cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of angiotensin-II intravenous infusion on plasma renin activity and prostaglandins A, E, and F levels in the uterine vein of the pregnant monkey.

Abstract Rhesus monkeys in the third trimester of pregnancy were infused with angiotensin-II in order to determine whether elevated angiotensin levels could stimulate prostaglandin output in uterine venous blood. Acute elevation of systemic blood pressure by angiotensin infusion was associated with a significant increase in the release of prostaglandin E as measured by radioimmunoassay. There were no significant changes in prostaglandins A and F. Plasma renin activity decreased significantly during angiotensin-II infusion. A consistent positive arterial-venous difference could be demonstrated across the pregnant uterus only for prostaglandin E. Intravenous administration of indomethacin was associated with an increase in blood pressure and a fall in the uterine vein levels of E prostaglandin. These findings suggest that prostaglandin E plays a role in the regulation of vascular resistance and possibly blood flow in the utero-placental bed.
Best of the Web in Banking

Abstract The “Best of the Web in Banking” chapter includes sites for banking regulations, professional organizations, and international banking.
Graph-based region growing for mass segmentation in digital mammography

Mass segmentation is a vital step in CAD mass detection and classification. A challenge for mass segmentation in mammograms is that masses may contact with some surrounding tissues, which have the similar intensity. In this paper, a novel graph-based algorithm has been proposed to segment masses in mammograms. In the proposed algorithm, the procedure of region growing is represented as a growing tree whose root is the selected seed. Active leaves, which have the ability to grow, in the connection area between adjacent regions are deleted to stop growing, then separating the adjacent regions while keeping the spiculation of masses, which is a primary sign of malignancy for masses. The new constrained segmentation was tested with 20 cases in USF moffitt mammography database against the conventional region growing algorithm. The segmented mass regions were evaluated in terms of the overlap area with annotations made by the radiologist. We found that the new graph-based segmentation more closely match radiologists' outlines of these masses.
Pseudocoarctation of the Aorta: A Variant or an Entity?

Four patients with pseudocoarctation of the aorta are presented. Two patients had congestive heart failure due to associated aortic stenosis and insufficiency. Cardiac catheterization and angiography confirmed the diagnosis and depicted other associated congenital anomalies. One patient had an aortic valve replacement but died of complications arising from pseudocoarctation. The pseudocoarctation was resected in the second patient on partial cardiopulmonary bypass and no further aortic valvular surgery was necessary. Two patients were asymptomatic, had retrograde aortography and required no further treatment. Based on our clinical and pathologic material, pseudocoarctation seems to be a variant of coarctation. The incidence of associated congenital defects is frequent and similar to coarctation of the aorta.
Light transmissivity, suspended sediments and the legal definition of turbidity

Abstract Evaluation of current methods of measuring turbidity in estuaries indicates a need to calibrate rapid, in situ optical measurements of beam transmittance with the units specified in water quality standards and with quantitative and qualitative data on the composition of suspended matter. Our results include curves relating per cent light transmission to Formazin Turbidity Units and the concentrations of monotnineralic suspensions of Ca-montmorillonite and kaolinite. Beam attenuation coefficients calculated from transmissivity measurements vary linearly with concentrations (mg/l) of suspended clay particles measured in the laboratory. Field measurements of total suspended load ( C in mg/l) and attenuation coefficients (α) in a west Florida estuary plot between the extremes defined by these laboratory data on two clay minerals. The relationship C ∼- 3·3 α determined for the Anclote estuary in August 1971, is compared with the results of previous studies. Such comparisons may be appropriate in restricted geographic areas or during certain seasons but the multitude of factors influencing natural turbidity measurements indicates the futility of searching for a universal equation applicable outside the laboratory. Instead of trying to apply instruments developed for optical oceanographers and geologists to the basically biological problems of estuarine turbidity variations, we recommend a long-term effort to determine the light and siltation tolerances of the organisms we are trying to protect. Field and laboratory measurements of light received or silt deposited, rather than tenuously related parameters, should determine the appropriateness of existing arbitrary water quality standards.
Carbon-13 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra ofp-aminobenzoic acid oligomers: Range dependence of additive substituent effects

Abstract Analysis of13C chemical shifts ofp-aminobenzoic acid oligomers indicates that13C NMR additivity rules of 1,4-phenylene derivatives are distorted by interaction among substituents. These interactions are sharply attenuated, and additivity rules become more exact, as the substituents are placed farther apart. Additivity deviation terms of amino-substituted monomeric and dimeric series are correlated with corresponding terms of analogous nitro-substituted series.
Ganymede: a relationship between thermal history and crater statistics.

An approach for factoring the effects of a planetary thermal history into a predicted set of crater statistics for an icy satellite is developed and forms the basis for subsequent data inversion studies. The key parameter is a thermal evolution-dependent critical time for which craters of a particular size forming earlier do not contribute to present-day statistics. An example is given for the satellite Ganymede and the effect of the thermal history is easily seen in the resulting predicted crater statistics. A preliminary comparison with the data, subject to the uncertainties in ice rheology and impact flux history, suggests a surface age of 3.8 x 10 to the 9th years and a radionuclide abundance of 0.3 times the chondritic value.
Temperature-dependent growth morphology of a semiconductor-metal interface: Ge/Ta(110).

The Ge/Ta(110) interface is studied as a function of Ge coverage and temperature (25\ensuremath{\le}T\ensuremath{\le}980 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C) using synchrotron-radiation photoemission and low-energy-electron diffraction (LEED). Valence-band and core-level results indicate that no intermixing of the Ta or Ge atoms occurs across the interface at room temperature but that Ge/Ta interface states are formed. Comparison of the photoemission data with LEED results suggests that the low-coverage chemisorbed configuration evolves with coverage into a highly disordered Ge overlayer. Heating induces formation of a reacted overlayer with average composition ${\mathrm{TaGe}}_{2}$. However, the initial reactive interdiffusion occurs at lower temperatures than those reported for the formation of bulk tantalum germanides. A model is presented for the morphology of the reacted layer.
Abnormal grain growth in textured FeAl intermetallics

Abstract Abnormal grain growth has been observed in powder processed, hot extruded, B2 FeAl alloys which display significant wire textures. This study uses X-ray inverse pole figures and electron backscatter diffraction patterns to examine the relationship between the texture and this abnormal grain growth. Texture analysis has been performed on samples heat treated at various temperatures both above and below the critical temperature for abnormal grain growth initiation. The powder processed samples initially have a strong «111a wire texture which is generally retained after heat treatments of up to 1000 °C. At heat treatments of 1050 °C and higher this texture disappears and instances of abnormal grain growth are observed. In contrast to the powder alloys, abnormal grain growth has not been observed in cast and extruded FeAl alloys. Backscattered Kikuchi patterns have been used to determine the micro-texture of the alloys so that the relationship between the initial wire texture and the abnormal grain growth may be examined. The results of the texture and micro-texture analysis are discussed in light of current theoretical models for grain growth.
Loop Counterterms and Vertices in Closed String Field Theory

Starting with the classical nonpolynomial closed string field theory, the quantum action is constructed by subtracting counterterms which cancel the overcounting of moduli space, and by adding loop vertices in such a way that no possible surfaces are missed. A counterterm that gives the correct one-string one-loop amplitude is constructed. The lowest order loop vertices are analyzed in the cases of genus one and two.
Acute lung injury after thoracic surgery

In this review, the authors discussed criteria for diagnosing ALI; incidence, etiology, preoperative risk factors, intraoperative management, risk-reduction strategies, treatment, and prognosis. The anesthesiologist needs to maintain an index of suspicion for ALI in the perioperative period of thoracic surgery, particularly after lung resection on the right side. Acute hypoxemia, imaging analysis for diffuse infiltrates, and detecting a noncardiogenic origin for pulmonary edema are important hallmarks of acute lung injury. Conservative intraoperative fluid administration of neutral to slightly negative fluid balance over the postoperative first week can reduce the number of ventilator days. Fluid management may be optimized with the assistance of new imaging techniques, and the anesthesiologist should monitor for transfusion-related lung injuries. Small tidal volumes of 6 mL/kg and low plateau pressures of < or =30 cmH2O may reduce organ and systemic failure. PEEP may improve oxygenation and increases organ failure-free days but has not shown a mortality benefit. The optimal mode of ventilation has not been shown in perioperative studies. Permissive hypercapnia may be needed in order to reduce lung injury from positive-pressure ventilation. NO is not recommended as a treatment. Strategies such as bronchodilation, smoking cessation, steroids, and recruitment maneuvers are unproven to benefit mortality although symptomatically they often have been shown to help ALI patients. Further studies to isolate biomarkers active in the acute setting of lung injury and pharmacologic agents to inhibit inflammatory intermediates may help improve management of this complex disease.
Regulation of aquaporin water permeability in the lens.

PURPOSE. To examine Ca 2+ - and pH-mediated regulation of water permeability of endogenously expressed aquaporin (AQP)0 in lens fiber cells and AQP1 in lens epithelial cells. METHODS. Large, right-side-out membrane vesicles were formed from freshly isolated groups of lens fiber cells. Osmotic shrinking or swelling of these vesicles was used to determine the water permeability of endogenously expressed AQP0. The results were compared with those in similar studies of freshly isolated lens epithelial cells, which endogenously expressed AQP1, and of oocytes, which exogenously expressed AQP0. RESULTS. In the lens or in oocytes, decreasing external pH from 7.5 to 6.5 caused a two- to fourfold increase in the water permeability of mammalian AQP0. Several lines of evidence suggest that this effect is mediated by the binding of H + to a histidine in the first extracellular loop (His40). Lens AQP1 lacks His40 and also lacks pH sensitivity. Increasing Ca 2+ caused a two- to fourfold increase in the water permeability of endogenous AQP0. The Ca 2+ effect on mouse AQP0 was a 2.5-fold increase in the lens, whereas in oocytes, it was a 4-fold decrease. In either environment, the effect was mediated through calmodulin, most likely through its binding to the proximal domain of the C terminus. Lens AQP1 does not have a similar domain and does not have calcium sensitivity. CONCLUSIONS. In either the lens or oocytes, Ca 2+ and H + appear to affect the same mechanism, probably either the open probability of the water channel, or open-channel permeability. The difference between calcium's effects in lens versus oocytes was remarkable and is not understood. However, in the lens, Ca 2+ and H + are both increased in inner fiber cells, and so in the physiologically relevant environment, both may act to increase the water permeability of AQP0.
Shutters: a permeable surface for environmental control and communication

Surfaces capable of modulating permeability have long been used in architecture for environmental control, but have remained largely unexplored as information displays. The advent of new shape changing materials and construction techniques promises to change this. In this paper, we describe Shutters: a curtain composed of actuated louvers that can be individually addressed for precise control of ventilation, daylight incidence and information display. We discuss related work, the underlying design principles behind Shutters, engineering details and application scenarios in architecture and fashion. We conclude with a comparative visual study for the use of permeability in kinetic and shadow displays and provide directions for future work.
An Assessment of the Impact of Size Limit and Exploitation Rate Changes on Egg Production in a Newfoundland Lobster Population

Abstract The impact of size limit and exploitation rate changes in the American lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery at Arnold's Cove, Newfoundland on egg production in the population was assessed. An increase in minimum legal size from 81 to 89 mm carapace length at the current exploitation rate of around 80% would result in a 144% increase in eggs produced per female recruit; at the present size limit, a reduction in exploitation rate to 60% would result in a 90% increase. Together, both changes would result in a 270% increase in eggs produced per recruit. About 49% of the eggs are produced by pre-recruit animals under existing conditions in this fishery. The discussion focuses on stock-recruitment in lobsters and whether or not increased egg production in a population will result in increased recruitment.
Kinetics of surface area changes in glasslike carbon: reanalysis of the data

Previous small-angle scattering measurements of the kinetics of changes of the surface area of pores in an annealed glasslike carbon have been reanalyzed in terms of the Lifschitz, Slyozov, and Wagner coarsening theory in which the surface area is used to obtain an average spherical pore size. When the data are corrected for the transient heat-up time to reach the annealing temperature, the reanalysis leads to an activation energy of 75 +- 7.2 kcal/mol, in agreement with recent results (75 +- 3.6 kcal/mol) obtained using direct measurements of changes in pore size as determined by the pore radius of gyration. The best value for the activation energy for vacancy migration in carbon is therefore estimated at 75 +- 3.2 kcal/mol.
WILLARD E. GOODWIN: EDUCATOR, INNOVATOR AND PIONEER

Willard E. Goodwin was born to Willard and Olive (Belt) Goodwin on July 24, 1915 in Los Angeles, California and died on July 22, 1998, just 2 days short of his 83rd birthday (fig. 1). Willard and his younger brother by 8 years, Donald A. Goodwin, grew up in La Canada, California, an area just outside of Pasadena in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains, where their nearest neighbors were nearly 1 mile away. Lacking neighborhood playmates, Goodwin developed a passion for the outdoors and books. Both interests were encouraged by his father, an avid outdoorsman and employee at Fowler Brothers Book (one of the earliest bookstores west of the Mississippi), and his mother, a collector of books. Goodwin started schooling in a 2 room school house in La Canada. He finished at the top of his class and entered John Muir Technical High School in La Canada in 1929. Goodwin’s mother was the elder sister of Dr. Elmer Belt, a distinguished urologist who later became a founder of the University of California-Los Angeles (UCLA) Medical School. Willard and Donald were heavily influenced by their uncle and it was this close relationship that led them to medicine and urology. Goodwin often said later in life that he knew he wanted to become a urologist since eighth grade. In high school Goodwin was active in the drama club, sports and Boy Scouts. He graduated in 1933 as valedictorian and student body president, and delivered his valedictory address on the virtues of world peace at the Rose Bowl. Since private university was beyond the family means, Goodwin chose the University of California at Berkeley for his undergraduate education.
Coupling Errors in Ground Vehicle Communication Systems

Communication systems for high-speed ground vehicles which employ coupled surface waveguides are considered in this paper. We determine communication errors resulting from AM and FM transmission for the coupling configuration of two randomly separated Goubau lines as a function of the various system parameters. Results are given which indicate that filtering of the transmitted and received signals leads to enhanced communications.
A molecular filter based velocimetry technique for high speed flows

A molecular absorption filter-based diagnostic technique has been developed to obtain instantaneous, planar velocity measurements in high speed flows. This paper presents the details of the technique and its application in high Reynolds number compressible mixing layers with convective Mach numbers of 0.51 and 0.86. Pressure broadening was used to “tune” the absorption profile of the filter to a given flow field/optical arrangement. It is shown that two filters can be used when background scattering is significant: one as the velocity-discriminating filter, the other to eliminate unwanted background light from the reference camera. Collected images show instantaneous variations in velocity within both the highly organized roller type structures of the M c = 0.51 mixing layer and the unorganized structures found in both mixing layers. An uncertainty analysis showed that the measurement uncertainty was ±8.6% for the current measurements, but improvements to reduce the uncertainty to ±3% are suggested.
Phytoplankton Abundance and Diversity During the Late Devonian and Early Mississippian of Ohio: ABSTRACT

The Upper Devonian Chagrin and Cleveland Shales contain a diverse and abundant organic-walled microplankton assemblage of acritarchs and leiospheres with associated spores, whereas the Lower Mississippian Bedford Shale phytoplankton assemblage is greatly reduced. Ten-gram samples were examined at intervals of 10 ft or less for the entire 573 cores through the 3 formations, to determine microplankton abundance and diversity. In these samples, spores are the most abundant element, followed by leiospheres and then acritarchs. More than 50 species of acritarchs and leiospheres, mostly new, have been identified in 62 samples of the Upper Devonian section, whereas one Gorgonosphaeridium species occurs abundantly in all Upper Devonian samples and is present in most Lower Mississippian samples. General acritarch diversity decreases slightly up-section in the Chagrin Shale, and increases slightly in the basal Cleveland Shale; the decrease is more marked in the upper Cleveland Shale, and is most notable in the Bedford Shale. Acritarch abundance also lessens up-section through the Upper Devonian formations, with minima in the upper fourth of the Chagrin Shale and the upper half of the Cleveland Shale. Acritarchs are very scarce in the Bedford Shale. As total phytoplankton abundance shows a marked decrease up-section, from the middle of the Chagrin Shale to the top of the Bedford Shale, a drop in net primary productivity is indicated for the Late Devonian and Early Mississippian of Ohio. End_of_Article - Last_Page 812------------
Three-photon interference spectra in four-level atomic systems

We have considered the interference spectra that occur at the three-photon generated frequency arising from the interaction of three laser fields with a four-level atom, where two of the laser fields are on two-photon resonance with the three levels forming a “λ” scheme while the third laser operates between the second ground and the second excited state of the atom. At low intensities of all three laser fields, the overall intensity of the peak at the three-photon generated frequency, describing the spectrum of an electron in the second excited state, depends on the strength of the combined field of the two laser fields that are on two-photon resonance and it takes negative values. This indicates that light amplification without population inversion is likely to occur at the three-photon generated frequency. The combined field of the three laser fields induces multiphoton excitations near the three-photon generated frequency, whose peaks are characterized by linewidths which are much less than the natural linewidths of the atoms. These excitations describe absorption or stimulating emission processes depending on the values of the detunings of the laser fields. The derived results are graphically presented and discussed.
Milk Fat-Globule Membrane as Possible Origin of Proteose-Peptone Glycoproteins,

Abstract Affinity chromatography on a Concanavalin A-Sepharose support was used to isolate glycoprotein fractions from proteose-peptone and the soluble protein of the milk fat-globule membrane. The proteose-peptone glycoprotein was shown by compositional and electrophoretic analyses to consist principally of component 3. Immuno-double diffusion experiments indicated at least one antigenetically similar component in the proteosepeptone glycoprotein and the soluble protein of milk fat globule membrane glycoprotein fraction-1. Electrophoretic comparison (sodium dodecyl sulfate – polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) of these two glycoprotein fractions revealed four protein zones common to both fractions with apparent molecular weights of 18,000 to 21,000, 24,800, 28,200, and 32,200. Immunological techniques identified the 18,000 to 21,000 molecular weight component as the antigenically common species. The fat globule membrane as a possible source of proteose-peptone component 3 is considered.
Young children's reasoning about beliefs

Abstract We present three investigations of children's early understanding of belief, that is, their knowledge of such internal mental attitudes as thinking, knowing, and guessing. The findings demonstrate that even quite young children, 3-year-olds, understand beliefs as internal mental states separate from desires but joined with desires in a larger belief–desire reasoning scheme. Such young children can appropriately predict actions given information as to a character's beliefs and desires, understand that information about beliefs is a necessary addition to information about desires to explain or predict actions, can appropriately infer the presence or absence of belief given information as to a character's seeing or not seeing a relevant situation, and can predict the appropriate emotional reaction to the outcomes of belief–desire caused actions. The results are situated in a larger description of young children's mentalistic naive psychology.
ACE2, a promising therapeutic target for pulmonary hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a chronic lung disease with poor diagnosis and limited therapeutic options. The currently available therapies are ineffective in improving the quality of life and reducing mortality rates. There exists a clear unmet medical need to treat this disease, which necessitates the discovery of novel therapeutic targets/agents for safe and successful therapy. An altered renin–angiotensin system (RAS) has been implicated as a causative factor in the pathogenesis of PAH. Angiotensin II (Ang II), a key effector peptide of the RAS, can exert deleterious effects on the pulmonary vasculature resulting in vasoconstriction, proliferation, and inflammation, all of which contribute to PAH development. Recently, a new member of the RAS, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), was discovered. This enzyme functions as a negative regulator of the angiotensin system by metabolizing Ang II to a putative protective peptide, angiotensin-(1–7). ACE2 is abundantly expressed in the lung tissue and emerging evidence suggests a beneficial role for this enzyme against lung diseases. In this review, we focus on ACE2 in relation to pulmonary hypertension and provide proof of principle for its therapeutic role in PAH.
“We Were Best Friends, But . . . ”: Two Studies of Antipathetic Relationships Emerging From Broken Friendships

Antipathetic relationships and friendships are common during adolescence. One type of antipathetic relationship that has received no empirical attention is one that emerges from a broken friendship. Two studies, a reanalysis of N. A. Card’s previously published data (Study 1) and newly collected data (Study 2), investigated this topic through mixed-methods analysis of emerging adults’ retrospective reports of relationships during high school. Qualitative analyses revealed jealousy, incompatibility, intimacy-rule violations, and aggression as themes in the transformation of friendship to antipathy. Quantitative analyses revealed intimacy-rule violations in the formation; relational aggression, competition, and avoidance during the maintenance; and continued contact following high school as more common for former friends. These findings highlight the dynamic relations between friendship and antipathy.
Ameloblast transcriptome changes from secretory to maturation stages

The purpose of this study was to identify the major molecular components in the secretory and maturation stages of amelogenesis through transcriptome analyses. Ameloblasts (40 sections per age group) were laser micro-dissected from Day 5 (secretory stage) and Days 11-12 (maturation stage) first molars. PolyA+ RNA was isolated from the lysed cells, converted to cDNA, and amplified to generate a cDNA library. DNA sequences were obtained using next generation sequencing and analyzed to identify genes whose expression had increased or decreased at least 1.5-fold in maturation stage relative to secretory stage ameloblasts. Among the 9198 genes that surpassed the quality threshold, 373 showed higher expression in secretory stage, while 614 genes increased in maturation stage ameloblasts. The results were cross-checked against a previously published transcriptome generated from tissues overlying secretory and maturation stage mouse incisor enamel and 34 increasing and 26 decreasing expressers common to the two studies were identified. Expression of F2r, which encodes protease activated receptor 1 (PAR1) that showed 10-fold higher expression during the secretory stage in our transcriptome analysis, was characterized in mouse incisors by immunohistochemistry. PAR1 was detected in secretory, but not maturation stage ameloblasts. We conclude that transcriptome analyses are a good starting point for identifying genes/proteins that are critical for proper dental enamel formation and that PAR1 is specifically expressed by secretory stage ameloblasts.
Tyrosine-1290 of tetanus neurotoxin plays a key role in its binding to gangliosides and functional binding to neurones.

Abstract Tetanus toxin acts by blocking the release of glycine from inhibitory neurones within the spinal cord. An initial stage in the toxin’s action is binding to acceptors on the nerve surface and polysialogangliosides are a component of these acceptor moieties. Using site-directed mutagenesis, we identify tyrosine-1290 of tetanus toxin as a key residue that is involved in ganglioside binding. This residue, which is located at the centre of a shallow pocket on the β-trefoil domain of the tetanus H c fragment, is also shown to play a key role in the functional binding of tetanus toxin to spinal cord neurones leading to the inhibition of neurotransmitter release.
Electrochemical and spectroscopic characterization of the novel charge-transfer ground state in diimine complexes of ytterbocene.

The novel charge-transfer ground state found in alpha,alpha'-diimine adducts of ytterbocene (C(5)Me(5))(2)Yb(L) [L = 2,2'-bipyridine (bpy) and 1,10-phenanthroline (phen)] in which an electron is spontaneously transferred from the f(14) metal center into the lowest unoccupied (pi*) molecular orbital (LUMO) of the diimine ligand to give an f(13)-L(*)(-) ground-state electronic configuration has been characterized by cyclic voltammetry, UV-vis-near-IR electronic absorption, and resonance Raman spectroscopies. The voltammetric data demonstrate that the diimine ligand LUMO is stabilized and the metal f orbital is destabilized by approximately 1.0 V each upon complexation for both bpy and phen adducts. The separation between the ligand-based oxidation wave (L(0/-)) and the metal-based reduction wave (Yb(3+/2+)) in the ytterbocene adducts is 0.79 V for both bpy and phen complexes. The UV-vis-near-IR absorption spectroscopic data for both the neutral adducts and the one-electron-oxidized complexes are consistent with those reported recently, but previously unreported bands in the near-IR have been recorded and assigned to ligand (pi*)-to-metal (f orbital) charge-transfer (LMCT) transitions. These optical electronic excited states are the converse of the ground-state charge-transfer process (e.g., f(13)-L(*-) f(14)-L(0)). These new bands occur at approximately 5000 cm(-1) in both adducts, consistent with predictions from electrochemical data, and the spacings of the resolved vibronic bands in these transitions are consistent with the removal of an electron from the ligand pi* orbital. The unusually large intensity observed in the f --> f intraconfiguration transitions for the neutral phenanthroline adduct is discussed in terms of an intensity-borrowing mechanism involving the low-energy LMCT states. Raman vibrational data clearly reveal resonance enhancement for excitation into the low-lying pi* --> pi* ligand-localized excited states, and comparison of the vibrational energies with those reported for alkali-metal-reduced diimine ligands confirms that the ligands in the adducts are reduced radical anions. Differences in the resonance enhancement pattern for the modes in the bipyridine adduct with excitation into different pi* --> pi* levels illustrate the different nodal structures that exist in the various low-lying pi* orbitals.
Optic glioma associated with Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome

A 6-year-old boy with decreased vision was found to have Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome with an associated glioma involving the intracranial optic nerves, chiasm, and optic tracts. The association of this syndrome with visceral and central nervous system neoplasms is discussed.
Development and flight test of a shape memory alloy actuator flight control system

This paper outlines an investigation using shape memory alloy (SMA) filaments to drive a flight control system with precision control in a real flight environment. An antagonistic SMA actuator was developed with an integrated demodulator circuit from a JR NES 911 subscale UAV actuator. The SMA actuator was installed in the fuselage of a 2m uninhabited aerial vehicle (UAV) and used to control the rudder through slips and coordinated turns. Rudimentary design envelope modeling was performed to verify peak-to-peak throw levels and airload resistance capabilities. The actuator was capable of 20 degrees of positive and negative deflection and was capable of 7.5 in-oz (5.29N-cm) of torque at a bandwidth of 2.8Hz.
Mean and Modal ϵ in the Deaggregation of Probabilistic Ground Motion

An important element of probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis (PSHA) is the incorporation of ground-motion uncertainty from the earthquake sources. The standard normal variate ϵ measures the difference between any specified spectral-acceleration level, or SA, and the estimated median spectral acceleration from each probabilistic source. In this article, mean and modal values of ϵ for a specified SA are defined and computed from all sources considered in the USGS 1996 PSHA maps. Contour maps of ϵ are presented for the conterminous United States for 1-, 0.3-, and 0.2-sec SA and for peak horizontal acceleration, PGA corresponding to a 2% probability of exceedance (PE) in 50 yr, or mean annual rate of exceedance, r , of 0.000404. Mean and modal ϵ exhibit a wide variation geographically for any specified PE. Modal ϵ for the 2% in 50 yr PE exceeds 2 near the most active western California faults, is less than –1 near some less active faults of the western United States (principally in the Basin and Range), and may be less than 0 in areal fault zones of the central and eastern United States (CEUS). This geographic variation is useful for comparing probabilistic ground motions with ground motions from scenario earthquakes on dominating faults, often used in seismic-resistant provisions of building codes. An interactive seismic-hazard deaggregation menu item has been added to the USGS probabilistic seismic-hazard analysis Web site, , allowing visitors to compute mean and modal distance, magnitude, and ϵ corresponding to ground motions having mean return times from 250 to 5000 yr for any site in the United States.
A model of primate visual-motor conditional learning

Observations of behavior and neural activity in premotor cortex of monkeys learning to pair an arbitrary visual stimulus with one of a set of previously learned behaviors are modeled with a network comprising a large number of motor selection columns. Reinforcement learning is used to recognize new visual patterns and acquire the appropriate visual-motor conditions. The architecture employs a distributed representation in which a single pattern is coded by a small subset of columns. A column is initially able to respond to many different inputs; as it learns to trigger a motor program, its responses become more narrowly defined. Each column's output is a set of votes for the various motor programs. The votes for each program are collected by selection units, which drive a winner-take-all circuit to determine whether a particular motor program is executed. The model is successful in reproducing the sequence of behavioral responses given by the subjects, as well as a number of phenomena that have been obser...
Vibrational correlation between conjugated carbonyl and diazo modes studied by single- and dual-frequency two-dimensional infrared spectroscopy

Abstract We have applied infrared three-pulse photon echo and single- and dual-frequency 2D IR spectroscopy to the ester C O and diazo N N stretching modes in ethyl diazoacetate (EDA), and investigated their vibrational frequency fluctuations and correlation. The two modes exhibit different vibrational dynamics and 2D lineshape, which are well simulated by frequency–frequency correlation functions (FFCFs) with two decaying components. Although the FT IR spectrum shows a single C O band, absolute magnitude 2D IR nonrephasing spectrum displays spectral signatures supporting the presence of cis and trans conformations. The cross-peak inclined toward the anti-diagonal in the dual-frequency 2D IR spectrum, indicating that the frequency fluctuations of the two modes are anticorrelated. This behavior is attributed to anticorrelated change in the bond orders when solvent and structural fluctuations causes EDA to adopt a different mixture of the two dominant resonance structures. The effects of cross FFCF on the cross-peak line shape are discussed.
Modeling of in-plane distortions due to variations in absorber stress

The effort to achieve sub-0.25 μm X-ray lithography depends, in part, on the ability to maintain strict fabrication control leading to low distortion X-ray masks. This paper presents finite element (FE) models developed to identify sources of pattern in-plane distortions (IPD) during mask fabrication. In particular, mask fabrication processes inducing both uniform and non-uniform absorber stresses and the resulting distortions due pattern transferring through these stressed layers have been investigated.
Chemical modification of the RTEM‐1 thiol β‐lactamase by thiol‐selective reagents: Evidence for activation of the primary nucleophile of the β‐lactamase active site by adjacent functional groups

The RTEM-1 thiol beta-lactamase (Sigal, I.S., Harwood, B.G., Arentzen, R., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 79:7157-7160, 1982) is inactivated by thiol-selective reagents such as iodoacetamide, methyl methanethiosulfonate, and 4,4'-dipyridyldisulfide, which modify the active site thiol group. The pH-rate profiles of these inactivation reactions show that there are two nucleophilic forms of the enzyme, EH2 and EH, both of which, by analogy with the situation with cysteine proteinases, probably contain the active site nucleophile in the thiolate form. The pKa of the active site thiol is therefore shown by the data to be below 4.0. This low pKa is thought to reflect the presence of adjacent functionality which stabilizes the thiolate anion. The low nucleophilicity of the thiolate in both EH2 and EH, with respect to that of cysteine proteinases and model compounds, suggests that the thiolate of the thiol beta-lactamase is stabilized by two hydrogen-bond donors. One of these, of pKa greater than 9.0, is suggested to be the conserved and essential Lys-73 ammonium group, while the identity of the other group, of pKa around 6.7, is less clear, but may be the conserved Glu-166 carboxylic acid. beta-Lactamase activity is associated with the EH2 form, and thus the beta-lactamase active site is proposed to contain one basic or nucleophilic group (the thiolate in the thiol beta-lactamase) and two acidic (hydrogen-bond donor) groups (one of which is likely to be the above-mentioned lysine ammonium group).
Concerning Space-Time and Symmetry Groups

Several theorems are proved which exhibit the impossibility of constructing nontrivial products of the Lorentz group with internal symmetry groups for some physically interesting examples. It is also shown that if the Lorentz group is replaced by the Galilei group, qualitatively different results are obtained; a "linear" breakdown of internal symmetry is possible.
Single-pill combinations equalize black-white differences in time-to-control as initial therapy in previously untreated stage 1 and 2 hypertension

To determine the relationship between prehypertension (PH) and socioeconomic factors in a Hispanic population, it was carried out this communitybase study, in Venezuela, that included 2109 adult subjects -males (n1⁄4570) and females (n1⁄41539)mean-age1⁄437 13 years, who were chosen from a random selection of households. Information about age, gender, educational level (EL) and blood pressure was collected at a single household visit. Pre-hypertension was defined as blood pressure values of 120-139/ 80-89 mmHg. Socioeconomic level was estimated using the educational level (EL) of each subject. The EL was classified in 4 categories: elementary, high and technical school and university degree. The Odds Ratio (OR) and 95% Confidence Interval (CI) were calculated through the Logistic Regression Analysis to know the relationship between PH and EL. The PH prevalence was 38.9% (n1⁄4821) in all subjects, 57.0% (n1⁄4325) in males and 32.2% (n1⁄4496) in females (p<0.0001). The frequency of EL in all individuals was: 53.2% (n1⁄41121), 32.6% (n1⁄4687), 7.5% (n1⁄4159) and 6.7% (n1⁄4142) for elementary, high and technical school and university degree, respectively. The logistic regression analysis showed that elementary and high school were statistically significant risk factors for PH in all subjects [OR: 1.841 (CI: 1.139 2.975), p<0.01 and OR: 1.766 (CI: 1.205 2.586) p<0.004 for elementary and high school, respectively]. However, the analysis by gender showed only elementary school as risk factor for PH in females (OR: 1.874, CI: 1.173-2.997, p<0.009), but not in males. This study showed that low education level is associated with PH in the Hispanic population analyzed, and this association is found only in female subjects.
Epigenomic and microRNA-mediated regulation in cartilage development, homeostasis, and osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a multifactorial disease subject to the effects of many genes and environmental factors. Alterations in the normal pattern of chondrocyte gene control in cartilage facilitate the onset and progression of OA. Stable changes in patterns of gene expression, not associated with alterations in DNA sequences, occur through epigenetic changes, including DNA methylation, histone modifications, and alterations in chromatin structure, as well as by microRNA (miRNA)-mediated mechanisms. Moreover, the ability of the host to repair damaged cartilage is reflected in alterations in gene control circuits, suggestive of an epigenetic and miRNA-dependent tug-of-war between tissue homeostasis and OA disease pathogenesis. Herein, we summarize epigenetic and miRNA-mediated mechanisms impacting on OA progression and in this context offer potential therapeutic strategies for OA treatment.
Corrugated skin in a foam core sandwich panel

Abstract Sandwich plates with one corrugated and one flat skin were studied with the goal to find configurations with higher strength and/or stiffness and reduced weight. A procedure for calculating homogenized orthotropic plate stiffnesses of the sandwich was developed and applied to a number of different profiles. The corrugations lead to increased bending stiffness in one direction but reduced in another. The effect on uniaxial and shear buckling was investigated, with improvements seen for certain combinations of corrugation geometry and material properties. Both conventional (flat) and corrugated skin sandwich panels with the size 1.34 m × 1.59 m were subsequently designed and manufactured for a hybrid ship hull specimen. The numerical analysis predicted the corrugated panel to be 25% stronger than the flat counterpart in spite of being 15% lighter (by numerical prediction as well as experimental weighing).
Problematic customers and customer service employee retaliation

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of problematic customer behaviors on customer service employee (CSE) attitudes and subsequent retaliation toward customers. Design/methodology/approach – Data from five semi-structured in-depth interviews and a structured survey with 434 responses are used to develop and test the theoretical model. CSEs working in different call center companies serving American and European customers were approached using an established survey panel. Findings – Results using partial least squares methodology showed that problematic customer behaviors have significant effects on emotional dissonance and drain CSEs emotionally. Negative emotional reactions are positively impacted by higher emotional dissonance and exhaustion levels and, subsequently, lead to higher employees’ retaliation. Research limitations/implications – For implications, this study provides an understanding of the relationship between problematic customer behaviors and CSEs’ retaliation. Fut...
Functional characterization and developmental regulation of mouse telomerase RNA

Telomerase synthesizes telomeric DNA repeats onto chromosome ends de novo. The mouse telomerase RNA component was cloned and contained only 65 percent sequence identity with the human telomerase RNA. Alteration of the template region in vivo generated altered telomerase products. The shorter template regions of the mouse and other rodent telomerase RNAs could account for the shorter distribution of products (processivity) generated by the mouse enzyme relative to the human telomerase. Amounts of telomerase RNA increased in immortal cells derived from primary mouse fibroblasts. RNA was detected in all newborn mouse tissues tested but was decreased during postnatal development.
Dynamics of a trickle—bed hydrocracker with a quenching system

A mathematical model has been developed to simulate the dynamic behavior of a trickle-bed hydrocracker without and with one quench. The model was used to study the effects of parameters on transient temperature and hydrocarbon feed profiles. The system was found to be very sensitive to inlet temperatures and the states of catalyst activity. The model can be used to guide design and operation of a quenching system, i.e., proper location, starting time, and quantity of quench stream, to prevent excess temperature rise that would otherwise lead to “run-away” condition and poor product yields. On a etabli un modele mathematique pour simuler le comportement dynamique d'un dispositif d'hydrocraquage, muni d'un lit a trois phases (trickle-bed) avec ou sans trempe des produits. On a employe le modele pour etudier les effets des parametres sur les profils de temperatures transitoires et de concentration d'hydrocarbure alimente. On a trouve que le systeme etait tres sensible aux temperatures d'entree et aux conditions d'activite du catalyseur. On peut employer le modele comme guide pour le calcul et le fonctionnement d'un dispositif de trempe, particulierement en ce qui a trait a une localisation appropriee, au temps de demarrage et au debit de l'eau de refroidissement, pour prevenir une elevation excessive de la temperature qui pourrait conduire a une condition d'instabilite et a des rendements mediocres en produit.
Critical Determinants of Human α-Defensin 5 Activity against Non-enveloped Viruses

Human α-defensins, such as human α-defensin 5 (HD5), block infection of non-enveloped viruses, including human adenoviruses (AdV), papillomaviruses (HPV), and polyomaviruses. Through mutational analysis of HD5, we have identified arginine residues that contribute to antiviral activity against AdV and HPV. Of two arginine residues paired on one face of HD5, Arg-28 is critical for both viruses, while Arg-9 is only important for AdV. Two arginine residues on the opposite face of the molecule (Arg-13 and Arg-32) and unpaired Arg-25 are less important for both. In addition, hydrophobicity at residue 29 is a major determinant of anti-adenoviral activity, and a chemical modification that prevents HD5 self-association was strongly attenuating. Although HD5 binds to the capsid of AdV, the molecular basis for this interaction is undefined. Capsid binding by HD5 is not purely charge-dependent, as substitution of lysine for Arg-9 and Arg-28 was deleterious. Analysis of HD5 analogs that retained varying levels of potency demonstrated that anti-adenoviral activity is directly correlated with HD5 binding to the virus, confirming that the viral capsid rather than the cell is the relevant target. Also, AdV aggregation induced by HD5 binding is not sufficient for neutralization. Rather, these studies confirm that the major mechanism of HD5-mediated neutralization of AdV depends upon specific binding to the viral capsid through interactions mediated in part by critical arginine residues, hydrophobicity at residue 29, and multimerization of HD5, which increases initial binding of virus to the cell but prevents subsequent viral uncoating and genome delivery to the nucleus. Background: The molecular basis for human α-defensin 5 (HD5) binding to non-enveloped viruses is unknown. Results: Residues critical for virus binding and antiviral activity were identified by mutational analysis. Conclusion: Multimerization, hydrophobicity, and specific arginine residues dictate HD5 antiviral activity. Significance: These studies inform the role of enteric α-defensins in immunity against non-enveloped viruses.