cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of Genetic Diversity of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 nef Gene Associated with Vertical Transmission

Thenef gene is conserved among members of human and simian immunodeficiency viruses and may play an important role in viral pathogenesis. To determine the evolutionary dynamics and conservation of functionality of the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1)nef gene during maternal-fetal transmission, we analyzednef sequences from seven mother-infant pairs following perinatal transmission, including a mother with infected twin infants. Thenef open reading frame was maintained in mother-infant isolates with a frequency of 86.2% following vertical transmission. While there was a low degree of viral heterogeneity and estimates of genetic diversity and high population growth rates ofnef sequences from mother-infant isolates, the infants'nef sequences were slightly higher with respect to these parameters compared with the mothers' sequences. Both the mothers' and infants'nef sequences were under positive selection pressure, as determined by a new method of Nielsen and Yang [Genetics 148:929–936;1998]. Based on genetic distance and phylogenetic parameters, the epidemiologically linkednef sequences from mother-infant pairs were closer to each other compared with epidemiologically unlinked sequences from individuals. The functional domains essential for Nef activity, including membrane binding, CD4 and MHC-I downmodulation, T cell activation and interaction with factors of the cellular protein trafficking machinery, were conserved in most of the sequences from mother-infant pairs. The maintenance of intactnef open reading frames with conserved functional domains and a low degree of genetic variability following vertical transmission supports the notion thatnef plays an important role in HIV-1 infection and replication in mothers and their perinatally infected infants.
Optimal collimation of misaligned optical systems by concentering primary field aberrations

A collimation method of misaligned optical systems is proposed. The method is based on selectively nullifying main alignment-driven aberration components. This selective compensation is achieved by the optimal adjustment of chosen alignment parameters. It is shown that this optimal adjustment can be obtained by solving a linear matrix equation of the low-order alignment-driven terms of primary field aberrations. A significant result from the adjustment is to place the centers of the primary field aberrations, initially scattered over the field due to misalignment, to a desired common field location. This aberration concentering naturally results in recovery of image quality across the field of view. Error analyses and robustness tests show the method’s feasibility in efficient removal of alignment-driven aberrations in the face of measurement and model uncertainties. The extension of the method to the collimation of a misaligned system with higher-order alignment-driven aberrations is also shown.
Fabrication, déchiffrement, et chiasme: l'Autobiographie dans W ou le souvenir d'enfance et 53 jours de Georges Perec

AbstractGeorges Perec's W ou le souvenir d'enfance (1975) incorporates an autobiographical narrative that examines and (re)constructs the past after a significant loss. In addition to displaying a need to come to terms with the death of his parents through writing, Perec demonstrates the intention to play with and overcome the limits of autobiography by foregrounding the fragmented nature of memory. In 53 jours (1986), Perec deals as well with the conventions of fiction by inserting autobiographical elements, many only implicitly. 53 jours contains many similarities with W, including the use of word and number games, numerous complex narrative threads, and the continued questioning of the relationships among memory, personal narrative, and national history. A number of studies have examined the experimental nature of Perec's work. This study continues in that vein, revealing the extent to which mirroring, games, and stylistic devices play a fundamental role in creating autobiographical works whose goal is...
Decomposition of Nitric Oxide over Barium Oxide Supported on Magnesium Oxide. 3. In Situ Raman Characterization of the Role of Oxygen

Time-resolved high-temperature in situ Raman spectroscopy was successfully used to study details of the complex reaction network between gas phase oxygen and the species present in highly loaded Ba/MgO catalysts. The decomposition of the catalyst precursor Ba(NO3)2 to an amorphous phase containing nitrate and nitrite ions (phase II‘) occurs at higher temperatures in the presence of O2 than in He. Thus, the presence of O2 stabilizes the precursor Ba(NO3)2. In the presence of O2, phase III, containing the Ba−nitro complex, is not observed, and the decomposition of the amorphous phase II‘ directly reacts to BaO2. Defect-rich BaO rather than BaO2 is formed when the decomposition is in pure He. Gas-phase oxygen, therefore, exerts a strong effect on the stability of the phases present on the catalyst. In addition, it was shown that oxygen, added to the gas feed during catalytic NO decomposition, reduces the number of active Ba−nitro complex species via oxidation to nitrates. This reaction is identified with the...
The preparation and properties of a zirconium and hafnium peroxy compound

Abstract Zirconium and hafnium compounds dissolve in a cold alkaline solution of hydrogen peroxide from which solid of composition Na2):Mo2:Oa:H2O, 0·40:1·00:1·20:1·0, precipitates upon warming. The product takes up carbon dioxide with loss of peroxider to 0·8 Oa/MO2. The resulting product has an infra-red spectrum characteristic of basic carbonates. The products with or without carbonate exchange sodium for other actions.
The calendar structure of risk and expected returns on stocks and bonds

Abstract This paper documents, for 1947–2000, seasonalities in economic activity, stock and bond returns, and relationships among them. Evidence is consistent with an annual cycle view of economic activity and risk conditions. The power of lagged stock returns to forecast economic activity is greater for quarters ending in December and March. Mean excess returns on NYSE stocks in October through March account for 78–107% of their annual means and reflect a seasonal asymmetric return reversal tendency, which in turn explains low long-horizon variance ratios. Both market losses in April through September and subsequent returns in October through March are related, but with opposing signs, to October through March economic activity. The forecasting power of five variables is greatest for October through March. Tests of an asset-pricing model indicate that expected returns vary both cross-sectionally and over time. Implications for the debate between efficient markets and behavioral finance are discussed.
Analysis of slitless holographic spectrometers implemented by spherical beam volume holograms

The analysis of a slitless volume holographic spectrometer is presented in detail. The spectrometer is based on a spherical beam volume hologram followed by a Fourier-transforming lens and a CCD. It is shown that the spectrometer is not sensitive to the incident angle of the input beam for the practical range of applications. A holographic spectrometer based on the conventional implementation is also analyzed, and the results are used to compare the performance of the proposed method with the conventional one. The experimental results are consistent with the theoretical study. It is also shown that the slitless volume holographic spectrometer lumps three elements (the entrance slit, the collimator, and the diffractive element) of the conventional spectrometer into one spherical beam volume hologram. Based on the unique features of the slitless volume holographic spectrometer, we believe it is a good candidate for portable spectroscopy for environmental and biological applications.
Automatic Alignment Technique For Cryogenically Cooled Interferometers

Utah State University has developed a technique to automatically align the optical surfaces in cryogenic interferometers. Although the technique depends on microprocessor sensing of the highest obtainable interferogram peak, it is not necessary that an interferogram signal be present for alignment to begin. The technique is thus particularly useful when cooling interferometers from room temperature (273° K) to liquid nitrogen temperature (77° K) or colder causes large displacement of optical elements, or when mechanical shock results in similar displacement.© (1983) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Personal construct Psychotherapy of addictions

Personal construct psychotherapy and its utility in understanding and treating addictions is explored. Several clinical phenomena related to chemical dependency are discussed from the perspective of constructivism. Framed within the context of Prochaska, DiClemente, & Norcross' (1992) stages of change model, several psychotherapeutic techniques are outlined. These concepts and techniques are offered as theoretically based heuristics and are intended to illustrate the potential utility of a clinical approach based upon personal construct theory.
Proximate Composition, Amino Acid Profile, Fatty Acid Composition, and Mineral Content of Peanut Seeds Hydroponically Grown at Elevated CO2 Levels

Peanut plants (Arachis hypogaea L. cv. Georgia Red) were grown hydroponically using a recirculating nutrient film technique. The effect of CO2 enrichment on nutritive composition of hydroponic peanut seeds was examined at two elevated CO2 levels (700 and 1400 ppm) that simulate potential conditions in National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Controlled Ecological Life-Support Systems (CELSS) and compared to ambient CO2 condition in hydroponics (the control). Plants were harvested at 97 days after planting, and the seeds were air-dried and analyzed for composition. Percentages of crude protein, crude fat, ash, and carbohydrate of hydroponic peanut seeds were around 30%, 30%, 3%, and 30%, respectively. The major amino acids were aspartic acid, glutamic acid, and arginine. The limiting amino acid of peanut, methionine, was 1.2%. Linoleic acid was the major fatty acid, followed by oleic and palmitic acids. The major mineral elements were K, P, Mg, and Ca. The results showed that certain peanut var...
An accurate tongue tissue strain synthesis using pseudo-wavelet reconstruction-based tagline detection

ABSTRACT This paper describe our work on tagline detection and tissue strain synthesis. The tagline detection methodextends our previous work 16 using pseudo-wavelet reconstruction. The novelty in tagline detection is that weintegrated an active contour model and successfully improved the detection and indexing performance. Usingpseudo-wavelet reconstruction-based method, prominent wavelet coecients were retained while others wereeliminated. Taglines were then extracted from the reconstructed images using thresholding. Due to noise andartifacts, a tagline can be broken into segments. We employed an active contour model that tracks the mostlikely segments and bridges them. Experiments demonstrated that our method extracts taglines automaticallywith greater robustness. Tissue strain was also reconstructed using extracted taglines.Keywords: Tagline, Wavelets, Active Contour 1. INTRODUCTION To study in vivo organ, e.g. human heart and tongue, tagged magnetic resonance (tMR) imaging is usuallyemployed. The tagged MR imaging technique, initially developed for the assessment of myocardial motion,requires the insertion of magnetic tags that are essentially voids in the images, created by spatially selectivepre-saturation pulses. They appear as dark lines on the imaged tissue (hence taglines) in a spatially encodedpattern and move with the tissue in motion, thus serving as ducial markers for measuring the intrinsic tissuedisplacement. In our exploratory of human tongue tissue strain, tMRI provides a non-invasive means for studyingdynamic physiological deformation within lingual tissues. The human tongue is a complex myoarchitecture andany movement is typically the result of the synergistic actions of several muscles. The myoarchitecture complexitymakes it dicult to acquire tagged images and hence many issues have to be dealt with in the post processingstep. In this paper, we focus on tagline detection and strain synthesis.Since late 80s, continuous eorts have been devoted to improve the applicability of tMR imaging and thequality tagline detection. Hand tracing method was rstly used, which is tedious and time-consuming. Severalmethods were then developed for detecting taglines in the next decades
The Documentary Mode in Jerzy Kosinski's The Hermit of 69th Street

Abstract Jerzy Kosinski's last novel, The Hermit of 69th Street, was greeted with disappointment and even disdain. Reviewers called it “cranky self-justification,” “self-indulgent,” and “sophomoric.” Phoebe-Lou Adams, writing in The Atlantic, described the work as “what a novelist usually, and mercifully, canies in his head but omits from his fiction.” New York Times reviewer John Calvin Batchelor called the novel Kosinski's “revenge against docu-slander,” refemng to The Village Voice controversy and to repeated implications over the years that Kosinski's writings are more than the product of his own mind and pen.
Anatomy of the Cardiac Conduction System in the Rabbit

Anatomy of the cardiac conduction system was studied in 15 rabbits with serial histologic sectioning of 4. The rabbit's sinus node is a simple and distinct structure located at the junction of the crista terminalis with the sinus intercavarum nearly midway between the two cavae; it contains an unusually large percentage of P cells but is not organized about a large central artery. The AV node and His bundle are relatively small and are displaced anteriorly by the large coronary sinus normally present in the rabbit because of its persisting left superior vena cava. The AV node is organized with input system and bypass tracts similar to those of man and the dog. Doth the AV node and His bundle contain many conspicuously large nerve trunks. The blood supply of the sinus node is from terminal small branches of both the right and left coronary arteries and that to the AV node and His bundle is from similar terminal branches of the septal artery only. The possible functional significance of some of these anatomic features is discussed.
‘The Best Health Care Delivery System in the World’? Women's health and maternity/newborn care trends in Philadelphia, PA, United States—1997–2011: A case report

Despite being ranked number one globally in terms of health care cost per capita, the United States (US) has ranked as low as 37th in the world in terms of health care system performance. This poor performance for one of the most developed nations in the world has been reflected in the underachieved attempts of the multiple US health care systems at improving maternal and newborn health, according to the goals set in 2000 by the United Nations with Millennium Development Goals (MDG's) 5: Improve Maternal Health, and 4: Reduce Child Mortality. This paper will examine the progress, or lack thereof, over a period of 15 years of the fifth largest urban area in the US – Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – in its delivery of health care to pregnant women and their newborns. Using data collected from national, state, and city health agencies, trends concerning pregnancy care will be presented and compared to the target goals of MDG-5 and MDG-4, as well as Healthy People 2020, a US government-based initiative to improve health care of all Americans. Findings will demonstrate that urban areas such as Philadelphia are on a path of not reaching goals that have been set by the United Nations and the US government, and by some indicators are moving away in a negative direction from these goals.
The Human Prolactin Receptor Gene Structure and Alternative Promoter Utilization: The Generic Promoter hPII and a Novel Human Promoter hPN

The 5′-untranslated region of the human prolactin receptor (hPRLR) gene contains two alternative first exons, hE13, the human counterpart of the rat and mouse E13, and a novel human type of alternative first exon termed hE1N, also a common non-coding exon 2 and a third exon containing the translation initiation codon. hE13 was localized ∼800 bp 5′ from the hE1N in the genome. The two distinct first exons hE13 and hE1N are expressed in human breast tissue, breast cancer cells, gonads and liver. Overall, the transcript containing hE13 is prevalent in most tissues. The coding region of the gene comprises eight exons (exons 3–10), in which exon 10 encodes most of the intracellular domain. hE13 and hE1N are transcribed from alternative promoters hPIII and hPN, respectively. The hPIII, containing identical Sp1 and C/EBP elements as in the rodent promoters, shares 81% similarity in the region −480/−106 to both the rat and mouse. The novel promoter hPN contains putative binding sites for ETS-family proteins and a...
A critique of experimental design in communication research

Communication research often overlooks factors in experiments which distort and confuse results. Some such factors are listed and examples discussed.
Capstan Design and Control for Drawing Optical Fiber: A Case Study in Mechatronics Design

This paper presents a case study on the design of a draw capstan drive with feedback control for use in optical fiber manufacturing. Optical fiber is manufactured by the draw process, which involves heating and pulling high purity glass cylinders to diameters of 125 micron. Of critical concern is producing a constant diameter for the glass fiber and its lightguide core. The diameter of the optical fiber must remain constant to create a product capable of transmitting highbandwidth optical data. The optical fiber draw capstan design has a significant impact on the resulting fiber quality. As the draw speed is used to control the fiber diameter, the ability of the draw capstan to follow velocity commands directly affects the resulting fiber diameter. In this case study a systems approach is used for the design of the mechanical and control aspects through parametric evaluations and modeling, as well as simulation studies of the capstan drive. Disturbances in the draw process arise from sources such as the variation in the diameter of the input glass cylinder and the draw tension control, affecting the glass temperature and viscosity. Simulation studies demonstrate that speed regulation, to manufacture optical fiber within allowable diameter tolerances, is achievable in the presence of representative disturbances. The capstan model and design along with the fiberdrawing process model presented in this case study are suitable for undergraduate and graduate courses in system dynamics, control, and mechatronics. As is typical of many problems in manufacturing processes, the problem discussed is multidisciplinary. The study highlights the use of mechanical and electrical modeling, system identification, and control design as necessary parts of product and process improvement.
Rest seat designs for inclined posterior abutments: a photoelastic comparison.

Summary Forty-five photoelastic stress analyses were conducted with two-dimensional models of one side of a mandibular Kennedy class III removable partial denture. Fifteen separate rest seat configurations were tested for each of three varied inclinations of the distal second molar abutment. The data indicate that: o 1. Rest seat placement on an abutment tooth primarily affects stress concentration of that tooth. There is no direct relationship between rest seat design on one abutment and resultant stress on another. 2. Inclined abutments demonstrate greater resultant bending of interradicular bone than vertical abutments, and the greater the inclination, the greater the bending (as the result of tipping force). 3. Mesial rests on inclined molar abutments demonstrate maximum tipping forces. 4. Channel rests on inclined molar abutments demonstrate the least amount of tipping force
Poisson kernel characterization of Reifenberg flat chord arc domains

Abstract In this paper we prove the conjecture stated by the authors in Free boundary regularity for harmonic measures and Poisson kernels (Ann. of Math. 150 (1999) 369–454) concerning the free boundary regularity problem for the Poisson kernel below the continuous threshold. We show that if Ω is a Reifenberg flat chord arc domain, and the logarithm of the Poisson kernel has vanishing mean oscillation then the unit normal vector to the boundary also has vanishing mean oscillation.
Chlorinated Ethene Half-Velocity Coefficients (KS) for Reductive Dehalogenation

Biological reduction of the chlorinated solvents tetrachloroethene (PCE) and trichloroethene (TCE) completely to ethene is of interest for engineered or intrinsic destruction of these prevalent groundwater contaminants. However, the transformation are frequently not complete, leading to the production of vinyl chloride (VC), a more hazardous compound. Factors affecting the relative rates of destruction of the solvents and their intermediate products are thus of interest. The maximum degradation rates (kX) and half-velocity coefficients (K{sub s}) for these chlorinated ethenes used as electron acceptors in reductive dehalogenation with hydrogen in excess were examined using an enrichment culture grown on benzoate, hydrogen, and PCE. Initial dehalogenation rates were measured at various chlorinated ethene concentrations in batch studies. With 38 mg/L volatile suspended solids of this culture, the kX and 95% confidence intervals for PCE, TCE, cis-dichloroethene (cDCE), and VC at 25 C were found to be 77 {+-} 5.59 {+-} 11, 14 {+-} 3, and 13 {+-} 3 {micro}M/day with K{sub s} values of 0.11 {+-} 0.04, 1.4 {+-} 0.9, 3.3 {+-} 2.2, and 2.6 {+-} 1.9 {micro}M, respectively. The lower maximum transformation rates and higher K{sub s} values for cDCE and VC partly explain why incomplete transformation of PCE and TCE oftenmore » occurs in the field.« less
Fast model-based restoration of noisy and undersampled spectral CT data

In this work we propose a fast, model-based restoration scheme for noisy or undersampled spec- tral CT data and demonstrate its potential utility with two simulation studies. First, we show how one can denoise photon counting CT images, post- reconstruction, by using a spectrally averaged im- age formed from all detected photons as a high SNR prior. Next, we consider a slow slew-rate kV switch- ing scheme, where sparse sinograms are obtained at peak voltages of 80 and 140 kVp. We show how the missing views can be restored by using a spectrally av- eraged, composite sinogram containing all of the views as a fully sampled prior. We have chosen these ex- amples to demonstrate the versatility of the proposed approach and because they have been discussed in the literature before 3 , 6 but we hope to convey that it may be applicable to a fairly general class of spectral CT systems. Comparisons to several sparsity-exploiting, iterative reconstructions are provided for reference.
Embryonic versus adult myocardium: adenine nucleotide degradation during ischemia.

Abstract Neonatal myocardium demonstrates better recovery from ischemia than does adult tissue. We tested the hypothesis that developmental differences in adenine nucleotide degradation might facilitate recovery by quantitating depletion of high-energy phosphates in nine-day-old embryonic (n = 9) and 15-month-old adult (n = 14) chicken hearts at 15-, 30-, 45-, and 60-minute intervals of normothermic ischemia in vitro. Nucleotides adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, and adenosine monopnosphate and nucleosides adenosine, inosine, hypoxanthine, and xanthine were determined by highperformance liquid chromatography. Several observations in metabolite degradative response to ischemia were noted. The embryonic myocardium maintained higher adenosine triphosphate and adenosine monophosphate levels over the course of the investigation than did mature myocardium. Moreover, the adult group showed an increase in diffusible nucleoside pool metabolites. Relative immaturity of enzymes responsible for nucleotide degradation may facilitate postiachemic recovery by preserving nondiffusible high-energy phosphate precursors to participate in salvage resynthesis of adenosine triphosphate.
Frequency and characterization of p53 mutations in clinically localized prostate cancer

Abstract Objectives To determine the frequency of abnormal p53 expression and to characterize confirmed p53 mutations in tumors from patients with clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate. Methods p53 protein nuclear accumulation was determined immunohistochemically in the initial diagnostic tumor specimens from 37 patients with clinically localized prostate carcinoma. Two primary antibodies were used on all specimens. Structural analysis of the p53 gene was performed using the methods of polymerase chain reaction (PCR)/single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) and DNA sequencing. Results In 1 of the 37 (2.7%) tumor specimens, intense p53 nuclear staining was demonstrated using either antibody PAb 1801 or CM-1. The staining in this case was heterogeneous, with approximately 40% of tumor nuclei staining for p53. This tumor specimen was microdissected and DNA was extracted. Following PCR amplification, abnormally migrating bands were noted on SSCP analysis of exon 8. DNA sequencing confirmed the mutation as a C → A transversion in codon 281 (asp → glu). PCR/SSCP analysis of exons 5 through 8 was also performed for seven additional tumors that were negative for p53 nuclear accumulation by immunohistochemical (IHC) methods. All of these specimens demonstrated wild-type p53. Conclusions The results of this study confirm and extend our previous findings that p53 mutations are rare in clinically localized adenocarcinoma of the prostate. In detecting clonal p53 mutations, standard immunohistochemical technique correlates reliably with structural p53 gene analysis of the evolutionary conserved domains encompassing exons 5–8. Importantly, most reports have demonstrated that p53 mutations detected by IHC are a late step in the progression of prostate cancer and are associated with advanced disease, dedifferentiation, and the acquisition of androgen independence.
Administration of local anesthetic while positioning the needle during inferior alveolar nerve blocks did not affect patients' reported pain on injection.

Article Title and Bibliographic Information Injection pain of the inferior alveolar nerve block in patients with irreversible pulpitis. McCartney, M., A. Reader and M. Beck (2007). Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 104(4):571-5. Level of Evidence Level 2 (Limited-quality, patient-oriented evidence) Strength of Recommendation Grade Not applicable Purpose/Question This retrospective analysis evaluated the effects of gender, phase of injection (needle insertion, needle positioning, and anesthetic deposition), and whether anesthetic was administered during the needle positioning phase on reported pain levels while administering local anesthetic via inferior alveolar nerve block in patients with irreversible pulpitis. Source of Funding Information not available Type of Study/Design Retrospective cross-sectional study
Physical assignments of 68 porcine cosmid and lambda clones containing polymorphic microsatellites

Two lambda phage and 66 cosmids containing informative porcine microsatellites were assigned to 17 of 18 porcine autosomes and the X Chromosome (Chr) by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). These assignments provide additional physically anchored markers to integrate the porcine physical and genetic maps.
The antiferromagnetic structure of NiMn

Abstract The ordered alloy NiMn is found to be an antiferromagnet with a very high Neel temperature (> 600°K) on the basis of neutron-diffraction and magnetic-susceptibility measurements. The magnetic unit cell has lower symmetry than the tetragonal chemical cell; the moment directions are normal to the c-axis. The moments of nearest-neighbor manganese atoms (in planes normal to the c-axis) are antiparallel to each other. A detailed discussion of possible magnetic models is given; for all of them, m n = 4.0±0.1. It is inferred that m i is probably much less than 0.6. The magnetic anisotropy is discussed and compared to that of γ-manganese.
DIET processes on ruthenium surfaces related to extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL)

Abstract The aim of this work is to provide insights into desorption induced by electronic transitions (DIET) processes that affect the reflectivity of ruthenium-capped Mo/Si multilayer mirrors working under EUVL (extreme ultraviolet lithography) operating conditions [high vacuum, and 13.5 nm (92 eV) photons]. Critical issues are associated with possible oxidation of the 2 nm thick Ru capping layer due to the inevitable background pressure of H 2 O, and carbon build up due to background hydrocarbons. In the present work, we discuss aspects of the radiation-induced surface chemistry of Ru irradiated by 100 eV electrons and 92 eV photons. The cross section for electron-stimulated desorption of oxygen from O-covered Ru is ∼6 × 10 −19 cm 2 . Carbon accumulation several nm thick occurs on the Ru surface during electron irradiation in methyl methacrylate (MMA) vapor, a model background impurity hydrocarbon. Radiation damage by low-energy secondary electrons is believed to dominate over direct photoexcitation of adsorbates under EUVL conditions. The secondary electron yield from Ru varies strongly with photon energy, and is ∼0.02 electrons/photon at 92 eV.
Time-Resolved Fluorescence Anisotropy Of Membrane Probes: Rotations Gated By Packing Fluctuations

Fluorescence emission anisotropy is a well established tool for measuring order in lipid bilayers. Coronene, a fluorescent membrane probe, with a mean fluorescence lifetime greater than 200ns, is sensitive to lipid chain disordering events that occur well after the decay of most other fluorescent probes. Further, its D6h planar symmetry provides exclusive detection of out-of-plane rotations. We have previously employed a compartmentalized gel-fluid equilibrium model to explain the time course of polarization for coronene in dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) and dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) unilamellar vesicles (ULVs). We present here a more appropriate and complete model derived from Landau phase transition theory. A 'gating factor' is employed, which defines the number of lipid chains close to a coronene molecule which must disorder to allow the rotation of coronene. This model predicts a distribution of rotational correlation times (0i) that change with temperature. Our results indicate excellent agreement between theoretical anisotropy decays and data taken for coronene labelled DPPC large unilamellar vesicles (LUVs) measured at several temperatures up to the lipid melt transition temperature (Tc). The model can account for depolarization both at long times and in the first few nanoseconds of decay.
Local government in Latin America

This guide to local government in Latin America provides a detailed overview of the political and economic significance of local government in the region as a whole, as well as 18 country studies written to a common format.
George Caspar Homans and the rest of us

As a sociologist, George Homans did not live an exemplary career. For all but the most talented and tough-minded, imitating him would be a terrible mistake. None of us, for example, should advise aspiring sociologists to drift into the field untrained through personal connections, as George did, even if it resembled the way that George's great-uncle Brooks Adams became professor of history at Harvard. We should not advise our favorite students to take out five years for military service; to battle their most prestigious and powerful colleagues; to speak their minds loudly, articulately, and often; to detest cant even more than ignorance; to insist that J. M. W. Turner was the first and greatest Impressionist painter; to argue openly that their field's fundamental propositions come, and should come, from behavioristic psychology; to work simultaneously in Medieval history, social theory, poetry, and the study of small groups; to write autobiographical statements that, while charming in other respects, reveal their contempt for much of what paraded as social science. George did these risky things, and got away with them, more or less. But then George was ... well, George.
Mammalian zinc homeostasis: requirement for RNA and metallothionein synthesis.

Abstract A parenterally administered zinc load was used as a model to investigate zinc homeostasis in rats. Serum zinc increased markedly then decreased following the zinc load. The decrease was concomitant with enhanced zinc uptake into hepatocyte cytosol and metallothionein synthesis. Actinomycin D administration inhibited zinc uptake into liver cytosol and metallothionein synthesis. Both mRNA and metallothionein synthesis appear to be necessary for hepatic zinc uptake. Intestinal 65 Zn absorption was decreased in zinc loaded rats but was near normal in rats treated with actinomycin D prior to the zinc load. Absorption was not correlated with the serum zinc content but was inversely related to mucosal metallothionein synthesis and directly related to a zinc chelate complex. An overall homeostatic mechanism is proposed where metallothionein synthesis is controlled at the transcriptional level by body zinc status. In the liver, metallothionein synthesis functions in uptake and storage of zinc in hepatocytes. In the intestinal mucosal cells this protein competes with the normal ligand involved in zinc absorption and thus regulates the amount of zinc available for transfer to the plasma.
Patient Medication Costs as A Therapeutic Consideration

Don't neglect therapeutic considerations in selecting drugs, but take their cost into account. Sometimes, selecting an older, established drug or generic equivalent can represent a significant savings for the patient.
Leptin Impairs Cardiovagal Baroreflex Function at the Level of the Solitary Tract Nucleus

Circulating leptin is elevated in some forms of obesity-related hypertension, associated with impaired baroreflex function. Leptin receptors are present on vagal afferent fibers and neurons within the solitary tract nucleus, providing an anatomic distribution consistent with baroreflex modulation. Although solitary tract nucleus microinjection of 144 fmol/60 nL of leptin had no significant effect on baroreflex sensitivity for control of the heart rate in urethane/chloralose-anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats, 500 fmol of leptin impaired baroreflex sensitivity for bradycardia in response to increases in pressure (1.15+/-0.04 versus 0.52+/-0.12 ms/mm Hg; P<0.01). Transgenic ASrAOGEN rats with low brain angiotensinogen have an upregulation of the leptin receptor and p85 alpha mRNA in the dorsal medulla relative to Sprague-Dawley rats. Consistent with these observations, the response to leptin was enhanced in ASrAOGEN rats, because both the 144-fmol (1.46+/-0.08 versus 0.75+/-0.10 ms/mm Hg; P<0.001) and 500-fmol (1.36+/-0.32 versus 0.44+/-0.06 ms/mm Hg; P<0.05) leptin microinjections impaired baroreflex sensitivity. At these doses, leptin microinjection had no effect on resting pressure, heart rate, or the tachycardic response to decreases in pressure in Sprague-Dawley or ASrAOGEN rats. Thus, exogenous leptin at sites within the solitary tract nucleus impairs the baroreflex sensitivity for bradycardia induced by increases in arterial pressure, consistent with a permissive role in mediating increases in arterial pressure. Baroreflex inhibition was enhanced in animals with evidence of increased leptin receptor and relevant signaling pathway mRNA.
Preventing Internet denial-of-service with capabilities

In this paper, we propose a new approach to preventing and constraining denial-of-service (DoS) attacks. Instead of being able to send anything to anyone at any time, in our architecture, nodes must first obtain "permission to send" from the destination; a receiver provides tokens, or capabilities, to those senders whose traffic it agrees to accept. The senders then include these tokens in packets. This enables verification points distributed around the network to check that traffic has been certified as legitimate by both endpoints and the path in between, and to cleanly discard unauthorized traffic. We show that our approach addresses many of the limitations of the currently popular approaches to DoS based on anomaly detection, traceback, and pushback. Further, we argue that our approach can be readily implemented in today's technology, is suitable for incremental deployment, and requires no more of a security infrastructure than that already needed to fix BGP's security weaknesses. Finally, our proposal facilitates innovation in application and networking protocols, something increasingly curtailed by existing DoS measures.
Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS): a Systematic Review of Anatomy and Potential Risk Factors

Background: Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), a common cause of anterior knee pain, is successfully treated in over 2/3 of patients through rehabilitation protocols designed to reduce pain and return function to the individual. Applying preventive medicine strategies, the majority of cases of PFPS may be avoided if a pre-diagnosis can be made by clinician or certified athletic trainer testing the current researched potential risk factors during a Preparticipation Screening Evaluation (PPSE). We provide a detailed and comprehensive review of the soft tissue, arterial system, and innervation to the patellofemoral joint in order to supply the clinician with the knowledge required to assess the anatomy and make recommendations to patients identified as potentially at risk. The purpose of this article is to review knee anatomy and the literature regarding potential risk factors associated with patellofemoral pain syndrome and prehabilitation strategies. A comprehensive review of knee anatomy will present the relationships of arterial collateralization, innervations, and soft tissue alignment to the possible multifactoral mechanism involved in PFPS, while attempting to advocate future use of different treatments aimed at non-soft tissue causes of PFPS. Methods: A systematic database search of English language PubMed, SportDiscus, Ovid MEDLINE, Web of Science, LexisNexis, and EBM reviews, plus hand searching the reference lists of these retrieved articles was performed to determine possible risk factors for patellofemoral pain syndrome. Results: Positive potential risk factors identified included: weakness in functional testing; gastrocnemius, hamstring, quadriceps or iliotibial band tightness; generalized ligamentous laxity; deficient hamstring or quadriceps strength; hip musculature weakness; an excessive quadriceps (Q) angle; patellar compression or tilting; and an abnormal VMO/VL reflex timing. An evidence-based medicine model was utilized to report evaluation criteria to determine the at-risk individuals, then a defined prehabilitation program was proposed that begins with a dynamic warm-up followed by stretches, power and multi-joint exercises, and culminates with isolation exercises. The prehabilitation program is performed at lower intensity level ranges and can be conducted 3 days per week in conjunction with general strength training. Based on an objective one repetition maximum (1RM) test which determines the amount an individual can lift in good form through a full range of motion, prehabilitation exercises are performed at 50–60% intensity. Conclusion: To reduce the likelihood of developing PFPS, any individual, especially those with positive potential risk factors, can perform the proposed prehabilitation program.
A unified, integral construction for coordinates over closed curves

We propose a simple generalization of Shephard's interpolation to piecewise smooth, convex closed curves that yields a family of boundary interpolants with linear precision. Two instances of this family reduce to previously known interpolants: one based on a generalization of Wachspress coordinates to smooth curves and the other an integral version of mean value coordinates for smooth curves. A third instance of this family yields a previously unknown generalization of discrete harmonic coordinates to smooth curves. For closed, piecewise linear curves, we prove that our interpolant reproduces a general family of barycentric coordinates considered by Floater, Hormann and Kos that includes Wachspress coordinates, mean value coordinates and discrete harmonic coordinates.
Spatial distribution and sampling plans for four species of cereal aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae) infesting spring wheat in southwestern Idaho.

Taylor’s power law was used to model relationships between Mean densities (per tiller) and variances for four cereal aphids-Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), Metopolophium Dirhoclum (Walker), Sitobion avenae (F.), and Schizaphis graminum (Rondani)- infesting spring wheat in southwestern Idaho. Model slopes were > 1.0 for all species, which indicated that the aphid species all showed aggregated spatial patterns. The spatial pattern of D. noxia was significantly more dumped than those of the other three species. No differences among years were found in the aphid species’ degree of aggregation. Taylor’s power law parameters were used to generate numerical (complete count) sample size curves for each aphid species. Parameters from the regression of In(mean density) on In[-In(proportion of wheat tillers with no aphids)] were used to develop a functional relationship between mean density and proportion of empty sample units, and binomial (presence-absence) sample size curves for each aphid species.
U.S. Political Culture and Hegemony

Despite certain changes in character and direction, the political culture that is now being consolidated in the United States in an effort to regain the country’s lost hegemony and legitimize domestic policy is reproducing the themes and tools of the cold war. Terrorism has come to occupy the place that international communism once held. The repressive, intolerant, and violent atmosphere that characterized the cold war has resur-faced today as the new political culture is used to legitimize the use of violence both at home and abroad.
Synthesis of 1,2:4,5‐Di‐O‐Isopropylidene‐D‐Erythro‐2,3‐Hexodiulo‐2,6‐Pyranose. A Highly Enantioselective Ketone Catalyst for Epoxidation

1, 2:4,5-Di-O-isopropylidene-beta-D-fructopyranose D-Fructose 1,2:4,5-Di-O-isopropylidene-D-erythro-2, 3-hexadiulo-2, 6-pyranose Perchloric acid Pyridinium chlorochromate Keywords: enantioselective ketones; catalysts; epoxidation; waste disposal; dioxiranes; asymmetric synthesis; fructose; perchloric acid; pyranose
Business return in New Orleans: decision making amid post-Katrina uncertainty.

Background Empirical observations on how businesses respond after a major catastrophe are rare, especially for a catastrophe as great as Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans, Louisiana on August 29, 2005. We analyzed repeated telephone surveys of New Orleans businesses conducted in December 2005, June 2006, and October 2007 to understand factors that influenced decisions to re-open amid post-disaster uncertainty.
Flight Flutter Test and Data Analysis Techniques Applied to a Drone Aircraft

Modal identification results are presented that were obtained from recent flight flutter tests of a drone vehicle with a research wing called the DAST ARW-1 (for drones for aerodynamic and structural testing, aeroelastic research wing-1). This vehicle is equipped with an active flutter suppression system (FSS). Frequency and damping of several modes are determined by a time-domain modal analysis of the impulse response function obtained by Fourier transformations of data from fast-swept sine wave excitation by the FSS control surfaces on the wing. Flutter points are determined for two different altitudes with the FSS off. Data are given for near the flutter boundary with the FSS on.
Degradation of Portland Cements Exposed to Evaporite Brine at Hydrothermal Temperatures

The long-term integrity of cementitious materials is of interest where cement is used as part of the isolation system in underground workings sited in evaporite rocks. However, the slow rates of cement/fluid interactions at room temperature provide minimal guidance for predicting long-term cement behavior. To accelerate reactions that degrade cement, hydrothermal brine/cement interaction experiments were carried out at temperatures between 100° and 250° C. The pastes used in these experiments were two batches containing 65 (weight) % Class H cement and 35 % fly ash (one with Class C and one Class F, both with 10 mass equivalent % plaster), and one batch of Type K expansive cement, all with NaCl-saturated mix water. The brine used in testing was based on a composite representation of groundwaters from the Rustler formation of southeastern New Mexico, a mixed evaporite/clastic rock sequence. This brine was sufficiently concentrated that its use afforded an opportunity to study several mechanisms likely to degrade cement performance. At the conclusion of each experiment solid products were characterized and the coexisting fluids analyzed. In general, the cement was extensively altered by the brine at all temperatures assessed. In addition to the expected sulfate attack, it was found that magnesium effectively displaced calcium from the CSH gels that impart strength to cementitious materials. Sodium and potassium did not play a role in altering the cement.
Curve Parametrization by Moments

We present a method for deriving a parametric description of a conic section (quadratic curve) in an image from the moments of the image with respect to several specially-constructed kernel functions. In contrast to Hough-transform-type methods, the moment approach requires no large accumulator array. Judicious implementation allows the parameters to be determined using five multiplication operations and six addition operations per pixel. The use of moments renders the calculation robust in the presence of high-frequency noise or texture and resistant to small-scale irregularities in the edge. Our method is generalizable to more complex classes of curves with more parameters as well as to surfaces in higher dimensions.
The Embodied Sacrifice

The interest in the study of the body that is emerging in European archaeologies has not yet penetrated Americanist approaches to prehistoric iconography. Nevertheless, American materials provide an excellent data base with which to work. This article employs the complex human representational imagery of the Moche (Peruvian North Coast, c.AD 100–800) to explore how the body was situated within the context of ritual sacrifice. Employing both the Foucauldian concept of the disciplined body and the work of Mary Douglas, two forms of bodily representation are discussed: the naked male prisoner and the spread-eagled female sacrifice. These bodies are defined iconographically not only by their sex, but also by their qualities of anonymity or individuality. While the sacrificed female represents an individual who is notable because of who she is (i.e. who she embodies), the male prisoners represent an undifferentiated and anonymous group. These two examples suggest that the body can be read as an individual symbolic field (the female body) and, alternatively, can serve as an undifferentiated forum (the bodies of prisoners) for sacrificial discourse. Despite these differences in representation, both forms of the body present potentially liminal sites within the context of sacrificial ritual. This liminality is essential for the discursive re-ordering of the body politic to occur.
Sexual Cultures and Migration in the Era of AIDS: Anthropological and Demographic Perspectives

Sexual Cultures and Migration in the Era of AIDS: Anthropological and Demographic Perspectives. Gilbert Herdt. ed. New York: Oxford University Press, 1997.256 pp.