cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dss1 regulates interaction of Brh2 with DNA

Brh2, the BRCA2 homologue in Ustilago maydis, plays a crucial role in homologous recombination by controlling Rad51. In turn, Brh2 is governed by Dss1, an intrinsically disordered protein that forms a tight complex with the C-terminal region of Brh2. This region of the protein associating with Dss1 is highly conserved in sequence and by comparison with mammalian BRCA2 corresponds to a part of the DNA binding domain with characteristic OB folds. The N-terminal region of Brh2 harbors a less-defined but powerful DNA binding site, the activity of which is revealed upon deletion of the C-terminal region. Full-length Brh2 complexed with Dss1 binds DNA slowly, while the N-terminal fragment binds quickly. The DNA binding activity of full-length Brh2 appears to correlate with dissociation of Dss1. Addition of Dss1 to the heterotypic Brh2-Dss1 complex attenuates DNA binding activity, but not by direct competition for the N-terminal DNA binding site. Conversely, the Brh2-Dss1 complex dissociates more quickly when DNA is present. These findings suggest a model in which binding of Brh2 to DNA is subject to allosteric regulation by Dss1.
Occurrence and reproducibility of exercise-induced ventricular ectopy in normal subjects

Abstract The prevalence of ventricular ectopy was determined during gymnasium exercise in 289 normal men and 56 normal women. Ventricular ectopy was detected in 35 percent of men and 14 percent of women. Prevalence increased with age from 18 percent positive responses in men under 30 to 50 percent over 50 years; men had more ectopy than women at each decade of life. Cigarette smoking, coffee drinking and regular physical activity had no significant impact on the prevalence of ventricular ectopy. The first 38 men with ventricular ectopy during the screening were recruited for additional tests of prevalence and reproducibility. The prevalence of ventricular ectopy increased from 15 percent at a heart rate of less than 120 beats/min to 50 percent at a rate of more than 150 beats/min. Ventricular ectopy occurred 2.5 times more frequently during the exercise than the recovery periods, and examination of both periods increased the yield over exercise alone by 1.2 times. At similar heart rates, the prevalence levels of positive tests (both exercise and recovery periods) were the same during running as during ergometric exercise. The prevalence of ventricular ectopy was not significantly different in patients after myocardial infarction than in normal persons matched for age and heart rate (42 and 36 percent, respectively). During two sessions of gymnasium exercise at similar heart rates (within 10 beats), there were 21 percent positive results on the first test and 19 percent positive results on the second (not significantly different). Positive results were reproduced in 64 percent of cases. Reproducibility was the same at all heart rates and was slightly better during exercise than during recovery periods. This regularly exercising population had a noteworthy prevalence of ventricular ectopy and the results were reproducible in a high proportion of cases.
Search and Trading in Intermediated Markets

This paper examines the effect of a middleman on the search and trading behavior of the traders. It is shown that the buyer and seller types with middle valuations choose to search for each other, while the buyer and seller types with high or low valuations drop out of the search market and choose to trade directly with the middleman. The ask and bid prices of the middleman act as an outside option for the buyer and seller, and influence the outcome of the bargaining between the two. The model generalizes Gehrig (1993) by endogenizing the traders' search intensities, by allowing the traders to go to an intermediary even if thy have engaged in search, and by enabling the intermediary to provide the service of immediacy.
Multiple Stimulus Without Replacement Preference Assessments: An Examination of the Relation Between Session Number and Effectiveness

Multiple stimulus without replacement (MSWO) preference assessments have been demonstrated to effectively identify reinforcers for individuals with severe to profound disabilities, but it may be possible to make the procedures more efficient by decreasing the number of array presentations. This investigation presents one case study that compared single-, three-, and five-session MSWO formats to determine if reinforcers could be reliably identified with all three formats for one student with pervasive developmental disability not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS). Using a concurrent-operants design embedded in a reversal design, subsequent reinforcer assessments indicated that a reinforcer was identified with each assessment format. Directions for future research and procedural limitations will be discussed.
Labor Force Participation in Southern Rural Labor Markets

Despite the extensive study of labor force participation rates, factors influencing the labor force status of rural workers have received relatively little attention. Employing primary data from interviews conducted in four southern rural counties, this study investigates the major determinants of labor force participation among six subgroups in the sample. Evidence from probit analysis indicates the critical role of health in the participation decision of virtually all subgroups. The expected wage is found to significantly influence the participation decision of secondary, but not primary, workers. Manpower policies involving day‐care centers, discrimination, and job training are also investigated.
On the stability of Han's ADRC

Active disturbance rejection control (ADRC) is a heuristic but highly effective approach to controller-observer design. The advantages of the approach have been demonstrated in many applications but there is little available on its stability analysis. This paper shows that the nonlinear function used in ADRC results in stable behavior. Two examples are provided to demonstrate the robust stability and excellent performance of ADRC.
Sequential Multimodal Microscopic Imaging and Biaxial Mechanical Testing of Living Multicomponent Tissue Constructs

Understanding relationships between mechanical stimuli and cellular responses require measurements of evolving tissue structure and mechanical properties. We developed a 3D tissue bioreactor that couples to both the stage of a custom multimodal microscopy system and a biaxial mechanical testing platform. Time dependent changes in microstructure and mechanical properties of fibroblast seeded cruciform fibrin gels were investigated while cultured under either anchored (1.0:1.0 stretch ratio) or strip biaxial (1.0:1.1) conditions. A multimodal nonlinear optical microscopy-optical coherence microscopy (NLOM-OCM) system was used to delineate noninvasively the relative spatial distributions of original fibrin, deposited collagen, and fibroblasts during month long culture. Serial in-culture mechanical testing was also performed to track the evolution of bulk mechanical properties under sterile conditions. Over the month long time course, seeded cells and deposited collagen were randomly distributed in equibiaxially anchored constructs, but exhibited preferential alignment parallel to the direction of the 10% stretch in constructs cultured under strip biaxial stretch. Surprisingly, both anchored and strip biaxial stretched constructs exhibited isotropic mechanical properties (including progressively increasing stiffness) despite developing a very different collagen microstructural organization. In summary, our biaxial bioreactor system integrating both NLOM-OCM and mechanical testing provided complementary information on microstructural organization and mechanical properties and, thus, may enable greater fundamental understanding of relationships between engineered soft tissue mechanics and mechanobiology.
A fully-integrated K a -band stacked power amplifier in 45nm CMOS SOI technology

A fully-integrated Ka-band power amplifier (PA) designed with 2 stacked Cascode cells is implemented in 45nm CMOS SOI technology. The stack configuration overcomes the low breakdown voltages of scaled transistors and provides an output impedance close to 50 Ω. At 37 GHz, and when biased at 3.6 V, the PA delivers a saturated output power (PSAT) and a -1dB compressed output power (P1dB) of 20.2 dBm and 14.5 dBm, respectively, with a peak PAE of 11.2%. With a higher supply voltage of 4.4 V (1.1 V across each transistor), the PSAT and P1dB increase to 21.4 dBm (140 mW) and 17.5 dBm, respectively. The stack configuration allows the PA to deliver high output power at mm-wave frequencies despite the fact that each transistor is biased under a low drain-source voltage.
Fabrication of a provisional nasal prosthesis.

A technique for making a provisional nasal prosthesis for interim use after the ablation of a midface tumor is described. The technique is especially useful for the re-creation of a nasal form in an expedient and cost-effective manner. A preoperative definitive cast, or moulage, of the patient that includes a nasal form is used to fabricate a vacuum form of the midface. The vacuum form is evaluated on the patient, the extension is adjusted, and an external adhesive knit liner is applied to give the appearance of a contoured nasal bandage. The provisional nasal prosthesis is attached with medical adhesive tape and removed daily by the patient. The prosthesis is easily replaced during the course of treatment and has been found to be functional and esthetically acceptable to those patients receiving care from the Dental Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
Life history plasticity in chinook salmon: relation of size and growth rate to autumnal smolting.

Abstract An experiment was conducted to assess the relative influence of body size and growth rate on autumnal smolting of under-yearling spring chinook salmon. Fish were sorted into large (>85 mm) or small ( + –K + –ATPase, plasma T 4 and IGF-I were obtained at 2-week intervals. On seven occasions throughout October and November, 10 fish from each treatment group were PIT tagged and movement patterns were assessed. Autumnal smolting clearly occurred in all treatment groups, indicated by elevated gill Na + –K + –ATPase activities, attainment of a silvery skin coloration, and an active swimming behavior pattern. However, fish from the Large-HiFeed treatment clearly differed in a number of respects from fish from the Small-LoFeed treatment from August through September: condition factor was higher, skin was more silvery, plasma T 4 and IGF-I levels were higher, and gill Na + –K + –ATPase activities were higher. In addition, fish from the Large-HiFeed group showed greater levels of activity than fish from the Small-LoFeed group on most occasions, in October and November. These data extend knowledge of the phenomenon of autumnal smolting in chinook salmon. Further, they demonstrate that differences in growth through the summer–autumn period has a significant effect on both physiological and behavioral expression of smolting.
Burns caused by automobile radiators: a continuing problem.

In spite of the fact that injury warning labels have been placed on radiator caps for the last 15 years, automobile radiator scald burns continue to be a burn prevention problem. The temperature of radiator fluid may be as high as 100+/- F to 250+/- F in a properly functioning car and higher in an overheated vehicle. From 1974 to 1990, 100 patients with burns that were caused by automobile radiators have been admitted to the Parkland Memorial Hospital Burn Unit (1.5% of acute admissions). Eighty-two percent of the injuries occurred in the summer months, and 93% of the patients were male. Mean age was 31 +/- 17 years (range, 8 months to 79 years), and mean burn size was 11.3% total body surface area (TBSA) (range, 1% to 32%) with a mean full-thickness burn size of 0.6% TBSA. Length of stay was 7 +/- 7.4 days (range, 1 to 38 days). Burns to the face, neck, and trunk necessitated most admissions. Although there were no deaths, five patients required intensive care for airway monitoring; mean length of stay was 6 days. One patient required endotracheal intubation for a total of 11 days. Ten patients required one or more skin grafting procedures, and three patients required burn resuscitation. Four patients sustained minor ocular injuries. A subgroup of patients demands special review: 10 children younger than 10 years of age (mean age, 4.1 years) of which 70% were boys. Mean burn size was 15.5% TBSA; mean full-thickness burn size was 2.4% (four times larger than the mean burn size for the adult population). Also, mean length of stay was 11.1 days (1.7 times longer than that for adults). The majority of adults were burned as the result of self-initiated action; all of the young children were innocent bystanders. Certainly all of the burns in children and nearly all of the burns in adults could have been prevented. Heightened public awareness alone would markedly decrease the number of radiator burns in children. In regard to adult injuries, the solution is more problematic. Although radiator caps are clearly marked with warnings regarding their removal, these are frequently unheeded. One alternative is installation of closed radiator systems in automobiles. The noticeable lack of on-the-job injuries among radiator mechanics is striking; further investigation into this area will hopefully provide assistance in preventing radiator scald burns that are not job-related. Language: en
Raw Histories: Photographs, Anthropology and Museums

Raw Histories: Photographs, Anthropology and Museums. Elizabeth Edwards Oxford, New York: Berg. 2001.
The Alcohol Dependence Scale: a validation study among inpatient alcoholics.

The present study investigated whether the degree of alcohol dependence, as operationalized by Skinner and Allen's Alcohol Dependence Scale (ADS), covaried with concurrent and predictive criteria in a sample of hospitalized alcoholics. As previously reported, the ADS was found to be unidimensional and internally consistent. However, compared to Skinner and Allen's findings, these inpatients had significantly lower ADS scores. Correlations with concurrent measures of cognitive functioning, psychiatric and physical symptoms tended to be smaller than, but in the same direction as, those previously reported using an outpatient sample. ADS scores did not significantly predict attrition from inpatient treatment, self-reported alcohol consumption over 9-month follow-up or duration of aftercare involvement. Patients who relapsed reported significantly higher ADS scores at admission, however, the magnitude of this relationship was modest (r = .16). In its present form, the ADS appears to have fair concurrent valid...
Radioiodine dispensing and usage in a centralized hospital nuclear pharmacy.

131I sodium iodide is the radiopharmaceutical of choice for both diagnosis and therapy in patients with various thyroid abnormalities. The radioiodide capsule has been the preferred dosage form, primarily because it provides a more convenient and safer vehicle for radioiodine administration. However, encapsulated 131I costs approximately twice as much a liquid 131I and does not provide as much flexibility as 131I solution in dosage selection. Also, the bioavailability of the capsular radioiodide preparation is inferior to that of the aqueous dosage form. The patient must swallow multiple capsules when a large amount of 131I activity is used. Capsule form is not suitable for any patient who has difficulty swallowing a capsule, has a feeding tube, or requires intravenous injection of 131I solution. In addition, radioiodide capsules must be analyzed statistically to ensure that the dosage units meet the United States Pharmacopeia uniformity requirements. If liquid radioiodine is used, distilled water rather than tap water should be used for dose preparation. It also is recommended that an antioxidant (e.g., sodium thiosulfate, sodium bisulfite), disodium edetate, and a pH adjustment of 7.5-9.0 be used to reduce radioiodide volatility. Due to the acceleration of the oxidative reaction caused by heat and light, 131I should be stored in a dark, cool environment. To comply with the quality management program implemented by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission on January 27, 1992, all of the required information (e.g., prescribed dosage, procedure date, and signature of the authorized user) for a valid written directive is preprinted to ensure that the written directive is completed entirely and appropriately. Before each administration of therapeutic 131I solution, the calculated dose is verified by the prescribing physician, and the measured dose of 131I is reconfirmed by a second nuclear medicine technologist. Each patient's identity is verified by two methods (i.e., patient's full name and birth date).
How Does Reliance on Automated Tools During Learning Influence Students’ Air Traffic Management Skills When the Tools Fail?:

Research on potential NextGen technology has shown that advanced conflict detection and resolution tools can increase air traffic controllers’ performance and decrease their workload. However, use ...
Internal states: Necessary but not sufficient.

Staddon's article is timely, refreshing, and provocative; timely because it invites us to rethink our basic assumptions, always a healthy activity in periods of crisis; refreshing because it suggests new avenues for behavior analysis, such as the history-based concept of internal state; and provocative because it questions a cherished discrimination made by many behavior analysts, that between organismand environment-based accounts of behavior. That much is positive. However, as I show below, Staddon misinterpreted Darwin, misconstrued organism-based accounts, and did not identify the major source of the current problems in behavior analysis. On Darwin and Darwinism. Coming from an author who has written extensively on the relations between evolutionary biology and psychology (e.g., Staddon & Simmelhag, 1971), it is surprising to read that "Darwin dealt primarily with environmental determinants only because behavior was not his primary object of study.... When Darwin did deal with behavior, his theorizing was more 'organism based' than might be suspected" (p. 439). The statement is inaccurate on two grounds. First, no reader of the Origin can fail to recognize in Darwin's account of the origin of species and their various adaptations, how delicate, rich, complex, and fundamental was the role of the environment. As a distinguished historian of biology put it, "Almost his greatest service to biology was that he made biologists realize as they never did before the vast importance of the environment" (Russell, 1917/ 1982, pp. 232-233). Parenthetically, if we replace "biology" with "psychology," exactly the same can be said about B. F. Skinner. Second, Darwin suggested one and the same
Progress on NSTX center stack upgrade

Abstract The national spherical torus experiment (NSTX) will be upgraded to provide increased toroidal field, plasma current and pulse length. This involves the replacement of the so-called center stack, including the inner legs of the toroidal field (TF) coil, the Ohmic heating (OH) coil, and the inner poloidal field (PF) coils. In addition the increased performance of the upgrade requires qualification of remaining existing components for higher loads. Initial conceptual design efforts were based on worst-case combinations of possible currents that the power supplies could deliver. This proved to be an onerous requirement and caused many of the outer coils support structures to require costly heavy reinforcement. This has led to the planned implementation of a digital coil protection system (DCPS) to reduce design-basis loads to levels that are more realistic and manageable. As a minimum, all components must be qualified for the increase in normal operating loads with headroom. Design features and analysis efforts needed to meet the upgrade loading are discussed. Mission and features of the DCPS are presented.
Evaluation of the use of anesthesia and analgesia in reptiles

Objective—To determine anesthetic techniques and the drugs used to provide anesthesia and analgesia to reptiles. Design—Mail-out questionnaire. Sample Population—367 members of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians. Procedure—1,091 members listed in the 2002 directory of the Association of Reptile and Amphibian Veterinarians were asked to complete a questionnaire regarding anesthesia and analgesia. Results—367 of 1,091 (33.6%) individuals completed the questionnaire; 88.8% used inhalants (particularly isoflurane) for anesthesia, and ketamine, propofol, and butorphanol were the most commonly used injectable agents. Intubation, fluids, and having a dedicated anesthetist were most commonly used for patient support, and pulse oximetry and Doppler ultrasonography were most commonly used for monitoring. Respiratory depression, difficulty monitoring anesthetic depth, prolonged recovery, and hypothermia were the most frequent complications. Nearly all respondents believed that reptiles feel pain,...
Symbols and the world system: National anthems and flags

When one examines current national anthems and flags, one finds a great deal of variety. What explains this variation? Possible factors include a nation's world-system position and its degree of modernization. Specifically, I analyze the ways in which world-system position and modernization affect the design or configuration—the syntactic structure—of the symbols national leaders adopt to convey their nation's identity. Findings reveal a link between a nation's world-system position and the structure of its symbols. Leaders of core nations adopt more basic anthems and flags than their semiperiphery and periphery counterparts. However, modernization has no such influence.
George W. Bush's War on Terrorism and Sin

In George W. Bush's inaugural address, informed by ‘compassionate conservatism’, there was a tension between two familiar goals in US political discourse: conserving the status quo and changing the world for the better by cleansing it of sin. In Bush's discursive construction of the war on terrorism, ‘compassionate conservatism’ and the construction of sin were folded into a unified discourse, with the emphasis on preventing dangerous change rather than creating positive change. A static state of safety, constantly protected by ‘compassionate conservatism’ and war, is now offered by American conservatives as the most viable and most patriotic way to stave off the forces of sin.
Development and life-testing of 10 kW class thermal arcjet engines

A facility to develop and test thermal arcjet engines over extended periods of time has been constructed and is described in this paper. It consists of a large vacuum tank, high capacity vacuum pumps, a 100 kW power supply and a large ammonia propellant storage and delivery system. The facility is instrumented to measure electrical power dissipated in the engine, propellant mass flow rate and developed thrust. Pressures and temperatures up to 2400 K can also be measured. The entire facility is computer-controlled and can be operated unattended for many weeks. Two 30 kW thermal arcjet engines that have been designed, built and are being tested in this facility are also described.
Self-assembly and electrostriction of arrays and chains of hopfion particles in chiral liquid crystals

Some of the most exotic condensed matter phases, such as twist grain boundary and blue phases in liquid crystals and Abrikosov phases in superconductors, contain arrays of topological defects in their ground state. Comprised of a triangular lattice of double-twist tubes of magnetization, the so-called ‘A-phase’ in chiral magnets is an example of a thermodynamically stable phase with topologically nontrivial solitonic field configurations referred to as two-dimensional skyrmions, or baby-skyrmions. Here we report that three-dimensional skyrmions in the form of double-twist tori called ‘hopfions’, or ‘torons’ when accompanied by additional self-compensating defects, self-assemble into periodic arrays and linear chains that exhibit electrostriction. In confined chiral nematic liquid crystals, this self-assembly is similar to that of liquid crystal colloids and originates from long-range elastic interactions between particle-like skyrmionic torus knots of molecular alignment field, which can be tuned from isotropic repulsive to weakly or highly anisotropic attractive by low-voltage electric fields.
Using saturated SiGe HBTs to realize ultra-low voltage/power X-band low noise amplifiers

An ultra-low voltage, monolithic 9 GHz (X-band) low noise amplifier has been implemented in 0.13 µm SiGe BiCMOS technology. The SiGe HBTs were intentionally biased in weak saturation (V CE at 0.5 V). This allows the LNA to operate at 300 K using only 2.4 mW of dc power from a 1 V supply, while delivering 16.7 dB gain and 3.5 dB noise figure at 9 GHz. At 90 K, this SiGe LNA achieves 17.5 dB of gain at only 600 µW of power, record performance for any known X-band LNA operating at sub-ambient temperatures.
Bis-ethanedithiolate triruthenium cluster complexes from the reaction of Ru3(CO)12 with 1,2,5, 6-tetrathiacyclooctane

The reaction of 1,2,5,6-tetrathiacyclooctane with Ru3(CO)12 in methylene chloride solvent at 40°C has yielded two new isomericbis-thane-1,2-dithiolate triruthenium carbonyl cluster complexes:anti-Ru3(CO)7(μ-SCH2CH2S)2, 1 andsyn-Ru3(CO)7(μ-SCH2CH2S)2,2, and the previously reported diruthenium compound, Ru2(CO)6(μ-SCH2CH2S).3 in 24 %, 5 %, and 26 % yields, respectively. Compounds1 and2 were characterized by a single crystal X-ray diflraction analyses. Both compounds consist of a open triangular triruthenium clusters with seven terminal carbonyl ligands and a bridging ethanedithiolate ligand across each of the metal metal bonds in the complex. When heated to 60° C, compound1 was trans[formed into a mixture of2 and3. Crystallographic data for1: Ru3S4O7C11H8, space group, P21/a,a= ll.830(2)A,b= 10.576(1)A,c= 16.012(1)A,β= 100.53(2)°,Z=4, 1808 reflections,R= 0.029. For2: Ru3 S4O7C11H8, space group P1,a= 9.945(l)A,b= 11.323(1)A.c= 9,788(1)A,a= 108.73(1)°,β= 104,67(1)°,y= 103.59(2)°,Z = 2, 2046 rellections.R = 0.021.
Host-controlled variations in bacteriophages active against lactic streptococci.

Abstract Certain bacteriophages were very active against some strains of Streptococcus cremoris , and restricted in activity against others. Drastic changes in activity were observed after one growth cycle. The results of adsorption of a restricted bacteriophage was either (1) no detected consequence, (2) bacterial death, or (3) bacterial death followed by bacteriophage reproduction. The occurrence of each of the last two possibilities was found to be influenced by the multiplicity of infection. Bacteriophage reproduction within the fruitful cells of a restrictive host produced progeny that were fully active on the cells of that host. Alteration of the bacteriophages appeared limited to changes in virulence for particular hosts, the alterations not being accompanied by changes in adsorbability or changes in heat resistance. Both the strain of infecting bacteriophage and the particular host were important factors in determining the specific virulence of the progeny.
Quasielastic electron scattering from nuclei

Abstract Inelastic electron scattering is studied in terms of the “characteristic function” F ( t ), i.e., the Fourier transform of the response function with respect to the energy transfer to the nucleus. Analytic properties of F ( t ) are discussed as well as moment and cumulant expansions. The latter are particularly useful in the region of the quasielastic peak where the first few characterize position, width and shape of the peak. The dependence of these observables on ground state properties and the final state interaction between ejected nucleon and residual nucleus is calculated for a variety of models. It is shown that the observed shift of the quasielastic peak is related to the exchange parts of the two-body interaction or equivalently to the nonlocality of the optical potential. Semiclassical methods are used to derive a generalized Fermi gas model for inclusive scattering which includes the final state interaction in a simple way. Numerical results are presented for quasielastic electron scattering from 12 C. A similar description within the framework of a relativistic nuclear field theory gives surprisingly good agreement with experiment for medium and heavy nuclei and points out the advantages of a relativistic treatment.
Some comments on a paper by M. F. McCarthy ``thermodynamics of electromagnetic materials with memory''

In a recent paper, MCCARTHY [1] has developed a thermodynamic theory for materials with memory in which electromagnetic effects are present. It is not the object of this note to discuss in detail the general validity of the ideas contained in his paper, beyond remarking that the development is based on thermodynamic concepts which are far from having general acceptance. In the last section (w 8) of his paper, McCARTHY draws some conclusions from his work and relates them to results obtained by PIPKIN & RIVLIN [2] and CARROLL & RIVLIN [3]. It is the object of this note to point out that the main statements made by MCCARTHY in this section of his paper are highly misleading. As MCCARTHY remarks, the paper by PIPKIN & RIVLIN [2] investigates the restrictions imposed by centrosymmetric (holohedral) or non-centrosymmetric (hemihedral) isotropy of a material on the constitutive equations governing thermoelectromagnetic effects in such materials. Using the notation E, B, D, H, J, Q and 0 for the electric, magnetic induction, electric displacement, magnetic intensity, electric current density vector, heat flux vector and temperature fields respectively, and using 17 to denote the spatial gradient operator, PIPKIN & RIVLIN [2] make the constitutive assumptions that D, H, J and Q are each functions of E, B and VO. They then obtain the result that if the material considered is a centrosymmetric isotropic material, the constitutive equations may be written in the canonical forms (el equations (10.14) and (10.16) in [2])
Inhibition of the cardiac α‐actin gene in embryonic cardiac myocytes by dominant‐negative serum response factor

Serum response factor (SRF), a transcription factor ubiquitously involved in the processes of cellular proliferation and differentiation, has been implicated in cardiac and skeletal muscle development because of its strong expression in embryonic muscle lineages, and its necessity for the transcription of transiently transfected muscle genes that contain SRF binding sites. This study was designed to ascertain whether SRF is required for the expression of an endogenous SRF-dependent gene during differentiation of early embryonic cardiac myocytes by introducing a dominant-negative SRF construct via retroviral delivery. Although no effect on overt cellular differentiation was detected, semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed that expression of the SRF-dependent gene cardiac α-actin was inhibited, whereas expression of the non-SRF-dependent genes glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) and cardiac troponin-C was unaffected. No effect on myocyte proliferation was detected. Curiously, immunohistochemical localization of SRF protein suggested that whereas endogenous SRF was homogeneously dispersed throughout the cytoplasm and nucleus, the dominant-negative SRF protein was concentrated in the nucleus. These results extend previous findings using transiently transfected genes to the endogenous level, indicating that SRF is required for the full expression of muscle genes that contain SRF binding sites during cardiac myocyte differentiation. Anat Rec Part A 271A:315–321, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Uterine leiomyoma in the Eker rat: a unique model for important diseases of women.

Eker rats carry a defect in the Tsc-2 tumor suppressor gene and female Eker rats develop uterine leiomyoma with a high frequency. The presentation, response to hormones and molecular alterations in these mesenchymal smooth muscle tumors, closely resembles their cognate human disease. Female rats and tumor-derived cell lines from Eker rat leiomyomas (ELT lines) have been developed as an in vivo/in vitro model system for preclinical studies to identify novel therapeutic agents for this disease and for studying disease pathogenesis. In addition to serving as a model for uterine leiomyoma, Eker rats have proven valuable for studying lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a related proliferative smooth muscle disease of women.
Buckling of T-beams under cyclic bending

This paper presents the results of an experimental study of the response and stability of elastic-plastic T-beams under cyclic pure bending, with emphasis on local buckling. The objectives of the study were to determine the evolution of instabilities and to find parameters useful to determine the degree of damage incurred during cycling. All specimens were subjected to a quasi-static curvature symmetric loading history of constant amplitude. The results indicate that, in the range of curvature amplitudes considered, structural degradation was mainly due to progressive growth of a ripple in the lateral deflection of the web. The unstable growth of one of the features of this ripple led to the formation of a local buckle, which caused a marked reduction in the moment capacity of the specimens. Further cycling resulted in fracture of the web at the local buckle. The best indicator of degradation was a measure of the amplitude of the ripple in the lateral deflection of the web. This measure could be used to generate a criterion for assessing the current state of the specimens in relation to their useful life under cyclic bending.
An analysis of spindle ultrastructure during prometaphase and metaphase of micronuclear division in Tetrahymena

Mitotic micronuclei were isolated from Tetrahymena thermophila in a medium containing hexylene glycol and their ultrastructure was analyzed using thin section techniques. The two stages selected for analysis were early prometaphase and metaphase. A comparison of data from these two stages revealed several differences in nuclear morphology. Metaphase nuclei were longer, they contained more microtubules, and the distribution of microtubules at metaphase was different from that at early prometaphase. Increases in microtubule number and length were clearly evident in peripheral sheath microtubules, which are a unique class of microtubules that can be distinguished from other classes on the basis of their close association to the nuclear membrane. Growth of peripheral sheath microtubules is thought to be significant because it could be the mechanical basis of nuclear elongation. Crossbridges were observed throughout the spindle between all classes of microtubules, but the exact function of these elements remains to be determined.
Communicating with the Minimally Conscious: Ethical Implications in End-of-Life Care

Recent research from electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) studies appears to indicate that some patients diagnosed in a vegetative state may have some level of awareness and should instead be understood to be in a minimally conscious state (MCS). These results further suggest that, with the help of neuroimaging, at least once the technology has been developed further, we may be able to communicate with some MCS patients. This article addresses ethical implications of the possibility of communication with minimally conscious patients. First, I discuss these patients’ level of awareness and communicative capacities discovered by recent neuroscientific findings. I then consider whether we are capable of formulating the right questions to communicate with an MCS patient, whether we are capable of understanding the patient's response, and whether it is necessary to obtain informed consent or assent from an MCS patient regarding future treatment.
An analysis of the eigenvalues of bubbly two-phase flows

Abstract The eigenvalues and Riemann invariants of a typical two-fluid model of bubbly two-phase flow are analyzed. An analytical procedure for converting this system of conservation equations from Lagrangian to Eulerian (i.e., conservation) form is presented. It is shown that void waves may exhibit both shocks and rarefactions. Moreover, the dependence of the eigenvalues on closure assumptions is demonstrated.
Amorphization in mechanically driven material systems

Abstract We comment on the stress-induced amorphization triggered by elastic instability of crystals upon shock loading at extremely high rates. We also discuss the amorphization of immiscible systems, through an evaluation of the positive heat of mixing that external driving forces must overcome to mechanically alloy the immiscible elements into amorphous solutions. These cases serve as examples illustrating the challenges in understanding mechanically driven amorphization.
Stimulus similarity modulates competitive interactions in human visual cortex

When multiple visual stimuli are simultaneously presented in a neuron's receptive field, they often interact with each other by mutually suppressing their visually evoked responses, suggesting that multiple stimuli present at the same time in the visual field compete for neural representation. Previous research has shown that these suppressive interactions can be biased by top-down influences such as spatially directed attention, as well as by the bottom-up factor of visual salience. Using fMRI, we asked whether competitive interactions might also be modulated by other bottom-up factors and tested the effects of stimulus similarity. Specifically, we found that suppressive interactions in area V4, measured by comparing activity evoked by simultaneous (potentially competing) and sequential (noncompeting) presentations, were reduced when four items were identical relative to when the four items differed in color and orientation. Such a result is consistent with the prediction that competition is more likely to occur between groups than within a group.
Surgery for recurrent pectus deformities.

Background Pectus repair in adults can be challenging. Standard repair has been the modified Ravitch procedure. More recently the minimally invasive Nuss procedure, used exclusively in children, has been introduced for correction of pectus deformities in adults. There is a paucity of data on which procedure is most appropriate for adults and even less information on the most appropriate operation for pectus recurrence in adults. The purpose of this study is to determine if any specific patient characteristic exists that places patients at an increased risk for recurrence and describe our management of recurrent pectus defects in adults. Methods We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients (>16 years of age) who underwent primary or recurrent repair of pectus deformities from April 1999 through December 2006. Results Forty-eight patients, 37 (77%) men and 11 women, underwent pectus repair with a median age of 28 years (range, 16 to 54 years). Indication for initial repair was pectus excavatum in 39 (81%) and pectus carinatum in 9. The primary procedure was a modified Ravitch repair in 40 patients and a Nuss procedure in 8. Thirteen patients (27%) underwent reoperation for recurrence; 8 (62%) patients had undergone a previous Nuss procedure and 5 had a modified Ravitch repair. All reoperative patients had a primary pectus index (PI) greater than 4.0, while 8 (62%) also had an asymmetrical defect. All failed Nuss procedure patients underwent a modified Ravitch repair for correction, while the recurrent open repair patients required complex reconstructions. Results were good or excellent in greater than 90% of patients undergoing a reoperative procedure. Conclusions Adults with severe pectus deformities (PI > 4.0) and asymmetric defects are at a greater risk of recurrence after a Nuss procedure. These patients may better be served with a modified Ravitch repair initially. Reoperation for failed pectus repair in adults can be performed safely with outstanding results.
Intervention Design and Development: A Case Study:

Approaches for systematically constructing, evaluating, improving, and disseminating human service interventions offer the potential for enhancing the effectiveness of social work practice. However...
Multivalent Inactivated Virus Oil Emulsion Vaccines in Broiler Breeder Chickens.I. Newcastle Disease Virus and Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Bivalent Vaccines

Abstract Inactivated Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) were incorporated into water-in-oil emulsion vaccines alone or as a bivalent vaccine. Twenty-weekold broiler breeder chickens that had received previous live virus vaccination with NDV and IBDV were injected intramuscularly with the monovalent or bivalent vaccine. The antibody titers to either the monovalent vaccine or bivalent vaccine increased rapidly and then remained at high levels for the duration of the 40-week trial. There were no practical differences in amplitude or duration of the antibody response to either antigen used alone compared to that of the bivalent combination. Progeny hatched from the vaccinated breeders possessed maternal antibody levels at one day of age comparable to those of the hens at the time the eggs were laid. The maternal antibody titers declined at a steady rate until they reached negligibly detectable levels at approximately 3 weeks of age. This trend held true without regard to the initial antibody titer.
Studies on kinetoplast DNA I. Isolation of kinetoplast DNA minicircles from Leishmania tarentolae

Abstract Two basic techniques for the recovery of kinetoplast DNA minicircles have been developed which have increased our understanding of the nature of the mitochondrial genome in the hemoflagellate, Leishmania tarentolae. One method, based on alkaline denaturation and renaturation of total cell DNA, selected a small class of minicircles and catenated minicircles which were either loosely bound or not attached to the kinetoplast DNA networks. The monomeric minicircles from this class were recovered in both the open and closed configuration in the ratio of 40 60 . Electron microscopy revealed a small percentage of σ forms present in the catenated dimer peak after sucrose gradient sedimentation. In the second method covalently closed minicircles were recovered in high yield from kinetoplast DNA closed networks after sonication. This has provided a minimal estimate of approximately 40 % for the percentage of network DNA in the form of closed minicircles. The sonication results have also given additional insight into the substructure of kinetoplast DNA networks.
Unconscious Planning in a Natural Work Group: A Case Study in Process Consultation

Gustafson and Cooper have developed a theory of "unconscious group planning" based on the work of Weiss and Sampson. Up to now they have used and developed the theory to clarify and modify the practice and study of Tavistock Self-Study Groups. The authors believe that the theory can be applied to natural work groups as well. They examine the protocol of a day's meeting of the management team of a social service organization. By examining the latent and manifest content of the protocol and by studying the impact of their own interventions as consultants to the team, they show how the group was unconsciously struggling to solve a developmental problem. Most importantly, the group was trying to discover how to criticize their beloved leader in the face of his fear that if they did he might abandon them. The authors suggest that the theory of unconscious group planning may enable theorists and consultants to better understand the problem-solving processes of natural work groups.
Anatomic Tumor Location Influences the Success of Contemporary Limb-Sparing Surgery and Radiation Among Adults With Soft Tissue Sarcomas of the Extremities

Purpose To examine the influence of anatomic location in the upper extremity (UE) vs. lower extremity (LE) on the presentation and outcomes of adult soft tissue sarcomas (STS). Methods and Materials From 2001 to 2008, 118 patients underwent limb-sparing surgery (LSS) and external beam radiotherapy (RT) with curative intent for nonrecurrent extremity STS. RT was delivered preoperatively in 96 and postoperatively in 22 patients. Lesions arose in the UE in 28 and in the LE in 90 patients. Patients with UE lesions had smaller tumors (4.5 vs. 9.0 cm, p p = 0.03), to have close or positive margins after resection (71 vs. 49%, p = 0.04), and to undergo postoperative RT (32 vs. 14%, p = 0.04). Results Five-year actuarial local recurrence-free and distant metastasis–free survival rates for the entire group were 85 and 74%, with no difference observed between the UE and LE cohorts. Five-year actuarial probability of wound reoperation rates were 4 vs. 29% ( p p = 0.68). Neurolysis was performed during resection in (15%, 5%, and 67%, p Conclusions Tumors in the UE and LE differ significantly with respect to size and management details. The anatomy of the UE poses technical impediments to an R0 resection. Thigh tumors are associated with higher wound reoperation rates. Tumor resection in the posterior thigh compartment is more likely to result in nerve injury. A better understanding of the inherent differences between tumors in various extremity sites will assist in individualizing treatment.
Nongeneric null vectors

We consider the generic condition for null directions at a fixed point. A nongeneric vector is one which violates the generic condition: a vectorX is nongeneric ifX cXd X[aRb]cd[e X f] = 0. The presence of null nongeneric vectors at a point can force the curvature tensor to be uniform, i.e., be that of a constant-curvature space; in particular, if there are 11 null nongeneric directions generically situated, then the curvature is uniform. For non-uniform curvature, the locus of nongeneric null directions must obey a cubic relation; examples show that it need not obey a linear relation.
The evaluation of headaches in children and adolescents

The importance of a thorough evaluation of each patient with headache is stressed. Details of the data base, pertinent information regarding the physical examination, and thoughts concerning selection of laboratory tests are provided. The majority of headache types seen in pediatric practice can correctly be identified using these methodologies.
Development of a model for part reorientation in vibratory bowl feeders with active air jet tooling

Abstract Vibratory bowl feeders (VBFs) are widely used in industry for feeding and reorienting small parts in high volume production. Standard VBF tooling consists of various mechanical barriers inserted in the bowl path which are prone to jamming and limit the feeder to only one type of part. Programmable feeders have been developed to improve the flexibility of these devices, however feed rates are often low. This research describes the development of a model of part behavior required for reorienting a part with an air-jet-based computer controlled orienting system. This system can be used to eliminate jamming and improve feed rates in VBFs. The control algorithm accepts the part's weight, geometry, and its orientation. Sensors then compare the present with the desired orientation and the algorithm determines the appropriate pulse of air to produce the desired orientation.