cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Structure of amorphous silica–hafnia and silica–zirconia thin-film materials: The role of a metastable equilibrium state in non-glass-forming oxide systems

Abstract Amorphous heavy metal oxide thin films have important technological applications, including multi-layer mirror coatings in instruments such as the Laser Interferometric Gravitational Wave Observatory (LIGO). However, the structures of these materials are much less well-known than those of conventional glass-forming oxides. For example, it has not been clear whether films deposited by methods such as ion beam sputtering (IBS) ever pass through a state of local (metastable) thermodynamic equilibrium, and hence could be amenable to modeling by thermodynamic approaches long explored in glass-forming liquid systems. We present new 17 O and 29 Si NMR data on IBS films and sol–gel equivalents in the silica–hafnia and silica–zirconia binary systems. Similar distributions of local structural groups are obtained by different synthesis routes, suggesting that indeed a transient, possibly liquid-like metastable state is reached during film formation. All oxygen species are well-resolved in the spectra and can be readily quantified. Their concentrations are indeed well-predicted by a simple thermodynamic treatment, similar to that applied for decades to binary metal oxide-silica liquids, based on the reaction of bridging oxygens with added “free” metal oxide ions to form non-bridging oxygens.
Perspectives on Strategy

The primary objective of this chapter is to simplify language and concepts of leadership and negotiations that have become complicated and ambiguous. This chapter begins by asserting that there are only three negotiation strategies. The planning process is outlined. The demand upon L-Ns to multitask, to think within the relevant context, and to realize that all strategies and tactics have shelf life is explained. Twelve negotiation conditions that improve but will not guarantee a successful negotiated outcome are outlined as are the three decisions that L-Ns can make. At the close of the chapter, the results of 26 years of leadership and negotiation research including 30,000 people from different countries are disclosed.
Distinguishing Judges: An Empirical Ranking of Judicial Quality in the U.S. Court of Appeals

This article presents an empirical quality ranking of 383 federal appellate judges who served on the United States Court of Appeals between 1960 and 2008. Like existing judge evaluation studies, this article uses citations among judicial opinions to assess judicial quality. Unlike existing citation studies, which treat positive and negative citations alike, this article ranks judges according to the mix of positive and negative citations to the opinions, rather than the number of citations to those opinions. By distinguishing between positive and negative citations, this approach avoids ranking judges higher for citations even when the judges are being cited negatively. The additional information provided by this data produces strikingly different results from those found in the existing count-based studies of judicial performance. When the mix of positive and negative citations is taken into account, many of the most highly cited judges from the citation count studies are only average and some of the average judges in the citation count studies emerge as the most positively cited. This new approach is applied to evaluate the recent nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, revealing aspects of judicial quality that are not captured by existing techniques.
On the 3‐D Visualization of Impact Damage in Armor Ceramics

Impact damage in brittle armor ceramics consists of multiple, distributed, and frequently interconnected, cracks of varying sizes ranging from micro- to mesoto macro-scale. To better characterize and understand the meso- to macro-scale relationship of damage behavior and failure of opaque armor ceramic materials, the authors have applied the nondestructive method of X-ray Computed Tomography, XCT, to encapsulated ceramics. A brief overview of XCT techniques utilized, and examples of several results produced thereby, are presented to demonstrate the innovative and powerful nature of this method in the 2-D and 3-D visualization of internal physical damage. Ceramic specimens examined include TiC, TiB 1 , and SiC. The damage examined occurred in situ by either the fabrication, or by high velocity ballistic impact, of these ceramics in encapsulated assemblies.
INFLUENCE OF TISSUE CULTURE PASSAGE ON VIRULENCE OF FOOT-AND-MOUTH DISEASE VIRUS FOR MOTHER MICE

Campbell, Charles H. (Plum Island Animal Disease Laboratory, Greenport, N.Y.). Influence of tissue culture passage on virulence of foot-and-mouth disease virus for mother mice. J. Bacteriol. 86:593–597. 1963.—Foot-and-mouth disease virus serially passaged in bovine cell cultures was more lethal for mother mice than the parent virus from infected steers. In tests with virus from several pools of bovine tongue tissue, only 0 to 20% of the mice died. Serial passage of such virus in primary calf-kidney cell cultures progressively increased the lethality of the virus. By the eighth passage, after which no further appreciable increase was observed, the mortality was 60%. As the lethal capability of this virus population increased, the average time required for it to produce death decreased.
The Extraterritorial Reach of the American Antitrust Laws International Law Aspects

While in the foregoing chapters we have repeatedly referred to the extraterritorial reach of the American antitrust laws, we consider it incumbent upon us to analyze in some detail some of the juridically salient aspects that accompany the observed phenomenon of the United States Government reaching out beyond its territorial boundaries in its antitrust enforcement. We have seen that this ‘reaching out’ can take several forms, to wit, by way of legislative jurisdiction (remedies available both to private litigants and the government), judicial jurisdiction (by way of civil actions and criminal actions), or regulatory jurisdiction (by way of regulatory, i. e., administrative procedures).
Cocaine Inhibits Chloride Secretion by Swine Tracheal Submucosal Gland Cells Grown in Culture

Active ion transport by airway submucosal gland cells plays an important role in maintaining effective mucociliary clearance. Alterations in the clearance will affect normal airway functions. Nasal and airway mucosal surfaces are exposed to high concentrations of cocaine after snorting crystals or smoking the freebase form, causing respiratory complications. The actions of cocaine on airway gland cell ion transport were determined by measuring the basal electrical properties and ion transport activated by acetylcholine (ACh) and isoproterenol (ISO) in swine tracheal submucosal gland cells grown in culture. The cells were enzymatically isolated, purified on Percoll density gradients, and then grown on microporous inserts at an air interface. Chloride secretion was measured as short-circuit current (Isc) utilizing Ussing chamber methodology. Amiloride (10 μm) was added mucosally to block sodium reabsorption. The maximal changes in Isc (ΔIsc) induced by ACh and ISO were 42.0 ± 4.4 and 8.8 ± 0.8 μA/cm2. Cocaine decreased basal Isc and the increase in Isc induced by ACh and ISO. The concentration–response relationships for ACh and ISO were shifted to the right by cocaine (1–3 mm) when applied serosally. The maximal increase in Isc induced by ISO was inhibited by serosal cocaine, but, the maximal response to ACh was not. Thus, cocaine inhibits ACh-induced increases in Isc by competitively blocking the receptor and the response to ISO by noncompetitive inhibition. Mucosal cocaine reduced the maximal response to ACh and ISO and also caused a rightward shift. We conclude that cocaine directly alters submucosal gland cell function by reducing the basal and stimulated ability to transport ions and fluid.
Scale effect on porosity and permeability: Kinetics, model, and correlation

Variation of porosity and permeability by scale dissolution and precipitation in porous media is described based on fractal attributes of the pores, realization of flow channels as a bundle of uniformly distributed mean-size cylindrical and tortuous hydraulic flow tubes, a permeability-porosity relationship conforming to Civan's power law flow units equation, and the pore surface scale precipitation and dissolution kinetics. Practical analytical solutions, considering the conditions of typical laboratory core tests and relating the lumped and phenomenological parameters, were derived and verified by experimental data. Deviations of the empirically determined exponents of the pore-to-matrix volume ratio compared to the Kozeny-Carman equation were due to the relative fractal dimensions of pore attributes of random porous media. The formulations provide useful insights into the mechanism of porosity and permeability variation by surface processes and accurate representation of the effect of scale on porosity and permeability by simpler lumped-parameter models.
Induction of immune response to the 17 kDa OMPA Burkholderia cenocepacia polypeptide and protection against pulmonary infection in mice after nasal vaccination with an OMP nanoemulsion-based vaccine.

Burkholderia cepacia complex (Bcc) are opportunistic bacteria associated with life-threatening illness in persons with cystic fibrosis. Once Bcc colonization is established, these antimicrobial-resistant and biofilm-forming bacteria are difficult to eradicate and are associated with increased rates of morbidity and mortality. At present, no vaccines are available to prevent the Bcc infection. There is currently a paucity of published information regarding the development of vaccines designed to prevent Burkholderia colonization. This work expands on the recent studies published by Bertot et al. [Infect Immun 75(6):2740–2752, 2007], where successful protective immune responses were generated in mice using a B. multivorans OMP-based vaccine. Here, we evaluate an experimental mucosal vaccine against Bcc using a novel mucosal adjuvant (nanoemulsion) and a novel B. cenocepacia-based OMP antigen. The OMP antigen derived from B. cenocepacia was mixed with either nanoemulsion or with PBS and delivered intranasally to CD-1 mice. Serum analysis showed robust IgG and mucosal secretory IgA immune responses in vaccinated versus control mice. The antibodies had cross-neutralizing activity against both B. cenocepacia and B. multivorans species. We found that immunized mice were protected against pulmonary colonization with B. cenocepacia. We have also identified that a 17 kDa OmpA-like protein highly conserved between Burkholderia and Ralstonia species as a new immunodominant epitope in mucosal immunization.
A time-varying call center design via lagrangian mechanics

We consider a multiserver delay queue with finite additional waiting spaces and time-varying arrival rates, where the customers waiting in the buffer may abandon. These are features that arise naturally from the study of service systems such as call centers. Moreover, we assume rewards for successful service completions and cost rates for service resources. Finally, we consider service-level agreements that constrain both the fractions of callers who abandon and the ones who are blocked. Applying the theory of Lagrangian mechanics to the fluid limit of a related Markovian service network model, we obtain near-profit-optimal staffing and provisioning schedules. The nature of this solution consists of three modes of operation. A key step in deriving this solution is combining the modified offered load approximation for loss systems with our fluid model. We use them to estimate effectively both our service-level agreement metrics and the profit for the original queuing model. Second-order profit improvements are achieved through a modified offered load version of the conventional square root safety rule.
Increased PRPP synthetase activity in cultured rat hepatoma cells containing mutations in the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase gene.

Nine independently derived clones of mutagenized rat hepatoma cells selected for resistance to 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) or 6-thioguanine (6-ThioG) have been isolated. Each has severely reduced catalytic activity of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) and seven of them possess significantly increased activities of phosphoribosylpyrophosphate (PRPP) synthetase. The degrees of elevations of PRPP synthetase activities do not correlate with the degrees of deficiencies of HPRT activities. The cells from one of these clones, 1020/12, possess 40% of the normal HPRT catalytic activity and overproduce purines. We have extensively examined the cells from this clone. Immunotitration studies of 1020/12 cells indicate that there is a mutation in the structural gene for HPRT. Although they possess increased specific catalytic activities of the enzyme, PRPP synthetase, the catalytic parameters, heat stability, and isoelectric pH of PRPP synthetase from 1020/12 cells are indistinguishable from those of the enzyme from wild-type cells. The cause of purine overproduction by 1020/12 cells appears to be the elevated PRPP synthetase activity, rather than a PRPP “sparing” effect stemming from reduced HPRT activity. Support for this idea is provided by the observation that the complete loss of HPRT activity in a clone derived from 1020/12 cells does not further enhance the levels of PRPP synthetase or purine overproduction. We propose that the elevated levels of PRPP synthetase activity in these HPRT deficient cells result from a mutational event in the structural gene for HPRT, and that this causes the disruption of a previously undescribed regulatory function of this gene on the expression of the PRPP synthetase gene.
Monitoring source in an unconscious plagiarism paradigm

Current laboratory paradigms used to assess unconscious plagiarism consist of three tasks. First, participants generate solutions to a puzzle task with a partner (initial generation task); second, they recall their individual contribution (recall-own task); and third, they attempt to create new solutions that were not offered previously (generate-new task). An analysis of these tasks indicated that they differ in terms of the source monitoring they require. The two generative tasks require less differentiated information (e.g., familiarity) and relatively lax decision criteria. The recall-own task, however, demands more differentiated information and more extended decision criteria. In two experiments, factors known to influence source monitoring were manipulated. Consistent with the analysis, no effects were associated with the generative tasks. Recall-own plagiarisms increased when self- and other-generated solutions were difficult to distinguish (Experiment 1) and decreased when the two sources were easier to distinguish (Experiment 2).
Processing and waste disposal needs for fusion breeder blankets systems

We evaluated the waste disposal and recycling requirements for two types of fusion breeder blanket (solid and liquid). The goal was to determine if breeder blanket waste can be disposed of in shallow land burial, the least restrictive method under U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations. Described in this paper are the radionuclides expected in fusion blanket materials, plans for reprocessing and disposal of blanket components, and estimates for the operating costs involved in waste disposal.
Should solar photovoltaics be deployed sooner because of long operating life at low, predictable cost?

Abstract Governments subsidize the deployment of solar photovoltaics (PV) because PV is deployed for societal purposes. About seven thousand megawatts were deployed in 2009 and over 10,000 are expected in 2010. Yet this is too slow to strongly affect energy and environmental challenges. Faster societal deployment is slowed because PV is perceived to be too costly. Classic economic evaluations would put PV electricity in the range of 15–50 c/kWh, depending on local sunlight and system size. But PV has an unusual, overlooked value: systems can last for a very long time with almost no operating costs, much like, e.g., the Hoover Dam. This long life is rarely taken into account. The private sector cannot use it because far-future cash flow does not add to asset value. But we should not be evaluating PV by business metrics. Governments already make up the difference in return on investment needed to deploy PV. PV deployment is government infrastructure development or direct purchases. Thus the question is: Does the usually unevaluated aspect of long life at predictably low operating costs further motivate governments to deploy more PV, sooner?
The role of ethnicity and parental bonding in the eating and weight concerns of Asian-American and Caucasian college women.

Objectives The purpose of this research was to explore the associations among ethnicity, parental bonding, acculturation, and eating disturbance in Asian-American and Caucasian weight-concerned college women. Methods Twenty-five Asian-American and 26 Caucasian weight-concerned women were administered the Eating Disorder Examination interview, the Parental Bonding Instrument, and three subscales of the Eating Disorder Inventory. Asian-American subjects also filled out the Suinn-Lew Asian Self-Identity Acculturation Scale questionnaire. Results Contrary to hypotheses, weight-concerned Asian-American women reported more dissatisfaction with body shape than did Caucasian women. Moreover, in the Asian-American group, acculturation was not associated with level of eating disturbance. In both groups, perceptions of low maternal caring were associated with higher levels of eating problems. In regression analyses, maternal care emerged as a better predictor of eating disturbance than did ethnicity. Discussion Results suggest that quality of parent-child relations, particularly the mother-daughter relationship, may be important in the etiology of eating problems, irrespective of ethnicity. Longitudinal investigations will be required to test causal relations. © 1999 by John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 25: 425–433, 1999.
Interpatch foraging in honeybees—rational decision making at secondary hubs based upon time and motivation

For honeybees, Apis mellifera, the hive has been well known to function as a primary decision-makinghub, a place from which foragers decide among various directions, distances, and times of day to forage efficiently. Whether foraging honeybees can make similarly complex navigational decisions from locations away from the hive is unknown. To examine whether or not such secondary decision-makinghubs exist, we trained bees to forage at four different locations. Specifically, we trained honeybees to first forage to a distal site “CT” 100 m away from the hive; if food was present, they fed and then chose to go home. If food was not present, the honeybees were trained to forage to three auxiliary sites, each at a different time of the day: A in the morning, B at noon, and C in the afternoon. The foragers learned to check site CT for food first and then efficiently depart to the correct location based upon the time of day if there was no food at site CT. Thus, the honeybees were able to cognitively map motivation, time, and five different locations (Hive, CT, A, B, and C) in two spatial dimensions; these are the contents of the cognitive map used by the honeybees here. While at site CT, we verified that the honeybees could choose between 4 different directions (to A, B, C, and the Hive) and thus label it as a secondary decision-making hub. The observed decision making uncovered here is inferred to constitute genuine logical operations, involving a branched structure, based upon the premises of motivational state, and spatiotemporal knowledge.
Water-gas shift over magnetite particles supported on graphite: Effects of treatments in CO/CO2 and H2/H2O gas mixtures

Abstract The water-gas shift reaction (at 660 K) was studied over both unsupported magnetite and magnetite particles supported on graphitic materials. It was found that the turnover frequencies over the supported catalysts decreased by an order of magnitude during the first few hours of reaction. About half of the initial high activity could be restored by treatments of the catalyst in CO/ CO 2 gas mixtures at 660 K. Treatment in H 2 /H 2 O gas mixtures did not lead to significant increases in catalytic activity. This deactivation behavior was not exhibited by unsupported samples. Mossbauer spectroscopy studies indicated that no bulk phase changes occurred during these treatments. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy showed that the magnetite particles were present as large, porous clusters. It is argued that reduction of catalytic activity for graphite-supported magnetite is caused by constriction of the pores within these clusters under water-containing atmospheres due to changes in the surface phase of the magnetite particles.
An optimal pattern classification system using dynamic programing

Abstract This paper is concerned with the dynamic programing approach to the design of optimal pattern classification systems when the costs of feature measurements describing the patterns are of considerable importance. A multistage or sequential classifier that requires, on the average, a substantially smaller number of feature measurements than equally reliable nonsequential classifiers based on a fixed number of measurements is defined and constructed through the principle of recursive optimization. Two methods of reducing the dimensionality in computation are presented for the cases where the observed feature measurements are (1) statistically independent and (2) Markov dependent. Both models, in general, provide a ready numerical solution to the optimal sequential classification problem. Computersimulated experiments are used to illustrate the feasibility of this approach.
Assessing individual student progress: Meeting multiple accreditation standards and professional gatekeeping responsibilities

Counselor education departments are often required to meet multiple accreditation standards that include assessment of individual student learning. Additionally, faculty in counselor education departments are responsible for acting as professional gatekeepers. The authors propose a model for assessment of individual student potential at the time of program admission. In addition, a comprehensive assessment process applied as students make the transition into clinical fieldwork is described.
Depression after spinal cord injury: Relation to gender, ethnicity, aging, and socioeconomic indicators

Abstract Krause JS, Kemp B, Coker J. Depression after spinal cord injury: relation to gender, ethnicity, aging, and socioeconomic indicators. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2000;81:1099-1109. Objective: To investigate the relation among aging, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic indicators, and depressive symptoms after spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: Survey was done to collect cross-sectional data. A mediational model was used to analyze the interrelationships between predictors and depressive outcome variables. Setting: A large Southeastern rehabilitation hospital. Participants: Participants, identified from outpatient records who met the following inclusion criteria: (1) traumatic SCI; (2) at least 18 years old at the time of study; and (3) injured for at least 1 year. There was an initial pool of 1923 potential participants in 1997, of whom 1391 (72%) participated. Main Outcome Measures: The Older Adult Health and Mood Questionnaire, a 22-item measure of depressive symptoms designed following Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III-R) criteria, was used to measure depression. It has been validated against clinical assessments by psychiatrists and psychologists. Results: Forty-eight percent of the participants reported clinically significant symptoms. Minority participants, particularly women, were at a substantially higher risk for depressive symptoms. This risk diminished but did not disappear after controlling for years of education and income, both of which were highly negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Aging factors were modestly positively correlated with depression, although education or income did not mediate these associations. Conclusions: Symptoms of depression are highly prevalent after SCI and are related to aging, gender or ethnicity, and socioeconomic status indicators (education and income). © 2000 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
THE COMPARATIVE ASSAY OF GONADOTROPIC SUBSTANCES ON RATS, MICE AND CHICKS1,2

ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS in the fractionation of gonadotropic substances is the developmenxt of suitable assay methods. The literature contains numerous methods developed by different workers but one is unable to convert the proposed units of one worker into the units of another because of the different methods used and the different types of preparations studied. The purpose of this study is to compare the results obtained from the assay of gonadotropic preparations from sheep pituitary glands, normal male urine, menopause urine and pregnant mare serum on the immature female rat, the immature female mouse, and the 1day old chick. The anterior pituitary preparation used in this study was prepared by suspending the powdered, acetone-desiccated glands in 0.25% ammonium hydroxide for 24 hours. The pH of the extracting medium was then adjusted to 5.0 to 5.6, and the gland residue centrifuged off. The gland residue was reextracted with an acetic acid buffer
[2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions at terminal imido uranium(IV) complexes to yield isolable cycloadducts

Abstract The terminal imido complexes U(NDipp)Cl2(tppo)3 (tppo = triphenylphosphine oxide) and U(NDipp)Cl2(R2bpy)2 (Dipp = 2,6-iPr2-C6H3; R2bpy = 4,4′-R2-2,2′-bipyridyl; R = Me, tBu) contain reactive U N bonds, which undergo [2 + 2] cycloaddition reactions with the N–C multiple bonds of isocyanates and benzonitrile. These low valent imido complexes display a preference for forming cycloaddition products, in contrast to high valent bis(imido) complexes, which undergo imido group exchange when treated with isocyanates. This disparity suggests that the U(IV) NR linkage, already known to be more ionic than U(VI) NR bonds, is also weaker than its U(VI) congener. The cycloaddition products that were used in this qualitative bond strength analysis have been characterized by X-ray crystallography and NMR spectroscopy. Most importantly, U(NDipp)Cl2(tppo)3 and U(NDipp)Cl2(R2bpy) appear to be excellent synthetic precursors to new and intriguing organometallic uranium complexes.
Microwave circuits based on negative refractive index material structures

The paper presents the fundamentals of composite right/left-handed (CRLH) transmission lines and materials, and proposes an accurate circuit model of these structures for the design of practical applications. Three novel applications of CRLH meta-structures, developed at UCLA, are demonstrated: an arbitrary coupling-level backward-wave coupler, a zero/sup th/ order resonator and a distributed planar negative lens.
Craniofacial contour defect reconstruction with a dacron/urethane composite: an alloplastic tray for bone induction fabrication and application.

An alloplastic tray made of poly(ethylene terephthalate) cloth mesh and poly(ether urethane) used in conjunction with cancellous bone-chip grafts is the basis for this new method for reconstructing facial osseous contour defects. The tray can be prefabricated in quantity and at low cost for standard defects, such as discontinuity defects of the mandible or for chin augmentation. It can be custom-fabricated for specific defects in individual patients as, for example, gunshot wounds to the forehead. The materials were chosen because of their known histocompatibility, the ease of fabrication, and because the materials can be molded to form esthetic contours. They can be easily modified at the time of surgery. Sterilization is by autoclaving. Initial studies were undertaken in mongrel dogs where mandibular discontinuity defects in the range of 2–4 cm were reconstructed. In man, the technique has been used to reconstruct discontinuity defects of the mandible ranging in size from 1.5–12 cm in 16 patients. Atrophic mandibular alveolar ridges have been augmented using this technique in 7 patients, thus providing an adequate alveolar ridge for dentures. Two patients with defects of the skull secondary to gunshot wounds have had frontal bone restoration using this method.Reconstructions of the ear, the chin, and the orbital floor are currently being evaluated. This technique overcomes many problems of esthetic contour reconstruction and combines the use of autogenous cancellous pmarticulate bone and a tissue-compatible synthetic composite material.
In vitro localization of human neural stem cell neurogenesis by engineered FGF-2 gradients

The development of effective stem cell-based therapies for treating brain disorders is keenly dependent upon an understanding of how to generate specific neural cell types and organize them into functional, higher-order tissues analogous to those of the cerebral cortex. Studies of cortical development have revealed that the proper formation of the human cerebral cortex results from specific intercellular interactions and soluble signaling between the highly-proliferative region occupied by dividing neural stem cells and an adjacent region of active neurogenesis and neural migration. However, the factors responsible for establishing this key asymmetrical proliferative-neurogenic architecture are not entirely known. Fibroblast growth factor 2 (FGF-2) is observed in a ventricular-pial gradient during in vivo development and has been previously shown to have effects on both human neural stem cell (hNSC) proliferation and neurogenesis. Here we have adapted a microfluidic approach for creating stable concentration gradients in 3D hydrogels to explore whether FGF-2 gradients can establish defined regions of proliferation and neurogenesis in hNSC cultures. Exponential but not linear FGF-2 gradients between 0–2 ng mL−1 were able to preferentially boost the percentage of TuJ1+ neurons in the low concentration regions of the gradient and at levels significantly higher than in non-gradient controls. However, no gradient-dependent localization was observed for dividing hNSCs or hNSC-derived intermediate progenitors. These data suggest that exponential FGF2 gradients are useful for generating asymmetric neuron cultures, but require contributions from other factors to recapitulate the highly-proliferative ventricular zone niche. The relevance of the findings of this study to in vivo cortical development must be more cautiously stated given the artifactual nature of hNSCs and the inability of any in vitro system to fully recapitulate the chemical complexity of the developing cortex. However, it is quite possible that exponential FGF2 gradients are employed in vivo to establish or maintain an asymmetric distribution of neurons in the ventricular-pial axis of the developing cerebral cortex.
Cloning and characterization of the EAP30 subunit of the ELL complex that confers derepression of transcription by RNA polymerase II.

The product of the human oncogene ELLencodes an RNA polymerase II transcription factor that undergoes frequent translocation in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In addition to its elongation activity, ELL contains a novel type of RNA polymerase II interaction domain that is capable of repressing polymerase activity in promoter-specific transcription. Remarkably, the ELL translocation that is found in patients with AML results in the deletion of exactly this functional domain. Here we report that the EAP30 subunit of the ELL complex has sequence homology to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae SNF8, whose genetic analysis suggests its involvement in the derepression of gene expression. Remarkably, EAP30 can interact with ELL and derepress ELL's inhibitory activity in vitro. This finding may reveal a key role for EAP30 in the pathogenesis of human leukemia.
Separation of kappa particles with infective activity from those with killing activity and identification of the infective particles in Paramecium aurelia

Abstract The infective activity can be separated from the killing activity of kappa. Preparations of N particles, or predominantly N particles, obtained by differential centrifugation or by the selective disruption of the B particles with duponol are infective. A mutant kappa that exists only as N particles is infective. No infection has been detected with disrupted N particles, but infectivity is associated with the intact N particle. Attempts to infect with B particles, P particles, and R bodies were unsuccessful.
Mendelian and Non-Mendelian Heredity: A Reappraisal

The first report of a non-Mendelian gene (Correns 1908) appeared just eight years after the rediscovery of Mendel’s laws and, in this sense, Mendelian and non-Mendelian heredity have both been available for analysis and comparison for almost sixty years. Yet it is only now that non-Mendelian genes are becoming accessible to the kind of intensive investigation required to reveal their chemical identity, their mode of replication and transmission, and their role in cellular heredity. In the classical studies of non-Mendelian heredity in plants by Correns, von Wettstein, Baur, Renner, Michaelis, Oehlkers, and later by Rhoades [for reviews see Caspari (1948), Rhoades (1955), Jinks (1964)] the existence of hereditary factors showing a maternal rather than Mendelian pattern of inheritance was clearly demonstrated. Further progress, however, was severely impeded by two kinds of experimental difficulty: (1) The stability of non-Mendelian genes toward conventional mutagens made it very difficult to acquire mutants to study in genetically characterized, inbred lines. The attempt to explore natural variability of non-Mendelian genes by inter-varietal and inter-species crosses led for the most part to hopelessly complex results involving multigenic interactions (e. g. Michaelis 1958). (2) The typical pattern of maternal inheritance, useful in the initial discrimination between Mendelian and non-Mendelian genes, was subsequently a great obstacle in the analysis of segregation and recombination. The few instances of male transmission of non-Mendelian genes through the pollen provided some of the clearest insights into the workings of the system, but here too the mutations available for analysis were too few and the experimental procedures too complex.
Influence of cAMP and protein kinase A on neurite length from spiral ganglion neurons

Abstract Regrowth of peripheral spiral ganglion neuron (SGN) fibers is a primary objective in efforts to improve cochlear implant outcomes and to potentially reinnervate regenerated hair cells. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) regulates neurite growth and guidance via activation of protein kinase A (PKA) and Exchange Protein directly Activated by Cylic AMP (Epac). Here we explored the effects of cAMP signaling on SGN neurite length in vitro. We find that the cAMP analog, cpt-cAMP, exerts a biphasic effect on neurite length; increasing length at lower concentrations and reducing length at higher concentrations. This biphasic response occurs in cultures plated on laminin, fibronectin, or tenascin C suggesting that it is not substrate dependent. cpt-cAMP also reduces SGN neurite branching. The Epac-specific agonist, 8-pCPT-2′-O-Me-cAMP, does not alter SGN neurite length. Constitutively active PKA isoforms strongly inhibit SGN neurite length similar to higher levels of cAMP. Chronic membrane depolarization activates PKA in SGNs and also inhibits SGN neurite length. However, inhibition of PKA fails to rescue neurite length in depolarized cultures implying that activation of PKA is not necessary for the inhibition of SGN neurite length by chronic depolarization. Expression of constitutively active phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, but not c-Jun N-terminal kinase, isoforms partially rescues SGN neurite length in the presence of activated PKA. Taken together, these results suggest that activation of cAMP/PKA represents a potential strategy to enhance SGN fiber elongation following deafness; however such therapies will likely require careful titration so as to promote rather than inhibit nerve fiber regeneration.
Benchmarking Productivity Indicators for Electrical'Mechanical Projects

Labor-intensive industries such as the electrical and mechanical trades are considered high risk due to the high percentage of labor costs. Because of this high risk, it is important for contractors in these industries to closely track labor costs on projects and compare these costs to industry benchmarks. In this paper, benchmark indicators for these industries are established on the basis of actual project data. These benchmarks include the relationship between the percent complete or percent time and cumulative work hours or cost, project size and duration, project size and average man power, project size and peak man power, and average versus peak man power. These relationships were developed using regression analysis. Man power loading charts and the related S-curves were developed from actual project data. The man power loading charts and the related S-curves are useful for resource planning and for tracking progress on a construction project. They can be used to show the cause-and-effect relationship between projects impacted by outside factors and normal labor productivity.
Recovery of a Spacecraft from Sun-Safe Mode Using a Fanbeam Antenna

A technique for recovering a spacecraft from a sun-oriented safe mode using a fanbeam antenna is described. This technique is useful for deep space missions where the downlink signal margin does not permit recovery using traditional broadbeam antenna methods. This method uses the position of the sun as a reference and employs a fanbeam antenna to search for the Earth through rotation of the spacecraft about the spacecraft–sun line. Recovery can be either autonomous using an uplink beacon or manual using a downlink beacon. The general design of the technique and its implementation and use on the Near Earth Asteroid Rendezvous spacecraft are described. Experience with this spacecraft, using a downlink beacon, has shown the technique to be very effective. During two sun-safe episodes, the spacecraft rotationwas successfully stopped on the  rst try, and the rotationwas halted close to the peak of the downlink pattern. Using telemetry available from one of the sun-safe episodes, we have determined that the spacecraft rotation was stopped 2.7 deg from the targeted angle, representing an error of 0.75% of a rotation period.
Mechanism of base activation of persulfate.

Base is the most commonly used activator of persulfate for the treatment of contaminated groundwater by in situ chemical oxidation (ISCO). A mechanism for the base activation of persulfate is proposed involving the base-catalyzed hydrolysis of persulfate to hydroperoxide anion and sulfate followed by the reduction of another persulfate molecule by hydroperoxide. Reduction by hydroperoxide decomposes persulfate into sulfate radical and sulfate anion, and hydroperoxide is oxidized to superoxide. The base-catalyzed hydrolysis of persulfate was supported by kinetic analyses of persulfate decomposition at various base:persulfate molar ratios and an increased rate of persulfate decomposition in D2O vs H2O. Stoichiometric analyses confirmed that hydroperoxide reacts with persulfate in a 1:1 molar ratio. Addition of hydroperoxide to basic persulfate systems resulted in rapid decomposition of the hydroperoxide and persulfate and decomposition of the superoxide probe hexachloroethane. The presence of superoxide was...
Debating the final theory

Recent assertions that the present particle physics is on the path of a “final theory” which cannot be reduced to more fundamental ones is critically examined and confronted with a counter-thesis.
Breath-hold single-dose gadolinium-enhanced three-dimensional MR aortography: Usefulness of a timing examination and MR power injector

PURPOSE: To determine the usefulness of a timing examination performed with 1 mL gadopentetate dimeglumine administered with a magnetic resonance (MR) power injector at single-dose three-dimensional (3D) MR aortography. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 3D fast imaging with steady-state precession (repetition time [msec]/echo time [msec] = 5.0/2.0, with 50 degrees flip angle) was performed in 30 patients after administration of 0.1 mmol/kg gadopentetate dimeglumine. In 15 inpatients, a power injector was used and a timing examination was performed (experimental group). In 15 outpatients, manual injection was used and a timing examination was not performed (control group). In the timing examination, 1 mL gadopentetate dimeglumine was followed with 15 mL saline, both at 2 mL/sec, during axial turbo fast low-angle shot imaging (11/4.2/300 [inversion time ?msec?], with a 15 degrees flip angle); one image was obtained every 2 seconds for 60 seconds. Aortic signal-to-noise ratios (S/Ns) and contrast-to-noise ratios (C/Ns)...
Breaking the femtogram barrier using scanning near-field infrared microscopy (SNIM)

The recent development of Scanning Near-field Infrared Microscopy (SNIM) has resulted in the first ever high-resolution infrared images of single living cells. We discuss extensions of this method using table-top tunable OPO-based ultrafast lasers and other tunable lasers as sources. Vibrational spectra provide an intrinsic mechanism of contrast in biological systems, without the need for any radioactive or fluorescent labels. Using the capability of SNIM for obtaining sub-wavelength resolution images and spectra allows for breaking of the femtogram barrier in biological systems. This provides a new technique for imaging sub-cellular features, and characterization of a single bacterium.
Semi-Empirical Solar Line Blanketing. II: The Results of Blanketing in Solar Model Atmospheres

Statistical data for line blanketing in the solar atmosphere have been extracted from the Revised Rowland Table. The data are corrected for apparent observational incompleteness due to line crowding and blending and are placed in a convenient form for calculations. An attempt is made to interpret the data in terms of schematic representations of the energy levels and distribution of gf-values for the important absorbers. The analysis leads to predictions in good agreement with the forms of the statistical data and substantiates the assumption of observational incompleteness in the original data. The analysis suggests that the solar data may provide useful guidance in the blanketing of stellar atmospheres sufficiently close to solar type.
Accountable To No One: The White Man as Burden

The White Man's Burden: Why the West's Efforts to Aid the Rest Have Done So Much Ill And So Little Good. By William Easterly. New York: Penguin Press, 2006. 448 pp., cloth $27.95 cloth (ISBN: 1-594-20037-3), $16.00 paper (ISBN: 0-143-03882-5). In The White Man's Burden , William Easterly examines the motivations and effectiveness of past efforts by the rich nations to reduce the suffering and eliminate the extreme poverty of the poor. Many books have addressed the tragedy of extreme poverty. A recent and most notable example is The End of Poverty, by Jeffrey Sachs (2005), which delivers an intricate and detailed plan to defeat extreme poverty. Easterly, however, addresses a second, less acknowledged dimension of this tragedy, namely, that despite five decades of rhetoric and intricate plans by intelligent people with noble intentions, and despite $2.3 trillion in donor aid, extreme poverty persists. The White Man's Burden usefully contributes to the debate regarding the efficacy of the most recent such plan, which is designed to achieve the United Nations sponsored Millennium Development Goals. Practitioners and students alike will benefit from Easterly's thorough presentation of relevant historical events; his thoughtful examination of economic, political, social, and cultural issues; and his efficient integration of scholarly research. All readers will enjoy Easterly's trademark humor, which highlights many of the absurdities in past policies that were necessary for five decades of effort to yield less than optimal results. To make his point, Easterly distinguishes between “planners” and “searchers.” He asserts that a bottom-up strategy, which relies on the proximity of searchers to the poor, is likely to produce superior programs and results in comparison with those achieved during the …
Thomas Sutton: Tudor-Stuart Moneylender

Medieval strictures against usury were a long time dying, and the dynamic society of the English Renaissance could not afford to wait. Inflation, the growth of commerce, and the increasing splendor of the royal court created a strong demand for cash, especially among the landed gentry. Professor Shipley describes how one of the greatest of the moneylenders legalized the interest rates he charged, secured his loans against default, and (with limited success) maintained his reputation for respectability while engaged in a dubious occupation. Thomas Sutton and his like filled the gap that old church doctrine made in the social fabric of sixteenth-century England and smoothed the way for their successors who, after the ethical revolution of the seventeenth century, would he legitimized as private bankers.
Design Technique for High Speed Pulse Circuitry for Surface Mass Spectrometer

A high speed amplifier/discriminator has been designed and built for use with an electron multiplier as part of a surface ionization mass spectrometer. This amplifier/discriminator permits low loss system operation up to 2 × 106 cps average count rate with random pulses. The design technique uses clipping, differentiation, and staggered quiescent operating points to achieve wide dynamic range and high equivalent frequency response. RF stripline technique and partial neutralization provide excellent stability over the required bandwidth. Pulse height discrimintion is accomplished through use of a monostable tunnel diode circuit.
Energized transport of cations by cytochrome oxidase.

Summary Cytochrome oxidase, when incorporated into a phospholipid liposome, can mediate the energy-dependent transport of monovalent and divalent cations and amino acids. Cation uptake is accompanied by anion uptake. Little specificity for the transportable cation seems to exist, and under appropriate conditions all cations tested may be equally transported.
On the Formation of Particle Sheaths in Columnar Vortices

Abstract Geophysical columnar vortices such as tornadoes, waterspouts and dust devils are frequently observed to have one or more cylindrical sheaths of dust concentric with the axis of symmetry. The mechanisms by which such sheaths form have previously been investigated by assuming a balance between inward drag force (due to inward radial motion of the fluid) and outward centrifugal form (due to rotation of the particles around the vortex). However, the strong radial inflow required to establish this balance is confined to the surface inflow layer. In the upper two thirds of the vortex core, where the sheaths are most frequently observed, the radial component of fluid motion is very weak and may be outward. In this study, an alternative approach is presented wherein the drag forces arising from radial motion of the fluid are assumed negligible. The particles are thus continuously centrifuged out of the core. It is shown for four representative profiles of the tangential velocity component of the fluid th...