cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determination of cocaine in human urine, plasma and red blood cells by gas-liquid chromatography.

Abstract This paper describer a sensitive and reliable method for the determination of cocaine in human urine, plasma and red blood cells. Cocaine is extracted into cyclohexane from the biological materials at slightly alkaline pH, reduced with lithium aluminium hydride, acylated with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and detected by an electron capture detector. When compared with a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method the results of cocaine determination correlated highly (r = 0.986). When cocaine was given intravenously to volunteer subjects only 0.2–1.4% of the administered dose was excreted as unmetabolized cocaine in the first 9 h after administration. Plasma and red blood cell levels of cocaine were also determined by this method intravenous administration.
Radiometric oil well assay for glucokinase in microscopic structures.

Abstract Glucokinase (ATP: d -glucose 6-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.1) plays a pivotal role in hepatic glucose metabolism and serves as the glucose sensor in pancreatic islet β-cells. Biochemical studies of this enzyme are complicated by the cellular heterogeneity of the liver and the pancreas and because the presence of hexokinases (ATP: d -hexose 6-phosphotransferases, EC 2.7.1.1) seriously interferes with currently available analytical procedures. A radiometric assay was designed to deal with these problems. It is based on the liberation of 3 H 2 O from d -[2- 3 H(N)]glucose 6-phosphate, the product of the glucokinase reaction, using exogenous phosphoglucose isomerase ( d -glucose-6-phosphate ketol-isomerase, EC 5.3.1.9). Interference by hexokinases was largely eliminated by using glucose 6-phosphate as inhibitor and the sensitivity of the assay was greatly increased by using small volumes with the oil well procedure. The assay was sufficiently sensitive to detect about 1 pg of glucokinase. It thus allowed the application of quantitative histochemical procedures to the study of intralobular hepatic glucokinase profiles and the pancreatic β-cell glucose sensor. The quantitative histochemical procedures were sufficiently sensitive and reliable for measuring important kinetic constants of glucokinase (i.e., the K m and the Hill number) in microscopic samples of tissue.
Exploring graduate teaching assistants' perspectives on their roles in a foreign language hybrid course

Abstract This article aims at contributing to the general reflection on instructors' preparation for hybrid foreign language teaching as it considers the issue of Graduate Teaching Assistants' training and professionalization. In order to further the understanding of the challenges of blending face-to-face and online instruction, the present study examines how Teaching Assistants in a large Spanish language program conceptualized and experienced their roles in hybrid introductory courses, and how, in turns, this interpretation shaped their beliefs about teaching practices. At the end of a semester, the 15 participants in the study completed an anonymous online questionnaire composed of open and guided questions. Data analysis, based on an exploratory content analysis approach, revealed an extrinsic perception of the online component. The online medium tended to be considered as a tutoring tool rather than as a mediator of learning, which conditioned the roles assumed by the teaching assistants. The findings support Comas-Quinn's (2011) and Kubanyiova's (2009) call for training programs to provide opportunities to consider the impact of online tools on the instructors' roles. In addition, as shown in the participants' comments, training should also include a reflection on how the nature of hybrid set-up can condition learning, engagement, and teaching practices.
Oxidation studies of yttrium implanted copper, molybdenum and tantalum using high-energy resonant helium backscattering

Abstract The 16O(α,α)16O resonance at 8.8 MeV was used to determine the oxidation rates of Y implanted Cu, Mo and Ta. At back angles this resonance has a uniform cross section of ≈ 25 times the Coulomb cross section over an energy range of ≈ 0.6 MeV, allowing the surface oxidation of metals to be easily determined without the necessity of weighing the samples. Oxidations were made at 200, 400 and 500° C for Cu, Mo and Ta, respectively and for times ranging from 10 min to 10 h. At short times the oxidation is enhanced in the Y implanted materials as compared to unimplanted materials. However, as the oxidation times increase the oxidation rate in the implanted materials falls, and in the case of Cu and Ta the total amount of oxygen in the implanted samples eventually becomes lower than that of the unimplanted samples. In all cases Y implantation strongly effects the oxidation process. For Ta and Cu retardation of grain boundary oxidation occurs. For Mo, implantation produces a discrete oxide layer which grows in a layer-by-layer manner. These data indicate that the YCu and the YTa oxides are more passivating than their unimplanted counterparts.
Effect of magnetic particles on NMR spectra of Murchison meteorite organic matter and a polymer-based model system.

Abstract Organic matter from the Murchison meteorite shows pronounced spinning sidebands of the 1 H MAS NMR spectrum and exhibits a large bulk magnetization of 0.75 emu/g extrapolated to 94 kOe at 300 K. By comparison with data of diamagnetic polystyrene and laponite clay mixed with ferrimagnetic γ -Fe 2 O 3 nano-particles, we show that the spinning sidebands arise from a combination of dipolar couplings of a given 1 H to magnetic particles, seen in a backscattered-electron image, and to other protons. Signal loss and significant broadening of protonated-carbon peaks in 13 C MAS NMR spectra of polystyrene with Fe 2 O 3 nano-particles is demonstrated, and implications for 13 C NMR spectroscopy of Murchison meteorite are discussed.
(Non-)Bayesian learning without recall

This work is concerned with the problem of social learning. A network of agents attempt to learn some unknown state of the world which is drawn by nature from a finite set. The sources of information available to the agents are their own private observations as well as the beliefs of their neighboring agents in the social structure in which they interact. The rational approach to the problem of social learning is for each agent to refine her opinion, by using the Bayes' rule to incorporate her neighbors' beliefs and own private signals over time. However, repeated applications of the Bayes' rule in social networks can become computationally intractable, partly due to the fact that each agent needs to use her local data that is increasing over time and make inferences about the global network structure. The inherent complexity of the Bayesian approach has lead to the consideration of behavioral, non-Bayesian updates, where each agent instead of processing all new information in the optimum Bayesian way uses simple rules such as linear or convex combinations and forms updated beliefs. In this paper, it is shown that by replicating the rule that maps the agents' common prior to their Bayesian posterior at the initial time-step for all future steps, one can derive a memoryless Bayesian update that has a log-linear format and can serve as a theoretical justification for some of the non-Bayesian rules suggested in the literature. Convergence and learning under the derived rules are also investigated, and it is shown that while two communicating agents always learn the true state, the beliefs may fail to converge in the general network setting. The proposed approach has the advantage that while preserving some features of the Bayesian inference, they are made tractable.
BUYER-SELLER RELATIONSHIPS IN BUSINESS MARKETS

During the past decade, marketing managers and scholars have focused increased attention on buyer–seller relationships in business markets. This article contributes to the emerging body of knowledg...
Pathophysiology of cerebrospinal fluid in head injury: Part 2. Biochemical markers for central nervous system trauma.

Many substances are released into the cerebrospinal fluid after head injury. The study of these substances and their relationship to the severity and outcome of head trauma has lead to the search for biochemical markers to aid in the quantification of the severity of the lesion and serve as a progno
Wind regimes and aeolian transport in the Great Basin, U.S.A.

Abstract The modern Great Basin of the interior western United States is characterized by surface winds with considerable spatial and temporal variabilities. Wind records from the second half of the 20th century for 12 Great Basin localities, analyzed with standard aeolian-sediment transport methods developed elsewhere in the world, reflect this complexity. The drift potential (DP) for aeolian deposits is generally moderate (DP 200–400) in the western Great Basin and weak (DP 300) at the eastern edge of the Great Basin where the dominant prevailing wind direction is south-southwesterly. Both DP and resultant drift direction (RDD) are consistent with synoptic meteorological observations of the evolution of cold fronts in the Great Basin. Meteorological observations show that effective winds to produce dunes are most commonly the result of late winter–early spring cyclogenesis. There has been considerable temporal variability of DP in the latter half of the 20th century. Most of the Great Basin has experienced decreasing wind strength since 1973, consistent with recent studies of wind strength in North America and elsewhere. Dune morphology matches both localized RDD and temporal variations in DP reasonably well in the Great Basin. The results demonstrate that local topography can have an important influence on wind directionality, thus providing a cautionary note on the interpretation of dune morphology in the paleoclimatic and stratigraphic record.
Pyrolysis gas chromatography of some fluorine-containing polymers

Abstract Pyrolysis gas chromatography of the polymers of 1,3,3,3-tetrafluoropropene, 3,3,4,4,5,5,5-heptafluoropentene-1 and of the copolymers of tetrafluoroethylene with the above and with 3,3,3-trifluoropropene and with isobutene in all instances gave only 3 to 19% of volatiles below C 16 , distributed among many peaks. This and the absence of significant char indicate predominantly a random scission mechanism of decomposition.
A family of DNA sequences is reproducibly rearranged in the somatic nucleus of Tetrahymena

A small family of DNA sequences is rearranged during the development of the somatic nucleus in Tetrahymena. The family is defined by 266 bp of highly conserved sequence which restriction mapping, hybridization and sequence analysis have shown is shared by a cloned micronuclear fragment and three sequences which constitute the macronuclear family. Genomic Southern hybridization experiments indicate there are five members of the family in micronuclear DNA. All of the family members are present in whole genome homozygotes and are therefore nonallelic. The three macronuclear sequences are all present in clonal cell lines and are reproducibly generated in every developing macronucleus. The rearrangement event begins 14 hours after conjugation is initiated and is nearly completed by 16 hours.
Neotropical tadpoles influence stream benthos: evidence for the ecological consequences of decline in amphibian populations

SUMMARY 1. Few studies have assessed the role of tadpoles in tropical streams, although they are often abundant and conspicuous components of these systems. Moreover, amphibian populations are declining around the globe, particularly stream-dwelling species in tropical uplands, and the ecological consequences of these losses are not understood. 2. We chose a stream in the central Panamanian highlands, which has an intact fauna of stream-breeding anurans, to examine the ecological consequences of amphibian losses. This site differs dramatically from sites in nearby western Panama and Costa Rica where anuran diversity and abundance have declined greatly in the last two decades. 3. We used an underwater electric field to create tadpole exclosures in runs, so that we could evaluate their influence on sediment dynamics and the abundance and community structure of algae and aquatic insects. Tadpoles reduced total sediments and both organic and inorganic fractions on substrata. Tadpoles also reduced algal abundance on substrata by approximately 50% and decreased algal biovolume. Gut content analyses showed that tadpoles consumed algae and sediments and we could see that algae and sediments were also displaced through bioturbation. 4. Atelopus zeteki, Rana warszewitschii, and Hyla spp. were the dominant larval anurans responsible for the effects observed. Visual surveys indicated that the densities of these taxa ranged from 23 (R. warszewitschii and Hyla spp. combined) to 43 m~^ (A. zeteki) in runs. 5. The abundance of baetid mayflies was lower in tadpole exclosures compared with controls, and this was attributed to tadpoles facilitating mayfly feeding by removing sediments and exposing underlying periphyton. 6. Tadpoles affect the abundance and diversity of basal resources and other primary consumers, and thus influence food web dynamics and energy flow in these tropical streams. Catastrophic decline in stream-breeding anuran populations will influence the structure and function of neotropical stream ecosystems.
Space-time perturbations

Abstract Scalar Debye potentials for neutrino, electromagnet, and gravitational perturbations of space-times are derived by extending the Hertzian zero-rest-mass field potentials of Penrose to curved spaces. The scalar formulation provides a computational technique in many space-times of astrophysical interest.
Effects of forest type and environmental factors on forest carbon use efficiency assessed using MODIS and FIA data across the eastern USA

MODIS CUE and F/M ZCUE both varied similarly and significantly in relation to forest type, and climatic and geographic factors, strongly supporting a variable rather than a constant CUE. The CUE was significantly higher in deciduous than in mixed and evergreen forests. Regression models indicated that CUE decreased with increases in temperature and precipitation and increased with latitude and altitude. The similar trends in MODIS CUE and F/M ZCUE support the use of the more easily obtained MODIS CUE.
Phytotoxic material from associations betweenErwinia amylovora and pear tissue culture: Possible role in necrotic symptomatology of fireblight disease

Pear cell suspension cultures (PCSC) inoculated with virulent strains of the fireblight bacterium,Erwinia amylovora, exhibited massive necrosis within 7 days, whereas avirulentE. amylovora strains and other enterobacteria generally elicited very slight or no necrotic reactions. These results were generally repeated when pear seedlings (1–2 months old) were inoculated with these same bacterial strains. Fractions derived from massively necrotized PCSC were tested for biological activity against healthy PCSC and pear seedling cuttings. Of these fractions, the dialyzable, 70%-ethanol-soluble material—remaining after precipitation by ethanol of high-molecular-weight polysaccharides (“amylovorin”)—exclusively inhibited growth of pear callus, plasmolyzed and disintegrated pear cells in PCSC, and caused some browning of pear callus. Although cuttings of young pear seedlings placed in solutions containing this dialyzable, ethanol-soluble material generally became massively necrotized within 3 days, some residual methodological problems with this bioassay procedure must be solved. These observations suggest that some relatively small molecule(s) formed in PCSC inoculated with virulentE. amylovora can exert antagonistic biological activity against pear tissue and may play a role in the symptomatology characteristic of the fireblight disease.
Neuronal plasticity in the limbic system during classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response. II: Septum and mammillary bodies

Summary Neuronal unit activity was recorded from several limbic system structures during classical conditioning of the rabbit nictitating membrane response to a tone CS. Air puff to cornea was used as a UCS. The present and past investigations of hippocampal activity using this paradigm show a neuronal plasticity which develops early in training, increases rapidly and shifts forward in time as behavioral conditioning develops. Recordings from the lateral septal region demonstrate the same within-trial pattern of unit discharge seen in hippocampus, indicating a projection of hippocampal plasticity over precommissural fornix pathways. Medial septal neurons, on the other hand, respond in an excitatory manner to the onsets of tone and air puff stimulation. While unit discharges seen in hippocampus and lateral septum occur only during the paired (learning) paradigm, medial septal activity is identical under both paired and unpaired (control) conditions. The latter fact lends support for a sensory interpretation of medial septal responses, and is consistent with anatomical evidence of a major septo-hippocampal projection originating from this region. In contrast to results for lateral septum, recordings from medial and lateral mammillary nuclei indicate only small, diffuse excitation that exhibits no consistent changes over training, and is not related to activity seen in hippocampal or septal regions. The apparent lack of correspondence between learning dependent unit measures obtained from pre- and postcommissural fornix structures is entirely consistent with current modified descriptions of limbic system anatomy.
Novel fragmentation pathway for CID of (bn−1+Cat)+ ions from model, metal cationized peptides

We report a new fragmentation pathway for the CID of (b3 - 1 + Cat)+ product ions derived from the model peptide AXAG, where X = beta-alanine, gamma-aminobutyric acid, epsilon-amino-n-caproic acid, or 4-aminomethylbenzoic acid. By changing the amino acid to the C-terminal side of the amino acid X, and incorporating 15N and 13C labeled residues at the same position, we conclude that the dissociation pathway most likely leads to a metal cationized nitrile. With respect to the various amino acids at position X, the putative nitrile product becomes more prominent, relative to the conventional (a3 - 1 + Cat)+ species, in the order beta-alanine < gamma-aminobutyric acid < epsilon-aminocaproic acid < 4-aminomethylbenzoic acid. The pathway is not observed for peptides with alpha-amino acids at position X. The product ion is observed most prominently during the CID of Li+ and Na+ cationized peptides, only to a small extent for Ag+ cationized peptides, and not at all from protonated analogues.
Growth Mode And Initial Stage Schottky Barrier Formation At The In/GaAs Interface: A Photoemission Study

The In growth on cleaved GaAs(110) surfaces at room temperature (RT) and 80 K low temperature (LT) as well as the initial stage Schottky barrier formation at this interface has been studied using photoelectron spectroscopy. In grows as 3-D islands at RT, but in Stanski-Krastanov mode at LT. The size of the clusters has been estimated through an intensity study. The In core level spectra continuously shifts to high binding energy direction in the transformation from isolated atoms to bulk metal. The Fermi level pinning pattern shows a strong temperature dependence, which challenges current models of Schottky barrier formation at metal/semiconductor interfaces.
1476 HYPERVENTILATION REDUCES CEREBRAL BLOOD FLOW VELOCITY IN NEWBORNS

Hyperventilation is a popular therapy for improving systemic oxygenation in infants with pulmonary hypertension. To determine the effects of hypocapnea on cerebral blood flow velocity and intracranial pressure, we studied 6 infants with severe pulmonary hypertension, GA 38-43 wks, during normocapnea and moderate and extreme hypocapnea. Arterial PCO2, (PaCO2) was altered by changing ventilator rate. Mean airway pressure and arterial PO2 were kept constant by changes in ventilator pressure and inspired oxygen concentration. We measured transfontanel intracranial pressure (ICP) and mean arterial blood pressure (BP). Cerebral blood flow velocity (CBFV) was assessed by Doppler technique. The maximum amplitudes of advancing flow velocity during systole and diastole were measured and the pulsatility index calculated. These findings suggest that extreme hyperventilation significantly reduces advancing cerebral blood flow velocity and may reduce total cerebral blood flow. Therefore, despite an improvement in systemic PO2, cerebral oxygenation may suffer.
Misunderstandings and hurt: how Canadians joined worldwide Muslim reactions to Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses

This article examines reactions by Muslims across the world, but especially in Canada, to Salman Rushdie's novel The Satanic Verses. Beginning with some background information about the novel, including the incident of the Satanic verses recounted in Muslim history. The author then moves to a discussion of Muslim opposition to the novel, including reactions in India, Pakistan, Britain and Iran. The next section of the article examines the responses of Muslims in Canada, specifically those of Toronto, Wich is the city with the largest population of Canada's Muslims and the headquarters for a number of Canadian Muslim organization. The author concludes with an analysis of the reactions and delineate five implications of those reactions. On the whole, their reactions revealed the distinctly Canadian identity of these Muslims.
Postsynaptic potentials and spike variations in the feline hippocampus during postnatal ontogenesis.

Abstract Intracellular recording from hippocampal neurons of kittens 1 to 18-days-old was carried out to examine the postsynaptic potentials (PSPs) evoked by fornix stimulation at early developmental stages in which axodendritic pathways constitute the major input to hippocampal neurons. Fornix stimulation in neonatal kittens (
Basic fibroblast growth factor in cells derived from Dupuytren's contracture: Synthesis, presence, and implications for treatment of the disease☆☆☆

Dupuytren's contracture (DC) is associated with fibroblast and endothelial cell proliferation. We have identified a fibroblast and endothelial cell mitogen, basic fibroblast growth factor (FGF), in cells derived from this tissue and characterized the effects of this growth factor on DC cells. Northern blot analysis of DC cells reveals the presence of basic FGF mRNA species, and the DC cells coexpress multiple forms of basic FGF. Radioreceptor assays establish that the DC cells have high-affinity binding sites for basic FGF and proliferate in response to exogenous recombinant basic FGF. Furthermore, a conjugate between saporin (a ribosome-inactivating protein) and basic FGF, which is cytotoxic to cells possessing the basic FGF receptor, is also cytotoxic to DC cells. The possibility that basic FGF-saporin could be a potential therapeutic agent for prevention of recurrence of the disease after surgery is discussed.
Lattice QCD with dynamical Wilson fermions

Abstract I present recent results of a simulation of lattice Quantum Chromo-Dynamics with two and three flavors of dynamical Wilson fermions on a 10x10x10x30 lattice. I discuss the source and nature of the systematic error in the pseudofermion method, and ways to reduce the error to an amount which is comparable or less than the expected statistical error. Finally I present some results for the improved algorithm which support the theoretical arguments for the error term estimate, and compare to the results obtained with other fermion algorithms.
Experimental Characterization of Aerosol Production, Transport, Vaporization, and Atomization Systems. Part II: Factors Controlling Aerosol Size Distributions Produced

The effects of nebulization conditions on the size characteristics of the aqueous aerosol produced have been investigated for a cross-flow nebulizer. It is shown that the nebulizer gas flow rate does not affect the upper limit mean sizes of the aqueous droplets transported from the nebulization chamber but that the mean size of the analyte-containing aerosol itself is affected. Model equations are presented descriptive of the effects of gas flow rate and analyte concentrations on analyte aerosol size characteristics.
Origin of trondhjemitic biotite—quartz—oligoclase gneisses from the Venezuelan Guyana Shield

Abstract Biotite—quartz—oligoclase gneisses constitute the dominant lithology in a 3-b.y.-old metamorphic assemblage in the Venezuelan Guyana Shield. The assemblage includes basaltic amphibolites as well as granitic gneisses, iron formation, and other metasedimentary lithologies. Consideration of major- and trace-element compositions indicates that both the biotite gneisses and basaltic amphibolites are meta-igneous. The amphibolites have oceanic tholeiite compositions. Two groups of biotite gneisses can be differentiated by chemical criteria. Both groups have major and trace-element compositions which allow their derivation as partial melts of tholeiite compositions at mantle depth, as has been suggested for similar rocks in other areas. However, the compositional correspondence of the gneisses with low variance liquidus loci in low-PT synthetic systems, and their relatively oxidized character, appear more compatible with an origin by partial melting of graywackes at crustal levels. For both groups of gneisses, primary melts with relatively low Na 2 O K 2 O ratios can be postulated which are credibly derived by melting of graywackes; reasonable fractionation processes can be hypothesized to explain the compositional variations within each group. Although stratigraphic relations in the Venezuelan Guyana Shield are uncertain, geologic relations in and near the map area allow, as valid working hypotheses, stratigraphic sequences which parallel those which have been recognized in better-known Archean terranes.
New Metrics for Employee Development

Organizations are increasingly concerned about human resource accountability and have turned to HR metrics as an economical way to assess results from human resource activities. Unfortunately, many existing development metrics have limited utility. In this article, we review and discuss existing metrics for employee development. Then, we present five new development metrics and that can provide a core set of metrics for any type of organization. These metrics will provide new perspectives that older metrics do not, and lead to better human resource development decisions.
Reaction pathways of model compounds of biomass-derived oxygenates on Fe/Ni bimetallic surfaces

Abstract Controlling the activity and selectivity of converting biomass-derivatives to fuels and valuable chemicals is critical for the utilization of biomass feedstocks. There are primarily three classes of non-food competing biomass, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. In the current work, glycolaldehyde, furfural and acetaldehyde are studied as model compounds of the three classes of biomass-derivatives. Monometallic Ni(111) and monolayer (ML) Fe/Ni(111) bimetallic surfaces are studied for the reaction pathways of the three biomass surrogates. The ML Fe/Ni(111) surface is identified as an efficient surface for the conversion of biomass-derivatives from the combined results of density functional theory (DFT) calculations and temperature programmed desorption (TPD) experiments. A correlation is also established between the optimized adsorption geometry and experimental reaction pathways. These results should provide helpful insights in catalyst design for the upgrading and conversion of biomass.
The Deconvolution of Teleseismic P Waves from Explosions MILROW and CANNIKIN

Summary Teleseismic P waves from the underground nuclear explosions MILROW and CANNIKIN recorded at stations on the North American continent are separated using homomorphic deconvolution into pulse wavelets representing the source and impulse trains representing propagation paths. The deconvolved impulse trains imply a pP-P time delay of 0-75-0.8 s for MILROW and 1.1-1.2 s for CANNIKIN. The mean pP to P amplitude ratio is 0.6 +Om 1 and 0.5 f 0.1 for MILROW and CANNIKIN respectively. Another prominent phase arriving 1-3-1-4 s after P for MILROW and 1.9-2.0 s after P for CANNIKIN is identified as the slapdown phase associated with near surface spallation. The mean slapdown to P amplitude ratio is 0.7f0.1 for MILROW and 0.5fO-1 for CANNIKIN. A least-squares fit of the P-wave spectra independently confirms the results of homomorphic deconvolution and also provides evidence that the effective source radius of CANNIKIN is 1.4 times that of MILROW. The analysis indicates that the pP reflection and the slapdown phase together with the direct P arrival are sufficient to satisfactorily explain the first 3 s of these teleseismic P waves.
Field induced spin density waves in a tilted magnetic field

Abstract Making use of an anisotropic tight binding model for Bechgaard salts we calculate the spin density wave transition temperature in a magnetic field in the b′ − c ∗ plane. In general the field induced spin density wave (FISDW) state is characterized by a set of intergers (n,m), though in the high field region ( H > 5 T ) the FISDW is dominated by the state with m = 0. We find a dip in T c ( H , φ ) at φ = φ c = tan −1 ( b / c )≅30° for the even n state, which should be readily observable experimentally.
Laparoscopic versus open 2-stage ileal pouch: laparoscopic approach allows for faster restoration of intestinal continuity.

Background Restorative proctocolectomy with ileal pouch-anal anastomosis (IPAA) is the treatment of choice for patients with ulcerative colitis and familial adenomatous. This study examined the impact of the surgical approach (laparoscopic versus open) to IPAA on short-term outcomes and time to ileostomy closure in 2-stage restorative proctocolectomies. Study Design A retrospective review was performed on a prospectively maintained database at Washington University School of Medicine for patients undergoing elective 2-stage restorative proctocolectomy and IPAA from April of 1999 through July of 2008. Outcomes for patients were analyzed according to laparoscopic versus open technique. Results A total of 124 patients (55 laparoscopy, 69 open) were included in this study. Laparoscopic IPAA took, on average, 79.2 minutes longer to complete than open IPAA (p Conclusions Laparoscopic IPAA is safe, with postoperative morbidity comparable with open IPAA. Laparoscopic IPAA can lead to faster recovery and result in faster progression to restoration of intestinal continuity in patients undergoing 2-stage restorative proctocolectomy.
Detecting structural changes in viral capsids by hydrogen exchange and mass spectrometry

Amide hydrogen exchange and mass spectrometry have been used to study the pH-induced structural changes in the capsid of brome mosaic virus (BMV). Capsid protein was labeled in a structurally sensitive way by incubating intact viral particles in D2O at pH 5.4 and 7.3. Deuterium levels in the intact coat protein and its proteolytic fragments were determined by mass spectrometry. The largest deuterium increases induced by structural alteration occurred in the regions around the quasi-threefold axes, which are located at the center of the asymmetric unit. The increased levels of deuterium indicate loosening of structure in these regions. This observation confirms the previously proposed swelling model for BMV and cowpea chlorotic mottle virus (CCMV) and is consistent with the structure of swollen CCMV recently determined by cryo-electron microscopy and image reconstruction. Structural changes in the extended N- and C-terminal arms were also detected and compared with the results obtained with other swollen plant viruses. This study demonstrates that protein fragmentation/amide hydrogen exchange is a useful tool for probing structural changes in viral capsids.
Road Grade Influence on the Exhaust Emissions of a Scooter Fuelled with Bioethanol/Gasoline Blends☆

Abstract Recently, the International Agency for Research on Cancer has assessed evidence that exposure to outdoor air pollution causes lung cancer and increases the risk of bladder cancer. Because air pollution in urban areas is mainly caused by transportation, it is necessary to evaluate pollutant exhaust emissions from vehicles and scooters during their real-world use. Laboratory tests, with the exception of the high repeatability of the results, often cannot explain the influence of some parameters, such as ambient conditions, traffic congestion, and road gradients. Therefore, experiments were conducted to study the effects of road gradients on the exhaust emissions of a medium displacement scooter, which represents a very popular means of travel in Southern Italy. First, the scooter was instrumented with a global positioning system (GPS) to acquire speed profiles and positions in an urban route of Napoli city, which is characterized by significant changes in the road gradient. The velocity profile has several missing points due to GPS signal loss over some stretches of road adjacent to tall buildings. The road gradient values were built into an algorithm to synchronize the missing data through Google elevation API based on a model of the same path with a complete set of data. Afterwards, some representative slope values for each kinematic sequence/driving cycle were evaluated. These new variables were found to contribute to the individual real-world driving cycles. The resulting real-world driving cycle was tested using a chassis-dynamometer to continuously simulate the exact road gradient. A series of experiments with and without the road gradient simulations were performed to evaluate the influence of the road gradient on the exhaust emissions of carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide. This analysis was performed using a two-wheeler vehicle fuelled with commercial gasoline and two blends with a maximum bioethanol content of 20% vol. Gaseous emissions were correlated to the vehicle specific power (VSP), which is the most useful parameter for addressing the road gradient together with the kinematic characteristics of the driving cycle and the vehicle characteristics. Through a multivariate statistical approach, this type of gradient analysis can permit correlation of the emission profiles for a specific road position, and evaluate its influence on their behavior. A strict dependence on carbon dioxide emissions and fuel consumption exists for the VSP. The road gradient greatly increases the vehicle power demands, resulting in an increasing amount of fuel consumed for each kilometer driven.
A state of the course report: computer organization & architecture

We present a "state of the course" report on a core computer science topic: Computer Organization & Architecture. Our report is based on a survey of over 80 faculty, at colleges and universities around the world, who teach this topic. Based on the responses in the survey, we present our conclusions on the confidence levels of faculty in teaching various core components of the topic. We will present our results in the context of the identified core body of knowledge as defined in the Curriculum 2001. These conclusions can be of help to experts who are willing to provide training and/or pedagogical materials in order to assist those with low confidence levels.
Missed opportunities for tuberculosis screening in primary care.

Objective To assess how frequently pediatric practitioners perform latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) screening according to guidelines. We hypothesized that screening occurs less frequently among children whose parents do not speak English as the primary language. Study design We conducted a retrospective cohort study of patients attending well-child visits in an urban academic pediatric primary care clinic between April 1, 2012, and March 31, 2013. We assessed documentation of 3 LTBI screening components and tested the association between parent primary language and tuberculin skin test (TST) placement and documentation of results. Results During the study period, 387 of 9143 children (4%) had no documentation of screening question responses. Among the other 8756 children, 831 (10%) were identified as at high risk for LTBI. Of these, 514 (62%) did not have documented TST placement in the appropriate time frame. Thirty-nine of 213 children (18%) who had a TST placed did not have documented results. Multivariable regression showed that parent language was not associated with TST placement or documentation of results, but non-Hispanic Black children were more likely to not have a documented test result (aOR, 2.12; 95% CI, 1.07-4.19; P = .03) when adjusting for age, sex, parent primary language, insurance status, day of the week, and study year of TST placement. Conclusion Parent primary language was not associated with LTBI testing. However, we found substantial gaps in TST placement and documentation of TST results among high-risk children, the latter of which was associated with race/ethnicity. Targeted quality improvement efforts should focus on developing processes to ensure complete screening in high-risk children.
Resource Planning for Long-Duration Robotic Space Missions

A Mission Operations Manager is confronted with special challenges and decisions when allocating resources for space mission operations expected to last five to fifteen years or longer that may be overlooked or postponed during the rush before launch. It may seem unavoidable that with the schedule and budget pressures encountered before launch, mission operations plans will be built to cover launch and early orbit activities but decisions about activities six months or more after launch will be postponed and little if any consideration will be made for unplanned or unanticipated events. Furthermore, alack of experience with long-term, extended operations may lead a Mission Operations Manager to make a decision that is correction the short-term but which becomes expensive in the long-term and actually increases the total life cycle cost. Drawing on lessons learned while concurrently operating several deep-space exploration missions through multiple mission extensions lasting eight to 12 years, this paper presents some of the challenges a Mission Operations Manager should anticipate and suggestions to effectively and economically deal with them. It is anticipated that sharing with the operations community the experience of several long-term spacecraft operations teams will make a significant contribution to the space missions operations best practices and lessons learned library.
Potato vine kill: Stem-end discoloration effects on Russet Burbank

The relationship of potato (cv. Russet Burbank) tuber stem-end discoloration to speed of vine kill and maturity of vines when killed was studied for three years at several sites in Idaho. Discoloration due to leafroll was separately determined. Vine killing with sulfuric acid, dinoseb, endothall and hand pulling produced a range in killing speeds from fast to slow. Vine kill speed alone did not affect amounts of discoloration. Vines that died naturally from frost or other causes had as much discoloration (14% over all treatments) as from any chemical or mechanical vine killing method. The tendency for tuber discoloration increased when vines were less mature when killed.
Chaotic instabilities in modulated external-cavity semiconductor lasers

Chaotic stability of external cavity semiconductor laser under modulation is examined both theoretically and experimentally. When the modulation frequency is detuned below the cavity resonant frequency, the simulations show a two-frequency to three-frequency route to chaos, as depicted by the power spectrum and time series of the laser emission at different stages of detuning. This agrees with experimental observations of 1.3 micrometer wavelength distributed feedback (DFB) laser and ridge waveguide (RW) InGaAsP laser. The phase-space attractor of both DFB and RW lasers have well-defined structures at broadband chaotic state, which signifies the presence of dynamical determinism in this state.
The construction of abstract units in geometric and numeric settings

The main thesis of this paper is that the construction and coordination of abstract units is central to mathematical activity in both numerical and geometric settings. Data were gathered from students in grade three through six, with four students being observed over a three year period. A consistent parallel was found in the sophistication of the types of units constructed in a geometric setting (tiling the plane) with their numeric activity. The tiling activity of the students was analyzed for evidence of the construction and coordination of units. Some students constructed rather sophisticated abstract composite units to facilitate their tiling with a particular shape while others had difficulty making a covering. Students who constructed abstract composite units in tiling did so also in adding and subtracting whole numbers. Evidence of unitizing and coordinating the units constructed was associated with advances in mathematical thinking. Unitizing seems to be a fundamental mental operation in coming to act mathematically. As mathematics activities are planned, it is important to provide opportunities for students to construct abstract composite units in both geometric and numeric settings. Emphasis on prescribed procedures such as subtracting with two-digit numerals may inhibit this construction process.
Developmental Biochemistry of Cottonseed Embryogenesis and Germination XII. PURIFICATION AND PROPERTIES OF PRINCIPAL STORAGE PROTEINS

The two principal storage proteins of the cottonseed have been purified and partially characterized. They have apparent molecular weights of 52,000 and 48,000 and are both comprised of sets of isoelectric isomers. Both sets have nearly identical solubility properties, ultraviolet absorption spectra, and contain similar proportions of amino acid residues. Furthermore, both sets share antigenic determinants suggesting their origin from a common ancestral gene. However, only the 52,000 set appears to be glycosylated.
Development of a Practical Synthesis of the Progesterone Receptor Antagonist 4-{[3-Cyclopropyl-1-(mesylmethyl)-5-methyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl]oxy}-2,6-dimethylbenzonitrile

The development and implementation of a scaleable process for the manufacture of the nonsteroidal progesterone receptor antagonist 8 is described. Key aspects of the synthesis include (i) a telescoped chlorination−etherification sequence to prepare diketone 4 and (ii) separation of pyrazole regioisomers 6 and 7 through formation of their hydrogen sulfate salts and selective crystallization, followed by oxidation to 8.
Evidence of bias in estimations of earthquake size

Magnitudes of earthquakes determined using traditional methods show systematic deviations, dependent on tectonic setting, from accurate estimates of earthquake size. Magnitudes are overestimated for most of the continental earthquakes, underestimated for mid-oceanic ridges and differences of varying sign are obtained for subduction zones. This is important in evaluating the seismic risk or consideration of effects such as the seismic versus aseismic strain release as seismic moments determined from magnitudes can be wrong by as much as a factor of four.
Policy making and collective action: Defining coalitions within the advocacy coalition framework

Research on policy communities, policy networks, and advocacy coalitions represents the most recent effort by policy scholars in North America and Europe to meaningfully describe and explain the complex, dynamic policy making processes of modern societies. While work in this tradition has been extraordinarily productive, issues of collective action have not been carefully addressed. Focusing on the advocacy coalitions (AC) framework developed by Sabatier (1988) and Sabatier and Jenkins-Smith (1993) as an example of a productive research program within the policy network tradition, this article (1) examines the potential of the AC framework, with its emphasis on beliefs, policy learning, and preference formation, to provide richer explanations of policy making processes than frameworks grounded exclusively in instrumental rationality; (2) suggests that paradoxically, however, the AC framework can more fully realize its potential by admitting the explanations of collective action from frameworks based on instrumental rationality; (3) incorporates within the AC framework accounts of how coalitions form and maintain themselves over time and of the types of strategies coalitions are likely to adopt to pursue their policy goals; and (4) derives falsifiable collective action hypotheses that can be empirically tested to determine whether incorporating theories of collective action within the AC framework represents a positive, rather than a degenerative, expansion of the AC framework.
Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor KDR tyrosine kinase activity is increased by autophosphorylation of two activation loop tyrosine residues.

Vascular endothelial growth factor is an important physiological regulator of angiogenesis. The function of this endothelial cell selective growth factor is mediated by two homologous tyrosine kinase receptors, fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (Flt-1) and kinase domain receptor (KDR). Although the functional consequence of vascular endothelial growth factor binding to the Flt-1 receptor is not fully understood, it is well established that mitogenic signaling is mediated by KDR. Upon sequencing several independent cDNA clones spanning the cytoplasmic region of human KDR, we identified and confirmed the identity of a functionally required valine at position 848 in the ATP binding site, rather than the previously reported glutamic acid residue, which corresponds to an inactive tyrosine kinase. The cytoplasmic domain of recombinant native KDR, expressed as a glutathione S-transferase fusion protein, can undergo autophosphorylation in the presence of ATP. In addition, the kinase activity can be substantially increased by autophosphorylation at physiologic ATP concentrations. Mutation analysis indicates that both tyrosine residues 1054 and 1059 are required for activation, which is a consequence of an increased affinity for both ATP and the peptide substrate and has no effect on k cat, the intrinsic catalytic activity of the enzyme. KDR kinase catalyzes phosphotransfer by formation of a ternary complex with ATP and the peptide substrate. We demonstrate that tyrosine kinase antagonists can preferentially inhibit either the unactivated or activated form of the enzyme.
Direct imaging of macrovascular and microvascular contributions to BOLD fMRI in layers IV–V of the rat whisker–barrel cortex

The spatiotemporal characteristics of the hemodynamic response to increased neural activity were investigated at the level of individual intracortical vessels using BOLD-fMRI in a well-established rodent model of somatosensory stimulation at 11.7 T. Functional maps of the rat barrel cortex were obtained at 150 × 150 × 500 μm spatial resolution every 200 ms. The high spatial resolution allowed separation of active voxels into those containing intracortical macro vessels, mainly vein/venules (referred to as macrovasculature), and those enriched with arteries/capillaries and small venules (referred to as microvasculature) since the macro vessel can be readily mapped due to the fast T2 decay of blood at 11.7 T. The earliest BOLD response was observed within layers IV-V by 0.8s following stimulation and encompassed mainly the voxels containing the microvasculature and some confined macrovasculature voxels. By 1.2s, the BOLD signal propagated to the macrovasculature voxels where the peak BOLD signal was 2-3 times higher than that of the microvasculature voxels. The BOLD response propagated in individual venules/veins far from neuronal sources at later times. This was also observed in layers IV-V of the barrel cortex after specific stimulation of separated whisker rows. These results directly visualized that the earliest hemodynamic changes to increased neural activity occur mainly in the microvasculature and spread toward the macrovasculature. However, at peak response, the BOLD signal is dominated by penetrating venules even at layers IV-V of the cortex.