cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Community Capacity for Watershed Conservation: A Quantitative Assessment of Indicators and Core Dimensions

Community capacity for watershed management has emerged as an important topic for the conservation of water resources. While much of the literature on community capacity has focused primarily on theory construction, there have been few efforts to quantitatively assess community capacity variables and constructs, particularly for watershed management and conservation. This study seeks to identify predictors of community capacity for watershed conservation in southwestern Illinois. A subwatershed-scale survey of residents from four communities located within the Lower Kaskaskia River watershed of southwestern Illinois was administered to measure three specific capacity variables: community empowerment, shared vision and collective action. Principal component analysis revealed key dimensions of each variable. Specifically, collective action was characterized by items relating to collaborative governance and social networks, community empowerment was characterized by items relating to community competency and a sense of responsibility and shared vision was characterized by items relating to perceptions of environmental threats, issues with development, environmental sense of place and quality of life. From the emerging factors, composite measures were calculated to determine the extent to which each variable contributed to community capacity. A stepwise regression revealed that community empowerment explained most of the variability in the composite measure of community capacity for watershed conservation. This study contributes to the theoretical understanding of community capacity by quantifying the role of collective action, community empowerment and shared vision in community capacity, highlighting the need for multilevel interaction to address watershed issues.
Impact of adjuvant chemotherapy with radiation for node-positive vulvar cancer: A National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) analysis ☆

article i nfo Background. For node-positive vulvar cancer, adjuvant radiotherapy has an established benefit, whereas the impact of chemotherapy is unknown. A National Cancer Data Base (NCDB) analysis was conducted to determine patterns of care and evaluate the survival impact of adjuvant chemotherapy. Methods. The NCDB was queried for vulvar cancer patients diagnosed from 1998-2011 who underwent extirpative surgery with confirmed inguinal nodal involvement treated with adjuvant radiotherapy. Patients with inadequate follow-upornon-squamous histologieswere excluded. Chi-square test, logisticregression anal- ysis, log-rank test and multivariable Cox proportional regression modeling with adjustment using propensity score with inverse probability of treatment weights (IPTW) were conducted to establish factors associated with utilization and survival. Results. A total of 1797 patients were identified: 26.3% received adjuvant chemotherapy and 76.6% had 1-3 involved lymph nodes. Adoption of adjuvant chemotherapy significantly increased over time, from 10.8% in 1998 to 41.0% in 2006 (p b 0.001). Lower utilization was seen in older patients, Northeast or Southern facilities, and patients with more extensive nodal dissection, whereas greaternumberof involved nodes,stage IVA disease and positive surgical margins led to a higher probability of receiving chemotherapy. Unadjusted median survival
Unusual water vapor adsorption behavior of montmorillonite pillared with ceramic oxides

Abstract A montmorillonite was pillared with oxide pillars such as Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 and TiO 2 to generate permanent microporosity in the interlayers. The X-ray powder diffraction analysis and nitrogen and water adsorption measurements indicated that the pillars were stable at least up to 600°C. The slit widths (pore size) are on the order of 7–9 A for Al 2 O 3 , 8–10 A for ZrO 2 and 14–17 A for TiO 2 pillared clay. The TiO 2 pillared clay exhibited Brunauer type IV isotherm that fits BET linear equation for both nitrogen and water. Although Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 pillared clays followed Brunauer type I isotherm with nitrogen, their water adsorption isotherms exhibited unusual shapes and did not fit either Langmuir or BET equation. The unique pore sizes of these pillared clays and low affinity of their surfaces for water, which determine the amount and rate of water adsorption at particular relative pressure ( P/P O ), were demonstrated to be responsible for the unusual shapes of the isotherms. The water capacities of these pillared clays were found to be 200–300 mg/g of degassed sample, which are comparable to commercially available desiccants such as zeolites and silica gels. The application of dessicant materials in gas-fired cooling and dehumidification equipments (air conditioning systems) demands an ideal isotherm shape (moderate type I), a quality lacking both in zeolites and silica gels. Pillaring led to improved water adsorption isotherm shape as compared to the original montmorillonite. Further improvement in the shape of isotherm may be achieved by introducing higher degree of hydrophilic or polarity components in these pillared clays.
Introduction to the Symposium and Studies on the Surfaces of Separated and Synchronized Tumor and Embryonic Cell Populations

Tumor and embryonic cell surfaces are examined in this symposium with respect to their roles in cell-cell interactions and in early development and malignancy. Three sets of studies have been recently performed in my laboratory to help elucidate the nature of tumor and embryonic cell surfaces and the means by which these cells adhere to each other. We separated an in vivo 129/J ascites mouse teratoma into specific subpopuladons of cells by velocity sedimentation in shallow density gradients. The teratoma consistently separated into two major populations: “large” and “small” cells. Only the large cells displayed “malignant-like” surface characteristics in terms of their agglutinability with carbohydrate binding lectins. The teratoma cells were also synchronized in culture with thymidine plus colcemid. In these synchronized cultures, cellular adhesiveness and glutamine synthetase specific activity displayed oscillatory patterns with peaks of glutamine synthetase specific activity occurring just prior to peaks of adhesivenesss. Also, both glutamine synthetase specific activity and cellular adhesiveness were enhanced by two compounds: actinomycin D and hydrocortisone. Based upon previous work that implicates L-glutamine in intercellular adhesion, it is not unreasonable to speculate that glutamine synthetase specific activity and cellular adhesiveness may be causally related. The problem of altered tumor cell adhesiveness is important because it seems, in part, to be responsible for tumor spread. Finally, the sea urchin embryo system was utilized to identify specific cell surface carbohydrates that may be involved in intercellular adhesion. In 15 separate experiments with each sugar and with 15 different saccharides, D-galactose and N-acetyl-D-galactosamine were the best inhibitors of rotation-medicated reaggregation of 24-hr sea urchin embryo cells dissociated by removal of divalent cations. β-galactosidase also inhibited reaggregation of these cells. These results implicate galactopyranosyl-like residues in the adhesion of 24-hr sea urchin embryo cells with each other.
Infrared and Raman Spectra of a Sulfur-Resistant Methanation Catalyst

The infrared and Raman spectra of a sulfur-resistant NiO/Cr2O3/MgSiO3 methanation catalyst are presented and compared to the spectra of the catalyst after being reduced, sulfided, and tested for methanation activity. The molecular structure of the catalyst is shown to be represented by NiO and MgO dispersed in a quasi-tridimensional Cr-O-Si network. Reduction and sulfiding reorders this network and alters the SiOn coordination while reducing Cr6+ to Cr3+ or Cr2+. The data indicate that the SO4−2 which is present after sulfiding and methanation testing may have been formed during the methanation reaction.
Risk analysis: an interpretive feasibility tool in justifying information systems security

Risk analysis is the predominant technique used by information security professionals to establish the feasibility of information systems controls. Yet it fails an essential test of scientific method—it lacks statistical rigour and is subject to social misuse. Adoption of alternatives from other disciplines, however, proves even more implausible. Indeed, even improved rigour in risk analysis may limit its usefulness. Perhaps risk analysis is misconceived: its ostensible value as a predictive technique is less relevant than its value as an effective communications link between the security and management professionals who must make decisions concerning capital investments in information systems security.
PU.1 and Spi-B Are Required for Normal B Cell Receptor–Mediated Signal Transduction

PU.1 and Spi-B have previously been implicated in the regulation of genes encoding B cell receptor (BCR) signaling components. Spi-B-/- B lymphocytes respond poorly to BCR stimulation; PU.1-/- mice, however, lack B cells, precluding an analysis of BCR responses. We now show that PU.1+/- Spi-B-/- B cells exhibit more extensive defects than Spi-B-/- B cells, indicating that both PU.1 and Spi-B are required for normal BCR signaling. Strikingly, BCR cross-linking results in substantially reduced protein tyrosine phosphorylation in mutant B cells. Further analysis shows that Igalpha is phosphorylated and syk is recruited and becomes phosphorylated but that BLNK and PLCgamma phosphorylation are defective in mutant cells. Our data support the existence of a novel component coupling syk to downstream targets.
Modeling particle filtration in disordered 2-D domains: A comparison with cell models

In this work, Stokes equations are numerically solved in a series of 2-D geometries comprised of randomly distributed fibers, using the Fluent CFD code. Particle collection due to interception and Brownian diffusion has been incorporated in the CFD calculations by developing two C++ subroutines that run in the Fluent environment. We have also modified the Discrete Phase Model of the Fluent code to correctly predict the effect of Brownian motion on a particle trajectory, and to obtain nanoparticle collection efficiency of a filter medium via the Lagrangian method. Our simulations are aimed at studying aerosol filtration in disordered 2-D fibrous media, and their results are compared with the predictions of existing cell-model-type (ordered 2-D models) semi-analytical correlations, as well as our previous simulation data obtained from 3-D simulations. Our results revealed that disordered 2-D fiber arrangements can be utilized to predict the performance of fibrous filters with reasonable accuracy and CPU time. Collection efficiencies obtained from our 2-D models seem to be marginally lower than those of 3-D simulations, for nanoparticles, and slightly higher, for larger particles. Pressure drop predictions of disordered 2-D media are found to be lower than that of ordered 2-D models, but higher than that of 3-D fibrous models. The latter is found to be in very good agreement with experiment. We have also studied the impact of aerodynamic slip on the collection efficiency of our filter media, and concluded that aerodynamic slip improves the collection efficiency of a filter medium, especially for larger particles.
Efficiency of Lg propagation from SmS dynamic ray tracing in three-dimensionally varying crustal waveguides

The effects of variations in crustal and basin thicknesses on the efficiency of Lg propagation in Central Asia are investigated by comparing the predictions of ray theoretical modeling of Lg as multiple, critically reflected, SmS rays with observations at the KNET, CNET, and ILPA arrays. Ray modeling predicts that strong spatial gradients in crustal thickness within 10 to 50 km of either the source or receiver can affect Lg efficiency over paths exceeding 500 km. Variations in the efficiency of Lg propagation to KNET, including instances of strong variations across the aperture of the array, are consistent with predicted blockage of SmS by high slopes of Moho topography associated with the Hindu Kush and Pamir mountains. At CNET and ILPA the blocking effects of Moho slopes associated with the Caucausus and Zagros mountain belts and Black and Caspian Seas are accentuated by the effects of thick basins. Thick basins (greater than 2000 m) are found to have large effects on the efficiency of Lg propagation from shallow (1 km) crustal sources, blocking either a portion or all of the Lg phase along paths crossing these basins. The basin effects are strongly sensitive to source depth, nearly vanishing for sources 15 km and deeper.
Copper(I) as a phosphine abstractor from (η-C5H5)(CO)(PPh3)FeCOCH3

Abstract The CuI complex Cu(CH3CN)4+PF6− chemoselectively abstracts phosphine from Cp(CO)(PPh3FeCOCH3 and produces Cp(CO)2FeCH3 in good yield. No evidence for electrophilic CuI coordinating the acetyl ligand on Cp(CO)(L)FeCOCH3 (L = CO, PPh3), however, was obtained Reactions of CuI and Cp(CO)(PPh3)FeCH3, with and without the presence of CO, also were examined. With CO, this methyl complex first gives its acetyl derivative Cp(CO)(PPh3)FeCOCH3 (1 atm CO in CH2Cl2 solution, 5 min), and after excess CO is removed (it otherwise blocks further reaction), Cp(CO)2FeCH3 forms.
Effects of Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate and Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone on Frog Skin In Vitro

Effects of Cyclic Adenosine Monophosphate and Melanocyte-Stimulating Hormone on Frog Skin In Vitro
Recent developments in text summarization

With the explosion in the quantity of on-line text and multimedia information in recent years, demand for text summarization technology is growing. Increased pressure for technology advances is coming from users of the web, on-line information sources, and new mobile devices, as well as from the need for corporate knowledge management. Commercial companies are increasingly starting to offer text summarization capabilities, often bundled with information retrieval tools. In this paper, I will discuss the significance of some recent developments in summarization technology.
Coherent-potential approximation for the lattice vibrations of mixed diatomic systems

We generalize the coherent-potential approximation (CPA) for the lattice dynamics of mass-disordered systems to the case of mixed diatomic crystals. Specific results are obtained for a one-dimensional model. We prove that for mass defects on only one sublattice the CPA self-energy is nonzero only on that sublattice. We compare the configuration-averaged density of states calculated by the CPA with computer experiments on several mixed diatomic chains. We compare the CPA dielectric susceptibility for the one-dimensional model with the experimental optical properties of several interesting III-V, II-VI, and I-VII mixed crystals. With some qualifications we conclude that the CPA in one-dimension can explain the switching from one-mode- to two-mode-type behavior observed in some III-V mixed systems and unexplained by previous theories. Finally, we present a one-dimensional CPA phase diagram for the transition from one optic band to two optic bands in the density of states.
A novel approach for diabetes: recent evidence on endoluminal liners

SUMMARY The obesity–diabetes pandemic is a devastating contemporary public health issue that for decades has been steadily on the rise. As knowledge and experience have been progressively acquired, numerous strategies and techniques for its management have arisen. Currently, only surgical treatment offers significant and durable results in terms of weight loss, and remission or improvement of comorbidities. With the objective of offering less invasive alternatives, several endoscopic devices have been introduced. Only the endoscopic duodenal–jejunal liner effectively simulates the bypass component of certain bariatric procedures. Initially designed for weight loss, this endoluminal artifact later proved to also provide a powerful metabolic effect. Although it is still in an investigational phase, the device is a promising tool for the treatment of obesity.
Traumatic brain injury is not associated with coagulopathy out of proportion to injury in other body regions

Background Coagulopathy following trauma is associated with poor outcomes. Traumatic brain injury has been associated with coagulopathy out of proportion to other body regions. We hypothesized that injury severity and shock determine coagulopathy independent of body region injured. Methods We performed a prospective, multicenter observational study at three Level 1 trauma centers. Conventional coagulation tests (CCTs) and rapid thrombelastography (r-TEG) were used. Admission vital signs, base deficit (BD), CCTs, and r-TEG data were collected. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS) score and Injury Severity Score (ISS) were obtained. Severe injury was defined as AIS score greater than or equal to 3 for each body region. Patients were grouped according to their dominant AIS region of injury. Dominant region of injury was defined as the single region with the highest AIS score. Patients with two or more regions with the same greatest AIS score and patients without a region with an AIS score greater than or equal to 3 were excluded. Coagulation parameters were compared between the dominant AIS region. Significant hypoperfusion was defined as BD greater than or equal to 6. Results Of the 795 patients enrolled, 462 met criteria for grouping by dominant AIS region. Patients were predominantly white (59%), were male (75%), experienced blunt trauma (71%), and had a median ISS of 25 (interquartile range, 14-29). Patients with BD greater than or equal to 6 (n = 110) were hypocoagulable by CCT and r-TEG compared with patients with BD less than 6 (n = 223). Patients grouped by dominant AIS region showed no significant differences for any r-TEG or CCT parameter. Patients with BD greater than or equal to 6 demonstrated no difference in any r-TEG or CCT parameter between dominant AIS regions. Conclusion Coagulopathy results from a combination of tissue injury and shock independent of the dominant region of injury. With the use of AIS as a measure of injury severity, traumatic brain injury was not independently associated with more profound coagulopathy. Level of evidence Epidemiologic study, level III.
Working on the hot seat: Urban bus operators

City bus operators suffer elevated health risks and striking levels of absenteeism and medical disability that may be related to occupational stress. This article provides a critical overview of findings on urban bus drivers' health status, paying particular attention to aspects of the physical and psychosocial job environment that may cause ill health. Methodological shortcomings in the research are discussed and preliminary ideas for salutagenic interventions are proposed.
Electronic structure of grain boundaries in SrTiO3

Abstract The formation of Schottky potential barriers and their complex interplay with current transport across electrically active grain boundaries (GBs) give rise to many novel properties of electroceramics such as the varistor behavior. The origin of the GB electrical activity lies in the defect chemistry, and associated variations in geometry, chemistry and electronic structure at GBs. Motivated by the recent experimental results of dopant identification and spatially resolved quantification of GB charge and associated space-charge across GBs in SrTiO3, we have performed atomic-level electronic structure calculations on GBs in SrTiO3. The first-principles density-functional embedded-cluster Discrete-Variational (DV) method is used to determine charge densities and densities of states (DOS) for several idealized models of symmetrical tilt GBs in SrTiO3 which have been derived from a combination of atomistic latticestatic simulations and experimental electron microscopy analysis.
ARE COMPANIES READY FOR COUNTERTRADE

This paper presents the results of a study designed to gather empirical data about countertrade activity by US firms. The focus of the study was to determine the number of firms engaging in countertrade, their general characteristics, their motivations for countertrading, and their expected future level of involvement in countertrade.
Bayesian 2-Stage Space-Time Mixture Modeling With Spatial Misalignment of the Exposure in Small Area Health Data

We develop a new Bayesian two-stage space-time mixture model to investigate the effects of air pollution on asthma. The two-stage mixture model proposed allows for the identification of temporal latent structure as well as the estimation of the effects of covariates on health outcomes. In the paper, we also consider spatial misalignment of exposure and health data. A simulation study is conducted to assess the performance of the 2-stage mixture model. We apply our statistical framework to a county-level ambulatory care asthma data set in the US state of Georgia for the years 1999–2008.
Optically pumped laser emission in K2 involving rovibrational levels near the B 1Πu state dissociation limit

Abstract We report new Franck-Condon factors for the K2(B1Πu−X1Σg+) electronic state transition. The Cooley numerical integration method is used to generate rovibrational emergies and their associated wavefunctions. The calculated Franck-Condon factors are compared to experimental observations of pulsed optically pumped laser emission originating on rovibrational levels up to and near the dissociation limit of the K2(B1Πu) state. These emission typically occur only on the strongest or second strongest transitions originating on a specific rovibrational level of the K2(B1Πu) state.
The inhibition of β-D-glucosidase (Aspergillus niger) by a factor in commercial yeast extract

An inhibitor of β-D-glucosidase (E.C. 3.2.1.21) was found to be present in commercial yeast extract. The inhibitor was shown to be heat-labile, of low molecular weight, and unstable at acid pH. Inhibition was noncompetitive and apparently was not caused by proteinaceous material. Fractionation of the yeast extract was carried out on DEAE-Sepharose, to which the inhibitor did not bind.
Sarcoidosis Presenting as Acute Renal Failure During Pregnancy

SARCOIDOSIS is a multisystem disease of unknown etiology. In most patients, sarcoidosis is associated with little impairment of renal function, but granulomas within the kidney are a common postmortem finding. \.2 Clincally evident renal disease, when it does occur, is usually a consequence of hypercalcemia and hypercalciuria. Rarely, a glomerular involvement3.4 or granulomatous interstitial diseaseS'? is noted. We report a patient who presented during the second trimester of pregnancy with acute renal failure due to sarcoid granulomatous interstitial nephritis, without other systemic manifestations of sarcoidosis. Therapy with steroids resulted in restoration of renal function without apparent harm to the fetus.
The epidemiology and medical management of low back pain during ambulatory medical care visits in the United States

Low back pain (LBP) is a common symptom. Patient visits attributed to LBP in the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS) during 2003–2004 served as the basis for epidemiological analyses (n = 1539). The subset of patient visits in which LBP was the primary reason for seeking care (primary LBP patient visits) served as the basis for medical management analyses (n = 1042). National population estimates were derived using statistical weighting techniques. There were 61.7 million (SE, 4.0 million) LBP patient visits and 42.4 million (SE, 3.1 million) primary LBP patient visits. Only 55% of LBP patient visits were provided by primary care physicians. Age, geographic region, chronicity of symptoms, injury, type of physician provider, and physician specialty were associated with LBP patient visits. Age, injury, primary care physician status, type of physician provider, and shared physician care were associated with chronicity of LBP care. Osteopathic physicians were more likely than allopathic physicians to provide medical care during LBP patient visits (odds ratio [OR], 2.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.75–3.92) and chronic LBP patient visits (OR, 4.39; 95% CI, 2.47–7.80). Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and narcotic analgesics were ordered during 14.2 million (SE, 1.2 million) and 10.5 million (SE, 1.1 million) primary LBP patient visits, respectively. Drugs (OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.13–0.62) and, specifically, NSAIDs (OR, 0.40; 95% CI, 0.25–0.64) were ordered less often during chronic LBP patient visits compared with acute LBP patient visits. Overall, osteopathic physicians were less likely than allopathic physicians to order NSAIDs for LBP (OR, 0.43; 95% CI, 0.24–0.76). Almost two million surgical procedures were ordered, scheduled, or performed during primary LBP patient visits. The percentage of LBP visits provided by primary care physicians in the United States remains suboptimal. Medical management of LBP, particularly chronic LBP, appears to over-utilize surgery relative to more conservative measures such as patient counseling, non-narcotic analgesics, and other drug therapies. Osteopathic physicians are more likely to provide LBP care, and less likely to use NSAIDs during such visits, than their allopathic counterparts. In general, LBP medical management does not appear to be in accord with evidence-based guidelines.
A molecular variant of angiotensinogen is associated with idiopathic intrauterine growth restriction

Abstract Objective Intrauterine growth restriction has been associated with failed maternal physiologic changes such as abnormal spiral artery remodeling and reduced maternal blood volume. A polymorphism of angiotensinogen Thr235 has been considered a risk factor for preeclampsia. We genotyped maternal and fetal deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) for angiotensinogen Thr235 to estimate whether the polymorphism is also a risk factor for intrauterine growth restriction. Methods We examined maternal blood DNA in 174 patients with intrauterine growth restriction and 60 patients with both preeclampsia and intrauterine growth restriction. The control group comprised 400 consecutive cases of women with term pregnancies and infants with birth weight between the fifth and 95th percentiles. We also examined 162 DNA samples from fetal blood with intrauterine growth restriction for the Thr235 polymorphism, and 240 normal fetuses were used as the control group. The angiotensinogen genotype was determined using mutagenically separated polymerase chain reaction. The products were size fractionated on an agarose gel. Angiotensinogen genotypes were divided into three groups: MM (homozygous for angiotensinogen Met235 allele), TT (homozygous for angiotensinogen Thr235 allele), and MT (heterozygous). Results Maternal genotyping revealed a significantly higher Thr235 allele frequency in intrauterine growth restriction (.60) and preeclampsia/intrauterine growth restriction (.63) than in the control group (.36) ( P P Conclusion Maternal and fetal angiotensinogen Thr235 genotypes are associated with an increased risk of intrauterine growth restriction in our study population. The angiotensinogen Thr235 allele may predispose women to deliver growth-restricted fetuses.
Toward film-silicon solar cells on display glass

We describe recent progress in developing epitaxial film crystal silicon (c-Si) solar cells that can be grown at low temperature ( oc ∼ 570 mV, J sc ∼18 mA/cm−2) without rapid thermal anneal, defect passivation or light trapping. Unpassivated dislocations are strong recombination centers and limit effective minority carrier diffusion lengths to less than 15–20 µm (roughly half the distance between dislocations). We also report devices without light-trapping on layer-transfer Si seed layers bonded to display-glass; these seed layers template growth of high-quality HWCVD cSi. Our initial devices have V oc = 460 mV, J sc = 16.2 mA/cm2, Eff. = 4.8 %, but will benefit from post-growth anneals, hydrogenation and new surface treatments before epitaxy. We discuss junction transport physics in the devices and explore the role of post-growth H-passivation and rapid thermal annealing treatments on device performance.
Architectural Arrangement of the Small Nuclear RNA (snRNA)-activating Protein Complex 190 Subunit (SNAP190) on U1 snRNA Gene Promoter DNA

Myb repeats ∼52 amino acid residues in length were first characterized in the oncogenic Myb transcription factor, which contains three tandem Myb repeats in its DNA-binding domain. Proteins of this family normally contain either one, two, or three tandem Myb repeats that are involved in protein-DNA interactions. The small nuclear RNA (snRNA)-activating protein complex (SNAPc) is a heterotrimeric transcription factor that is required for expression of small nuclear RNA genes. This complex binds to an essential promoter element, the proximal sequence element, centered ∼50 base pairs upstream of the transcription start site of snRNA genes. SNAP190, the largest subunit of SNAPc, uncharacteristically contains 4.5 tandem Myb repeats. Little is known about the arrangement of the Myb repeats in the SNAPc-DNA complex, and it has not been clear whether all 4.5 Myb repeats contact the DNA. By using a site-specific protein-DNA photo-cross-linking assay, we have now mapped specific nucleotides where each of the Myb repeats of Drosophila melanogaster SNAP190 interacts with a U1 snRNA gene proximal sequence element. The results reveal the topological arrangement of the 4.5 SNAP190 Myb repeats relative to the DNA and to each other when SNAP190 is bound to a U1 promoter as a subunit of SNAPc.
THE EFFECTS OF POLYBROMINATED BIPHENYLS (PBS) ON THE HUMAN CYTOCHROME P-450 SYSTEM (P-450)

Humans have been exposed to many polyhalogenated biphenyls including PBB. The effects of PBB exposure on P-450 may be the most sensitive indicator of biologic effect and has never been studied in man. We examined the effects of PBB on P-450 as determined by the caffeine breath test (CBT) in healthy nonsmoking adults from rural Michigan with (+) and without (−) detectable PBB serum levels and prepubescent children with known perinatal exposure to PBB. The results were compared to the CBT results previously obtained from nonexposed urban adult non-smokers and age-matched children. The nonexp. and PBB exp. children had similar CBT data. The adult groups were not significantly different from each other except for the rural adults +PBB levels who had significantly higher CBT values than the nonexposed urban adults(P<.01). Future studies are needed to determine if there is a difference in P-450 function as determined by the CBT between the rural and urban adult populations who are nonexposed to PBB or exposed with non-detectable PBB serum levels, or exposed in the perinatal period.
Progesterone-regulated genes in the ovulation process: ADAMTS-1 and cathepsin L proteases

Ovulation is a precisely timed process by which a mature oocyte is released from an ovarian follicle. This process is initiated by the pituitary surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), is temporally associated with transcriptional regulation of numerous genes, and is presumed to involve the synthesis and/or activation of specific proteases that degrade the follicle wall. The progesterone receptor (PR), a nuclear receptor transcription factor, is induced in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles in response to the LH surge and has been shown to be essential for ovulation, because mice lacking PR fail to ovulate and are infertile. Using these mice as a model in which to elucidate PR-regulated genes in the ovulation process, we show that the matrix metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9 are not targets of PR during ovulation. In contrast, two other proteases, ADAMTS-1 (A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin-like motifs) and cathepsin L (a lysosomal cysteine protease), are transcriptional targets of PR action. ADAMTS-1 is induced after LH stimulation in granulosa cells of preovulatory follicles and depends on PR. Cathepsin L is induced in granulosa cells of growing follicles by follicle-stimulating hormone, but the highest levels of cathepsin L mRNA occur in preovulatory follicles in response to LH in a PR-dependent manner. The identification of two regulated proteases in the ovary, together with their abnormal expression in anovulatory PR knockout mice, suggests that each plays a critical role in follicular rupture and represents a major advance in our understanding of the proteolytic events that control ovulation.
Biosynthesis of monoterpenes: hydrolysis of bornyl pyrophosphate, an essential step in camphor biosynthesis, and hydrolysis of geranyl pyrophosphate, the acyclic precursor of camphor, by enzymes from sage (Salvia officinalis).

Abstract Soluble enzyme preparations from sage ( Salvia officinalis ) leaves catalyze the hydrolysis of (+)-bornyl pyrophosphate to (+)-borneol, which is an essential step in the biosynthesis of the cyclic monoterpene (+)-camphor [(1 R ,4 R )-bornan-2-one] in this tissue. Chromatography of the preparation on Sephadex G-150 allowed the separation of two regions of bornyl pyrophosphate hydrolase activity. One region was further separated into a pyrophosphate hydrolase and a monophosphate hydrolase by chromatography on hydroxylapatite, but the other contained pyrophosphate and monophosphate hydrolase activities which were inseparable by this or any other chromatographic technique tested. Each phosphatase and pyrophosphatase activity was characterized with respect to molecular weight, pH optimum, response to inhibitors, K m for bornyl phosphate or bornyl pyrophosphate, and substrate specificity, and each activity was distinctly different with regard to these properties. One pyrophosphatase activity was specific for pyrophosphate esters of sterically hindered monoterpenols such as bornyl pyrophosphate. The other preferred pyrophosphate esters of primary allylic alcohols such as geranyl pyrophosphate and neryl pyrophosphate, which are precursors of cyclic monoterpenes, and it hydrolyzed geranyl pyrophosphate at faster rates than neryl pyrophosphate. The monophosphate hydrolase activities were similar in substrate specificity, showing a preference for phosphate esters of primary allylic alcohols. The terpenyl pyrophosphate hydrolase exhibiting specificity for bornyl pyrophosphate may be involved in camphor biosynthesis in vivo , while the terpenyl pyrophosphate hydrolase more specific for geranyl pyrophosphate was shown to be a source of potential interference in studies on monoterpene cyclization processes.
Speech biometric mapping for key binding cryptosystem

We propose a new scheme to transform speech biometric measurements (feature vector) to a binary string which can be combined with a pseudo-random key for a cryptographic purpose. We utilize Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) in our scheme. The challenge of using DTW in a cryptosystem is that a template must be useful to create a warping function, while it must not be usable for an attacker to derive the cryptographic key. In this work, we propose a hardened template to address these problems. We evaluate our scheme with two speech datasets and compare with DTW, VQ, and GMM speaker verifications. The experimental results show that the performance of the proposed scheme outperforms VQ and GMM. It is slightly degraded when compared to the DTW speaker verification. The EERs against attackers utilizing the hardened template are 0% both datasets.
The Economic Impact of the Caribbean Basin Initiative: has it Delivered its Promise?

AbstractThe Caribbean Basin Initiative (CBI) is generally regarded as a system of trade preferences enacted through the Caribbean Economic Recovery Act in 1983 to allow duty-free imports into the U.S. from eligible countries in Central America and the Caribbean. The CBI was primarily intended to be a catalyst that would foster political and economic stability through U.S. direct foreign investment (DFI) in eligible countries. DFI, in turn, would generate economic growth and export diversification in targeted countries, particularly in non-traditional products. This article examines whether the CBI and related agreements have had the desired effects on economic growth, diversification of exports, import dependence, alleviation of debt, and direct foreign investment by analyzing those independent countries that remained designates of the plan since its inception—in total, 12 countries. Although economic results vary by country, generally the region has experienced increases in targeted exports and direct fo...
Research in clinical dentistry

Surveys and studies in clinical dentistry, substantiated by objective documentation, are reviewed. The author discusses, in particular, the dentist as diagnostician, the studies on patterns of growth, oral health in general, research in orthodontics, prosthodontics, restorative dentistry, and surgery.
Multi-criteria decision-making for optimization of product disassembly under multiple situations.

With growing interest in recovering materials and subassemblies within consumer products at the end of their useful life, there has been an increasing interest in developing decision-making methodologies that determine how to maximize the environmental benefits of end-of-life (EOL) processing while minimizing costs under variable EOL situations. This paper describes a methodology to analyze how product designs and situational variables impact the Pareto set of optimal EOL strategies with the greatest environmental benefit for a given economic cost or profit. Since the determination of this Pareto set via enumeration of all disassembly sequences and EOL fates is prohibitively time-consuming even for relatively simple products, multi-objective genetic algorithms (GA) are utilized to rapidly approximate the Pareto set of optimal EOL trade-offs between cost and environmentally conscious actions. Such rapid calculations of the Pareto set are critical to better understand the influence of situational variables on how disassembly and recycling decisions change under different EOL scenarios (e.g., undervariable regulatory, infrastructure, or market situations). To illustrate the methodology, a case study involving the EOL treatment of a coffee maker is described. Impacts of situational variables on trade-offs between recovered energy and cost in Aachen, Germany, and in Ann Arbor, MI, are elucidated, and a means of presenting the results in the form of a multi-situational EOL strategy graph is described. The impact of the European Union Directive regarding Waste Electric and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) on EOL trade-offs between energy recovery and cost was also considered for both locations.
LWIR thermal imaging through dust obscuration

The physical model for long wave infrared (LWIR) thermal imaging through a dust obscurant incorporates transmission loss as well as an additive path radiance term, both of which are dependent on an obscurant density along the imaging path. When the obscurant density varies in time and space, the desired signal is degraded by two anti-correlated atmospheric noise components-the transmission (multiplicative) and the path radiance (additive)-which are not accounted for by a single transmission parameter. This research introduces an approach to modeling the performance impact of dust obscurant variations. Effective noise terms are derived for obscurant variations detected by a sensor via a forward radiometric analysis of the imaging context. The noise parameters derived here provide a straightforward approach to predicting imager performance with existing NVESD models such as NVThermIP.
Synthesis and Dielectric Properties of Li1−x+yTa1−x−3yTix+4yO3M‐Phase Solid Solutions

The synthesis, structure, and dielectric properties of the so-called M-phase solid solutions in the Li2O–Ta2O5–TiO2 system were investigated. Although the range of stability of the tantalate phases is more limited compared with their niobate counterparts, they have identical structures based on intergrowths of LiTaO3-type blocks separated by corundum type layers. The dielectric constants of the tantalate M-phases range from 68 to 52 and they all exhibit a negative temperature coefficient of capacitance. The temperature coefficient of the resonant frequency measured in the microwave region can be tuned to zero, and the system shows quite good quality factors with the highest value reaching a Q×f= 10500 at 6.7 GHz.
Local vibrational modes of the water dimer - Comparison of theory and experiment

Abstract Local and normal vibrational modes of the water dimer are calculated at the CCSD(T)/CBS level of theory. The local H-bond stretching frequency is 528 cm−1 compared to a normal mode stretching frequency of just 143 cm−1. The adiabatic connection scheme between local and normal vibrational modes reveals that the lowering is due to mass coupling, a change in the anharmonicity, and coupling with the local HOH bending modes. The local mode stretching force constant is related to the strength of the H-bond whereas the normal mode stretching force constant and frequency lead to an erroneous underestimation of the H-bond strength.
Pulsed holmium:yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Ho:YAG) laser ablation of fibrocartilage and articular cartilage.

A new, near-infrared, pulsed holmium laser (wave length, 2.1 μm; pulse duration, 400 μs) was used to ablate bovine articular cartilage and meniscal fibrocar tilage. Microscopic examination revealed zones of ther mal damage extending 550 μm from ablation sites. Ablation rates were measured with a mass loss tech nique. Above threshold, mass removal rates were pro portional to laser radiant exposure. Threshold radiant exposure for ablation was 50 J/cm2 for articular carti lage and 11 J/cm2 for meniscal fibrocartilage. Because the holmium laser can precisely and rapidly resect cartilaginous tissues with only moderate necrosis, func tion in a saline environment in direct contact with tissue, and be transmitted through conventional optical fibers, it has the potential to become a useful tool for the precise arthroscopic removal of intraarticular tissue.
Incorporation of diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data into a simple mathematical model of tumor growth.

We build on previous work to show how serial diffusion-weighted MRI (DW-MRI) data can be used to estimate proliferation rates in a rat model of brain cancer. Thirteen rats were inoculated intracranially with 9L tumor cells; eight rats were treated with the chemotherapeutic drug 1,3-bis(2-chloroethyl)-1-nitrosourea and five rats were untreated controls. All animals underwent DW-MRI immediately before, one day and three days after treatment. Values of the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated from the DW-MRI data and then used to estimate the number of cells in each voxel and also for whole tumor regions of interest. The data from the first two imaging time points were then used to estimate the proliferation rate of each tumor. The proliferation rates were used to predict the number of tumor cells at day three, and this was correlated with the corresponding experimental data. The voxel-by-voxel analysis yielded Pearson's correlation coefficients ranging from −0.06 to 0.65, whereas the region of interest analysis provided Pearson's and concordance correlation coefficients of 0.88 and 0.80, respectively. Additionally, the ratio of positive to negative proliferation values was used to separate the treated and control animals (p <0.05) at an earlier point than the mean ADC values. These results further illustrate how quantitative measurements of tumor state obtained non-invasively by imaging can be incorporated into mathematical models that predict tumor growth.
RANKL Inhibition Improves Bone Properties in a Mouse Model of Osteogenesis Imperfecta

Recently, a new class of agents targeting the receptor activator of nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) pathway has been developed for the treatment of osteoporosis and other bone diseases. In the current study, inhibition of the RANKL pathway was evaluated to assess effects on “bone quality” and fracture incidence in an animal model of osteogenesis imperfect (OI), the oim/oim mouse. Juvenile oim/oim (∼6 weeks old) and wildtype (+/+) mice were treated with either a RANKL inhibitor (RANK-Fc) or saline. After treatment, bone density increased significantly in the femurs of both genotypes. Femoral length decreased with RANK-Fc in +/+ mice. Geometric measurements at mid-diaphysis in the oim/oim groups showed increases in the ML periosteal and endosteal diameters and AP cortical thickness in the treated groups. Within +/+ groups, ML cortical thickness and ML femoral periosteal diameter were significantly increased with RANK-Fc. Biomechanical testing revealed increased stiffness in oim/oim and +/+ mice. Total stra...
The Effects of Surface Modification on the Stress Corrosion Cracking Behavior of 316 Stainless Steel

Abstract With the goal of conserving critical metals, the effects of surface modifications on the stress-corrosion cracking resistance of stainless steel has been studied. The stress corrosion crac...
High-Throughput Identification of Chemical Inhibitors of E. coli Group 2 Capsule Biogenesis as Anti-Virulence Agents

Rising antibiotic resistance among Escherichia coli, the leading cause of urinary tract infections (UTIs), has placed a new focus on molecular pathogenesis studies, aiming to identify new therapeutic targets. Anti-virulence agents are attractive as chemotherapeutics to attenuate an organism during disease but not necessarily during benign commensalism, thus decreasing the stress on beneficial microbial communities and lessening the emergence of resistance. We and others have demonstrated that the K antigen capsule of E. coli is a preeminent virulence determinant during UTI and more invasive diseases. Components of assembly and export are highly conserved among the major K antigen capsular types associated with UTI-causing E. coli and are distinct from the capsule biogenesis machinery of many commensal E. coli, making these attractive therapeutic targets. We conducted a screen for anti-capsular small molecules and identified an agent designated “C7” that blocks the production of K1 and K5 capsules, unrelated polysaccharide types among the Group 2–3 capsules. Herein lies proof-of-concept that this screen may be implemented with larger chemical libraries to identify second-generation small-molecule inhibitors of capsule biogenesis. These inhibitors will lead to a better understanding of capsule biogenesis and may represent a new class of therapeutics.
Isotopic and spin selectivity of H 2 adsorbed in bundles of carbon nanotubes

Due to its large surface area and strongly attractive potential, a bundle of carbon nanotubes is an ideal substrate material for gas storage. In addition, adsorption in nanotubes can be exploited in order to separate the components of a mixture. In this paper, we investigate the preferential adsorption of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ versus ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ (isotope selectivity) and of ortho versus para (spin selectivity) molecules confined in the one-dimensional grooves and interstitial channels of carbon nanotube bundles. We perform selectivity calculations in the low coverage regime, neglecting interactions between adsorbate molecules. We find substantial spin selectivity for a range of temperatures up to 100 K, and even greater isotope selectivity for an extended range of temperatures, up to 300 K. This isotope selectivity is consistent with recent experimental data, which exhibit a large difference between the isosteric heats of ${\mathrm{D}}_{2}$ and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ adsorbed in these bundles.