cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Psychological disturbance alters thymic and adrenal hormone secretion in a parallel but independent manner

Thymosin-alpha 1 (thymosin alpha 1) and cortisol levels were evaluated in juvenile squirrel monkeys to investigate the influence of psychological disturbance on thymic and adrenal hormone activity. Hormone levels were assessed in peripheral circulation following removal of monkeys from their social group to establish the time course of thymosin and cortisol alterations. Thymosin alpha 1 was significantly decreased after social separation in association with increased adrenocortical activity, especially during the first day after being housed alone. The temporal pattern suggested that both hormone systems are involved in the acute inhibition of functional immunity observed following this type of psychological disturbance. A second study verified that the decrement in thymosin alpha 1 levels was replicable and also sensitive to psychosocial factors that influence the level of induced disturbance. In addition, changes in thymosin secretion could be attenuated partially by pharmacological inhibition of the cortisol response and opiate hormone action. Nevertheless, the decrease in thymosin alpha 1 secretion did not appear to be a secondary consequence of adrenocortical secretion, and instead probably emanates from a general shift in neuroendocrine activity.
Wideband microwave/millimeter-wave solid-state amplifiers

Rapid strides have been made in recent years in the design and development of ultra-wideband solid-state amplifiers. A variety of design approaches based on GaAs FET and silicon bipolar technologies have been proposed. These include, among others, balanced amplifiers with couplers, reactive and resistive gain compensated circuits, feedback amplifiers, and traveling wave or distributed amplifiers . . . Panelists will discuss the attributes of these various design approaches and technologies, with respect to electrical performance, compatibility with the hybrid and monolithic approaches, cost, applicability to military, commercial and consumer markets, among others.
Nonequilibrium phonon effects on the time-dependent relaxation of hot carriers in GaAs MQW

Abstract The existence of a large population of nonequilibrium (hot) phonons after an initial rapid carrier cooling in an undoped multiple GaAs quantum well structure excited by 500fs laser pulses is experimentally verified. An effective carrier depletion time is determined to be as short as 10ps. A mechanism which leads to such a short carrier depletion time is associated with hot phonon enhanced phonon-replica-emission.
Nonrandom expression of lactate dehydrogenase isozymes in the lizard family Xantusiidae

Abstract A preliminary study of allozyme evolution in the lizard family Xantusiidae revealed the complete absence of expression of the A 1 B 3 lactate dehydrogenase heterotetramer isozyme in both muscle and liver tissue in 17 taxa surveyed. The four-banded LDH pattern resulting from this loss is postulated te be a derived (synapomorphic) character state for the entire family, perhaps shared with the Scincidae. Additional derived character states were observed to have evolved in parallel in several lineages within the Xantusiidae. Loss of the A 3 B 1 asymmetrical heterotetramer appears to have occurred a minimum of four times, and one species, Lepidophyma tuxtlae , also appears to have lost the B 4 homotetramer, having only a two-banded LDH isozyme pattern (A 4 and A 2 B 2 ).
Caenorhabditis elegans glutamate transporter deletion induces AMPA-receptor/adenylyl cyclase 9-dependent excitotoxicity.

In stroke and several neurodegenerative diseases, malfunction of glutamate (Glu) transporters causes Glu accumulation and triggers excitotoxicity. Many details on the cascade of events in the neurodegenerative process remain unclear. As molecular components of glutamatergic synapses are assembled in Caenorhabditis elegans and as many fundamental cellular processes are conserved from nematodes to humans, we studied Glu-induced necrosis in C. elegans and probed its genetic requirements. We combined Δglt-3, a Glu transporter-null mutation, with expression of a constitutively active form of the alpha subunit of the G protein Gs. While neither Δglt-3 nor expression of the constitutively active form of the alpha subunit of the G protein Gs is severely toxic to C. elegans head interneurons, their combination induces extensive neurodegeneration. Δglt-3-dependent neurodegeneration acts through Ca2+-permeable Glu receptors of the α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) subtype, requires calreticulin function, and is modulated by calcineurin and type-9 adenylyl cyclase (AC9). We further show that mammalian AC9 hyperactivates mammalian AMPA-receptors (AMPA-Rs) in a Xenopus oocyte expression system, supporting that the relationship between AMPA-Rs hyperactivation and AC9 might be conserved between nematodes and mammals. AMPA-Rs–AC9 synergism is thus critical for nematode excitotoxicity and could potentially be involved in some forms of mammalian neurodegeneration.
Response of codling moth (Lepidoptera : tortricidae) to high temperature, a potential quarantine treatment for exported commodities

Response of codling moth, Cydia pomonella (L.). eggs and first through fifth instars to each 1.0°C increase in temperature from 45.0 to 51.0°C was directly related to a lower LT50 and less time to cause 100% mortality for each life stage. An increase in temperature caused a decrease in the minimum exposure time needed to prevent adult emergence from treated immatures. Exposure of either the female or male to 44.0 or 45.0°C for 20 min in the fourth or fifth instar resulted in fewer eggs laid per female and lower egg viability than in the unexposed controls. Exposure of the male had a greater effect on fecundity than exposure of the female. Viable eggs were laid by pairs in which either the female or male was exposed to 45.0°C for 20 min in the fourth instar. No histological abnormalities were found in the testes of adult male codling moths that had been exposed to 46.0°C for 20 min in the fifth instar.
Future Internet architecture: clean-slate versus evolutionary research

Should researchers focus on designing new network architectures or improving the current Internet?
The buoyancy-driven motion of a train of viscous drops within a cylindrical tube

The buoyancy-driven motion of a train of viscous drops settling or rising along the axis of a vertical cylindrical tube is investigated. Under the assumption of creeping flow, the evolution of the drops is computed numerically using a boundary integral method that employs the axisymmetric periodic Green's function for flow in a cylindrical tube. Given the drop volume and assuming that the viscosity of the drops is equal to that of the suspending fluid, the motion is studied as a function of the radius of the tube, the separation between the drops, and the Bond number. Two classes of drops are considered: compact drops whose effective radius is smaller than the radius of the tube, and elongated drops whose effective radius is larger than the radius of the tube. It is found that compact drops may have a variety of steady shapes including prolate and oblate, dimpled tops, and shapes containing pockets of entrained ambient fluid. When the surface tension is sufficiently small, compact drops become unstable, evolving to prolate rings with elongated tails. The terminal velocity of compact drops is discussed and compared with that predicted by previous asymptotic analyses for spherical drops. Steady elongated drops assume the shape of long axisymmetric fingers consisting of a nearly cylindrical main body and two curved ends. Relationships between the terminal velocity of elongated drops, the gap between the drops and the wall of the tube, and the Bond number are established. The results are discussed with reference to previous analyses and laboratory measurements for inviscid bubbles.
Combining Independent, Weighted P-Values: Achieving Computational Stability by a Systematic Expansion with Controllable Accuracy

Given the expanding availability of scientific data and tools to analyze them, combining different assessments of the same piece of information has become increasingly important for social, biological, and even physical sciences. This task demands, to begin with, a method-independent standard, such as the P-value, that can be used to assess the reliability of a piece of information. Good's formula and Fisher's method combine independent P-values with respectively unequal and equal weights. Both approaches may be regarded as limiting instances of a general case of combining P-values from m groups; P-values within each group are weighted equally, while weight varies by group. When some of the weights become nearly degenerate, as cautioned by Good, numeric instability occurs in computation of the combined P-values. We deal explicitly with this difficulty by deriving a controlled expansion, in powers of differences in inverse weights, that provides both accurate statistics and stable numerics. We illustrate the utility of this systematic approach with a few examples. In addition, we also provide here an alternative derivation for the probability distribution function of the general case and show how the analytic formula obtained reduces to both Good's and Fisher's methods as special cases. A C++ program, which computes the combined P-values with equal numerical stability regardless of whether weights are (nearly) degenerate or not, is available for download at our group website http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/CBBresearch/Yu/downloads/CoinedPValues.html.
Locating farmers’ markets with an incorporation of spatio-temporal variation

Abstract The recent drive among consumers to purchase fresh, healthy and environmentally friendly food has brought about a renewed interest in farmers’ markets. However, ensuring the success of a farmers’ market is not an easy task. Unlike general grocery stores, farmers’ markets often have very limited hours of service and are distributed sparsely in space. Both spatial and temporal constraints that people experience in their daily lives limit their accessibility to a farmers’ market. This research incorporates such constraints in the service provision planning of farmers’ markets. In particular, two models are proposed to select locations and the associated service schedules for a fixed number of farmers’ markets. A case study is conducted in Tucson, Arizona to demonstrate the merits of the new approach.
Posttraumatic stress disorder screening status is associated with increased VA medical and surgical utilization in women

BACKGROUND: Women with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) report poor health, but associations with health care utilization are understudied.
Phenolic fatty-acid esters from the peel of `Gala' apples and their possible role in resistance to superficial scald

Abstract Synthesis and oxidation of α -farnesene are thought to play a central role in development of superficial scald in apple and pear fruits. In particular, oxidation products referred to as conjugated trienes (CTs), which exhibit UV absorbance maxima at 259, 269 and 281 nm, appear to be causally linked to the disorder. Based on the observation that an A 258 nm : A 281 nm ratio ≥2.0 in hexane-dip extracts of apples was closely correlated with scald resistance, it was recently proposed that a CT species with relatively strong A 281 nm induces scald, while a CT with relatively strong A 258 nm does not. It is now known, however, that the CTs produced in apple peel are mainly two isomers with identical UV spectra. Thus, the A 258 nm in apple skin extracts which correlates with a low incidence of scald is likely due to components other than CTs. In a study of scald variability among apple cultivars, it was noted that hexane extracts of the peel from scald-resistant `Gala' fruit exhibited a broad absorbance maximum at 258 nm. The compounds responsible for this UV peak are identified here as a family of phenolic fatty-acid esters. After partial purification, their UV spectrum was shown to have a second maximum at about 206 nm and two small shoulders at about 294 and 305 nm. These features are typical of isoflavonoid spectra. C 18 -HPLC of the intact esters with UV monitoring at 210 and 260 nm revealed at least 20 components. Alkaline methanolysis yielded two main phenolics that were methanol/water-soluble and separable by C 18 -HPLC. The fatty-acid methyl esters produced were mostly even chained and saturated, and four major HPLC peaks yielded methyl esters of 16:0, 18:0, 20:0 and 22:0. Pending verification, this is the first report of isoflavonoid fatty-acid esters in any plant tissue. In light of the antioxidant activity of phenolics, and isoflavonoids in particular, further investigation of a possible role of these compounds in natural resistance to scald is warranted.
Effects of gonadal hormones on the blood composition of white-crowned sparrows.

Serial changes in hematocrit and plasma calcium and cholesterol in response to progesterone, testosterone, and estradiol are described in female white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys gambelii). Progesterone was without effect. Testosterone also had no effects if the daily photoperiod was LD 8:16. However, it reduced the hematocrit of sparrows held on LD 16:8. Estradiol elevated plasma total calcium and free cholesterol and reduced the packed cell volume of the blood on both daily photoperiods. Changes in plasma calcium were directly related to the dose of estradiol, and were more pronounced in sparrows held on the long daily photoperiod. Elevations of plasma free cholesterol were also directly related to the dose of estradiol. Changes in hematocrit were similar in birds on both daily photoperiods. The hematocrit dropped rapidly during the first 6–9 days of estradiol treatment, but slowly thereafter. The three blood variables began to change within 12 hr of estradiol treatment.
Temperature anomaly of the Cd hyperfine field in a trivacancy complex in Ni

The temperature dependence of the Cd hyperfine field in a trivacancy complex in Ni between 25 and300 K is reported. It was found that, unlike the Cd substitutional field in Ni which follows the temperature dependence of the magnetization, the Cd hyperfine field in a trivacancy complex is essentially temperature independent. This temperature anomaly is compared with other temperature anomaly of impurity hyperfine fields in ferromagnetic hosts.
Defence secretion of the black termite, Grallatotermes africanus (Termitidae, Nasutitermitinae)

Abstract The monoterpene and diterpene components of the soldier defence secretion of the nasute termite Grallatotermes africanus (Harris) (Isoptera: Termitidae: Nasutitermitinae) have been identified by microspectrometric methods. The diterpenes possess the tricyclic trinervitane and tetracyclic kempane skeletons commonly found among soldiers of over 20 species of Nasutitermes and Trinervitermes . The composition of the G. africanus defence secretion lends support to the placement of the genus on the Procornitermes-Nasutitermes phyletic branch of the Nasutitermitinae.
Radiation dose-response characteristics of leucocytes in the mouse.

In mice, changes in dose in the sublethal range could be detected by means of lymphocyte counts 2 to 4 days after irradiation with an estimated accuracy of 66 rads, but as the dose was increased it soon became impossible to distinguish between doses by means of lymphocyte counts. Changes in dose in the range 0 to LD95 could be detected by granulocyte counts 3 days after irradiation with an estimated accuracy of 145 rads and 4 days after irradiation, 107 rads. Prior injection of endotoxin did not improve the accuracy of dose discrimination 3 days after irradiatlon. Four days after irradiation accuracy was increased in the higher dose range but usefulness of the procedure was limited by the acutely toxic effect of the endotoxin on lethally irradiated mice.
Analysis and implementation of an efficient edge detection algorithm

Edges in grayscale digital imagery are detected by localizing the zero crossings of filtered data. To achieve this objective, truncated time- or frequency-sampled forms (FSFs) of the Laplacian-of-Gaussian (LOG) filter are employed in the transform domain. Samples of the image are transformed using the discrete symmetric cosine transform prior to adaptive filtering and the isolation of zero crossings. This paper evaluates an adaptive blockwise filtering procedure, based on the FSF of the LOG filter, which diminishes the edge localization error, emphasizes the signal-to-noise ratio around the edge, and extends easily to higher dimensions. Theoretical expressions and applications to digital images are presented.
Solving three-dimensional small-rotation motion equations: Uniqueness, algorithms, and numerical results

Abstract In the first part of this paper, a theorem on the uniqueness of the solution to a set of overdetermined nonlinear equations obtained by T. S. Huang and R. Y. Tsai [1] for approximately determining 3-D motion parameters when the rotation angle is small is presented. The main result is that if nine points which are not on a second-order surface passing through the viewing point, are correspondingly selected from two sequential images of a moving object, then the solution of the motion equations can be uniquely determined. In the second part, the practical aspects of solving these overdetermined nonlinear equations are discussed. A modified Newton method for solving nonlinear equations and a modified Levenberg-Marquardt method for solving the nonlinear least-squares problem, which are better than the original Newton and Levenberg-Marquardt methods when applied to the problem of motion estimation, are proposed. The effects on convergence and solution accuracy of the number of corresponding image point pairs, the geometrical configuration of the points in object space, the distance of the object from the image plane, the initial guess solution, and image resolution are also studied experimentally.
Harmonics of langmuir waves in the Earth's foreshock

[1] Accurate measurements of the harmonics of foreshock Langmuir waves have been made with the S/WAVES experiment on STEREO. The amplitude of the harmonics relative to the fundamental is quite small, on the order of 1%. This ratio varies widely, showing that it cannot be due to nonlinearities either in the circuit or in the antenna sheath, as these effects would be expected to produce amplitudes which are definite functions of the fundamental amplitude. Neither are the observed harmonics due to an intrinsic nonlinearity of Langmuir waves. Trapping of electrons in the Langmuir wave potentials seems to be what is happening. The waveforms are shown to be consistent with this interpretation. As there is no reason to expect that a propagating Langmuir wave would trap electrons, it appears that they are probably trapped as the Langmuir wave grows. The harmonics may give some indication of the age of the Langmuir waves, therefore.
Bridging Divides and Breaking Homes: Young Women's Lifecycle Labour Mobility as a Family Managerial Strategy

This article highlights the case of a rural north-east Chinese village where youth labour mobility is a marriage strategy deployed by parents and engaged in by young people given constraints on education and income in the countryside. While some rural mothers and their daughters do make the fairytale of “marrying-up” into an urban household come true, for most rural young women migrants the self-oriented consumption that they are encouraged to pursue free of rural domestic responsibilities sets them up for heartbreak when they are brought back for a rural marriage. As long as rural households are left to rely on the “insurance” of land and a younger generation to work it and provide labour of domestic subsistence, they will pull sons (and wives for them) back to the countryside, and try to marry daughters to urban households to expand their network of security. This new twist on an old managerial strategy sets up a tragic conflict: young men are encouraged to return to the countryside, while young women are pushed to provide a “uniting bridge” into the city and, when they fail, are brought back to the countryside for marriage. If the experiences of families in Huangbaiyu village are not an anomaly but signal a broader trend, a generation of returnee young women who are frustrated and angry in rural marriages and abandon their husbands and parents-in-law will dramatically influence the future of China's development.
The CFTR advantage--capitalizing on a quirk of fate.

Protection against enteric pathogens may partly explain the proposed heterozygote advantage of cystic fibrosis mutations in certain populations.
Some counterexamples in multidimensional scaling

Given a set X with elements x, y,… which has a partial order < on the pairs of the Cartesian product X2, one may seek a distance function ϱ on such pairs (x, y) which satisfies ϱ(x1, y1) < ϱ(x2, y2) precisely when (x1, y1) < (x2, y2), and even demand a metric space (X, ϱ) with some such compatible ϱ which has an isometric imbedding into a finite-dimensional Euclidean space or a separable Hilbert space. We exhibit here systems (X, <) which cannot meet the latter demand. The space of real m-tuples (ξ1,…,ξm) with either the “city-block” norm Σi ∥ξi∥ or the “dominance” norm maxi, ∥ξi∥ cannot possibly become a subset of any finite-dimensional Euclidean space. The set of real sequences (ξ1, ξ2,…) with finitely many nonzero elements and the supremum norm supi, ∥ξi∥ cannot even become a subset of any separable Hilbert space.
Contact Model of Two Rough Surfaces Based on a Visco-Elasto-Adhesive Interaction

Mathematical formulae are derived for normal contact force component between two nominally flat rough surfaces. The development of the contact model is based on the asperity level interaction in which adhesive forces between two asperities as well as elastic and rate-dependent forces are included. Statistical consideration of rough surfaces yields the mathematical formulation of total normal force due to adhesion, elastic and rate-dependent properties of the surfaces in contact.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Water molecule adsorption on protonated dipeptides.

Equilibrium constants for the adsorption of the first water molecule on six protonated dipeptides (Gly−Gly+H+, Gly−Ala+H+, Ala−Gly+H+, Ala−Ala+H+, Pro−Gly+H+, and Gly−Trp+H+) have been measured as a function of temperature, and ΔH° and ΔS° determined. Density functional theory calculations were performed for both the unsolvated peptides and the peptide water complexes at the B3LYP/6-311++G** level. MP2/6-311++G** calculations were also carried out for Gly/Ala peptides. The calculations suggest that adsorption of a water molecule by these simple dipeptides is a complex process, both the unsolvated peptide and the peptide−water complexes have multiple conformations with similar free energies. Average ΔH° and ΔS° values derived from the calculations are in reasonable agreement with the experimental results. According to the calculations, the dominant water adsorption process involves a significant conformational change to accommodate a bridging water molecule. ΔH° is diminished for Pro−Gly+H+ mainly because ...
Fisherman and Fish Pond: From the Sea of Sin to the Living Waters

Our understanding of fish and fishing images in Early Christian art is complicated by patristic writers who have given contradictory interpretations of the waters as both the “sea of sin” and “living water.” In this article the implications of this paradoxical interpretation are explored, and a new group of marine scenes, which are here designated “fish ponds,” are seen as images of “living water.”
Intrathymic and extrathymic clonal deletion of T cells

Clonal elimination accounts for self-tolerance induction in the thymus and also affects mature T cells responding to exogenous antigens in the periphery. Recent evidence on the microenvironments, cell-cell interactions and signalling requirements for clonal deletion of immature and mature T cells is discussed.
Learning about Learning Communities: Consider the Variables:

Learning communities come in many forms. Indiana University's Gary Pike shares four research-based lessons to guide the assessment of all of them.
Complementarity between the finite capacity and finite source queuing systems

Abstract We show that a finite source queuing system is a complement to a multiple-server Erlang loss system insofar as the system size is concerned. We demonstrate that some key results on these two models derived in the literature using direct methods are a trivial consequence of this relationship. We also derive some new results. We relate the mean system size, mean system wait, server utilization and mean busy periods for these two systems.
Co-assembling peptides as defined matrices for endothelial cells

Self-assembling peptides and peptide derivatives bearing cell-binding ligands are increasingly being investigated as defined cell culture matrices and as scaffolds for regenerative medicine. In order to systematically refine such scaffolds to elicit specific desired cell behaviors, ligand display should ideally be achieved without inadvertently altering other physicochemical properties such as viscoelasticity. Moreover, for in vivo applications, self-assembled biomaterials must exhibit low immunogenicity. In the present study, multi-peptide co-assembling hydrogels based on the beta-sheet fibrillizing peptide Q11 (QQKFQFQFEQQ) were designed such that they presented RGDS or IKVAV ligands on their fibril surfaces. In co-assemblies of the ligand-bearing peptides with Q11, ligand incorporation levels capable of influencing the attachment, spreading, morphology, and growth of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) did not significantly alter the materials' fibrillization, beta-turn secondary structure, or stiffness. RGDS-Q11 specifically increased HUVEC attachment, spreading, and growth when co-assembled into Q11 gels, whereas IKVAV-Q11 exerted a more subtle influence on attachment and morphology. Additionally, Q11 and RGDS-Q11 were minimally immunogenic in mice, making Q11-based biomaterials attractive candidates for further investigation as defined, modular extracellular matrices for applications in vitro and in vivo.
Combination hyperthermia and radiation therapy for cutaneous malignant melanoma

The clinical studies were carried out to evaluate whether radiation combined with hyperthermia would evoke better local tumor control than that achieved with radiation alone. Using an inductive method of radiofrequency heating at 27.12 MHz and radiation therapy, 37 lesions in 14 patients were treated with heat alone, radiation alone and heat in combination with radiation. In patients who completed the planned course of the combined therapy with an adequate follow-up period of more than six months, 16 out of 18 lesions (in 9 patients) had a complete response, whereas only 1 out of 8 lesions (in 5 patients) had a permanent regression after radiation alone. The amount of radiation dose necessary to achieve a satisfactory tumor control in combination with radiofrequency heating has been 3000 rad (300 rad X 10 in 4 weeks) to 3200 rad (400 rad X 8 in 4 weeks). Importance of the temperature measurements of both tumor and the adjacent normal tissue is discussed.
Dynamic Flow Response Due to Motion of Partial-Span Gurney-Type Flaps

Uninhabited air vehicles are commonly designed with high-aspect-ratio wings, which can be susceptible to significant aeroelastic vibrations. These oscillations can result in a loss of control or structural failure, and new techniques are necessary to alleviate them. A multidisciplinary effort at Stanford developed a distributed flow control method that used small trailing-edge actuators, known as micro-trailing-edge effectors (MiTEs) to alter the aerodynamic loads at specific spanwise locations along an airplane wing. The actuators were based on a Gurney flap, which is a trailing-edge flap of small size and large deflection, allowing an increase in lift with a small drag penalty. The transient response caused by relatively rapid MiTE actuation was studied using particle image velocimetry in the near wake. The transient response was quasi-steady for dimensionless actuation times (tU∞/c) near unity. A shorter dimensionless actuation time of 0.2 produced a transient response with significant overshoot of the downwash velocity in the near wake. This indicated a nonmonotonic response of the aerodynamic loads for rapid actuation.
Asymmetric Cell Division: A New Way to Divide Unequally

It has long been known that cells can divide unequally by shifting the mitotic spindle to one side. Two recent reports identify an alternative way to generate daughter cells of different sizes.
Decision making: From sensory evidence to a motor command

New insight into how the brain makes a decision has come from a study of the effects of the decision-making process on an eye movement evoked by electrical stimulation of the frontal cortex. The accumulation of sensory evidence was found to cause a gradual commitment toward a choice.
Teratogenic effects of implanting fibroblast growth factor-2-soaked beads in the cardiac region of the stage 24 chick embryo

The identification of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), and other family members, in a variety of embryonic tissue extracts has implicated these growth factors as participants in many embryonic events, including cardiogenesis. The present study was conducted in an attempt to characterize the effects of exogenous FGF-2 on the development of the avian heart. Heparin acrylic beads, each soaked in 100 micrograms/ml FGF-2, were applied to the Hamburger and Hamilton [(1951) J. Morphol. 88:49-92] stage 24 (day 4 of incubation) chick heart, near the primitive ventricle. The embryos were allowed to develop until stage 41 (day 15), at which time they were observed for the presence of gross external and internal anomalies. Crown rump length (CRL), wet weight (WW), and various heart measurements were obtained and compared. The survival rate of the control group was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that for the experimental group and the anomaly rate for the control group was significantly lower (P < 0.01) than that for the experimental group. The experimental group exhibited a wide range of anomalies, most of which were cardiac in nature; however, anomalies of the ventral thoracoabdominal wall were also noted. Our data suggest that application of exogenous FGF-2 has teratogenic effects on cardiac development as well as on the development of the ventral body wall of the avian embryo.
Hartree-Fock electron distribution of cubic BN

Abstract The self-consistent crystalline Hartree-Fook X-ray structure factors and directional Compton profiles in the impulse approximation are given for cubic boron nitride. The first four structure factors agree within experimental error with the measurements of R. J. Weiss. The calculated Compton profiles are tabulated for the 100, 110, 111, 112 and 221 directions. The calculated profiles are several per cent above ‘the experimental profiles for small momentum transfer. The spread due to directional dependence is 5% at zero momentum transfer.
The decision-making process of choosing a treatment for patients with civilian trauma-related PTSD

This article reviews the assessment and treatment of patients with civilian trauma-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and presents a decision-making process for choosing treatment components that best meet each patient's needs, based on C. M. Nezu and Nezu's (1995) problem-solving model. Areas of importance for assessment include thorough trauma history, PTSD symptomatology, level of behavioral avoidance, comorbid disorders, coping skills, and distorted cognitions. Instruments available for assessment of these areas are reviewed. Three cognitive behavioral treatments for PTSD are presented: stress inoculation training, prolonged exposure, and cognitive processing therapy. Multiple channel exposure therapy, a treatment that combines PTSD and panic control treatment, is also briefly presented. As there are currently very few empirical studies that have investigated matching clients' problems to treatments, particularly with regard to treatment of PTSD, the decision-making process of choosing treatment components from these treatments is discussed.
'Hot' and 'cold' lesions detected by gallium-67 scintigraphy in a pyogenic liver abscess.

Most pyogenic liver abscesses appear to be ‘not’ in a 67Ga-citrate study; rarely, a ‘warm’ or ‘cold’ area may also be seen. We present a patient with a pyogenic liver abscess that had both ‘cold’ and ‘hot’ areas in the 67Ga-citrate study. This striking finding is probably related to the different stages of evolution of the abscess.
Cell signaling by endocannabinoids and their congeners: questions of selectivity and other challenges

The major endocannabinoids, anandamide (N-arachidonoylethanolamide, 20:4n-6 N-acylethanolamine) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are structurally and functionally similar, but they are produced by different metabolic pathways and their levels must therefore be regulated by different mechanisms. Both endocannabinoids are accompanied by cannabinoid receptor-inactive, saturated and mono- or di-unsaturated congeners which can influence their metabolism and function. Here we review published data on the presence and production of anandamide and 2-AG and their congeners in mammalian cells and discuss this information in terms of their proposed signaling functions.
The science of conjecture: Evidence and probability before pascal

Feel like writing a review for The Mathematical Intelligencer? You are welcome to submit an unsolicited review of a book of your choice; or, if you would welcome being assigned a book to review, please write us, telling us your expertise and your predilections.
Poled polymer thin film gratings studied by near-field second harmonic optical microscopy and far-field optical diffraction

Electrical poling induces polar ordering of molecules in a grating that has been holographically inscribed on a thin film of polymer functionalized with azobenzene side chains. Depending on the surface relief amplitude, the resulting χ (2) grating, seen by second harmonic generation (SHG) near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM), can have a periodic structure significantly different from the topographical image. The far-field linear and SHG diffraction patterns correlate well with the grating structures. Poling of the thin-film grating, which presumably has photo-driven non-uniform material properties within each period, leads to the more complex structure of the χ (2) grating.
Ultrahigh-frame-rate nitric oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence imaging.

We demonstrate the ability to generate ultrahigh frequency burst sequences of deep UV at 226 nm by mixing the optical parametric oscillator signal output at 622 nm with third harmonic at 355 nm from a pulse burst laser system. We obtained 226 nm burst sequences with uniform burst envelopes, and the average pulse energy is ~0.5 mJ. Nitric oxide planar laser-induced fluorescence image sequences at ultrahigh (100 kHz) frame rates have been obtained.
The effect of fiber damage on the longitudinal creep of a CFMMC

Abstract Fiber failures which may exist in a continuous fiber composite before the composite is loaded or generated while the composite is loaded, introduce an additional strain component not included in existing continuous fiber models. Equations are developed which can be used to calculate the magnitude of this additional strain. A Finite Element Model (FEM), in the form of a Representative Volume Element (RVE), calculates the stress field surrounding a fiber break. Statistical analysis is used to infer the behavior of a large composite sample from the stress analysis of a single break. The creep strain, the time to failure, and time-dependent composite strength can all be calculated by combining the FEM results, the statistical analysis model, and knowledge of the initial average fiber length. Important variables included in the calculation are process-related parameters such as the fiber-matrix interface strength and roughness.
Ethical Behavior, Corporate Culture and Financial Services

The objective of this paper is to examine trust as a fundamental principle without which insurance and other financial services will not perform as expected in the future. The culture of the firm providing financial services is also examined especially in light of the effect of mergers and acquisitions on the corporate culture of the neworganization. Finally, a program of four steps is suggested for building ethics in corporate culture.
Application Review of Journey Mapping

Journey Mapping is a unique Internet-driven program evaluation tool supporting both qualitative and quantitative data collection. Successful implementation of the tool requires minimal training. The Journey Mapping website is updated on a regular basis to include new features; all users log on and work with the latest version. Journey Mapping supports collection of program outcome data, as well as data for program refinements. Realizing the full potential and benefits of Journey Mapping may depend on integrating the system with staff job designs and the overall mission of the program.
Synthesis and in Vitro Evaluation of Sulfonamide Isatin Michael Acceptors as Small Molecule Inhibitors of Caspase-6

A key step in the onset of Huntington's disease is the caspase-6 mediated cleavage of the protein huntingtin into toxic fragments. Therefore, the inhibition of caspase-6 has been identified as a target for therapeutic drug development for the treatment of this disease. In this study, a series of isatin sulfonamide Michael acceptors having a high nanomolar potency for inhibiting caspase-6 and increased selectivity for caspase-6 versus caspase-3 inhibition is reported.
Ecological correlates of interindividual distance in the St. Kitts veret (Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus)

Field data were collected on a free ranging population of vervet monkeys (Cercopithecus aethiops sabaeus) on St. Kitts to test four hypotheses relating cover, risk of predation, and food density to interindividual distance. The results indicated that when food was not a factor, interindividual distance was positively related to the amount of cover in the immediate environment, and therefore to risk of predation. When cover was held constant, distance was inversely related to food density. When the minimum distance for optimal foraging was greater than that required for safety, a compromise distance intermediate between the two predicted values was observed. Cover and food density also predicted the inverse relationship found between age-sex class and interindividual distance. Implications of the above in relation to interindividual competition are discussed.
Neutralizing the function of a β-globin–associated cis-regulatory DNA element using an artificial zinc finger DNA-binding domain

Gene expression is primarily regulated by cis-regulatory DNA elements and trans-interacting proteins. Transcription factors bind in a DNA sequence–specific manner and recruit activities that modulate the association and activity of transcription complexes at specific genes. Often, transcription factors belong to families of related proteins that interact with similar DNA sequences. Furthermore, genes are regulated by multiple, sometimes redundant, cis-regulatory elements. Thus, the analysis of the role of a specific DNA regulatory sequence and the interacting proteins in the context of intact cells is challenging. In this study, we designed and functionally characterized an artificial DNA-binding domain that neutralizes the function of a cis-regulatory DNA element associated with adult β-globin gene expression. The zinc finger DNA-binding domain (ZF-DBD), comprising six ZFs, interacted specifically with a CACCC site located 90 bp upstream of the transcription start site (–90 β-ZF-DBD), which is normally occupied by KLF1, a major regulator of adult β-globin gene expression. Stable expression of the –90 β-ZF-DBD in mouse erythroleukemia cells reduced the binding of KLF1 with the β-globin gene, but not with locus control region element HS2, and led to reduced transcription. Transient transgenic embryos expressing the –90 β-ZF-DBD developed normally but revealed reduced expression of the adult β-globin gene. These results demonstrate that artificial DNA-binding proteins lacking effector domains are useful tools for studying and modulating the function of cis-regulatory DNA elements.
Oxidative stress and redox modulation potential in type 1 diabetes

Redox reactions are imperative to preserving cellular metabolism yet must be strictly regulated. Imbalances between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants can initiate oxidative stress, which without proper resolve, can manifest into disease. In type 1 diabetes (T1D), T-cell-mediated autoimmune destruction of pancreatic β-cells is secondary to the primary invasion of macrophages and dendritic cells (DCs) into the islets. Macrophages/DCs, however, are activated by intercellular ROS from resident pancreatic phagocytes and intracellular ROS formed after receptor-ligand interactions via redox-dependent transcription factors such as NF-κB. Activated macrophages/DCs ferry β-cell antigens specifically to pancreatic lymph nodes, where they trigger reactive T cells through synapse formation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines and more ROS. ROS generation, therefore, is pivotal in formulating both innate and adaptive immune responses accountable for islet cell autoimmunity. The importance of ROS/oxidative stress as well as potential for redox modulation in the context of T1D will be discussed.
Multiple phonon overtones in ZnTe

Abstract We have examined resonance Raman scattering from bulk Bridgman-grown ZnTe, under excitation at eight photon energies covering 2.409 – 2.707 eV. Up to the 8th harmonic of the longitudinal optical (LO) phonon peak appeared, due to the outgoing resonance of LO phonons with the fundamental band gap. We compare the observed dependence of the intensity of the harmonics on order number m to a simple formula derived from the basic theory of Raman scattering, which includes a resonant term and a decreasing m −4 term. Polarization data support resonance Raman scattering as the origin of the multiphonon lines.
Hasidic Thought and the Holocaust (1933–1947): Optimism and Activism

Polish hasidic thought during the Holocaust exhibited optimism about the outcome. This was tied in part to the power of the inner point of faith (nekudah penimit) to impact upon the dialectical movement from darkness to light, on both the historical (sin-punishment) and metahistorical (exile-redemption) levels. Exponents of this view included the Admorim (rebbes, hasidic leaders) of Alexander, Bobov, and Gur, and Kalonymus Kalman Shapira (Warsaw). Immediately after the war, other Admorim from these streams continued with their optimism and faith-activism, even though they viewed the Holocaust through the lens of its non-redemptive aftermath. There was also a pessimistic and passive strain, shared by representatives of the Kotsk, Sokhachev, and Sokolov dynasties, in apparent response to the failure of inner faith to affect the catastrophic historical reality.
Numerical Stabilization of the Banded Levinson Algorithm

This paper presents a numerically stable algorithm for solving banded Toeplitz systems of n linear equations. The algorithm is "fast" in that it requires only O(nq) operations, where q is the bandwidth of the matrix. An earlier version of the banded Toeplitz algorithm presented in the literature suffers from numerical instability.
Family Structure and Voter Turnout

We use data from the Voting and Registration Supplement of the Current Population Survey to explore the effects of family structure on turnout in the 2000 presidential election. Our results indicate that family structure, defined as marital status and the presence of children, has substantial consequences for turnout. Married adults are more likely to vote than are those who have never been married; in turn, previously married people are the lightest voters. Children have a smaller but still noteworthy effect on turnout. These results are only partially explained by social and demographic differences.
LOCUS OF BIOCHEMICAL CHANGE IN MICE DYING FROM STAPHYLOCOCCAL INFECTION.

RECENT advances in investigating the mechanism of staphylococcal infection in mice indicate that host carbohydrate metabolism is profoundly involved. When measurements are made in the blood of mice close to death from an intraperitoneal challenge with staphylococci there is a rise in inorganic phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase and transaminase and a fall in sodium. Less definite falls occur in sugar, cholesterol and serum carbon dioxide1. The validity of these findings was further tested by comparing the chemical composition of the carcass at death from intraperitoneal staphylococcal infection with normal controls. A profound fall in glucose with a rise in inorganic phosphorus was found. There was also a fall in total protein and cholesterol and a rise in transaminase2.
Radioactive Indicators, Enteric Coatings and Intestinal Absorption

CERTAIN medicaments cannot be administered orally without either irritating the stomach tissues or becoming destroyed by the gastric juice. To avoid these effects they are given in pills with enteric coatings. Such coatings are supposed to pass the stomach undissolved and to dissolve only in the small intestines.
Sulfur isotope measurement of sulfate and sulfide by high-resolution MC-ICP-MS

Abstract We have developed a technique for the accurate and precise determination of 34S/32S isotope ratios (δ34S) in sulfur-bearing minerals using solution and laser ablation multiple-collector inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS). We have examined and determined rigorous corrections for analytical difficulties such as instrumental mass bias, unresolved isobaric interferences, blanks, and laser ablation- and matrix-induced isotopic fractionation. Use of high resolution sector-field mass spectrometry removes major isobaric interferences from O2+. Standard-sample bracketing is used to correct for the instrumental mass bias of unknown samples. Background on sulfur masses arising from memory effects and residual oxygen-tailing are typically minor (
Recent D-T results on TFTR

Routine tritium operation in TFTR has permitted investigations of alpha particle physics in parameter ranges resembling those of a reactor core. ICRF wave physics in a DT plasma and the influence of isotopic mass on supershot confinement have also been studied. Continued progress has been made in optimizing fusion power production in TFTR, using extended machine capability and Li wall conditioning. Performance is currently limited by MHD stability. A new reversed magnetic shear regime is being investigated with reduced core transport and a higher predicted stability limit.