cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Moving rural residents to work : Lessons from eight job access and reverse commute projects

Rural areas present special challenges for meeting the transportation needs of individuals, especially people without cars. Congress established the Job Access and Reverse Commute (JARC) program in 1998 to assist states and localities in developing transportation services to connect welfare recipients and other low-income residents to jobs and other support programs. There are key results of a study examining eight rural areas receiving JARC funding in Fiscal Year 1999. Specific program elements include the implementation process, transportation services provided, and solutions developed to deal with the challenges of distance and low population densities that rural transit systems frequently face.
Holly Ramona: La ciencia y el ideal contemporáneo de excelencia

According to an old way of thinking, any leve! of problematicity with respect to truth or theory dependence suffices to spoil the objectivity of a proposal. No credible discourse complies with such restrictions. Far from compromising the existence of knowledge, correct and incorrect, rational and nonrational ideas, however. the said old way of thinking is simply incapable of representing the cognitive achievements that we actually have. This paper discusses a contemporary way of approaching the difference between ideas of high and low descriptive quality in terms of epistemological criteria that prevail in the most rigorous and reliable scientific practices.
Coordinating simultaneous caching of file bundles from tertiary storage

In a previous paper, we described a system called STAGS (Storage Access Coordination System) for High Energy and Physics (HEP) experiments. These experiments generate very large volumes of "event" data at a very high rate. The volumes of data may reach 100's of terabytes/year and therefore they are stored on robotic tape systems that are managed by a mass storage system. The data are stored as files on tapes according to a predetermined order, usually according to the order they are generated. A major bottleneck is the retrieval of subsets of these large datasets during the analysis phase. STAGS is designed to optimize the use of a disk cache, and thus minimize the number of files read from tape. In this paper, we describe an interesting problem of disk staging coordination that goes beyond the one-file-at-a-time requirement. The problem stems from the need to coordinate the simultaneous caching of groups of files that we refer to as "bundles of files". All files from a bundle need to be at the same time in the disk cache in order for the analysis application to proceed. This is a radically different problem from the case where the analysis applications need only one file at a time. In this paper, we describe the method of identifying the file bundles, and the scheduling of bundle caching in such a way that files shared between bundles are not removed from the cache unnecessarily. We describe the methodology and the policies used to determine the order of caching bundles of files, and the order of removing files from the cache when space is needed.
Nonreentrant Supraventricular Tachycardia Misdiagnosed as Inappropriate Sinus Tachycardia

We report a case of a woman with incessant palpitations initially misdiagnosed as inappropriate sinus tachycardia that proved refractory to β-blockers. At the time of electrophysiologic testing, a sustained narrow-complex tachycardia with a 1:2 atrioventricular relationship was repeatedly initiated by a posterior fascicle depolarization induced by means of a timed ventricular extrastimulus. The tachycardia was repeatedly terminated with a timed atrial extrastimulus, which excluded junctional bigeminy and confirmed the diagnosis of nonreentrant supraventricular tachycardia. Catheter ablation of the slow pathway eliminated dual-pathway conduction and tachycardia. (PACE 2011; 34:e70–e73)
BORIS (CTCFL) Is Not Expressed in Most Human Breast Cell Lines and High Grade Breast Carcinomas

BORIS (CTCFL) is the only known paralog of the versatile regulatory protein CTCF, a multifunctional DNA binding protein that mediates distinct gene regulatory functions involved in cell growth, differentiation, and apoptosis. Unlike CTCF, the expression of BORIS is normally restricted to specific cells in testes (the only cells where CTCF is not expressed), where it may play a role in reprogramming the methylation pattern of male germ line DNA. Frequent amplification of the 20q13.2 region, which contains the BORIS gene, and expression of BORIS transcripts in diverse human tumors and cell lines have led to the hypothesis that aberrant expression of BORIS may play a role in tumorigenesis by interfering with CTCF functions. However, recent studies using more quantitative methods indicate low frequency of BORIS expression in melanoma, ovarian, prostate, and bladder carcinomas. To investigate the relationship between chromosome 20q13 amplification and BORIS mRNA levels within breast cancer cell lines and tissues, we developed a quantitative RT-PCR assay to measure the levels of BORIS mRNA. Endpoint RT-PCR assays were also used to investigate the possible expression of alternatively spliced variants. Using multiple primer sets and controls, we found that neither mature BORIS transcripts nor spliced variants are commonly expressed at detectable levels in malignant breast cells or tissues, although endogenous BORIS transcripts can be induced in MCF-7 cells following 5-aza-2′-deoxycytidine treatment. In conclusion, in most breast cancer cells, endogenous BORIS is unlikely to be expressed at sufficient levels to interfere with CTCF functions. Thus it is improbable that aberrant BORIS expression plays a role in most human breast cancers.
Flipped Out: Structure-Guided Design of Selective Pyrazolylpyrrole ERK Inhibitors.

The Ras/Raf/MEK/ERK signal transduction is a key oncogenic pathway implicated in a variety of human cancers. We have identified a novel series of pyrazolylpyrroles as inhibitors of ERK. Aided by the discovery of two distinct binding modes for the pyrazolylpyrrole scaffold, structure-guided optimization culminated in the discovery of 6p, a potent and selective inhibitor of ERK.
A cycle-averaged model of hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS)

This paper is concerned with computational modeling of a severe congenital defect called Hypoplastic left heart syndrome (HLHS) that is the most common cardiac malformation with the highest likelihood of deaths in newborns. A lumped parameter model of the HLHS circulation has been developed to study the hemodynamic variables in the various sections of the cardio-pulmonary circulation system. We applied a short-term, cycle-averaging operation to the differential equations of the HLHS model to obtain the cycle-averaged model. Study has been carried out to analyze the variation of blood flow rate in different parts due to parameter changes. Results show that the developed model, could bring a good insight into understanding of the HLHS disease.
Price discrimination in a rent-seeking economy*

This paper examines the incentive and the consequences of using discriminatory pricing by a monopolist in a rent-seeking economy. It is shown that, even if all consumer groups' demands have identical elasticities at any given price, the monopolist has an incentive to charge a lower price to high pressure consumer groups so as to alleviate their rent-seeking efforts in challenging its monopolistic power. Furthermore, it is shown that by allowing the firm to price discriminate total welfare may increase, even if all rent-seeking expenditures are completely wasteful.
Does neuraxial anesthesia reduce intraoperative blood loss? A meta-analysis

Abstract Study Objective To perform a meta-analysis of available randomized controlled trials to determine if neuraxial anesthesia would decrease blood loss, compared with general anesthesia. Design Retrospective analysis. Setting University medical center. Measurements The National Library of Medicine's PubMed database was searched from the period of 1966 to December 10, 2003 for all abstracts containing words related to neuraxial anesthesia and general anesthesia. The search was limited to randomized controlled trials and the English language and yielded 667 articles. Main Results A total of 66 articles met inclusion criteria and were used for the analysis. Overall, the use of spinal anesthesia resulted in significantly less estimated blood loss (EBL) ( P P Conclusions Use of spinal anesthesia or EA is associated with a significant decrease in EBL when compared with that for GA or combined GA-EA.
ACP Journal Club. Review: Corticosteroids improve short-term outcomes but worsen longer-term outcomes in some types of tendinopathy.

Source Citation Coombes BK, Bisset L, Vicenzino B. Efficacy and safety of corticosteroid injections and other injections for management of tendinopathy: a systematic review of randomised controlled...
High-latitude thermospheric vertical wind activity from Dynamics Explorer 2 Wind and Temperature Spectrometer Observations: Indications of a source region for polar cap gravity waves

[1] The large-scale distribution of thermospheric vertical wind activity, from ∼250 to 650 km altitude, was studied using observations from the Wind and Temperature Spectrometer on the Dynamics Explorer 2 satellite. We calculated the vertical velocity standard deviation, σ(Vz), within a sliding window of width 120 s, corresponding to an along-track distance of ∼900 km. Maps of σ(Vz) in local magnetic time and invariant latitude reveal a high-latitude region of enhanced activity that largely fills the polar cap, maximizing in the midnight-dawn sector. Separating the data by altitude suggests that most of the vertical wind energy present at 250–450 km is dissipated within a few hundred vertical kilometers. Northern and Southern Hemisphere high-latitude σ(Vz) fields were found to be very similar, indicating no significant hemispheric differences. No strong correlation was found between solar illumination and σ(Vz) at high latitudes, although the dayside vertical wind activity may be slightly reduced compared to night and twilight intervals. However, a clear relationship to geomagnetic activity, as measured by the AE index, was found; vertical wind activity increases with increasing AE. We interpret these results as a possible signature of polar cap gravity waves with sources in or near the midnight-dawn auroral oval. We use the probability density functions of σ(Vz), separated by AE, to infer the temporal characteristics of the wave source and consequently to provide preliminary estimates of the production rates of polar cap gravity waves.
Kinetics of cowpea starch gelatinization and modeling of starch gelatinization during steaming of intact cowpea seed

Abstract Steaming of cowpea seeds prevents weevil infestation during storage. Physicochemical changes such as starch gelatinization from steaming may lead to seed resistance to weevil penetration and digestion. A kinetics of starch gelatinization was constructed and incorporated in a heat and mass transfer model to quantitatively investigate starch gelatinization in intact seeds during steaming. The outer layers of steamed seeds (0.5 mm thick) were removed by a specially designed grinding device to measure degree of starch gelatinization (DG). The predicted DG in the outermost layer of seeds was found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The average relative error for DG was 14.6%.
Islamic Female Sexuality and Gender in modern feminist interpretation

Abstract Sexuality, gender and patriarchy are modern concepts that Western feminist scholars have unquestioningly utilized in their historical inquiry into women in Islam without ample consideration of periodization or problemization. Within the revelation of the Qur'an, the sexes were gendered in relation to each other in a reflection of their physical and biological complementarity. There was not, however, the construction of sexuality and gendering that is evident in the patriarchal society of the modern world. In this essay, I will attempt to trace the historiographical evolution of female sexuality from the time of the Prophet until the Middle Ages, particularly through the development of the female gendered roles of wifehood and motherhood as found in the Qur'an, hadith and fiqh. Additionally, I will argue that until the present these modern constructs have been taken for granted by postmodern scholarship on the topic across many academic disciplines. This has led to scholarship that superimposes mo...
Isolation of full-length cDNA and chromosomal localization of human NF-κB modulator NEMO to Xq28

NEMO is an essential component of the IκB kinase complex. Others have shown that expression of mouse NEMO can complement the lack of responsiveness to NF-κB stimuli in two NEMO-deficient cell lines. Here we report the isolation of a full-length human NEMO cDNA. Virtual translation of human NEMO cDNA predicts a 48-kD coiled-coil protein which shares 87.9% identity and 90.5% similarity with the mouse homolog. By sequence alignment, we mapped the human NEMO gene to chromosome Xq28. We note that the NEMO and the G6PD (glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase) loci are arranged in a head-to-head orientation separated by no more than 800 bp. This map location is further supported by the sequence of an alternatively spliced variant of human NEMO mRNA. Thus, human NEMO is an X-linked gene closely adjacent to the G6PD locus.
Acute Sarcoid Myositis With Respiratory Muscle Involvement: Case Report and Review of the Literature

A 61-year-old woman with a history of sarcoidosis presented with acute sarcoid myositis affecting the respiratory muscles. The patient responded to prednisone therapy with improved pulmonary function test results and resolution of her symptoms. Acute myositis is a rare manifestation of sarcoidosis and should be treated with steroids.
p75NTR expression and nuclear localization of p75NTR intracellular domain in spiral ganglion Schwann cells following deafness correlate with cell proliferation

Spiral ganglion Schwann cells (SGSCs) myelinate spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) and represent a potential source of neurotrophic support for SGNs. Deafening due to loss of hair cells results in gradual degeneration and death of SGNs. Successful efforts to maintain or regenerate a functional auditory nerve may depend on a healthy population of SGSCs, yet the responses of SGSCs to neural injury remain largely unknown. Here we investigate the role of p75NTR in SGSC responses to gradual denervation. Following deafening, SGSCs in the osseous spiral lamina (OSL) and, subsequently, in Rosenthal's canal (RC) expressed elevated p75NTR compared to hearing controls. p75NTR-positive cells co-labeled with S100 and RIP antibodies (Schwann cell markers), but not with anti-neurofilament. The pattern of p75NTR expression mirrored the pattern of neural degeneration, beginning in the OSL of the cochlea base and later extending into the apex. SGSCs expressed sortilin, a p75NTR co-receptor for pro-neurotrophins. Both pro-nerve growth factor (pro-NGF) and pro-brain derived neurotrophic factor (proBDNF) induced apoptosis in cultured SGSCs. Deafened animals exhibited significantly higher levels of SGSC proliferation (as measured by BrdU uptake) compared to hearing animals while total Schwann cell density remained stable, suggesting a tight regulation of SGSC proliferation and cell death. SGSCs undergoing cell division lose p75NTR expression from the cell surface and demonstrate nuclear localization of the intracellular domain (ICD), raising the possibility that p75NTR cleavage and ICD nuclear localization regulate SGSC proliferation. These results suggest that p75NTR contributes to SGSC responses to deafening and neural degeneration.
Black-White Differentials in the Demand for Children.

Using the 1970 National Fertility Survey, a multiple regression model was used to determine the effects of selected socioeconomic variables on the number of intended children by black and white families. The study also examined the extent to which the black-white differentials in the demand for children can be accounted for by underlying differences in socioeconomic characteristics between the two racial groups. Results of the study indicate that differences in the socioeconomic characteristics between black and white families explained 50 percent of the difference in the intended number of children by the two racial groups.
Surface plasmon spectroscopy of organic monolayer assemblies

Abstract Because the surface plasmon resonance is a sensitive probe of metallic surfaces we have measured quantitatively the changes that occur in surface plasmon resonances from coatings of thin layers of cadmium arachidate of different but known thicknesses on silver films. An ATR (attenuated total reflection) experimental arrangement was used. The dispersion of the refractive index of the organic layer was derived by a least square fit of the measured reflectivity curves and it agrees well with other data obtained by different methods. The influence of a possible intermediate layer between the silver surface and the first organic monolayer due to the preparation process is also discussed.
The Effect of Computer-Assisted Instruction Format and Initial Attitude on the Arithmetic Facts Proficiency and Continuing Motivation of Students with Learning Disabilities.

Abstract Computer‐assisted instruction (CAI) can be a valuable instructional tool for providing the additional drill and practice that students with learning disabilities often need to master basic skills. CAI programs that use game formats, similar to the types of activities that one might encounter in video arcades, are believed to help enhance student motivation to engage in learning tasks. Theoretical and empirical evidence, however, suggests that game formats may, under some conditions, have detrimental effects on students' achievement and motivation. The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of an instructional computer game on students' arithmetic facts proficiency. In addition, I examined whether initial attitudes toward mathematics would mediate the impact of game versus drill‐and‐practice CAI. Forty‐one fourth‐ through sixth‐grade students with learning disabilities participated in the study. I found that, regardless of their initial attitude or the type of program they used, students ...
Thermomechanical Equations Governing a Material With Prescribed Temperature-Dependent Density With Application to Nonisothermal Plane Poiseuille Flow

The standard practice in the literature for modeling materials processing in which changes in temperature induce significant volume changes is based on the a posteriori substitution of a temperature-dependent expression for density into the governing equations for an incompressible material. In this paper we show this ad hoc approach misses important terms in the equations, and by example show the ad hoc equations fail to capture important physical effects. First we derive the three-dimensional equations which govern the deformation and heat transfer of materials with prescribed temperature-dependent density. Specification of density as a function of temperature translates to a thermomechanical constraint, in contrast to the purely mechanical incompressibility constraint, so that the constraint response function (pressure) enters into the energy equation as well as the momentum equation. Then we demonstrate the effect of the correct constraint response by comparing solutions of our thermomechanical theory with solutions of the ad hoc theory in plane Poiseuille flow. The differences are significant, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In particular, the observed phenomenon of expansion cooling is captured by the thermomechanically constrained theory, but not by the ad hoc theory.
How to reach a compromise on drilling in AWNR

Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) has been controversial for decades and is likely to remain so. However, progress towards resolving this controversy might be possible if the congressional proposals to open ANWR include provisions that require the federal government to spend the money the federal government makes through leasing fees and taxes on conservation. The rising price of oil means that the profits to the federal government from drilling in ANWR are greater than the amount of money required to preserve all of the world's major centers of biodiversity. Moderate environmental organizations might therefore support drilling in order to avert other larger environmental problems elsewhere.
Influence of Small-Angle Intersheet Scattering on the Galvanomagnetic Properties of Polyvalent Metals: Application to Cadmium

The influence of small-angle scattering between different sheets of Fermi surface on the galvanomagnetic properties of metals is calculated using an idealized Fermi surface. The effects of the small-angle scattering are included explicitly in the solution of the Boltzmann equation. The theoretical results are applied to experimental measurements of the transverse magnetoresistance and Hall resistivity of cadmium and Cd-Zn alloys with the magnetic field parallel to the [0001] direction. Excellent agreement is obtained for the observed properties of the Hall resistivity as well as the magnetoresistance. The agreement between theory and experiment indicates the inadequacy of using only a relaxation-time approximation in dealing with the transport properties of these metals.
DORIS (Diagnostic Oriented Rockwell Intelligent System)

DORIS is an expert system developed for aiding in the fault diagnosis process. DORIS performs two major tasks: one as an expert consultant to the end-user, and second as an aid to the knowledge engineer via knowledge acquisition tools. DORIS is coded in LISP without third party expert system development tools. System features include a user-friendly interface, knowledge bases, forward and backward chaining inference systems, an explanation system, and a rule maintenance system. DORIS has been applied as a prototype in two areas: fault diagnosis of a Serial Digital Multiplex Assembly, and procedrual control for navigational sequencing.
Hybridization of simian virus 40 complementary RNA with nucleolus-associated DNA isolated from simian virus 40-transformed Chinese hamster cells.

Abstract Nucleolus-associated DNA was isolated from SV40-transformed Chinese hamster cell lines, and hybridized with SV40 [ 3 H]cRNA to determine whether a unique integration site could be selectively fractionated between nucleoli and total nuclear DNA. The distribution pattern of integrated SV40 genomes between these two DNA fractions varied from clone to clone. These results are consistent with multiple sites of integration of SV40 DNA into Chinese hamster cell DNA.
The response of single lateral hypothalamic neurons to ventromedial nucleus and limbic stimulation

Abstract Following limbic or hypothalamic ventromedial nucleus (HVM) stimulation single cell recordings in the lateral hypothalamus (LH) showed two basic types of response. Seventy-six per cent of the cells studied had action potentials driven at a fixed latency following the stimulus (D type cells), and the others showed a suppression of discharge for thirty to several hundred msec following the stimulus (S type cells). HVM was the most effective site of brain stimulation for influencing LH cells. HVM and preoptic stimulation yielded higher ratios of excitatory to inhibitory actions upon LH than did stimulation of basomedial or basolateral amygdala, stria terminalis, septum and ventral hippocampus. Extensive convergence of afferent projections to the LH is indicated by the observation that approximately 45 per cent of the 302 cells examined responded to stimulation of two or more sites. Units in the LH which responded to limbic or HVM stimulation were distributed in a manner that closely resembled the pattern of degeneration that results from lesions of HVM and adjacent tissue.
Phase boundary motion and polyphase diffusion in binary metal-interstitial systems.

Abstract By the application of Fick's First Law and proper account of material balance at the growing interfaces, simple but comprehensive expressions have been obtained for interstitial diffusivity and interface growth. The calculation is based on average diffusivity, average flux, and a linear concentration-penetration profile through the intermediate phase layers. A comparison with the exact solution has been presented. Parabolic growth law for the interface motion is derived. Binary metal-interstitial systems showing two and three intermediate phases are treated in detail, and the way has been explored for the generalization of the treatment to an N-layer system. Conditions for phase growth have been examined critically.
Acute diarrhea in frail elderly nursing home patients.

Diarrheal illness is the second most common cause of death worldwide, and one of the four most common infectious illnesses among elderly nursing home residents in the United States. Overall medical cost and loss of productivity due to diarrhea is estimated to be more than $20 billion a year in the United States. However, accurate figures of the cost of diarrheal illness in the elderly population are not available. As the number of elderly increases, the magnitude of this problem and its impact upon healthcare finances is likely to increase in future.
Cool night temperatures alter leaf starch and photosystem II chlorophyll fluorescence in cotton

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) growth and reproduction are sensitive to cool temperatures, but few studies are available on specific metabolic responses to low temperature stress. We studied the relationship between starch levels and Photosystem II (PSII) function in cotton plants grown in growth chambers to determine if low temperature stress at night alters metabolic processes during the day when temperatures are optimal. Predawn starch levels in fully expanded leaves were three to four times higher on an area basis, and PSII chlorophyll fluorescence was 43 to 54% lower in leaves of two varieties of cotton (T25 and Paymaster HS26, averages for three plants of each variety) when grown with a day/night temperature of 28/20 °C, compared with plants grown at a constant temperature of 28 °C. Cotton plants that were grown at a constant 28 °C had 4.4 (T25, n = 3) to 6.6 (HS26, n = 3) times more starch on a leaf-area basis after exposure to one night at 20 °C. When cotton plants that were grown with a day/night temperature of 28/20 °C were exposed to one night at 28 °C, starch was depleted to levels found in control plants that were grown at a constant 28 °C. The response of chlorophyll fluorescence was reciprocal to that of leaf starch when night temperature was changed. Shading, to reduce starch in six plants of each variety grown with 20 °C night temperatures to levels found in plants grown with 28 °C night temperatures, resulted in increased PSII chlorophyll fluorescence of 200%. We conclude that a night temperature of 20 °C caused an accumulation of leaf starch that was associated with reduced PSII function, even when plants experienced optimal temperatures during the day.
Regulation of inflammasome signaling

Innate immune responses have the ability to both combat infectious microbes and drive pathological inflammation. Inflammasome complexes are a central component of these processes through their regulation of interleukin 1β (IL-1β), IL-18 and pyroptosis. Inflammasomes recognize microbial products or endogenous molecules released from damaged or dying cells both through direct binding of ligands and indirect mechanisms. The potential of the IL-1 family of cytokines to cause tissue damage and chronic inflammation emphasizes the importance of regulating inflammasomes. Many regulatory mechanisms have been identified that act as checkpoints for attenuating inflammasome signaling at multiple steps. Here we discuss the various regulatory mechanisms that have evolved to keep inflammasome signaling in check to maintain immunological balance.
Forward-node-set-based broadcast in clustered mobile ad hoc networks

A taxonomy of broadcast protocols in mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs) is given where protocols are classified into four groups: global, quasi-global, quasi-local, and local. The taxonomy also divides protocols based on the nature of algorithms: probabilistic and deterministic. The locality of maintenance also plays an important role in evaluating the protocol. An important objective in designing a broadcast protocol is to reduce broadcast redundancy to save scarce resources such as energy and bandwidth and to avoid the broadcast storm problem. This objective should be achieved without introducing excessive overhead and time delay, measured by sequential rounds of information exchanges. This is done by choosing a small forward node set that forms a connected dominating set (CDS) to carry out a broadcast process. In this paper, a clustered network model is proposed in which each node is a clusterhead in the clustered architecture. Clusterheads are connected by carefully selecting non-clusterhead nodes locally at each clusterhead to connect clusterheads within the 2.5-hop coverage, a novel notion proposed in this paper. Information of neighbor clusterheads is piggybacked on the broadcast packet to further reduce each forward node set. It is shown that this approach is quasi-local with locality of maintenance. In addition, this approach has a constant approximation ratio to the minimum connected dominating set (MCDS) and generates a small forward node set in the average case. Comparisons are also done through simulation with representative protocols from each of the four groups of protocols based on the proposed taxonomy. We also simulate the proposed broadcast protocol in a dynamic network and analyze its performance. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Operationally Simple and Efficient Workup Procedure for TBAF-Mediated Desilylation: Application to Halichondrin Synthesis

An operationally simple and efficient workup method for tetrabutylammonium fluoride (TBAF)-mediated t-butyldimethylsilyl (TBS) deprotection has been developed. The procedure includes addition of a sulfonic acid resin and calcium carbonate, followed by filtration and evaporation. This method eliminates the tedious aqueous-phase extraction process to remove excess TBAF and materials derived from TBAF, thereby making the protocol highly amenable to multiple TBS deprotections. Its efficiency and usefulness were demonstrated by using the transformation of 1a to 3a in the halichondrin synthesis. [reaction: see text].
Implementation of Ion/Ion Reactions in a Quadrupole/Time-of-Flight Tandem Mass Spectrometer

A commercial quadrupole/time-of-flight (QqTOF) tandem mass spectrometer has been adapted for ion/ion reaction studies. To enable mutual storage of oppositely charged ions in a linear ion trap, the oscillating quadrupole field of the second quadrupole of the system (Q2) serves to store ions in the radial dimension while auxiliary radio frequency is superposed on the end lenses of Q2 during the reaction period to create barriers in the axial dimension. A pulsed dual electrospray (ESI) source is directly coupled to the instrument interface for the purpose of proton transfer reactions. Singly and doubly charged protein ions as high in mass as 66 kDa are readily formed and observed after proton-transfer reactions. For the modified instrument, the mass resolving power is ∼8000 for a wide m/z range, and the mass accuracy is ∼20 ppm for external calibration and ∼5 ppm for internal calibration after ion/ion reactions. Parallel ion parking is demonstrated with a six-component protein mixture, which shows the potent...
Finding Alternatives to Handicap Theory

The Handicap Principle represents a central theory in the biological understanding of signaling. This paper presents a number of alternative theories to the Handicap Principle and argues that some of these theories may provide a better explanation for the evolution and stability of honest communication.
A Geoneutrino Experiment at Homestake

A significant fraction of the 44TW of heat dissipation from the Earth’s interior is believed to originate from the decays of terrestrial uranium and thorium. The only estimates of this radiogenic heat, which is the driving force for mantle convection, come from Earth models based on meteorites, and have large systematic errors. The detection of electron antineutrinos produced by these uranium and thorium decays would allow a more direct measure of the total uranium and thorium content, and hence radiogenic heat production in the Earth. We discuss the prospect of building an electron antineutrino detector approximately 700 m3 in size in the Homestake mine at the 4850’ level. This would allow us to make a measurement of the total uranium and thorium content with a statistical error less than the systematic error from our current knowledge of neutrino oscillation parameters. It would also allow us to test the hypothesis of a naturally occurring nuclear reactor at the center of the Earth.
Molecular modeling of adsorbed NDMA and water in MFI zeolites

Abstract N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), which is a carcinogenic and toxic N-nitrosamine, can be found in water resources associated with a multitude of processes in various industrial facilities or merely as a by-product of water or wastewater treatment. Therefore, the removal of NDMA from drinking water represents an important human safety and public health concern. The present paper presents a density functional theory study of NDMA adsorption in all-silica MFI, Na-ZSM-5 and H-ZSM-5 zeolites. The stability of NDMA inside the zeolite pores was investigated by calculating the amount of energy released during adsorption. Various configurations of adsorbed NDMA to the zeolites were investigated, predominantly at the intersection of straight and sinusoidal channels. The strength of the adsorption energies followed the order H-ZSM-5 > Na-ZSM-5 > all-silica MFI. NDMA has a dipole moment and the strongest binding of NDMA occurred through the interactions of the negatively charged O atom of the molecule to positive atoms of the zeolite. For comparison, similar calculations were performed for water adsorption in these three zeolites. The adsorption energy of water in these three structures followed the order Na-ZSM-5 > H-ZSM-5 > all-silica MFI. We also incorporated van der Waals corrections in the simulations, which had the effect of stabilizing NDMA within the zeolite channels, but did not significantly change the relative stability of the different adsorption geometries. It was concluded that H-ZSM-5 is a good candidate to remove NDMA. Finally, it should be pointed out that H-ZSM-5 has the largest difference in binding energy between NDMA and water of the studied zeolites, suggesting that separation of the two molecules is indeed feasible due to preferential interactions between zeolite and adsorbate molecule.
Motivation and performance in a game-based intelligent tutoring system.

One strength of educational games stems from their potential to increase students’ motivation and engagement during educational tasks. However, game features may also detract from principle learning goals and interfere with students’ ability to master the target material. To assess the potential impact of game-based learning environments, in this study we examined motivation and learning for 84 high-school students across eight 1-hr sessions comparing 2 versions of a reading strategy tutoring system, an intelligent tutoring system (iSTART) and its game-based version (iSTART–ME). The results demonstrate equivalent target task performance (i.e., learning) across environments at pretest, posttest, and retention, but significantly higher levels of enjoyment and motivation for the game-based system. Analyses of performance across sessions reveal an initial decrease in performance followed by improvement within the game-based training condition. These results suggest possible constraints and benefits of game-based training, including time-scale effects. The findings from this study offer a potential explanation for some of the mixed findings within the literature and support the integration of game-based features within intelligent tutoring environments that require long-term interactions for students to develop skill mastery.
Stereoselective aldol condensation reactions of iron acetyl enolates

En choisissant soigneusement l'ion antagoniste, l'enolate de η 5 -CpFe(CO)(PPh 3 )COCH 3 reagit avec les aldehydes en formant des produits aldoliques qui ont une stereoselectivite elevee
Polypeptide neurotoxins modify gating and apparent single-channel conductance of veratridine-activated sodium channels in planar lipid bilayers

The effects of scorpion and sea anemone polypeptide toxins on partially purified veratridine (VER)-activated Na channels from rat brain were studied at the single-channel level in planar lipid bilayers. The probability of the VER-activated channel being open (P o ) increased with depolarization;P o was 0.5 at −40 to −50 mV. Saxitoxin (STX) blocked VER-activated channels with an apparent dissociation constant of about 1nm at −45 mV. The apparent single-channel conductance was approximately 9 pS, similar to that seen in VER-activated Na channels from skeletal muscle transverse tubules. Addition of sea anemone or scorpion polypeptide toxins to VER-activated Na channels resulted in a 19% increase in apparent single-channel conductance and a hyperpolarizing shift in theP o vs. V m relation such that the channels were more likely to be open at potentials <40 mV. These effects of the polypeptide toxins on the single-channel properties of VER-activated Na channels may account for the previously described potentiation of VER action by polypeptide toxins.
Relationship of ion absorption to growth rate in taiga trees.

Rates of nutrient absorption were measured on excised roots of taiga tree seedlings grown in the laboratory. Phosphate and to a lesser extent ammonium (relatively immobile ions in the soil) were absorbed most rapidly by poplar and aspen, two species with rapid growth rates and most slowly by alder and/or black spruce, species with slow growth rates. In contrast, potassium (which is more mobile in soil) was absorbed most rapidly by slowly growing species. All species had low rates of nitrate and chloride absorption. Absorption rate of each ion was most temperature sensitive in those species that typically occupy the warmest soils (i.e. poplar and aspen). We suggest that in infertile soils a high capacity for uptake is an important component of root competition only in the case of mobile ions (e.g. potassium, nitrate), because only for these ions do diffusion shells of adjacent roots overlap; in contrast plants compete for immobile ions (e.g. phosphate) only by increasing absorptive surface via root growth or mycorrhizal association.
Granitic Rocks of the White Mountains Area, California-Nevada: Age and Regional Significance

Potassium-argon ages have been determined on 25 biotite and hornblende samples (four coexisting biotite-hornblende pairs were dated) from a number of granitic formations in the more than 500 sq mi of dominantly granitic outcrop in the White Mountains. These new data, together with earlier published radiometric ages, indicate a group of plutons about 70 to 85 m.y. old, a single body about 210 m.y. old, another that may be about 225 m.y. old, and several between 130 and 185 m.y. old. Evidence of intrusion is lacking in the intervals of about 90 to 130 m.y. and 185 to 200 m.y. The oldest age, about 226 m.y., may represent the chance preservation of a “primary” hornblende in a body in which the dark minerals are largely recrystallized and their radiometric ages reset. This age suggests that Triassic magmatism may be more widespread along the eastern margin of the Sierra Nevada batholith than had previously been considered. The radiometric age data from the White Mountains, together with similar data from northwestern and north-central Nevada and abundant data from the central Sierra Nevada, suggest essentially continuous, albeit irregular, magmatic activity from Triassic to the end of Cretaceous, except for periods of little or no activity in earliest Jurassic and earliest Cretaceous. Episodes of magmatic activity may, and probably do, characterize specific areas, but when sufficiently large blocks of the Sierra Nevada batholith are considered, the sum of the episodes approaches a continuum.
Neurodevelopmental outcomes following two different treatment approaches (early ligation and selective ligation) for patent ductus arteriosus.

Objective To examine whether a change in the approach to managing persistent patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) from early ligation to selective ligation is associated with an increased risk of abnormal neurodevelopmental outcomes. Study design In 2005, we changed our PDA treatment protocol for infants born at ≤27 6/7 weeks' gestation from an early ligation approach, with prompt PDA ligation if the ductus failed to close after indomethacin therapy (period 1: January 1999 to December 2004), to a selective ligation approach, with PDA ligation performed only if specific criteria were met (period 2: January 2005 to May 2009). All infants in both periods received prophylactic indomethacin. Multivariate analysis was used to compare the odds of a composite abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome (Bayley Mental Developmental Index or Cognitive Score Results During period 1, 23% of the infants in follow-up failed indomethacin treatment, and all underwent surgical ligation. During period 2, 30% of infants failed indomethacin, and 66% underwent ligation after meeting prespecified criteria. Infants treated with the selective ligation strategy demonstrated fewer abnormal outcomes than those treated with the early ligation approach (OR, 0.07; P = .046). Infants who underwent ligation before 10 days of age had an increased incidence of abnormal neurodevelopmental outcome. The significant difference in outcomes between the 2 PDA treatment strategies could be accounted for in part by the earlier age of ligation during period 1. Conclusion A selective ligation approach for PDAs that fail to close with indomethacin therapy is not associated with worse neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 18-36 months.
Visual adaptation and the perception of distortions in natural images

We examined figural after-effects in natural images by using as adapt and test stimuli images of human faces, for which small changes in configuration are highly discriminable. Observers either matched a face to a memorized face or rated faces as either `normal' or `distorted', before or after viewing a distorted image of the same face. Prior adaptation strongly biases face recognition: after viewing the distorted image, the original face appears distorted in a direction opposite to the adapting distortion. However, no after-effects are observed when either the adapting image or the test image is inverted, indicating that the adaptation is not to the distortion gradient in the image (which is the same for upright or inverted images), but depends instead on the specific configuration of the stimulus. We further show that the figural after-effects for face images are highly asymmetric, for adapting to the original face has little effect on the perception of a distorted face. This asymmetry suggests that adaptation may play an important normalizing role in face perception. Our results suggest that in normal viewing figural after-effects may play a prominent role in form perception, and could provide a novel method for probing the mechanisms underlying human face perception.
C/EBPα binds and activates the PU.1 distal enhancer to induce monocyte lineage commitment

The PU.1 gene contains a 237-base pair distal enhancer located 14 kilobases upstream of its promoter. We have identified 2 sites within the PU.1 enhancer that strongly bind C/EBPalpha in a gel shift assay, and interaction with endogenous C/EBPalpha was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation. Mutation of these DNA elements reduced activity of a distal enhancer-promoter construct 2- or 5-fold in a myeloid cell line, while mutation of a weaker C/EBPalpha-binding site located in the promoter minimally reduced activity in this context. These findings strengthen the link between C/EBPalpha and PU.1 expression. Reduction of C/EBPalpha activity in cases of acute myeloid leukemia may therefore contribute to transformation by reducing PU.1 levels. In addition, induction of PU.1 by C/EBPalpha during normal hematopoiesis may contribute to stem cell commitment to the myeloid lineages and further commitment to monopoiesis. Consistent with a requirement for C/EBPalpha induction of PU.1 during myeloid development, we demonstrate that C/EBPalpha induces monocytic development when expressed in PU.1(+/+), PU.1(+/-), or PU.1(+/kd) marrow myeloid progenitors but induces granulocyte lineage commitment in PU.1(kd/kd) cells lacking the PU.1 distal enhancer and does not induce either lineage in PU.1(-/-) cells.
Specification and verification of active message systems

This paper is concerned with the specification and verification of an active message system. Aspects of specification and verification of active messages are discussed. Approaches to the formal specification and verification of active message design are described. A formal system that is based on temporal logic for describing and analyzing properties of active messages is developed. A proof of the termination of an active message is given as an example to clarify the concepts discussed in the paper.
Software considerations in distributed architectures

This presentation is an outgrowth of a workshop session held at Lake Arrowhead in 1973 on Distributed Software. The participants in the session were Dave Farber of UC Irvine (Chairman). Don Bennett of Sperrty Rand. Bob Bressler of Bolt. Beranek and Newman, Larry Rowe of UC Irvine, Bob Metcalfe of XEROX PARC, and Marty Graham of UC Berkeley.
Synthesis and structures of aluminum alkanethiolate complexes.

The homoleptic aluminum thiolate complex [Al(μ-S-t-Bu)(S-t-Bu)2]2 was prepared by reacting AlBr3 with NaS-t-Bu while the analogous 2-propanethiolate complex [Al(μ-S-i-Pr)(S-i-Pr)2]2 was synthesized...
Waterborne and dietary hexavalent chromium exposure causes DNA-protein crosslink (DPX) formation in erythrocytes of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides).

Abstract Formation of DNA-protein crosslinks (DPXs) was demonstrated in erythrocytes from fathead minnows ( Pimephales promelas ) and largemouth bass ( Micropterus salmoides ) exposed to hexavalent chromium [Cr(VI)], a known carcinogenic and mutagenic metal contaminant of many industrial waterways. Tank water exposure of 2–3 in. fathead minnows to 2 ppm Cr(VI) led to significant DPX formation in erythrocytes, with over 140–200% elevations above background levels at 3–4 days, respectively. Largemouth bass exposed similarly were found to have 62% elevation of DPX levels after 4 days. When largemouth bass were fed a diet of minnows injected with 20 μg Cr(VI) for 5 days, a significant ( p
Fate of TNT and Its Transformation Products in Mixed Aerobic Cultures

The fate of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) and TNT transformation products in two aerobic enrichment cultures was investigated. Contaminant fate was assessed through analysis of TNT and its oxygen-stable aminated derivatives using capillary electrophoresis and by tracking the distribution of 14C-labeled products in either the dissolved, mineralized, or biomass fractions. TNT transformation products were generated by reduction with Fe(0), reduction by S2−, and transformation by Clostridium acetobutylicum and by Eichornia crassipies (water hyacinth). Enrichment cultures varied in the growth substrate and nitrogen source supplied. The dextrose-fed mixed culture (DMC) was enriched on dextrose with yeast extract providing nitrogen for growth, whereas the anthranilic acid-fed mixed culture (AMC) received anthranilic acid as its source of both energy and nitrogen. Each culture transformed TNT, but their product distributions varied. The DMC exhibited higher levels of biomass association, whereas the AMC produced hi...