cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Galactic and extragalactic studies at the Harvard Observatory

Abstract 1. The facilities of the Harvard Observatory at its northern and southern stations have permitted a varied attack on problems of the distribution, dimensions, and structure of galaxies. With the publication of the twenty-second paper in a series devoted to the researches in this field, [1], carried out with the aid of several assistants during many years, the major parts of the programmes have been completed. The present report outlines remaining projects that are currently on the programme, as listed below, and gives some preliminary results. 2. 1. The Anti-centre Octant. 3. 2. The Stellar Corona. 4. 3. The Centaurus Window 5. 4. The Inner Metagalaxy. 6. 5. Transverse Density Gradients. 7. 6. The Clouds of Magellan. 8. 7. The Fourth Quadrant Variables. 9. The extensive investigations of the Milky Way structure by Dr. B. J. Bok and his associates are not reported in this article.
Vacuum ultraviolet photodissociation and photoionization of selected organosulfur compounds

A crossed laser and molecular beam photofragmentation apparatus is described. The apparatus is equipped with a rotatable molecular beam source and a translationally movable ultrahigh vacuum mass spectrometer for time-of-flight (TOP) measurements. Using this apparatus we have measured the TOP spectra of S and CS resulting from the photofragmentation processes, CS^ + hv (193 nm) —> CS(X, v) + S(^D or ^P). The translational energy distributions of photofragments derived from the S and CS TOP spectra are in good agreement This observation, together with the finding that the TOP spectra of S and CS are independent of laser power in the 25-150 mJ range, shows that the further absorption of a laser photon by CS to form C(^P) + S(^P) within the laser pulse is insignificant. The TOP spectra of S obtained at electron ionization energies of 20 and 50 eV are indiscernible, indicating that the contribution to the TOP spectrum of S from dissociative ionization of CS is negligible at electron impact energies < 50 eV. The thermochemical thresholds for the S^D) and S(^P) channels are determined to be 18.7 and 45.0 ± 0.4 kcal/mol, respectively, consistent with literature values. Structures found in the translational energy distribution can be correlated with vibrational structures of CS(X, v = 0-5) associated with the S CD) channel. The translational energy distribution supports the previous observation that the vibrational state distribution of CS(X, v) is peaked at v = 3. The TOP experiment is also consistent with the S(^P)/S(*D) ratio of 2.8 ± 0.3 determined in a recent vacuum ultraviolet laser induced fluorescence measurement on the S
Influence of nonuniform kinetics on particle aggregation

Many pathways for the synthesis of novel materials involve aggregation processes that occur in the presence of diffusion barriers and spatially nonuniform kinetics (i.e., the ratio of the timescale...
Phosphorylation of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 in patients with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and severe trauma

We have determined the level of phosphorylated insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (pIGFBP-1) in serum during two catabolic states: diabetes mellitus and trauma. Human sera were incubated with [125I]IGF-I for 2 h followed by non-denaturing PAGE. [125I]IGF-I/IGFBP-1 complexes from serum co-migrated with a pure p4IGFBP-1 standard. Complex formation was specifically inhibited by unlabeled IGF-I. The migration of IGF-I/pIGFBP-1 complexes was retarded by IGFBP-1 antibodies, but not by antibodies against IGFBP-2 or IGFBP-3. Sera from three severely traumatized patients had up to 12-fold more pIGFBP-1 than sera from age-matched controls. The level of pIGFBP-1 was reduced in all three patients upon hospital discharge. Sera from three patients with insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) and severe ketoacidosis (DKA) had more pIGFBP-1 than controls. Administration of insulin to DKA patients lowered the level of pIGFBP-1. The present study shows that IGFBP-1 exists as a free, high affinity, phosphorylat...
PSEUDORECURSIVE VARIETIES OF SEMIGROUPS — II

Constructions that yield pseudorecursiveness in [I] (Int. J. Algebra Comput.6 (1996) 457–510) are extended in this article. Finitely based varieties of semigroups with increasingly strict expansions by additional unary operation symbols or individual constants are shown to have the pseudorecursive property: the equational theory is undecidable, but the subsets obtained by bounding the number of distinct variables are all recursive. The most stringent case considered here is the single unary operation or distinguished element. New techniques of stratified reducibility and interpretation via rewriting rules are employed to show the property inherits along a chain of theories. Pure semigroup varieties that are both finitely based and pseudorecursive will be discussed in a later paper.
Bile Pigment Excretion in Amphibia

IN man and in other mammals, bilirubin is excreted in conjugated form, mainly as the glucuronide. Since in mammalian fœtal liver the enzymatic mechanism for glucuronide formation is poorly developed, reaching its full capacity only after birth, transient hyperbilirubinaemia is frequently observed during the neonatal period1. In the amphibian genus, Rana, hepatic glucuronide formation is absent in the larva, but present in the adult2. The larval forms undergo extra-uterine development and hence are readily accessible. These Amphibia would represent an excellent experimental model for studying various aspects of neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia, if it could be established that they, like mammals, excrete bilirubin as glucuronide. Therefore, we have examined amphibian bile pigment excretion to determine, first, whether in the adult Rana bilirubin is excreted as a glucuronide; secondly, whether metamorphosis is associated with qualitative or quantitative changes in pigment excretion; and thirdly, whether the excreted pigment is biliverdin, as has been postulated previously3, bilirubin, or another pigment.
Analysis of Promoter Hypermethylation of Death-Associated Protein Kinase and p16 Tumor Suppressor Genes in Actinic Keratoses and Squamous Cell Carcinomas of the Skin

Death-associated protein kinase is a serine/threonine protein kinase implicated in promoting apoptosis and tumor suppression, whereas p16 is a tumor suppressor gene that inhibits cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 activity and arrests the cell cycle in the G1 phase. Hypermethylation of death-associated protein kinase or p16 gene with resultant gene inactivation has been described in a wide variety of human cancers. Promoter methylation of the death-associated protein kinase and p16 gene has been found in about 55% and 30% cases of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma respectively but has not yet been analyzed in cutaneous premalignant and malignant lesions. A total of 33 cases were examined for evidence of death-associated protein kinase and p16 hypermethylation and these consist of 9 cases of spongiotic dermatitis as nonneoplastic skin control, 9 cases of actinic keratosis, 8 cases of squamous cell carcinoma in situ, and 7 cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma. Death-associated protein kinase promoter methylation was detected in 1 case of squamous cell carcinoma in situ and 1 case of nonneoplastic skin control but none of the cases of invasive squamous cell carcinoma or actinic keratosis. P16 promoter methylation was detected in 1 case of invasive squamous cell carcinoma and 1 case of nonneoplastic skin control but none of the cases of squamous cell carcinoma in situ or actinic keratosis. Promoter hypermethylation of the death-associated protein kinase and p16 genes does not appear to play an important role in the development of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma. The data thus suggest that the mechanisms of ultraviolet-induced cutaneous carcinomas differ from those involved in the development of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, a malignant disease induced by tobacco and alcohol exposure.
Rapid Reaction of Lime with Hydrous Alumina

CALCIUM aluminate hydrates have recently been reported to form as products of reaction between aluminium-bearing clay minerals and calcium hydroxide at or near room temperatures1,2. The investigation recorded here was initiated to determine whether hydrous alumina would react with calcium hydroxide under similar conditions.
Effects of cooling rate on creep behavior of a Sn-3.5Ag alloy

The effect of cooling rate on microstructure and creep behavior of bulk, eutectic Sn-3.5Ag solders was studied. The cooling rate is an important processing variable that significantly affects the microstructure of the solder and therefore determines its mechanical behavior. Controlled cooling rates were obtained by cooling specimens in different media: water, air, and furnace, which resulted in cooling rates of 24°C/s, 0.5°C/s, and 0.08°C/s, respectively. The cooling rate decreased the secondary dendrite arm size and the spacing of the Sn-rich phase, as well as the morphology of Ag3Sn. The Sn-dendrite arm size and spacing were smaller at fast cooling rates, while slower cooling rates yielded a nearly eutectic microstructure. The morphology of Ag3Sn also changed from relatively spherical, at faster cooling rates, to needlelike for slower cooling. The effect of cooling rate on creep behavior was studied at 25°C, 60°C, 95°C, and 120°C. Faster cooling rates were found to increase the creep strength of the solder due to the refinement of the solder microstructure. Stress exponents, n, indicated that dislocation climb was the controlling mechanism. Activation energies, for all cooling rates, indicated that the dominant diffusional mechanism corresponded to dislocation pipe diffusion of Sn. Grain boundary sliding (GBS) measurements were conducted, using both scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). It was observed that GBS had a very small contribution to the total creep strain.
Reconstructing random media

We formulate a procedure to reconstruct the structure of general random heterogeneous media from limited morphological information by extending the methodology of Rintoul and Torquato [J. Colloid Interface Sci. {bold 186}, 467 (1997)] developed for dispersions. The procedure has the advantages that it is simple to implement and generally applicable to multidimensional, multiphase, and anisotropic structures. Furthermore, an extremely useful feature is that it can incorporate any type and number of correlation functions in order to provide as much morphological information as is necessary for accurate reconstruction. We consider a variety of one- and two-dimensional reconstructions, including periodic and random arrays of rods, various distribution of disks, Debye random media, and a Fontainebleau sandstone sample. We also use our algorithm to construct heterogeneous media from specified hypothetical correlation functions, including an exponentially damped, oscillating function as well as physically unrealizable ones. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Genetic organization and function of the aflatoxin B1 biosynthetic genes

Aflatoxins are secondary metabolites produced by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus. Most of the genes involved in the biosynthesis of aflatoxin are contained within a single cluster in the genome of these filamentous fungi. Studies directed toward understanding the molecular biology of aflatoxin biosynthesis have led to a number of important discoveries. A pair of fatty acid synthase genes were identified that are involved uniquely in aflatoxin biosynthesis. Two genes were also characterized that represent new families of cytochrome P450 monooxygenases. Gene expression is coordinated during aflatoxin production and is under the control of a positive regulatory gene belonging to a family of fungal transcriptional activators associated with various metabolic pathways in fungi.
Draft Genome Sequence of Fusobacterium necrophorum subsp. funduliforme Bovine Liver Abscess Isolate B35

Fusobacterium necrophorum is a Gram-negative anaerobic bacterium that causes foot rot and liver abscesses in cattle. F. necrophorum subsp. necrophorum and the less virulent organism F. necrophorum subsp. funduliforme are recognized. We present here a draft genome sequence of the bovine liver abscess isolate F. necrophorum subsp. funduliforme strain B35, which affords a genomic perspective of virulence and bovine adaptation.
Mutiny Echoes: India, Britons, and Charles Dickens's A Tale of Two Cities

This essay asks what, if any, import the Indian ““Mutiny”” of 1857 had on A Tale of Two Cities (1859), Charles Dickens�s fictionalized account of the French Revolution. Begun shortly after the Indian uprising started, Dickens�s historical novel appears studiously to avoid any mention of events on the Indian subcontinent, even though these events preoccupied and enraged the author. Few scholars have attended to the question of A Tale of Two Cities and the ““Mutiny,”” but when they have, scholars have looked for analogies between India and Dickens�s account of the French Revolution. In this essay, by contrast, I examine A Tale of Two Cities in a larger context——of Britons9 response to the Uprising, of Dickens9s short stories and essays in Household Words in the years before the ““Mutiny”” and immediately after, of Dickens9s disenchantment with aspects of British culture, and of his need to articulate a national identity grounded in action. I argue that the events in India were the match that ignited Dickens9s already established midcentury interests in national identity, nobility, and masculine heroism. I do not wish to suggest that A Tale of Two Cities is an Indian ““Mutiny”” novel, but rather that it is a novel about the ““Making of Britons,”” an important endeavor for an author who was intensely dissatisfied with the Britain that he saw around him.
Salsuginibacillus halophilus sp. nov., a halophilic bacterium isolated from a soda lake.

A Gram-stain-positive, rod-shaped, endospore-forming, halophilic, alkalitolerant bacterium, designated halo-1T, was isolated from sediment of Xiarinaoer soda lake, located in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Strain halo-1T grew in the presence of 9–30 % (w/v) NaCl (optimum 19 %) and at pH 5–10 (optimum pH 9). The cell-wall peptidoglycan contained meso-diaminopimelic acid and the major respiratory isoprenoid quinone was MK-7. The predominant cellular fatty acids of the isolate were anteiso-C15 : 0 (58.35 %), anteiso-C17 : 0 (12.89 %) and C16 : 0 (6.52 %). The polar lipids contained diphosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylglycerol, phosphatidylethanolamine, glycolipid and a phospholipid of unknown structure. The DNA G+C content of the strain was 46.4 mol%. On the basis of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity, strain halo-1T showed the highest similarity (93.9 %) to Salsuginibacillus kocurii CH9dT. Strain halo-1T could be clearly differentiated from its closest phylogenetic relative on the basis of several phenotypic, genotypic and chemotaxonomic features. Therefore, strain halo-1T represents a novel species, for which the name Salsuginibacillus halophilus sp. nov. is proposed, with the type strain halo-1T (=CGMCC 1.7653T =NBRC 104934T).
Clinical Dimensions of the Supraosseous Gingivae in Healthy Periodontium

Background: To estimate the amount of supraosseous gingivae (SOG), the soft tissue height from the bone crest to the free gingival margin, that will reform after crown-lengthening surgery, dental professionals have relied on a histologic mean dimension of 3 mm. This figure was derived from an autopsy study, and it represents the average of a significant range of values, from 0.0 to 6.5 mm. Other studies provided information on SOG dimensions; however, it seems that no clinical study in individuals without a history of periodontitis or attachment loss has been made that included all tooth types in the maxillary and mandibular arches. The main purpose of this investigation was to determine the clinical SOG dimensions around molar, premolar, canine, and incisor teeth in upper and lower jaws.Methods: In 23 patients without a history of periodontal disease, incisor and canine (zone 1), premolar (zone 2), and molar (zone 3) SOG dimensions were measured by transsulcular probing (TSP) after injecting local anesth...
Enzymatic assay of magnesium through glucokinase activation.

We describe an improved enzymatic method for assaying magnesium in serum, plasma, or urine. Magnesium participates as an Mg.ATP complex in a reaction catalyzed by glucokinase (EC 2.7.1.2) coupled to an NADP+-dependent glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.49) reaction. The increase of absorbance at 340 nm, due to the NADPH produced, is proportional to the amount of the activated glucokinase, which in turn is related to the concentration of magnesium in the sample. The method is characterized by a zero-order reaction kinetics, affording a simple and rapid assay with good sensitivity and linearity (up to 2.06 mmol/L) and by working solutions that are stable (refrigerated) for one month. The method is reliable, produces test results that compare closely with those of the atomic absorption spectrophotometry (r greater than or equal to 0.99), is suitable for routine work, and lends itself to automation.
Sexuality Education in the United States: Shared Cultural Ideas across a Political Divide

“Sexuality education”– broadly defined as teaching and learning about a range of issues related to puberty, sexuality, and relationships – occurs all day every day, formally and informally, intentionally and unintentionally. Nevertheless, adults organize policy and instruction for young people around a constrained set of concerns: first, that the sexuality education youth receive does not help them navigate an increasingly sexualized and dangerous world and, second, that the lessons are themselves damaging, exacerbating the risks youth and children already face. I discuss sexuality education’s entanglement with these conventional cultural ideas about youth, sexuality, and education. I consider the ways that abstinence-only and comprehensive school-based sexuality education rest on a series of a discursive framings, including a commitment to regulating sexuality and youth, a contemporary “moral panic” that renders all talk about youth and sexuality provocative, and normative and instrumental conceptions of teaching and learning about sexuality. I conclude by discussing the implications of these discursive framings for classroom practice and imagining an alternative model in which sexuality education might embrace ambiguity and ambivalence as a necessary and even welcome condition of young people’s sexuality and education.
SYNAPSES IN THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

A number of different synapses have been described in the medulla, cerebellar cortex, and cerebral cortex of the rat. All of these possess the same fundamental fine structure as follows: 1. Close apposition of the limiting membranes of presynaptic and postsynaptic cells without any protoplasmic continuity across the synapse. The two apposed membranes are separated by a cleft about 200 A wide, and display localized regions of thickening and increased density. 2. The presynaptic expansion of the axon, the end-foot or bouton terminal, contains a collection of mitochondria and clusters of small vesicles about 200 to 650 A in diameter. Although the significance of these structures in the physiology of the synapse is still unknown, two suggestions are made: that the mitochondria, by means of the relation between their enzymatic activity and ion transport, participate in the electrical phenomena about the synapse; and that the small synaptic vesicles provide the morphological representation of the prejunctional, subcellular units of neurohumoral discharge at the synapse demanded by physiological evidence.
Viscoelastic Properties of the Salts of Some Polymeric Acids

The mechanical properties of rigid polyelectrolyte-type polymers have been measured. Polymers studied include polyacrylic acid, copolymers of styrene and methacrylic acid, and their salts. Some of the test specimens were fabricated by a new technique involving the reaction of polyacids with metallic oxides in the form of mixed powders in a mould at high temperatures and pressures. Metallic salts of homopolymeric acids have no measurable softening temperature below their decomposition temperature, and they are characterized by elastic moduli several times greater than the corresponding moduli of ordinary organic polymers. Evidence is presented which indicates that hydrogen bonding plays a minor role in determining the mechanical and rheological properties of these polymers.
Mitochondrial protein import and human health and disease

The targeting and assembly of nuclear-encoded mitochondrial proteins are essential processes because the energy supply of humans is dependent upon the proper functioning of mitochondria. Defective import of mitochondrial proteins can arise from mutations in the targeting signals within precursor proteins, from mutations that disrupt the proper functioning of the import machinery, or from deficiencies in the chaperones involved in the proper folding and assembly of proteins once they are imported. Defects in these steps of import have been shown to lead to oxidative stress, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. In addition, protein import into mitochondria has been found to be a dynamically regulated process that varies in response to conditions such as oxidative stress, aging, drug treatment, and exercise. This review focuses on how mitochondrial protein import affects human health and disease.
Atomic Force Microscopic Imaging of Biologically Important Materials

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to image the surface atomic structure of hydroxyapatite [Ca 10 (PO 4 ) 6 (OH) 2 ], HA, and brushite [CaHPO 4 · 2H 2 O], DCPD. Compared to HA, the surface of DCPD was found to be much less complex. Identification has been made of one crystal plane of DCPD that has atoms commensurate with those of one of the observed crystal planes of HA.
Clonal chromosomal abnormalities in Fanconi's anaemia: what do they really mean?

Summary. Patients with Fanconi's anaemia (FA) have aplastic anaemia, leukaemia, myelodysplasia and tumours. Since leukaemia has a very poor prognosis, it is desirable to identify high-risk patients. To determine the significance of clonal marrow chromosomal abnormalities we began a prospective study in 17 patients: five were normal, eight aplastic, and four myelodysplastic. Three of 11 with adequate cytogenetics had transient abnormal clones. None had leukaemia at 3–24 months. Changing cytogenetic patterns may not be related to leukaemic evolution in patients with a DNA repair defect.
Social control of male sexual maturation in the swordtail characin, Corynopoma riisei

The presence of adult male Corynopoma riisei was found to inhibit the maturation of juvenile males. Males in a conspecific community tank took longer to mature and did so at increasingly slower rates compared to isolated controls, providing a positive correlation between size and time of maturational onset. The inhibitory effect increased with greater numbers of adult males. The first males to mature did so at accelerated rates, suggesting positive as well as negative control. Tanks in which adult males were removed as soon as maturation was complete showed an intermediate pattern, with no lengthening of the maturational time course but an increase in standard length. Histological examination revealed immature males with lengths greater than the control range; these appear to represent inhibited animals. Both the testes and pituitary gonadotropic zone of these males appeared undeveloped, arguing for inhibition at least at the hypothalamic level. This phenomenon has also been described in poeciliids. The presence of a similar complex mechanism in two distant groups of fishes suggests convergent evolution. It also suggests that this phenomenon may be physiologically possible for a wide range of fish species.
Genetic and Physiologic Analysis of the groE Operon and Role of the HrcA Repressor in Stress Gene Regulation and Acid Tolerance in Streptococcus mutans

Our working hypothesis is that the major molecular chaperones DnaK and GroE play central roles in the ability of oral bacteria to cope with the rapid and frequent stresses encountered in oral biofilms, such as acidification and nutrient limitation. Previously, our laboratory partially characterized the dnaK operon of Streptococcus mutans (hrcA-grpE-dnaK) and demonstrated that dnaK is up-regulated in response to acid shock and sustained acidification (G. C. Jayaraman, J. E. Penders, and R. A. Burne, Mol. Microbiol. 25:329-341, 1997). Here, we show that the groESL genes of S. mutans constitute an operon that is expressed from a stress-inducible sigma(A)-type promoter located immediately upstream of a CIRCE element. GroEL protein and mRNA levels were elevated in cells exposed to a variety of stresses, including acid shock. A nonpolar insertion into hrcA was created and used to demonstrate that HrcA negatively regulates the expression of the groEL and dnaK operons. The SM11 mutant, which had constitutively high levels of GroESL and roughly 50% of the DnaK protein found in the wild-type strain, was more sensitive to acid killing and could not lower the pH as effectively as the parent. The acid-sensitive phenotype of SM11 was, at least in part, attributable to lower F(1)F(0)-ATPase activity. A minimum of 10 proteins, in addition to GroES-EL, were found to be up-regulated in SM11. The data clearly indicate that HrcA plays a key role in the regulation of chaperone expression in S. mutans and that changes in the levels of the chaperones profoundly influence acid tolerance.
CitSci.org: A New Model for Managing, Documenting, and Sharing Citizen Science Data

Citizen science projects have the potential to advance science by increasing the volume and variety of data, as well as innovation. Yet this potential has not been fully realized, in part because citizen science data are typically not widely shared and reused. To address this and related challenges, we built CitSci.org (see www.citsci.org), a customizable platform that allows users to collect and generate diverse datasets. We hope that CitSci.org will ultimately increase discoverability and confidence in citizen science observations, encouraging scientists to use such data in their own scientific research.
INTERNET USE AND THE CONCENTRATION OF DISADVANTAGE: GLOCALIZATION AND THE URBAN UNDERCLASS

This article argues that the literature on digital inequality—in its focus on individual characteristics, behaviors, and outcomes—has overlooked change within the context of where social and civic inequalities are reproduced. This omission is the result of a failure to explore the role of ecological context within the study of the digital divide and the role of communication within the study of collective efficacy. Social cohesion, and an expectation for informal social control at the neighborhood level, is a function of both ecological context and media context. Those embedded within settings where prior media, including the telephone and face-to-face contact, could not overcome contextual barriers to collective action, namely within areas of concentrated disadvantage; may now, as a result of local Internet use, experience reduced social and civic inequality. This article is based on the results of a 3-year naturalistic experiment that examined the use of the Internet for communication at the neighborhood level. It proposes a new measure of collective efficacy – in place of network measures or perceived cohesion – based on the direct observation of communication practices. The analysis includes a model of the ecological characteristics associated with neighborhoods that adopted the Internet as a means of local information exchange, and it provides a comparison of the content of electronic messages exchanged within areas of advantage and those of extreme poverty, unemployment, and racial segregation. Findings suggest that as much as the Internet supports social and civic engagement in areas where it is already likely to be high, it also affords engagement within contexts of extreme disadvantage.
Modulating Ca2+ in radiation-induced apoptosis suppresses DNA fragmentation but does not enhance clonogenic survival

The role of intracellular Ca2 in radiation-induced apoptosis was studied in a cell line derived from a mouse B-cell lymphoma (LY-TH). These cells had previously been shown to be sensitive to radiation and to die by apoptosis. The cell permeant Ca2 chelator (acetyoxymethyl-)1,2-bis(o-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N, N-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA/AM) reduced the DNA fragmentation characteristic of apoptosis but had no effect on clonogenic survival. Intracellular Ca2 concentrations measured using the fluorescent indicator fura-2 only slowly increased over control values after cells were irradiated unlike the rapid increase observed in other systems. Our results indicate that modulating the endpoint of DNA fragmentation using some agents may not necessarily alter the cells' commitment to death as determined by clonogenic survival assays. This suggests that such agents play a role downstream of early initiation steps in apoptosis and modulate only particular features of apoptosis after the cell is committed to die.
How do Neotropical pygmy squirrels (Sciurillus pusillus) use seasonally flooded forests in the Peruvian Amazon

Tree squirrels are important components of ecosystems but to understand their role, we must learn how squirrels select and use habitat. Tree squirrel species richness is highest in the tropics and, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature, is also where the greatest number of data deficient species occurs. The Neotropical pygmy squirrel (Sciurillus pusillus) is one of these species. In 2009 and 2010, we conducted distance sampling to estimate population density, we measured vegetation variables to investigate forest characteristics that influence habitat selection at 3 different scales, and conducted observations to obtain knowledge about activity patterns and behavior of Neotropical pygmy squirrels in igapo forest in the Peruvian Amazon. Density of squirrels was 0.10 and 0.14 individuals/ha, respectively, for each year. Squirrel activity peaked at 0800 h, individuals were found mainly in the canopy and never on the ground, and frequency of squirrel behaviors differed by time and st...
High-temporospatial-resolution dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) wrist MRI with variable-density pseudo-random circular Cartesian undersampling (CIRCUS) acquisition: evaluation of perfusion in rheumatoid arthritis patients.

This study is to evaluate highly accelerated three-dimensional (3D) dynamic contrast-enhanced (DCE) wrist MRI for assessment of perfusion in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. A pseudo-random variable-density undersampling strategy, circular Cartesian undersampling (CIRCUS), was combined with k-t SPARSE-SENSE reconstruction to achieve a highly accelerated 3D DCE wrist MRI. Two healthy volunteers and 10 RA patients were studied. Two patients were on methotrexate (MTX) only (Group I) and the other eight were treated with a combination therapy of MTX and anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy (Group II). Patients were scanned at baseline and 3 month follow-up. DCE MR images were used to evaluate perfusion in synovitis and bone marrow edema pattern in the RA wrist joints. A series of perfusion parameters was derived and compared with clinical disease activity scores of 28 joints (DAS28). 3D DCE wrist MR images were obtained with a spatial resolution of 0.3 × 0.3 × 1.5 mm(3) and temporal resolution of 5 s (with an acceleration factor of 20). The derived perfusion parameters, most notably transition time (dT) of synovitis, showed significant negative correlations with DAS28-ESR (r = -0.80, p < 0.05) and DAS28-CRP (r = -0.87, p < 0.05) at baseline and also correlated significantly with treatment responses evaluated by clinical score changes between baseline and 3 month follow-up (with DAS28-ESR r = -0.79, p < 0.05, and DAS28-CRP r = -0.82, p < 0.05). Highly accelerated 3D DCE wrist MRI with improved temporospatial resolution has been achieved in RA patients and provides accurate assessment of neovascularization and perfusion in RA joints, showing promise as a potential tool for evaluating treatment responses.
PLANT MATERIALS FOR RESIDENTIAL ENERGY CONSERVATION–LIFE CYCLE COSTING

ABSTRACT Engineering economic analyses for the life-cycle costing of plant materials for energy conservation are presented. Results are presented in the form of effective annual returns on investment. The analyses are performed on defined low energy and high energy residential landscapes. In all analyses, the purchase price, establishment costs and yearly maintenance expenses for pesticides, water and fertilizers are included. The analyses indicate effective annual returns on investment of 49. 9% for plantings in a low energy landscape compared to a high energy landscape with no plants for an energy escalation rate of 20% over a 20 year life period. Other analyses indicate that an investment of $3,000 in a low energy landscape with native plantings yields a 22. 9% return on investment for a 20% energy escalation rate over a 20 year life period.
Easy Application of Silastic Elastomer

Using Silastic elastomer* has become increasingly popular as a “filler” for splints and for total contact pressure with burn pressure garments. Applying this elastomer is, however, often difficult when a physical therapist is working on small body areas or laminating for increased thicknesses. This is especially true when trying to mold the tacky substance in finger-web spaces or when filling anatomical depressions. We have begun using empty toothpaste containers to make application easier. Plastic toothpaste containers are better than foil containers.…
Drug promotion for an unlabeled indication--the case of topical tretinoin.

In 1972, topical tretinoin (Retin-A, Ortho Pharmaceutical) was approved for the treatment of acne. Today this remains the only medical indication for its use approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In 1988 a highly publicized study reported that topical tretinoin improves the appearance of “photoaged” skin1. Since then, the manufacturer of topical tretinoin has conducted an active, controversial multimedia effort to ensure that the general public and the medical profession are aware of the “unlabeled” use of tretinoin to treat benign cutaneous changes, such as wrinkles and brown spots, that may be annoying to patients because of . . .
Federico Fellini: Between Myths and Realities

Having always distinguished the intense connection between myths and realities in the universal unforgettable masterpieces of the 7th art, we chose to study this duality in the three most famous feature films of the Italian director Federico Fellini. In La Dolce Vita, Otto & Mezzo and Amarcord, Fellini always sailed between the palpable and the phantasmagorical. In this article, we will try to decorticate this complementarity, by attempting to clarify what Fellini tries to convey to the audience as a real fantasy.
Clinical implications of a phenomenological study: Being regarded as a threat while attempting to do one’s best

Cultural messages promote putting forward one’s best effort, and yet any level of success, or the effort itself, can lead to being regarded as a threat. People forming everyday social comparisons may feel threatened by those attempting to do their best, and may react to neutralize the perceived threat. The urge to undermine someone regarded as a threat can result in direct reprisal, social strain, or other repercussions that can range from unpleasantness to life-changing trauma. Given the potential for negative outcomes, the experience of being regarded as a threat while attempting to do one’s best merits close examination.
Experimental Observation on Plague F1 Antibody of Meriones meridanus from Tarim Basin

Objective To observe the formation of plague F1 antibody of Meriones meridanus from the Tarim Basin in experiment.Methods Violent Yersinia pestis 2101 was taken to infect Meriones meridanus.According to the different time,5 of Meriones meridanus was collected blood sample randomly to detect plague F1 antibody with microamount PHA method.The sustaining time of maternal antibody in the newborn Meriones meridanus was observed.Results(1) After infected with Y.pestis,Meriones meridanus appeared antibody on the 4th day and the antibody titer sustained from 1∶4 to 1∶32 with the positive rate of antibody of 82.5%(85/103).(2) The maternal antibody in the newborn Meriones meridanus would sustain 4.5 months.Conclusions The formation time of F1 antibody is early in Meriones meridanus.The antibody titer is low and concentrates from 1∶4 to 1∶32.There are no obvious crest-time and decrement phase.It is long for the sustaining time of antibody with high positive rate.The maternal antibody in the newborn Meriones meridanus can sustain 4.5 months at least.It can provide valuable reference data for animal plague investigation and analysis.
Calcium Phosphate as a Key Material for Socially Responsible Tissue Engineering

Socially responsible technologies are designed while taking into consideration the socioeconomic, geopolitical and environmental limitations of regions in which they will be implemented. In the medical context, this involves making therapeutic platforms more accessible and affordable to patients in poor regions of the world wherein a given disease is endemic. This often necessitates going against the reigning trend of making therapeutic nanoparticles ever more structurally complex and expensive. However, studies aimed at simplifying materials and formulations while maintaining the functionality and therapeutic response of their more complex counterparts seldom provoke a significant interest in the scientific community. In this review we demonstrate that such compositional simplifications are meaningful when it comes to the design of a solution for osteomyelitis, a disease that is in its natural, non-postoperative form particularly prevalent in the underdeveloped parts of the world wherein poverty, poor sanitary conditions, and chronically compromised defense lines of the immune system are the norm. We show that calcium phosphate nanoparticles, which are inexpensive to make, could be chemically designed to possess the same functionality as a hypothetic mixture additionally composed of: (a) a bone growth factor; (b) an antibiotic for prophylactic or anti-infective purposes; (c) a bisphosphonate as an antiresorptive compound; (d) a viral vector to enable the intracellular delivery of therapeutics; (e) a luminescent dye; (f) a radiographic component; (g) an imaging contrast agent; (h) a magnetic domain; and (i) polymers as viscous components enabling the injectability of the material and acting as carriers for the sustained release of a drug. In particular, calcium phosphates could: (a) produce tunable drug release profiles; (b) take the form of viscous and injectable, self-setting pastes; (c) be naturally osteo-inductive and inhibitory for osteoclastogenesis; (d) intracellularly deliver bioactive compounds; (e) accommodate an array of functional ions; (f) be processed into macroporous constructs for tissue engineering; and (g) be naturally antimicrobial. All in all, we see in calcium phosphates the presence of a protean nature whose therapeutic potentials have been barely tapped into.
Psychosocial, treatment, and demographic predictors of the stress associated with infertility.

Objective To determine which psychosocial, treatment, and demographic factors relate to the amount of perceived stress that infertile women and men experience. Design A cross-sectional, structured interview research design was used. Setting In-person interviews were conducted in study participants' homes. Participants Wives and husbands from 185 couples in Southeastern Michigan with primary infertility were studied. Main Outcome Measures A nine-item rating scale of perceived stress associated with infertility was the outcome measure. Results For both women and men, stress was significantly positively correlated with treatment costs and number of tests and treatments received; stress was significantly negatively correlated with confidence that one will have a child and perceived control. For women only, attitudes about infertility treatments, importance of children, attributions of responsibility to physicians, and social support also significantly related to perceived stress. For men only, income, number of physicians seen, and self attributions of responsibility also significantly related to perceived stress. Conclusions As hypothesized, a variety of treatment characteristics and psychosocial factors were related to experienced stress. Contrary to expectation, demographic factors such as age and number of years married were not related to experienced stress. This study's results suggest that attempts by health care providers to increase patients' sense of control, optimism (within realistic limits), and social support should reduce stress.
Intensity discontinuity location to subpixel precision

Lateral inhibition processing of an image yields subpixel precision in the location of intensity discontinuity edges in a digitized image. The method is illustrated using a 512 × 512 × 8 bit image.
Chapter 24 – Tissue adhesives and hemostats: new tools for the surgeon

This chapter presents the tissue adhesives and hemostats—new tools for the surgeon. It provides a review of the new currently available FDA-approved tissue adhesives and hemostats. These agents will be joined by second generation materials in the coming years which will continue to increase the safety and efficacy of these products. The future of this technology will continue to enhance the quality of surgical operations and allow for less invasive procedures to be performed. Tissue adhesives and hemostats are important new tools that may be used as adjuncts in a wide variety of surgical procedures. Modem surgical practice is moving toward minimally invasive approaches for all forms of operations. As technical challenges increase with this trend, efforts to improve the tools that are available to clinicians will enhance the quality of clinical care and reduce the challenges facing the operator. Tissue adhesives and hemostats will become a useful part of the armamentarium. The chapter reviews a variety of different applications for tissue adhesives and hemostats and discusses the specific new agents that are currently available for clinical use.
Household Sector Behavior in the Expanded Model

In the expanded model currently under construction, the household sector faces a variety of decisions at time t with respect to its activities in the labor, commodity and financial markets. It must decide the number of people who will attempt this period to find jobs for next period, the volume of consumption goods it will buy, the amount of physical capital it will accumulate, the amount it will borrow from depository institutions, as well as the amounts of currency, checkable deposits, and equity shares it will hold at the end of the current period. In the simple model, presented earlier, the household sector purchased equity shares only from private nonfinancial businesses. However in this expanded version it also buys shares from private depository institutions. Because household expenditures on capital goods are assumed to be too large to be financed out of current household saving (defined as current disposable income less current expenditures on consumption goods), the sector presumably finances its capital goods expenditures by borrowing from the private depository institutions.
September 11 and the Question of Innocence in Thomas Pynchon’s Against the Day and Bleeding Edge

ABSTRACTThomas Pynchon’s politics have frequently been minimized in the criticism of his work, in large part because his novels’ profusion of voices makes a stable position difficult to pin down. I argue that Against the Day’s (2007) various reflections on what it means to be “innocent”—politically, artistically, ethically—are central to an understanding of how Pynchon historicizes September 11 and terrorist violence. Shifting from the historical, allegorical mode of Against the Day to a relatively realistic representation of 9/11 and its aftermath in Bleeding Edge (2013), Pynchon searches for points of resistance in the flattened network of twenty-first-century global capital. In his rejection of both the techno-utopian faith in the Internet as an instrument of liberation and the possibilities of withdrawal in an age of pervasive surveillance, Pynchon instead turns to the next generation, finding perhaps the only hope for the future of progressive politics in the children themselves.
Developmental Effects of Nicotine

Nicotine, acting at fetal CNS nicotinic cholinergic receptors, produces neurobehavioral teratogenesis. By contrasting acute nicotine injections to pregnant rats with continuous infusions (implanted minipumps), we have been able to separate the contributing variables of hypoxia/ischemia, maternal nutrition and fetal growth retardation from the direct effects of nicotine exerted on developing neurons. Nicotine mimics the natural actions of acetylcholine as a neurotrophic factor, but because exogenous drug administration elicits the trophic effect prematurely, neural cell replication is arrested at the incorrect time, leading to deficiencies in cell number and synaptic function.
Lignocellulose fermentation and residual solids characterization for senescent switchgrass fermentation by Clostridium thermocellum in the presence and absence of continuous in situ ball-milling

Milling during lignocellulosic fermentation, henceforth referred to as cotreatment, is investigated as an alternative to thermochemical pretreatment as a means of enhancing biological solubilization of lignocellulose. We investigate the impact of milling on soluble substrate fermentation by Clostridium thermocellum with comparison to yeast, document solubilization for fermentation of senescent switchgrass with and without ball milling, and characterize residual solids. Soluble substrate fermentation by C. thermocellum proceeded readily in the presence of continuous ball milling but was completely arrested for yeast. Total fractional carbohydrate solubilization achieved after fermentation of senescent switchgrass by C. thermocellum for 5 days was 0.45 without cotreatment or pretreatment, 0.81 with hydrothermal pretreatment (200 °C, 15 minutes, severity 4.2), and 0.88 with cotreatment. Acetate and ethanol were the main fermentation products, and were produced at similar ratios with and without cotreatment. Analysis of solid residues was undertaken using molecular beam mass spectrometry (PyMBMS) and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) in order to provide insight into changes in plant cell walls during processing via various modes. The structure of lignin present in residual solids remaining after fermentation with cotreatment appeared to change little, with substantially greater changes observed for hydrothermal pretreatment – particularly with respect to formation of C–C bonds. The observation of high solubilization with little apparent modification of the residue is consistent with cotreatment enhancing solubilization primarily by increasing the access of saccharolytic enzymes to the feedstock, and C. thermocellum being able to attack all the major linkages in cellulosic biomass provided that these linkages are accessible.