cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A reaction engineering approach to non-aqueous battery lifetime

Summary Complex side reactions drive capacity fade in modern Li-ion batteries and are a key factor in achieving extended battery lifetimes. Unfortunately, the interconnected nature of the reaction pathways means that optimizing one aspect of performance can result in a shift between benign and detrimental side reactions, and that simple Coulombic efficiency is unable to capture these differences. Because batteries are ultimately chemical reactors, reaction engineering principles can provide a suitable framework for understanding. The electrocatalytic systems of Li-O2 batteries and electrochemical CO2 reduction demonstrate both the importance of quantifying reaction selectivity and the key role that reactor geometry plays in this process. Recent findings from these fields suggest that battery side reactions should also be studied in reactors that have been optimized for analytics. In this reaction engineering context, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of existing analytical tools and present pathways for designing new reactors that can directly evaluate Li-ion battery reaction selectivity. Quantification of selectivity and reaction parameters can direct materials design and improve lifetime prediction.
A 15.8 GHz A6 Mode Resonator with Q of 720 in Complementarily Oriented Piezoelectric Lithium Niobate Thin Films

We present a 15.8 GHz sixth-order antisymmetric (A6) mode resonator in thin-film lithium niobate (LiNbO3). The device shows a high quality factor (Q) of 720 and an extracted electromechanical coupling (k2) of 0.62%. The simultaneously high frequency and high Q are enabled by a unique complementarily oriented bi-layer acoustic resonator (COBAR) design. The device employs a 1.2 µm complementarily oriented piezoelectric (COP) X-cut thin-film LiNbO3. The measured loaded Q at resonance (720) and f∙Q product (1.14×1013) are among the highest for piezoelectric acoustic resonators beyond 6 GHz. The thickness-extensional (TE) COBAR technology can potentially facilitate various 5G frequency synthesis applications upon optimization.
Chapter XI Assay of Enzymes of Aromatic Metabolism

Publisher Summary The past four decades have produced a wealth of information concerning the metabolic pathways utilized by microorganisms to degrade aromatic compounds. Although organisms from many different groups are capable of degrading the benzene ring, it is notably species from the genus Pseudomonas that have yielded much of the present information. Catechol and protocatechuic acid are central intermediates in the degradation of many different aromatic substrates. The further metabolism of these two compounds may precede either by fission between the hydroxyl groups or between the bond adjacent to one of the hydroxyl group. Not all aromatic compounds are aztabolized through catechol or protocatechuic acid. The true metabolic intermediate compounds in an aromatic pathway may act as inducers for enzymes unrelated to those used for the degradation of growth substrate. One of the most useful techniques in the study of aromatic metabolism is the method of simultaneous adaptation. The majority of enzymes concerned in the degradation of the benzene nucleus are synthesized in response to the presence of an aromatic substrate.
Detection and quantification of tricyclic antidepressants and other psychoactive drugs in urine by HPLC/MS/MS for pain management compliance testing

A sensitive, specific, and rapid high-pressure liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry/mass spectrometry method was developed for the quantitation of 11 tricyclic antidepressants and/or their metabolites; fluoxetine and norfluoxetine; cyclobenzaprine; and trazodone in urine. Samples were alkalinized with 0.2 N NaOH and extracted into 2 ml of hexane: ethyl acetate (1:1), evaporated to dryness, and reconstituted with 100 μl of 20 mM ammonium formate: methanol (20:80). The chromatographic separation was performed using an Allure Biphenyl 100 × 3.2 mm, 5-μ column with a mobile phase consisting of 20 mM ammonium formate: methanol (20:80 v/v) at a flow rate of 0.5 ml/min. The detection was accomplished by multiple-reaction monitoring via electrospray ionization source operating in the positive ionization mode. The calibration curve was linear over the investigated concentration range, 25-2,000 ng/ml, for each analyte using 1.0 ml of urine. The lower limit of quantitation for each analyte was 25 ng/ml. The intra- and inter-day precisions had coefficient of variation less than 15% and the accuracy was within the range from 88% to 109%. The method proved adequate for the tricyclic antidepressants analysis of urine for emergency clinical toxicology and pain management compliance testing.
Trends in advanced imaging use for women undergoing breast cancer surgery

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based guidelines recommend limited perioperative diagnostic imaging for new breast cancer diagnoses. For patients aged >65 years, conventional imaging use (mammography, plain radiographs, and ultrasound) has remained stable, whereas advanced imaging (computed tomography [CT], nuclear medicine scans [positron emission tomography/bone scans], and magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) use has increased. In this study, the authors evaluated traditional and advanced imaging use among younger patients (aged ≤65 years) undergoing breast cancer surgery. METHODS: The MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters Research Database from 2005 through 2008 was analyzed to evaluate the use of conventional and advanced diagnostic imaging associated with surgery for ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) or stage I through III invasive breast cancer. RESULTS: The study cohort included 52,202 women (13% with DCIS and 87% with stage I-III breast cancer). The proportion of patients undergoing conventional imaging remained stable, whereas the average number of conventional imaging tests per patient increased from 4.21 tests in 2005 to 4.79 tests per patient in 2008 (P < .0001). For advanced imaging, the proportion of women who underwent imaging increased from 48.8% in 2005 to 68.8% in 2008 (P < .0001), as did the number of tests per patient (from 1.53 tests in 2005 to 1.98 tests in 2008; P < .0001). MRI examinations accounted for nearly all of the increase in advanced imaging. Patients who underwent MRI examinations received significantly more traditional imaging tests compared with to those who did not, indicating that these tests are additive and are not replacing traditional imaging. CONCLUSIONS: The current results demonstrate that the use of perioperative breast MRI has increased among women aged <65 years. Further study is indicated to determine whether the benefits of this procedure justify increased use. Cancer 2013. © 2012 American Cancer Society.
Using a Genetic Algorithm to Select Parameters for a Neural Network That Predicts Aflatoxin Contamination in Peanuts

Aflatoxin contamination in crops of peanuts is a problem of significant health and financial importance, so it would be useful to develop techniques to predict the levels prior to harvest. Backpropagation neural networks have been used in the past to model problems of this type, however development of networks poses the complex problem of setting values for architectural features and backpropagation parameters. Genetic algorithms have been used in prior efforts to locate parameters for backpropagation neural networks. This paper describes the development of a genetic algorithm/backpropagation neural network hybrid (GA/BPN) in which a genetic algorithm is used to find architectures and backpropagation parameter values simultaneously for a backpropagation neural network that predicts aflatoxin contamination levels in peanuts based on environmental data.
Another Look at the Role of the Industrial Structure of Markets for International Diversification Strategies

This paper re-examines the extent to which gains to international diversification are due to differences in industrial structure across countries. Recent papers by Roll (1992) and Heston and Rouwenhorst (1994) investigate this issue and find conflicting evidence. Using a new database, the Dow Jones World Stock Index, with coverage in 25 countries and over 66 industry classifications, we are able to decompose comprehensively both country and industrial sources of variation. We confirm the previous finding that little of the variation in country index returns can be explained by their industrial composition. We also uncover differences in the proportion of variation in industry index returns that is captured by country and industry factors. The implications for global diversification strategies are discussed.
Ubiquitin E3 ligase Itch negatively regulates osteoblast differentiation from mesenchymal progenitor cells

Itch, a HECT family E3 ligase, affects numerous cell functions by regulating ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation of target proteins. However, the role of Itch in osteoblasts has not been investigated. We report that Itch(-/-) mice have significantly increased bone volume, osteoblast numbers, and bone formation rate. Using bone marrow stromal cells from Itch(-/-) mice and wild-type (WT) littermates as bone marrow mesenchymal precursor cells (BM-MPCs), we found that BM-MPCs from Itch(-/-) mice have compatible numbers of cells expressing mesenchymal stem cell markers. However, Itch(-/-) BM-MPCs grew faster in an in vitro culture, formed more CFU-F mesenchymal colonies, and exhibited increased osteoblast differentiation and decreased adipogenesis. Importantly, Itch(-/-) mesenchymal colony cells formed significantly more new bone in a tibial defect of recipient mice compared with WT cells. The expression levels of JunB, an AP-1 transcription factor that positively regulate osteoblast differentiation, were significantly increased in Itch(-/-) BM-MPCs when proteasome function is intact. In contrast, the amount of ubiquitinated JunB protein was markedly decreased in Itch(-/-) cells when proteasome function was blocked. Overexpression of WT Itch, but not an Itch ligase-inactive mutant, rescued differentiation defects of Itch(-/-) BM-MPCs. Itch(-/-) BM-MPCs had a similar role in immune modulation as WT cells. Thus, Itch negatively controls osteoblast differentiation from BM-MPCs through the regulation of proteasomal degradation of positive osteoblast regulator JunB protein. Itch is a potential new target for bone anabolic drug development to treat patients with bone loss.
On the Gaussian approximation in the analysis of iterative MIMO processing

In this paper, we study the density of extrinsic information at the output of the demodulator of an iterative MIMO processing system. In particular, if the a priori information is Gaussian distributed, the conditions under which the extrinsic information is also approximately Gaussian distributed are found.
Vitamin D3-dependent VDR signaling delays ron-mediated breast tumorigenesis through suppression of β-catenin activity.

// Abby L. Johnson 1,2 , Glendon M. Zinser 1,2 and Susan E. Waltz 2,3 1 Department of Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA 2 Department of Cancer Biology, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA 3 Department of Research Service, Cincinnati Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA Correspondence to: Susan E. Waltz, email: // Keywords : vitamin D3 receptor, ron, β-catenin, breast cancer Received : January 28, 2015 Accepted : April 22, 2015 Published : May 10, 2015 Abstract The Ron receptor is upregulated in human breast cancers and correlates with enhanced metastasis and reduced patient survival. Ron overexpression drives mammary tumorigenesis through direct β-catenin activation and augmented tumor cell proliferation, migration and invasion. Ron and β-catenin are also coordinately elevated in breast cancers. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) antagonizes β-catenin signaling. Herein, we examined mammary tumor onset and progression using a Ron-driven murine model of breast tumorigenesis crossed with VDR deficient mice. VDR ablation accelerated mammary tumor onset and led to tumors that exhibited a desmoplastic phenotype and enhanced metastases. Tumor levels of active β-catenin were markedly increased in the absence of VDR. In vitro , VDR activation in breast cancer cells reduced β-catenin activation and transcriptional activity leading to elevated expression of the extracellular Wnt inhibitor dickkopf-related protein 1, and a reduction in the interaction of β-catenin with the cyclin D1 promoter. Expression of a stabilized form or β-catenin ablated the protective effects of VDR activation.Collectively, these studies delineate a protective role for VDR signaling in Ron-induced mammary tumorigenesis through disruption of β-catenin activation.
Ethical Perspectives on China’s One-Child Policy

In 1979, The People’s Republic of China (PRC) introduced its controversial one-child-per-family policy in an attempt to control its rapid population growth. The policy remains an extraordinary national effort to control and engineer societal development and human reproductive behavior. Subsequently, this archetypal nonviolent policy has attracted worldwide attention and is often criticized for unethically abridging human rights. For example, it has been called everything from “eugenics,” “systems engineering,” “inhumane,” to “illegal.” However, analysis of the policy from a variety of competing ethical perspectives demonstrates that the policy and its implementation cannot be said to be unethical. Specifically, this article considers the policy and its implementation from the ethical perspectives of Lockean contractarianism, communitarianism, utilitarianism, international law, and international realism. The analysis demonstrates the utility of considering public policies from a variety of ethical considerations. Public social policies are generally assessed and evaluated in terms of economic cost-effectiveness; however, efficiency and economy are neither indisputable nor sole criteria for the formulation of public policies. Emphasizing financial, opportunity and other economic costs is only one dimension of policy analysis; ethical implications, social and human costs must also be considered. Public policies in practice inevitably incorporate alternative choices for distributing and allocating social resources. Policy formulation and implementation necessarily involve politics and normative values. They also pose expansive questions regarding rights, duties, and ethics. In the words of Deborah Stone, a Dartmouth Professor of Government, “reasoned analysis is necessarily political. It always involves choices to include some things and exclude others and to view the world in a particular way when other visions are possible.” This article employs different ethical perspectives to evaluate China's one-child policy and its implementation.
Metabolism of 4-C14-corticosterone in man.

Cortisol (17-hydroxycorticosterone) is presently accepted as being the main corticosteroid secreted by the adrenal gland of man. It has been recently isolated from human adrenal vein blood by Romanoff et al. (1) and evidence has been presented that it is the main free corticosteroid in the peripheral plasma of adult human subjects (2, 3). Corticosterone, however, has also been isolated from human adrenal vein blood (1). It is probably present in peripheral plasma as well, but the value of the ratio of cortisol to corticosterone has been the subject of controversy; Morris and Williams (4) and Sweat et at. (5) reported ratios of approximately 1, whereas Bush and Sandberg (2) and Pincus and Roman
The Calculus of Moving Surfaces and Laplace Eigenvalues on an Ellipse with Low Eccentricity

Our goal is to demonstrate the utility of the calculus of moving surfaces (CMS) in boundary variation problems. We discuss the relative advantages of the CMS compared to the alternative approach of interior variations. We illustrate the technique by calculating the two leading terms of a power series for the Laplace eigenvalues on an ellipse with semi-axes 1 + a and 1 + b, where a and b are small. We compare the CMS estimates with those obtained by the conventional finite element method with Richardson extrapolation. The comparison confirms the cubic rate of convergence for the CMS estimates.
Linearized, Optimally Configured Urban System Models: A Profit-Maximizing Formulation

A general equilibrium, linear programming land-use model formulated in the heritage of Edwin Mills is extended to include a profit-maximizing objective function. This analog of the existing, cost-minimizing formulations in the literature is driven by exogenous export prices rather than by minimum-export requirements. It is demonstrated that the absence of minimum-export constraints results in an optimum corresponding to the exclusive export of the most profitable good. In addition, the outputs of the model are shown to be arbitrarily dependent on assumptions about zone geometry if export prices are high.A static, spatially disaggregate version of the model is specified by means of hexagonal land-use zones. Perfect market conditions are assumed and spatial markets identified. Production technologies are of the fixed-coefficient type with constant returns to scale. Import flows are treated explicitly for the first time in a model of this class, and their inclusion is shown to have a significant impact on op...
The regularizing function in resonance problems

The regularizing function ψ(x) in the theory of resonance removes the singularities discovered by Poincare (1893), of the form 1/x, at theturning points x1 andx2 of thecritical argument x, librating in the rangex1≤x≤x2. This function has been explicitly introduced into the HamiltonianF0 of the Ideal Resonance Problem in the author's recent paper (1977) in order to remove the singularities in the second-order perturbations.
Quantum Relations of the Rat Electroretinogram

The rat retina is uniform and contains almost exclusively rods. Therefore the rat eye, when uniformly illuminated, produces a gross electroretinogram (ERG) which is simply related to the activity of the individual retinal sources of the ERG. Characteristics of ERG's are shown on an intensity scale of the average number of quanta absorbed per rod per stimulus flash obtained by direct accurate measurement of all quantities involved. An independent check on the accuracy of these measurements is applied to pigment-bleaching data reported by Dowling (1963). When ERG characteristics are placed on this scale it is found that: (a) The b-wave can usually be observed when fewer than one out of two hundred rods absorbs a quantum, the threshold being determined by the noise of the preparation. (b) Near threshold the b-wave amplitude is proportional to intensity. (c) The a-wave appears when there are more than two to four absorptions per rod per flash. (d) The b-wave latency decreases with intensity, and the amplitude becomes proportional to the logarithm of intensity when fewer than one out of ten rods absorbs a quantum. This implies that the b-wave sources must combine excitation from more than one rod (probably more than seven). Therefore the b-wave cannot arise from independent rods or rod-bipolar synapses, but probably reflects activity of entire inner nuclear layer cells.
Yield of Noncardiac Biopsy for the Diagnosis of Transthyretin Cardiac Amyloidosis

Transthyretin (ATTR) cardiac amyloidosis may be because of mutant transthyretin causing familial amyloid cardiomyopathy (FAC) or wild-type transthyretin causing systemic senile amyloidosis (SSA). Histologic confirmation is often challenging and may require endomyocardial biopsy (EMB). The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of amyloid protein deposition in positive noncardiac organ biopsy or fat aspiration in patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis. The medical records of 286 patients (mean age 66 ± 11, 85% men) with a diagnosis of ATTR cardiac amyloidosis at our institution who underwent noncardiac biopsy or subcutaneous fat aspiration were reviewed, including 186 patients (65%) with FAC and 100 patients (35%) with SSA. One hundred and thirty-one patients (46%) had EMB, all of which were positive. There were 210 patients (73%) with positive noncardiac tissue sampling, including 175 patients (94%) with FAC and 35 patients (35%) with SSA (p <0.001). There were 141 patients (76%) with FAC and 84 patients (84%) with SSA who underwent fat aspiration, and 67% and 14% were positive, respectively, whereas 100 (54%) and 64 (64%) underwent bone marrow biopsy, and 41% and 30% were positive, respectively. Rectal and sural nerve biopsies were performed in 52 (28%) and 54 (29%) patients with FAC and were positive in 81% and 83%, respectively. Biopsy of other noncardiac sites was performed with relatively lower frequency. In conclusion, although EMB is more commonly required to establish the diagnosis of SSA than FAC, noncardiac biopsy or fat aspiration could be considered as initial testing in patients evaluated for ATTR cardiac amyloidosis with characteristic echocardiography findings.
Promises and challenges in analysis of biological big data

The advent of multiple new technologies for measuring many components in biological systems offers a huge opportunity and challenge for researchers. An important question is how to make sense of the mountains of data that describe different aspects of the same, or similar, biological systems. We are taking several approaches to this problem in terms of statistical methods and data mining, network and pathway analysis, and generation of testable biological hypotheses. We discuss applications of these approaches to study host-pathogen interactions and cancer, and talk about future opportunities and challenges in this area.
Evaluation issues in medical research synthesis

The problems confronted in the synthesis of medical research are relevant to systematic reviews in other substantive areas. This chapter shows how some of these methodological problems can be solved.
CYP1A1 protein and mRNA in teleosts as an environmental bioindicator: laboratory and environmental studies

Abstract Teleosts are exposed, in the environment, to a number of chemicals that are capable of inducing hepatic cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity. This induction has been described as a most sensitive biological indicator of the presence of certain classes of chemicals in water. The concept of a bioindicator, as applied here, is derived from the idea that a toxic effect will be manifested at the subcellular level before effects will be apparent at higher levels of biological organization. Laratory and environmental induction of hepatic cytochrome P450 CYPIAI (P4501A1) was investigated using catalytic activity, immunodetection and nucleic acid hybridization. Rainbow trout and largemouth bass were exposed, under flow-through conditions, to β-naphthoflavone (β-NF), a known CYPIAI inducer, at concentrations ranging from 0·625 to 500 μg β-NF/liter for periods of 1 to 21 days. At concentrations of 50–500 μg β-NF/liter, ethoxyresorufin- O -deethylase (EROD) activity and immunoreactive CYPIAI levels were induced, but the induction was inversely related to the β-NF concentration. At these same concentrations, hybridizable CYPIAI mRNA was increased at all concentrations over time and was induced at least up to 7 days of β-NF treatment. At concentrations of 0·625–10·0 μg β-NF/liter, EROD activity, immunoreactive protein and hybridizable mRNA were increased in a concentration-dependent manner. Environmental exposure of largemouth bass, placed in cages in water known to be contaminated with polychlorinated biphenyls, had elevated (six-fold) EROD activity at 3 and 7 days. Killifish taken from a TCDD-contaminated site had three-fold higher EROD activity and CYPIAI mRNA, as well as increased immunoreactive protein, than killifish from a ‘clean’ site. These data indicate the efficacy of using nucleic acid hybridization of CYPIAI mRNA as a bioindicator of environmental contamination.
THE DISTRIBUTION AND PHYLOGENETIC SIGNIFICANCE OF BINUCLEATE AND TRINUCLEATE POLLEN GRAINS IN THE ANGIOSPERMS

A B S T R A C T Studies of the cytology of angiosperm pollen which extend our knowledge of the distribution of binucleate and trinucleate pollen to almost 2,000 species of flowering plants are summarized. Approximately 70% of the species studied release pollen in a binucleate stage, and none of them shed both types of pollen as a constant varietal trait. All phylogenetically primitive taxa are binucleate. The trinucleate trait evidently has originated independently at many times during angiosperm evolution. In no instance must one infer the origin of binucleate taxa from trinucleate ancestors. Most genera are monotypic with respect to pollen cytology, and only 10 genera are known to include both binucleate and trinucleate species. Among the 265 families studied, 179 include only binucleate genera and 54 include only trinucleate genera, while 32 include both types. Nearly all aquatic species with submersed flowers shed pollen in a trinucleate stage. A group of physiological differences which distinguish binucleate and trinucleate pollen is reviewed in relation to the survival and possible selective advantage of trinucleate mutants, and the significance of the binucleate pollen grain in the origin and evolution of flowering plants is discussed.
Abnormalities at chromosome region 3p12-14 characterize clear cell renal carcinoma

Abstract In an effort to determine whether or not any characteristic chromosomal abnormalities exist in renal cancer, cytogenetic findings were correlated with tumor histology in nine cases of renal adenocarcinoma. Metaphase preparations adequate for analysis were obtained from cultures harvested between day 3 and day 21. Model chromosome number was diploid in three cases, hypodiploid in three, and hyperdiploid in the remaining three. One clear cell adenocarcinoma failed to reveal any chromosomal abnormality. Two tumors, a tubular/papillary carcinoma and an acinar/papillary carcinima, showed the clonal abnormalities del(1)(p2l),+2,+7,+8,+12,+13,+16,+17,−21 and t(2;10)(q14–21;q26),+7q,+11q,−18, respectively. Interestingly, five of six clear cell tumors studied had clonal abnormalities affecting the short arm of chromosome #3 in the 3p12–21 region, and in the remaining case, of 15 karyotyped metaphases suitable for interpretation, one showed a deletion in 3p. These data indicate that clear cell carcinoma of the kidney may be associated with a nonrandom chromosomal abnormality involving the 3p12–14 region.
Effect of Varying pH on Toxic Effect of Bile Salts on the Normal Gall Bladder.

ConclusionThe toxic action of the bile salts on the normal gall bladder is not affected by alteration of the pH unless it exceeds the normal pH range of gall bladder bile.
Use of altered volcanic ash falls in stratigraphic studies of coal-bearing sequences: An example from the Upper Cretaceous Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in central Utah

Coal beds most commonly occur in stratigraphic units characterized by rapid lateral facies changes for which determination of time relationships and correlation of facies are difficult. The Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale in central Utah is such a unit. The Ferron records the activity of a delta system that prograded in a northeasterly direction into the Interior Cretaceous seaway during late Turonian time. The Ferron consists of five delta cycles, each of which includes one coal zone. Each of the coal zones contains at least one, and usually several, laterally persistent kaolinitic claystone partings. Laboratory study of the partings demonstrates that they represent altered volcanic ash falls. These partings have proven particularly useful in reconstructing the depositional history of the C coal bed of the Emery coal field. They permit division of the C coal bed into four isochronous units. The coal bed accumulated in a basin that developed concurrently with subsidence of the delta plain during both the constructive and destructive phases of the third delta cycle of the Ferron. The area of peat accumulation expanded in both seaward and landward directions during the interval of time represented by the coal. Peat accumulation was terminated by transgression of the sea across the seaward part of the peat deposit, where prodelta and delta-front strata of the fourth delta cycle now disconformably overlie the coal. In its landward part, the C coal bed is overlain, with no evidence of erosion, by delta-plain strata of the fourth cycle.
Heavy Gas Conversion of the NASA Langley Transonic Dynamics Tunnel

The heavy gas test medium has recently been changed in the Transonic Dynamics Tunnel (TDT) at the NASA Langley Research Center. A NASA Construction of Facilities project has converted the TDT heavy gas from dichlorodifluoromethane (R12) to 1,1,1,2 tetrafluoroethane (R134a). The facility s heavy gas processing system was extensively modified to implement the conversion to R134a. Additional system modifications have improved operator interfaces, hardware reliability, and quality of the research data. The facility modifications included improvements to the heavy gas compressor and piping, the cryogenic heavy gas reclamation system, and the heavy gas control room. A series of wind tunnel characterization and calibration tests are underway. Results of the flow characterization tests show the TDT operating envelope in R134a to be very similar to the previous operating envelope in R12.
The role of extrafloral nectaries in the herbivore defence of Cassia fasiculata

. 1. An experiment is presented that tests the hypothesis that the extrafloral nectaries of Chssia fasiculata reduce herbivory by attracting pugnacious ants that deter herbivores, and tests the equivalence of two methods of ant exclusion: treatment with Tanglefoot, and nectary excision. 2. The protectionist hypothesis is not supported; treatment plants produced as many pods as did control plants. 3. Treatment with Tanglefoot is equivalent to nectary excision in terms of pod production 4. A graphical model is presented that relates the efficacy of ant protection to plant density and ant activity.
Reduction of the minimal sequence for initiation of DNA synthesis by qualitative or quantitative changes of an initiator protein

Initiation of DNA synthesis at an origin of DNA replication involves complex protein-DNA interactions that are still poorly understood. Some of these interactions are highly specific and involve proteins (initiator proteins) thought to be essential for regulation of the initiation process because of their rate-limiting activity. We show here that both qualitative and quantitative changes in one of these proteins have profound effects on protein-DNA interactions at an origin of DNA replication, and are sufficient to reduce to less than one-third the minimal sequence required for initiation. The general implications of these findings are discussed.
Neutrino Backgrounds to Dark Matter Searches and Directionality

Neutrino-nucleus coherent scattering cross sections can be as large as 10−39 cm2, while current dark matter experiments have sensitivities to WIMP coherent scattering cross sections several orders of magnitude smaller. With large target masses and few κeV recoil energy detection thresholds, coherent scattering of solar neutrinos becomes an irreducible background. Directional dark matter detection can discriminate against such backgrounds in a second observable: nuclear recoil angle. The motion of our solar system around the galactic center should produce an apparent dark matter wind. With this signal, directional detection of dark matter can provide an unambiguous observation of dark matter interactions even in the presence of backgrounds, from neutrinos and other sources. The DM-TPC collaboration and others are developing recoil direction-sensitive dark matter detectors with very promising results.
Microphthalmia due to p53-mediated apoptosis of anterior lens epithelial cells in mice lacking the CREB-2 transcription factor.

CREB-2 (also called ATF4, TAXREB67, or C/ATF) is an evolutionarily conserved member of the CREB/ATF family of basic-leucine zipper transcription factors. CREB-2 is expressed ubiquitously in the adult mouse and can function as both a transcriptional activator and a repressor. However, little was understood about the normal function of CREB-2 in mammalian development or organ physiology. In this report we have used gene targeting to produce CREB-2-deficient (CREB-2-/-) mice. Adult (CREB-2-/-) mice displayed microphthalmia due to the complete absence of a lens. Early embryonic lens development including formation of the optic vesicle, primary lens fibers, and proliferating anterior epithelial cells occurred normally in these mice. However, beginning at ED 14.5 the CREB-2-deficient anterior epithelial lens cells underwent massive and synchronous apoptosis. This was followed by the complete resorption of the developing lens. Consistent with this defect in anterior epithelial cell survival, in situ hybridization studies showed that CREB-2 is expressed at high levels in wild-type anterior epithelial lens cells at ED 14.5. The defect in lens formation seen in the CREB-2-/- mice was not associated with qualitative defects in the expression of Pax-6, αA-crystallin, c-maf, or PDGF-Rα. However, apoptosis of the anterior epithelial cells was mediated by a p53-dependent cell death pathway because ablation of the p53 gene rescued anterior epithelial cell death and allowed the formation of a lens in the absence of CREB-2. Taken together, these results identify CREB-2 as an important regulator of mammalian lens development.
DISSOCIATION OF VALUE AND RESPONSE STRENGTH

Four pigeons were exposed to multiple schedules and later to concurrent-chains schedules, with terminal links that had previously been multiple-schedule components. For 2 birds, the terminal-link schedules arranged an inverse relationship between response rate and reinforcement rate; for the other 2 birds a direct corresponding relationship was arranged. Those response rates were further modified by differentially reinforcing either longer or shorter interresponse times, relative to the current means. Although the birds' initial-link responses indicated preferences for terminal links with higher rates of reinforcement, in half the cases the birds responded during the terminal links in such a way as to produce lower rates of reinforcement, rates their initial-link behavior indicated they did not prefer. That outcome is inconsistent with maximization theory, but consistent with a strengthening analysis of behavior on single-key schedules.
Gender mismatches under nominal ellipsis

Masculine/feminine pairs of human-denoting nouns in Greek fall into three distinct classes under predicative ellipsis: those that license ellipsis of their counterpart regardless of gender, those that only license ellipsis of a same-gendered noun, and those in which the masculine noun of the pair licenses ellipsis of the feminine version, but not vice versa. The three classes are uniform in disallowing any gender mismatched ellipses in argument uses, however. This differential behavior of gender in nominal ellipsis can be captured by positing that human-denoting nouns in Greek, while syntactically and morphological uniform in showing a masculine/feminine contrast, do not all encode this contrast in their semantics. Under a semantic identity theory of ellipsis, the attested variation in nominal ellipses in Greek is posited to derive from the fact that nominal ellipsis has two possible sources: a nominal constituent can be elided (true ellipsis), or a null nominal proform can be used (model-theoretic anaphora).
Subterranean Behavior and Other Notes for Ironoquia plattensis (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) in Nebraska

Ironoquia plattensis Alexander & Whiles (Trichoptera: Limnephilidae) was discovered along the Platte River in central Nebraska in the late 1990s, and basic information about its life history is not well understood. Here, we describe previously undocumented life-history traits that demonstrate strategies used by I. plattensis for surviving in fluctuating wetland environments in a landscape formally shaped by flooding. In an off-channel aquatic habitat along the Platte River, we observed 1) larvae residing in a slough that did not dry completely, 2) larvae emigrating from aquatic to terrestrial habitats 1 mo earlier than reported previously, 3) larvae moving above ground during the summer aestivation period, 4) larvae residing underground in soil during summer aestivation, and 5) mass emergence and swarming of adults after daybreak in autumn. Underground larval aestivation represents a previously undocumented behavior for this species. It is unclear whether aestivating underground represents an unreported common behavior or an infrequent response to local disturbances. At our site, insects may have been responding to a prescribed burn in April and introduction of cattle in mid-May that yielded the site unsuitable for aboveground aestivation. Additional studies on the life history for I. plattensis are warranted to help manage, locate, and protect the few sites where it occurs.
A Rapid Technique of Evaluating Thermally Induced Strains in Leadless Ceramic Chip Carriers Mounted to Polymeric Substrates

A method has been developed which quantitatively evaluates the integrity of leadless ceramic chip carrier (LCCC) mounting schemes. This method utilizes strain gages and compares mounted and unmounted LCCC's during temperature tests. This technique enables the designer to evaluate critical material parameters with a single temperature excursion.
Crystallization kinetics of linear polyethylene : The maximum in crystal growth rate-temperature dependence

Abstract This rapid communication reports a summary of the key findings of crystallization kinetics studies of unfractionated high density (linear) polyethylene at extremely large supercoolings. We report, for the first time, the maximum in crystal growth rate–crystallization temperature data for linear polyethylene, which has been sought by many researchers since the 1950s. The maximum growth rate was found to occur in the range of 70–75 °C with two separate methods. The kinetics studies were performed using a newly developed quench-crystallization technique based on depolarized reflection light microscopy that is capable of achieving enormously higher quench rates than existing methods. Typical onset crystallization temperatures accessed with this technique range from 40 to 90 °C. Bulk growth rates of crystals were obtained as the reciprocal of crystallization half times measured from the change in the depolarized light intensity upon direct crystallization from the melt. Separately, radial growth rates of spherulites were measured over a wide range of supercoolings. Secondary nucleation analysis of the crystal growth rates resulted in single linear fits extending into deep regime III, suggesting no change in mechanism of formation of the crystals at the largest supercoolings. The deeply quenched films, crystallized at temperatures below the maximum, contain non-impinged spherulites, capable of further crystallization.
Pyrolytic and gas phase fullerene derivatization reactions

Abstract The bulk production of naphthyne derivatives of [60]fullerene, C 60 , is achieved by pyrolysis of 1,8-diiodonaphthalene in the presence of C 60 . Desorption chemical ionization mass spectra, recorded in the negative ion mode, show the addition of up to ten naphthyne units to a single C 60 molecule. Products containing two C 60 molecules are also generated. Tandem mass spectrometry confirms that covalent bonding has occurred. Similar reactions are described for the reactive intermediates generated from 1,8-naphthalic anhydride, 9-iodoanthracene, 2,6-dimethoxyiodobenzene, 2-iodonaphthalene and hexabromobenzene. Evidence for a [4 + 2] Diels—Alder ion/molecule reaction between mass-selected fullerene cations and methoxy-substituted 1,3-butadienes is presented. Ion/molecule reactions of various closed shell cations derived from the dissociative electron ionization of chlorine containing compounds are shown to result in the methylation, acylation, phenylation and benzylation of fullerenes in the course of positive ion chemical ionization. In the negative ion mode, halogenated fullerene anions are observed. At high desorption temperatures, the addition of at least 30 hydrogen atoms to C 60 is reported.
Nature and regulation of pistil-expressed genes in tomato

The specialized reproductive functions of angiosperm pistils are dependent in part upon the regulated activation of numerous genes expressed predominantly in this organ system. To better understand the nature of these pistil-predominant gene products we have analyzed seven cDNA clones isolated from tomato pistils through differential hybridization screening. Six of the seven cDNAs represent sequences previously undescribed in tomato, each having a unique pistil- and/or floral-predominant expression pattern. The putative protein products encoded by six of the cDNAs have been identified by their similarity to sequences in the database of previously sequenced genes, with a seventh sequence having no significant similarity with any previously reported sequence. Three of the putative proteins appear to be targeted to the endomembrane system and include an endo-beta-1,4-glucanase which is expressed exclusively in pistils at early stages of development, and proteins similar in sequence to gamma-thionin and miraculin which are expressed in immature pistils and stamens, and in either sepals or petals, respectively. Two other clones, similar in sequence to each other, were expressed primarily in immature pistils and stamens and encode distinct proteins with similarity to leucine aminopeptidases. An additional clone, which encodes a protein similar in sequence to the enzyme hyoscyamine 6-beta-hydroxylase and to other members of the family of Fe2+/ascorbate-dependent oxidases, was expressed at high levels in pistils, stamens and sepals, and at detectable levels in some vegetative organs. Together, these observations provide new insight into the nature and possible functional roles of genes expressed during reproductive development.
An Embedded Boundary Cartesian Grid Scheme for Viscous Flows using a New Viscous Wall Boundary Condition Treatment

This work presents a new viscous wall boundary condition technique for embedded Cartesian grid schemes in order to model laminar viscous flows. The development of viscous effects modeling using pure Cartesian grids with cut cells at the surface has been hampered by the widely varying control volume sizes associated with the mesh refinement and the cut cells associated with the solid surface. This scheme removes the cells adjacent to the surface from the control volume formulation. These cells are instead solved via an interpolation technique which utilizes the wall boundary conditions to build the interpolating functions. Two different interpolation techniques are presented, one without considering wall curvature and one considering wall curvature. Results are compared to subsonic and supersonic two-dimensional airfoil cases.
Effect of accessory proteins on T4 DNA polymerase replication fidelity

The influence of replication accessory proteins on the fidelity of T4 DNA polymerase has been examined. Steady-state kinetic measurements showed that exonuclease-deficient T4 DNA polymerase, alone or with clamp loaders gp44/gp62 and polymerase clamp gp45, displays decreased binding affinity for incorrect as compared to correct dNTPs and a deceased kcat for misinsertion as compared to correct insertion. Kinetic constants were similar with and without accessory proteins, indicating that accessory proteins had little effect on misinsertion. They also had little effect on the Km value for extension of a T.T mismatch. However, the kcat value for T.T mismatch extension was fivefold higher in the presence of the clamp loader and clamp proteins. Thus, in the absence of proofreading, these accessory proteins may promote stable misincorporation. The kinetic analysis is supported by error rate determinations during gap-filling synthesis, which require both misinsertion and mispair extension. For some mispairs, the accuracy of exonuclease-deficient polymerase alone is similar to that in the presence of clamp loader, clamp and single-stranded DNA binding protein (gp32). However, exonuclease-deficient holoenzyme complex is actually less accurate than the polymerase alone for some base substitutions. We suggest that gp45 promotes extension of mismatches by tethering the polymerase to DNA, a process that may be relevant to replication past lesions or other blocks to DNA synthesis. The error rate for one-nucleotide deletions in homopolymeric runs was similar for the polymerase with or without its accessory proteins. This implies that strand misalignment errors arise during highly processive replication. Thus, either unpaired bases can migrate through the run while the DNA polymerase is bound to the template-primer, or the DNA polymerase dissociates from the DNA to allow misalignment but remains tethered to the template through interactions with the clamp. Finally, the T4 replication accessory proteins reduced by >/=10-fold the rate at which exonuclease-deficient T4 DNA polymerase generated deletions of larger numbers of nucleotides, indicating that these proteins influence replication fidelity for other than single base mutations.
The papers of General Nathanael Greene

This new volume of The Papers of General Nathanael Greene continues the best and most-detailed study of the Revolutionary War in the South. More than 800 letters and orders chart the progress of Greene's army in South Carolina, from the battle of Eutaw Springs--the bloodiest battle of the Revolution--to the British pullback to Charleston. In July 1781, the British controlled large parts of South Carolina and Georgia, had a post in North Carolina, and maintained an army in Virginia. By early December, they held only the areas around Charleston and Savannah. The ability of Greene's beleaguered army to force this British retreat is the focus of this volume, which also documents Greene's attempts to rebuild the lower south's political and social fabric. In addition, this volume provides information on the siege of Yorktown, for although Greene was not directly involved, he received numerous reports from those on the scene in Virginia.
Estimated effects of solvents and mineral oils on cancer incidence and mortality in a cohort of aerospace workers

Background A retrospective cohort study of workers employed at a California aerospace company between 1950 and 1993 was conducted; it examined cancer mortality from exposures to the rocket fuel hydrazine. Methods In this study, we employed a job exposure matrix (JEM) to assess exposures to other known or suspected carcinogens—including trichloroethylene (TCE), polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), mineral oils, and benzene—on cancer mortality (1960–2001) and incidence (1988–2000) in 6,107 male workers. We derived rate- (hazard-) ratios estimates from Cox proportional hazard models with time-dependent exposures. Results High levels of TCE exposure were positively associated with cancer incidence of the bladder (rate ratio (RR): 1.98, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.93–4.22) and kidney (4.90; 1.23–19.6). High levels of exposure to mineral oils increased mortality and incidence of lung cancer (1.56; 1.02–2.39 and 1.99; 1.03–3.85), and incidence of melanoma (3.32; 1.20–9.24). Mineral oil exposures also contributed to incidence and mortality of esophageal and stomach cancers and of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia when adjusting for other chemical exposures. Lagging exposure measures by 20 years changed effect estimates only minimally. No associations were observed for benzene or PAH exposures in this cohort. Conclusions Our findings suggest that these aerospace workers who were highly exposed to mineral oils experienced an increased risk of developing and/or dying from cancers of the lung, melanoma, and possibly from cancers of the esophagus and stomach and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and leukemia. These results and the increases we observed for TCE and kidney cancers are consistent with findings of previous studies. Am. J. Ind. Med. 48:249–258, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.