederation protects workers against employer and government unilateralism and exploitation.
Ovine fetal cardiovascular responses to packed red blood cell transfusions

Fifteen transfusions were performed in normal or anemic chronically catheterized sheep fetuses ranging in weight from 0.73 to 3.62 kg and in age from 91 to 135 days' gestation (term = 147 days). During the transfusions, an average of 29.0 ± 2.5 (SE) ml/kg of packed maternal red blood cells (hematocrit = 78%) were given intravenously over 30 minutes and fetal hematocrit increased from 28.5% ± 1.2% to 43.8% ± 1.6%. Circulating blood volume increased by 13.9 ± 2.3 ml/kg at 1 hour after transfusion and remained at this level at 24 hours. An average of 15.1 ± 2.4 ml/kg of plasma was lost from the circulation at 1 hour after the transfusion. Fetal vascular pressures increased significantly during the transfusions and the rise in arterial pressure was greater than that in venous pressure ( p −6 ). Heart rate decreased by 23 beats/min at the end of the transfusion and remained 13 beats/min below control after 1 hour ( p r > 0.90). Thus this study shows that packed cell transfusions increase fetal blood volume by only 50% of the transfused volume because of a loss of plasma from the circulation and that the pretransfusion blood volume and the posttransfusion hematocrit can be accurately calculated from readily measured variables.
Initial investigation of single-scan FDG+FLT PET tumor imaging techniques

Rapid multi-tracer PET aims to image two or more tracers in a single scan, thereby characterizing multiple aspects of function. Using dynamic imaging with tracers staggered in time, constraints on the kinetic behavior of each tracer can be applied to predict the makeup of the multi-tracer PET signal. Signal-separation algorithms can then be applied to recover estimates of each individual tracer. The effectiveness of the approach depends critically upon the tracers used, their kinetic behavior, the injection timing, and dynamic scanning protocol. A key question is what imaging endpoints (e.g. static images, SUVs, kinetic macroparameters or individual rate parameters) can be reliably recovered for each tracer. The ability to rapidly and reliably image both 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) and 18F-fluorothymidine (FLT) is of great interest, as characterization of tumor metabolism and proliferative activity provides complementary and relevant information for oncologic treatment decisions. However, it also provides one of the most challenging signal-separation problems for single-scan multi-tracer PET—since both tracers are labeled with relatively long-lived 18F, differences in radioactive decay cannot be utilized to aid in the multi-tracer signal-separation process. This work presents initial investigations into rapid dual-tracer FDG+FLT tumor imaging, characterizing the feasibility and main technological limitations of the approach. Simulation studies show that longer injection delays provided better signal-separation of the single-tracer measures, and markedly better performance was observed when FLT was administered first. Injection delays of approx. 30min led to good recovery (R>0.93) of SUVs, K net , and K 1 ; however, recovery of higher-order rate parameters (k 2 , k 3 ) was poor (R=0.5-0.6 at 30min delay), indicating that information regarding those parameters was effectively lost by the rapid dual-tracer technique.
Response of water column to strong wind forcing, southern Brazilian inner shelf: Implications for sand ridge formation

Abstract The result of two sequential oceanographic stations of 36 hours each in the area of sand ridges are presented. One station was located in the trough between two sand ridges and the other was at the crest of a sand ridge. At these stations salinity and temperature of the sea water, currents, winds, waves, and barometric pressure were measured each hour. During the observations, a cold front passed; this generated westerly winds that grew in speed from 24 to 52 km h −1 . The average height of the wind generated waves grew from 1.0 to 1.5 m and their periods increased from 7 to 10 s, and the speed of the northeast directed surface current increased from 40 to 82 cm s −1 . A bottom current (also directed northeast) increased from 26 to 34 cm s −1 . After the cold front had passed, the wind backed to the southeast and decreased in speed from 26 to zero km h −1 . The surface current in a northwest direction decreased from 29 to 8 cm s −1 . A bottom current (also directed northwest) decreased from 22 to 3 cm s −1 . Later, swells from the southeast appeared and their periods increased from 5 to 9 s and their heights grew from 1.0 to 1.5 m. After 3 hours, the speeds of the surface and bottom currents increased from 8 to 72 cm s −1 and 3 to 62 cm s −1 respectively. This cold front induced strong winds and storm-wave currents able to erode sediments (assuming a threshold velocity of 20 cm s −1 ) and transport them in a north-northeast direction. The origin and the maintenance of these sand ridges is thought to be a function of sediments eroded from troughs and piled up at ridge crests during a storm condition. Some eroded sediments are transported north of Verga lighthouse where they are deposited on a smooth bottom.
Multinuclear Paramagnetic NMR Spectra and Solid State X-ray Crystallographic Characterization of Manganese(III) Schiff-Base Complexes

The 1H NMR spectra of symmetrically substituted paramagnetic [(R,R‘-SALOPHEN)MnIII]+ and [(R,R‘-SALOPHEN)MnIII]2(μ-O) complexes (SALOPHEN is 1,3-bis(salicylideneamino)benzene) were obtained. All of the monomers and dimers yielded well-resolved but isotropically shifted 1H NMR spectra. A diamagnetic suppression routine was applied to the 1H NMR spectra that allowed observation of all rapidly relaxing resonances. The binding of axial ligands, acetate, methanol, water, and pyridine was also observable by 1H NMR. Two X-ray crystal structures were obtained: [(3,3‘-17-crown-6-SALOPHEN)MnIII]·(CH3C(O)O)·BaTf2·2H2O, [9b]OAc·BaTf2·2H2O, crystallized in the triclinic space group P1; with a = 10.747(2) A, b = 12.271(8) A, c = 16.206(6) A, α = 106.10(4)°, β = 103.07(2)°, γ = 106.06(3), and Z = 2, while [(3,3‘,6,6‘-(CH3)4-SALOPHEN)MnIII]PF6·H2O, [6b]PF6·H2O, crystallized in the monoclinic space group P21/n, with a = 12.465(1) A, b = 13.366(2) A, c = 15.240(1) A, β = 103.051(7)°, and Z = 2. [9b]OAc·BaTf2·2H2O has the...
Material Properties of Actin Networks from Motile Fish Keratocytes under Large Deformations

In actin-based crawling motility, cells continuously build, reorganize, and disassemble an actin network in a process driven jointly by biochemical reactions and mechanical work. A thorough understanding of how forces produced by actin and myosin contribute to whole-cell movement will thus require detailed knowledge of the material properties of the cytoskeletal network at the relevant spatial and temporal scales (micrometer-scale deformations over tens of seconds to minutes). Measurements of mechanical properties have largely been limited to microscopic strains, whole-cell bulk measurements, or reconstituted gels that do not fully capture the cellular cytoskeletal organization.We have therefore sought to characterize the deformation of actin networks driven from motile cells under large (up to several hundred percent) applied strains. Using detergent-extracted cytoskeletons from fish epithelial keratocytes, we have applied arbitrary strains to the actin network between the cell body at the rear of the cell and the native adhesions in the lamellipodial (front) region of the cell, using a glass needle. Deformations through the cell body propagated through a significant portion of the lamellipodium, in some cases reaching the leading edge, indicating good mechanical linkage between the cell body and the lamellipodium. The lamellipodial actin network is surprisingly flexible and exhibits strain hardening. At rates of deformation comparable to the speeds of live, crawling cells, the network exhibited significantly elastic behavior, suggesting that elastic forces might contribute to the myosin-driven reorganization of the actin network in the rear of the cell. These results will help refine current physical models for crawling cell motility.
Near-Optimal Feedback Strategies Synthesized Using a Spatial Statistical Approach

This paper presents a new extremal-field approach for synthesizing nearly optimal feedback controllers for optimal control and two-player pursuit–evasion games described by general nonlinear differential equations. The proposed method uses a spatial statistical technique called universal kriging to construct the surrogate model of a feedback controller, which is capable of quickly predicting an optimal control estimate based on current state (and time) information. The kriging framework estimates an unknown function by observing its input–output behavior at a number of neighboring “training" sites. In universal kriging, a feedback map is considered to be the linear combination of a deterministic regression polynomial model and Gaussian random function. The parameters of the kriging model are computed based on data from offline-computed open-loop extremals, generated by a direct or indirect method. Numerical examples involving both autonomous and nonautonomous systems are presented to evaluate the effectiv...
CCKB receptors in the periaqueductal grey are involved in electroacupuncture antinociception in the rat cold water tail-flick test

Abstract Cholecystokinin octapeptide (CCK-8) (0.25–2.0 ng), the CCKA receptor antagonist L-364,718 (60–100 ng) or the CCKB receptor antagonist L-365,260 (0.3125–1.25 ng) was administered into the periaqueductal grey (PAG) of male SD rats. The antinociceptive effect induced by electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of different frequencies was then measured by the cold water tail-flick (CWT) test. The results showed that (1) microinjection of CCK-8 into the PAG can significantly block the antinociceptive effect induced by all frequencies of EA stimulation. The effectiveness of the blockade was 100>2 Hz. In addition, CCK-8 blocks the antinociception seen following termination of the electrical stimulation at 100 Hz; (2) microinjection of L-365,260 (1.25 ng) into the PAG significantly increased the 100 Hz EA antinociceptive effect but not the 2 Hz EA antinociceptive effect and microinjection of L-364,718 into PAG did not affect either 2 or 100 Hz EA antinociception. These results demonstrate that CCK-8 in the PAG can antagonize the antinociceptive effect induced by EA stimulation, and the CCK effect is likely to be mediated by the CCKB receptor, but not the CCKA receptor.
RNA Isolation from Mouse Pancreas: A Ribonuclease-rich Tissue

Isolation of high-quality RNA from ribonuclease-rich tissue such as mouse pancreas presents a challenge. As a primary function of the pancreas is to aid in digestion, mouse pancreas may contain as much a 75 mg of ribonuclease. We report modifications of standard phenol/guanidine thiocyanate lysis reagent protocols to isolate RNA from mouse pancreas. Guanidine thiocyanate is a strong protein denaturant and will effectively disrupt the activity of ribonuclease under most conditions. However, critical modifications to standard protocols are necessary to successfully isolate RNA from ribonuclease-rich tissues. Key steps include a high lysis reagent to tissue ratio, removal of undigested tissue prior to phase separation and inclusion of a ribonuclease inhibitor to the RNA solution. Using these and other modifications, we routinely isolate RNA with RNA Integrity Number (RIN) greater than 7. The isolated RNA is of suitable quality for routine gene expression analysis. Adaptation of this protocol to isolate RNA from ribonuclease rich tissues besides the pancreas should be readily achievable.
Identification of a Novel Palmitylation Site Essential for Membrane Association and Isomerohydrolase Activity of RPE65

RPE65 is a membrane-associated protein abundantly expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium, which converts all-trans-retinyl ester to 11-cis-retinol, a key step in the retinoid visual cycle. Although three cysteine residues (Cys-231, Cys-329, and Cys-330) were identified to be palmitylated in RPE65, recent studies showed that a triple mutant, with all three Cys replaced by an alanine residue, was still palmitylated and remained membrane-associated, suggesting that there are other yet to be identified palmitylated Cys residues in RPE65. Here we mapped the entire RPE65 using mass spectrometry analysis and demonstrated that a trypsin-digested RPE65 fragment (residues 98-118), which contains two Cys residues (Cys-106 and Cys-112), was singly palmitylated in both native bovine and recombinant human RPE65. To determine whether Cys-106 or Cys-112 is the palmitylation site, these Cys were separately replaced by alanine. Mass spectrometry analysis of purified wild-type RPE65 and C106A and C112A mutants showed that mutation of Cys-106 did not affect the palmitylation status of the fragment 98-118, whereas mutation of Cys-112 abolished palmitylation in this fragment. Subcellular fractionation and immunocytochemistry analyses both showed that mutation of Cys-112 dissociated RPE65 from the membrane, whereas the C106A mutant remained associated with the membrane. In vitro isomerohydrolase activity assay showed that C106A has an intact enzymatic activity similar to that of wtRPE65, whereas C112A lost its enzymatic activity. These results indicate that the newly identified Cys-112 palmitylation site is essential for the membrane association and activity of RPE65.
Success rates and estimation of gestational age for medical abortion vary with transvaginal ultrasonographic criteria

Abstract Objective: Our purpose was to evaluate differences in gestational age and success rates for medical abortion patients obtained by using several nomograms for mean sac diameter and embryonic pole. Study Design: A retrospective review of 1011 patients was performed; the data were from 8 published studies and private patients of the primary author (M.D.C.) who received methotrexate and misoprostol for abortion. The ultrasonographic findings at baseline examination were used to estimate gestational age according to criteria established by Hellman et al and Rossavik et al for mean sac diameter and Robinson, Hadlock et al, and Goldstein and Wolfson for the embryonic pole. The assigned gestational ages of the study population were then compared, and the success rates of treatment at various gestational ages were calculated for each of the dating criteria. Results: Outcomes on the basis of gestational age for those patients who had only a gestational sac were similar regardless of which gestational age criteria were used. The final assessment of gestational age by embryonic pole according to the criteria of Goldstein and Wolfson was significantly different from the others. Conclusions: Medical abortion outcomes will vary depending on which criteria are used for establishing gestational age by both mean sac diameter and embryonic pole. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 1999;180:35-41.)
Dreikörperkräfte und die Stabilität einfacher Kristallgitter

Observed stability of crystal structures for rare-gas atoms, alkali halides and for those II–VI and III–V compounds whose ions are isoelectronic with rare-gas atoms is correlated with atomic and ionic interactions in dense media. On the basis of central forces essential discrepancies between theory and experiment occur. Further analysis indicates that strong, simultaneous interactions of exchange type between three atoms or three ions play an important role in determining the stable crystal structure. An evaluation of such three-body interactions is carried out in first and second orders of perturbation theory, using effective-electron wave functions of Gaussian form. It is shown that the theory accounts for all observed stability relations on a quantitative basis. The stability of the face-centered cubic configuration for solids of heavy rare gases is explained. Also, the occurrence of the cesium chloride structure for some of the heavy alkali halides and the magnitude of observed transition pressures are reproduced by the theory. In addition, it is shown that three-ion interactions are responsable for the occurrence of the sphalerite (zincblende) and wurtzite configurations with II–VI and III–V compounds, without covalent bonding between the ions being involved. General laws are given which govern the relative stability of the sodium chloride, cesium chloride, sphalerite and wurtzite configurations for these types of compounds.
The amygdalostriatal projection in the rat—an anatomical study by anterograde and retrograde tracing methods

Tritiated leucine and proline injected into the amygdaloid complex was found to label a voluminous amygdalostriatal fiber system which is distributed to all parts of the striatum except an antero-dorsolateral striatal sector. The connection is established by way of the longitudinal association bundle as well as the stria terminalis, and includes a modest (10–15%), symmetrically distributed contralateral component conveyed by the anterior commissure. Both autoradiographic findings and subsequent observations in retrograde cell-labelling (horseradish peroxidase) material indicate that the amygdalostriatal projection originates mainly from the nucleus basalis lateralis amygdalae, in much lesser volume from the nucleus basalis medialis, and minimally from the nucleus lateralis amygdalae; no other contributing amygdaloid cell group could be identified.
Brief Review of Vorinostat

The histone tails of histone octamers play an intricate role in transcription, and aid the histone interaction and binding with the negatively charged DNA phosphate backbone. Histone acetyl transferases and histone deacetylase inhibitors respectively accomplish acetylation and deacetylation of the lysine residue of the histone tail. Vorinostat is the first and only histone deacetylase inhibitor with activity in cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (CTCL) approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). CTCL refers to a diverse group of disorders, including the most common mycosis fungoides, and the less common but more aggressive Sezary syndrome. The exact mechanism of action of vorinostat is unknown; however, it involves the up- and down-regulation of multiple cell cycle pathways. Vorinostat exhibits better efficacy in hematologic malignancies than in solid tumors. Numerous clinical trials involving vorinostat alone and in combination with other agents in multiple malignancies and solid tumors have reported patient clinical benefit. Overall, the adverse-effect profile of vorinostat is very favorable, and the product is a good candidate for single-agent use as well as for combination therapy.
Training for institutional change

If counselors are going to perform functions different from dyadic therapeutic counseling, institutions preparing counselors must change the context and processes of their programs. Assisting an individual to change is difficult; intervention for institutional change is infinitely complex. Yet many of the concepts and skills are the same for both. Dustin describes the procedures he has used to equip counselors to utilize the basic principles of change with an organization as a target. Other trainers may use other methods in this relatively new extension of counselor functioning; what is clear, however, is the need for new training models if our goals of creating humane environments is to be reached.
The Role of Competing Demands in the Treatment Provided Primary Care Patients with Major Depression

Objective To examine whether competing demands explain the appearance of inadequate primary care depression treatment observed at a single visit. Design A cross-sectional patient survey. Participants and setting Two hundred forty patients with 5 or more symptoms of depression seeing 12 physicians in 6 primary care practices, representing 77.4% of the depressed patients identified through 2-stage screening of more than 11,000 primary care attenders. Main outcome measures In patients with elevated depressive symptoms, discussing depression as a possible diagnosis in untreated patients, and changing depression management in treated patients. Results Physicians and patients discussed depression in 46 (47.9%) of 96 untreated patients; physicians changed depression treatment recommendations in 87 (60.4%) of 144 treated patients with current symptoms. Chronic physical comorbidity decreased the odds that physicians and untreated patients discussed depression as a possible diagnosis (odds ratio = 0.66, P = .01). New problems decreased the odds that treatment recommendations would be changed in treated patients who remained depressed (odds ratio = 0.39, P = .05). Physicians and untreated patients were more likely to discuss depression as a possible diagnosis if patients reported antidepressant medication was acceptable (odds ratio = 4.57, P = .01) and less likely to discuss depression if patients reported specialty care counseling was acceptable (odds ratio = 0.33, P = .05). Conclusions The attention depression gets during a given medical visit is less associated with the severity of the patient's depressive symptoms than with the number or recency of other problems the patient has. If competing demands provide ongoing barriers to depression treatment, interventions will be needed to assure that patients with chronic physical problems receive high-quality mental health care in the primary care setting.
Detection/decoding over channels with synchronization errors and inter-symbol interference

We consider coding schemes over an independent and identically distributed (i.i.d.) insertion/deletion channel with inter-symbol interference (ISI). The idea is based on a serial concatenation of a low-density parity check (LDPC) code with a marker code. First, we design a maximum-a-posteriori (MAP) detector operating at the bit level which jointly achieves synchronization for the insertion/deletion channel (with the help of the marker code) and equalization for the ISI channel. Utilizing this MAP detector together with an LDPC code with powerful error-correction capabilities, we demonstrate that reliable transmission over this channel is feasible. Then, we consider low-complexity channel detection algorithms needed for proper synchronization/equalization. Specifically, we use separate synchronization and equalization algorithms instead of joint detection and also explore the performance of M- and T-algorithms implemented as low complexity soft output channel detectors. Such schemes greatly reduce the amount of computations needed at the cost of some performance loss as illustrated via a set of simulation results.
Getting to Best: Efficiency versus Optimality in Negotiation

Negotiation between two individuals is a common task that typically involves two goals: maximize individual outcomes and obtain an agreement. However, research on the simplest negotiation tasks demonstrates that although naive subjects can be induced to improve their performance, they are often no more likely to achieve fully optimal solutions. The present study tested the prediction that a decrease in a particular type of argumentative behavior, substantiation, would result in an increase in optimal agreements. As substantiation behaviors depend primarily on supplied content of the negotiation task, it was also predicted that substantiation behavior would be reduced by curtailing the content. A 2 × 2 experimental design was employed, where both negotiation tactics (list of tactics present versus absent) and negotiation task content (high versus low) were varied to determine the processes leading beyond solution improvement to solution optimality. Sixty-one dyads engaged in a two-party, four-issue negotiation task. All negotiations were videotaped and analyzed. Although the list of negotiation tactics resulted in improved performance, only the content manipulation resulted in a significant increase in dyads achieving optimal solutions. Analyses of the coded protocols indicated that the key difference in achieving optimality was a reduction in persistent substantiation-related operators (substantiation, along with single-issue preferences and procedures) and an increase in a complex macro-operator, multi-issue offers that reduced the problem space, facilitating the search for optimality.
Proposal for an ALM open architecture

The automatic link maintenance (ALM) provides the means to change link parameters of an established and ongoing link in order to keep the link alive and to exploit the available channels to the maximum extend possible. The ALM operation requires exchange of messages between two peer HF nodes. In order to allow for interoperability between systems provided by different manufacturers there is a need for standardisation of the ALM peer exchanges and of some ALM procedures. Also, in order to allow for future ALM competitive improvement there is a need for an ALM open and modular architecture. After a review of ALM functions, mapped as an example to the message exchange format or the currently available STANAG 5066 protocol, this paper proposes a start for such an ALM open and modular architecture.
Hydrothermal degradation of model sulfonic acid compounds: Probing the relative sulfur–carbon bond strength in water

Abstract Development of heterogeneous catalysts for the biorenewable industry requires hydrothermal degradation resistance. However, the relationship between hydrothermal stability and the immediate electronic hybridization of the carbon atoms adjacent to the sulfonic acid active group is not fully known. We systematically tested model compounds containing sulfonic acid groups linked to aromatic, alkane, or cycloalkane carbon atoms. We subjected them to hydrothermal conditions. The compounds' structural integrity was monitored with solution NMR. The aromatic-sulfonic acid compounds degraded readily, while the hydrolysis of the alkyl sulfonic acid linkages was negligible. Therefore, hydrothermally stable sulfonic-acid catalysts need sulfonic acid attached via alkyl linkers.
Relative Reactivities of Isobutylene, Styrene, and Ring-Substituted Styrenes in Cationic Polymerizations

The addition reaction of isobutylene (IB), styrene (St), p-methylstyrene (pMeSt), and p-chlorostyrene (pClSt) to living poly(p-methoxystyrene) (PpMeOSt) obtained using the 1-chloro-1-(p-methoxyphenyl)ethane/tin tetrabromide (pMeOStCl/SnBr4) initiating system in dichloromethane (CH2Cl2) and CH2Cl2/methylcyclohexane (MeCHx) from −40 to 0 °C in the presence of 2,6-di-tert-butylpyridine (DTBP) as a proton trap was studied. Quantitative crossover to IB, St, pMeSt, and pClSt was observed, and changing the temperature, solvent polarity, and concentrations could control the number of capping monomer units incorporated per chain before irreversible ion collapse. Accordingly, the polymerization of pMeOSt in the presence of IB, St, pMeSt, or pClSt stopped short of completion. These so-called competition experiments were used to determine the reactivity ratios, kp/k12, where kp is the propagation rate constant of pMeOSt and k12 is the cross-propagation rate constant. On the basis of the reactivity ratios calculated f...
Physical Foundations of Quantum Theory: Stochastic Formulation and Proposed Experimental Test—Addendum and Erratum

The Addendum of this note presents a brief perspective and an additional development pertaining to a previous paper. The even forceKn as well as the odd forceK0 of the time-inversion-covariant (TIC) equation of motion in the presence of a magnetic field are derived from the results of the previous paper by a hint of generalization in classical physics. Then, by following identical steps as in the previous paper, the Addendum completes the derivation of the stochastic Hamilton-Jacobi and the Schrodinger equations in the electromagnetic field. The Erratum of our note points out minor typographical errors plus one clarification of a definition.
Elastic-Plastic-Creep-Large Strain Analysis at Elevated Temperature by the Finite Element Method.

Abstract This paper is divided into three parts. First, a review of currently available incremental theories of plasticity and creep constituitive models is given. Second, a formulation is presented for the non-isothermal, elastic-plastic-creep-large strain analysis by the finite element method. Third, results obtained with the AGGIE I computer program for several isothermal, elastic-creep and elastic-plastic analyses are presented. The present numerical results show good agreement with experimental and other numerical results.