cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Renormalization-group treatment of the dislocation loop model of the smectic- A —nematic transition

A dislocation model for the smectic-$A$---nematic transition is mapped onto a peculiar sort of anistropic superconductor, which is then studied using a momentum-shell renormalization group. The elastic constants behave according to the helium analog, while the specific heat displays an inverted $\ensuremath{\lambda}$ anomaly. The x-ray correlation-length exponents are ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\parallel}}^{x}\ensuremath{\simeq}\frac{4}{5}$ and ${\ensuremath{\nu}}_{\ensuremath{\perp}}^{x}\ensuremath{\simeq}\frac{8}{15}$, in fairly good agreement with experiment.
'I'll do what they did": social norm information and cancer treatment decisions.

Abstract Objective Using a cancer-treatment scenario, we tested whether descriptive norm information (e.g., the proportion of other people choosing a particular treatment) would influence people's hypothetical treatment choices. Methods Women from an Internet sample (Study 1 N = 2238; Study 2 N = 2154) were asked to imagine deciding whether to take adjuvant chemotherapy following breast cancer surgery. Across participants, we varied the stated proportion of women who chose chemotherapy. This descriptive norm information was presented numerically in Study 1 and non-numerically in Study 2. Results The descriptive norm information influenced women's decisions, with higher interest in chemotherapy when social norm information suggested that such chemotherapy was popular. Exact statistics about other people's decisions had a greater effect than when norms were described using less precise verbal terms (e.g., “most women”). Conclusion Providing patients with information about what other people have done can significantly influence treatment choices, but the power of such descriptive norms depends on their precision. Practice implications Communication of descriptive norms is only helpful if prevailing decisions in the population represent good clinical practice. Strategic presentation of such statistics, when available, may encourage patient outliers to modify their medical decisions in ways that result in improved outcomes.
Constructivist Epistemology and Second/Foreign Language Pedagogy

Although arguably implicit in many contemporary discussions about communicative language teaching, and often embodied in actual FL teaching practice, constructivist approaches to epistemology and learning theory have only recently, and relatively rarely, been explicitly examined in terms of their implications for 12 teaching and learning. This article provides an overview of the core assumptions and concepts of constructivism, and then discusses some of the ways in which constructivism can inform and promote effective pedagogical practice, as well as a better understanding of such practice, in the FL context.
A Scaffolding Framework to Support Learning of Emergent Phenomena Using Multi-Agent-Based Simulation Environments

Students from middle school to college have difficulties in interpreting and understanding complex systems such as ecological phenomena. Researchers have suggested that students experience difficulties in reconciling the relationships between individuals, populations, and species, as well as the interactions between organisms and their environment in the ecosystem. Multi-agent-based computational models (MABMs) can explicitly capture agents and their interactions by representing individual actors as computational objects with assigned rules. As a result, the collective aggregate-level behavior of the population dynamically emerges from simulations that generate the aggregation of these interactions. Past studies have used a variety of scaffolds to help students learn ecological phenomena. Yet, there is no theoretical framework that supports the systematic design of scaffolds to aid students’ learning in MABMs. Our paper addresses this issue by proposing a comprehensive framework for the design, analysis, and evaluation of scaffolding to support students’ learning of ecology in a MABM. We present a study in which middle school students used a MABM to investigate and learn about a desert ecosystem. We identify the different types of scaffolds needed to support inquiry learning activities in this simulation environment and use our theoretical framework to demonstrate the effectiveness of our scaffolds in helping students develop a deep understanding of the complex ecological behaviors represented in the simulation..
Reduced-latency LLR-based SC List Decoder for Polar Codes

Polar codes, as the new generation of channel codes, have potential applications in communication and storage systems. Successive-cancellation list (SCL) algorithm is the main decoding approach for improving the error-correcting performance of polar codes. Recently low-complexity SCL decoders in the log-likelihood-ratio (LLR) form were proposed to replace the original ones in the likelihood form. However, these LLR-based SCL decoders can only decode 1 bit in one cycle, which leads to very long latency. This paper, for the first time, presents a reduced-latency LLR-based SCL decoder. With the new decoding scheme that determines 2 bits simultaneously, the proposed (n, k) decoder reduces the entire decoding latency from 3n-2 to 3n-2 clock cycles with the same critical path delay as the prior LLR-based SCL decoders. As a result, the decoding throughput and hardware efficiency are increased by a factor of 1.5. In addition, compared to a prior reduced-latency non-LLR-based SCL decoder, the proposed work reduces the area by two times as well.
Effects of Geometric Constraint on Solidification Microstructural Development of Peritectic TiAl Alloys

Directional solidification of binary peritectic TiAl alloys through preforms with straight channels with spacing on the order of the dendritic tip radius were simulated using a modified solid-liquid interface tracking model. Interruption of the steady-state growth of the primary β-phase by constraint of solutal diffusion within very thin sections of ceramic preforms can lead to solidification conditions favorable for the nucleation and continued growth of the peritectic α-phase even after the growth front has exited the preform.
Some psychological aspects of pain

Abstract Allow me to remind you that this is still just an hypothesis. Much further investigation is needed, involving controlled experimentation. But it does appear to the author at the present time that emotional rejection of a situation alerts the whole organism on an emergency basis; makes possible the perception of otherwise unnoticed messages from the free nerve endings, with the result that the “pain” is more intense. The organism is thus thrown into greater effort to remove the source of the pain, or to remove itself from the situation. On the other hand, emotional acceptance either is effective in inhibiting the passage of any excitation from the free nerve endings to the pain center in the brain or, in some way, to perceive the excitation not as painful, but as satisfying and desirable.
Behavioral Analysis: Selecting Target Behaviors in the Interview.

This paper proposes a differentiation of controlling variables and behavior deficiencies into categories that can be matched with available intervention strategies. Five categories are suggested to...
Chemical Modifications of the Active Site of Streptomyces R61 dd‐Carboxypeptidase

The dd-carboxypeptidase of Streptomyces R61 is an exocellular enzyme related to the bacterial peptidoglycan cross-linking enzymes, and, like them, is inhibited by penicillin. The active-site reagents methanesulfonyl fluoride and diisopropylfluorophosphate inhibit catalytic activity and binding of penicillin G indicating the involvement of a serine residue in both processes. For methanesulfonyl fluoride the second-order rate constant (0.7 M−1 min−1) is comparable to that of classical serine proteases. For diisopropylfluorophosphate, which binds to the enzyme stoichiometrically, the second-order rate constant (1.5 M−1 min−1) is at least two orders of magnitude smaller. The arginine-specific reagents methylglyoxal, 2.3-butanedione and phenylglyoxal inactivate dd-carboxypeptidase in borate buffer with second-order rate constants of 70, 70 and 120 M−1 min−1, respectively. Inactivation correlates with stoichiometric binding to the enzyme. Peptidase and esterase activities are similarly, affected, suggesting that substrate binding in both cases requires an arginine-carboxyl group interaction. Penicillin binding is also inhibited, but the degree of inhibition depends on the α-dicarbonyl side chain. Binding of α-dicarbonyls to dd-carboxypeptidase facilitates subsequent binding of diisopropylfluorophosphate suggesting that interaction of these compounds with the active site might induce a conformational change on the enzyute making the serine residue more accessible to the modifying reagent.
Nocturnal bladder emptying for reversing urinary tract deterioration due to neurogenic bladder

Although daytime clean intermittent catheterization with urotropic medications is often sufficient therapy to relieve urinary retention and elevated intravesical pressures, neglecting the bladder affected by neuropathy or other significant pathologies during sleeping hours can lead to overdistension of the bladder and its deleterious consequences. The effect of this seemingly inconsequential clean intermittent catheterization interlude for some patients on an ideal daytime-only management protocol can lead to a syndrome of nighttime overdistension of the bladder, which can result in recurrent urinary tract infections, worsened incontinence, decreased bladder compliance and capacity, and progressive hydroureteronephrosis and renal insufficiency. Fortunately, nocturnal bladder emptying has emerged as a specific antidote for the syndrome of nighttime overdistension of the bladder, and because nocturnal bladder emptying can reverse or prevent bladder and upper tract deterioration, it is suggested that conventional therapies performed only during the daytime may have been inadequate for certain subgroups of patients who require a new therapeutic paradigm for their optimal management.
The Morphology and Distribution of Nerve Fibers and Endings Associated with the Mandibular Joint of the Mouse

SYNOPSIS IN INTERLINGUALE MORPHOLOGIA E DISTRIBUTION DE FIBRAS E TERMINOS NEURAL ASSOCIATE CON LE ARTICULATION MANDIBULAR DEL Mus.-Esseva studiate sectiones congelate e paraffinate ab pre- e postnatal specimens murin. Le portion dense del disco articular non contineva fibras o terminos neural. Le fibras neural esseva dispergite in tissus periarticular. Il pareva que certe fibras se terminava in tal tissus e que illos esseva sin terminos neural. Nulle encapsulate o specialisate organos terminal o receptores esseva notate. Le possibilitate que libere terminos neural es subserviente con respecto a modalitates sensori altere que le dolor esseva prendite in consideration.
The age discrimination in employment act: A review of court decisions

Over 600 federal court cases filed between 1970 and 1986 were reviewed in an attempt to discover the major themes and issues. Over all personnel decisions the employer was consistently favored (65%). Performance evidence was central to all cases reviewed. Subjective appraisals were often presented by management and were not considered suspect by the courts. Evidence of management's concern over the age of the workforce (e.g., economic costs and stereotypic beliefs) was also probative. Statistical evidence was presented in a majority of cases. However, inaccurate data and inappropriate comparisons negated its value. Most cases involved a termination or reduction in workforce decision (54%), but the most controversial area involved BFOQ's. A three-part sequential inquiry was proposed that would attempt to clear up these issues. Recent legal refinements may ease the plaintiff's burden in establishing a prima facie case of discrimination. Current techniques from the fields of industrial gerontology and industrial psychology may help clarify inconsistencies in court decisions.
Structure and mechanisms of schooling intadpoles of the clawed frog, Xenopus laevis

Abstract The geometric structure and sensory bases of social aggregates in larvae of the clawed frog, Xenopus laevis, were studied using photographic data interpreted with the aid of a computerized image analyser. The system records positional data from photographs and uses this information to assess: (1) extent of parallel orientation between tadpoles that are nearest neighbours, (ii) distance over which significant parallel orientation is maintained (interactive distance), and (iii) extent of clumping or evenness of individuals. o (1) Under all density, size, and illumination conditions, tadpoles show a highly significant tendency to line up parallel (0° between neighbours) and, to a lesser extent, antiparallel (180° between neigh-bours) to their nearest neighbour. (2) Tadpoles in the light show a much greater tendency to orient parallel to nearest neighbours than in the dark. (3) The tendency to orient parallel to nearest neighbours increases slightly with increasing tadpole size and density. (4) In the light, tadpoles have an interactive distance of approximately two body lengths; in the dark, only approximately one body length. (5) Interactive distance shows a slight increase with decreasing tadpole density. (6) Interactive distance is proportional to tadpole size. (7) Spacing between tadpoles is random, but there is a weak tendency toward increased evenness with increasing tadpole size and density; tadpoles in the light position themselves more evenly than in the dark. We propose that Xenopus tadpoles use both visual and lateral line input to school. Lateral line input is presumably necessary for maintaining some degree of parallel orientation in the dark and is augmented by visual information in the light.
The influence of impurities in the original materials on the properties of refractories made of zirconia

The effects of admixtures of the oxides of iron, aluminum, titanium, silicon and phosphorus on sintering, strength factors, thermal shock resistance, deformation under load, linear expansion and microstructure of articles made from zirconia stabilized with calcium oxide, were studied.
The photocatalytic oxidation of low concentration MTBE on titanium dioxide from groundwater in a falling film reactor

This study is focused on three main objectives: (1) to determine the feasibility of using a falling-film slurry photocatalytic reactor for the degradation of methyl tertiary-butyl ether (MTBE) in water, (2) to assess the feasibility of MTBE photo-oxidation on TiO2 at low initial MTBE concentrations (< 1 mg/L), and (3) to compare the effectiveness of MTBE photo-oxidation on TiO2 in synthetically-contaminated water, and in actual MTBE-contaminated groundwater samples. The MTBE degradation rates observed in a laminar falling film photocatalytic reactor for synthetic samples, with concentrations ranging from 50 μg/L to 1 mg/L, were high, achieving nearly complete (99+%) degradation of 1 mg/L MTBE and its by products in less than 120 minutes. The calculated single-pass conversions were as high as 60%, corresponding to residence times of approximately 5 seconds in the falling film reactor. The observed degradation products of MTBE oxidation were predominantly tert-butyl alcohol (TBA) and tertbutyl formate (TBF). However, tests conducted using groundwater samples showed significantly reduced photoactivity of TiO2 towards the degradation of MTBE. Aromatic species and dissolved metal and chloride ions present in the field samples compete with MTBE and molecular oxygen on the TiO2 surface, and hence delay and retard MTBE degradation.
Stress among black women in a South African township: The protective role of religion

Communities that have been exposed to high levels of stress and where religiosity is salient are ideal contexts in which to examine the role of religion in stress processes. The present study examines the protective function of religiosity among Black women in a South African township. The women ( N = 172) were interviewed about sources of stress, religiosity, depressive symptomatology, and physical health problems. The results revealed that engagement in formal religion buffered the aggregate effects of multiple stressors (cumulative stress), as well as the effects of work stress and experiencing racism on physical health. Prayer also buffered the effects of work stress on physical health and reduced the deleterious effects of work stress and experiencing racism on depressive symptomatology. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A positive-feedback-based bistable ‘memory module’ that governs a cell fate decision

The maturation of Xenopus oocytes can be thought of as a process of cell fate induction, with the immature oocyte representing the default fate and the mature oocyte representing the induced fate1,2. Crucial mediators of Xenopus oocyte maturation, including the p42 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and the cell-division cycle protein kinase Cdc2, are known to be organized into positive feedback loops3. In principle, such positive feedback loops could produce an actively maintained ‘memory’ of a transient inductive stimulus and could explain the irreversibility of maturation3,4,5,6. Here we show that the p42 MAPK and Cdc2 system normally generates an irreversible biochemical response from a transient stimulus, but the response becomes transient when positive feedback is blocked. Our results explain how a group of intrinsically reversible signal transducers can generate an irreversible response at a systems level, and show how a cell fate can be maintained by a self-sustaining pattern of protein kinase activation.
Recessed elliptical-centric view-ordering for contrast-enhanced 3D MR angiography of the carotid arteries.

Fast arterial-venous transit in the carotid arteries requires accurate, reliable timing of the acquisition to the bolus transit to maximize arterial signal and minimize venous artifacts. The rising edge of the bolus is not utilized in conventional elliptical-centric view-ordering because the critical k-space center must be acquired with full arterial enhancement. In this study, a recessed elliptical-centric view-ordering scheme is introduced in which the k-space center is acquired a few seconds following scan initiation. The recessed view-ordering is shown to be more robust to timing errors than the conventional scheme in a study of 37 patients.
Smallpox vaccination: a national survey of emergency health care providers.

UNLABELLED Concerns about bioterrorism have prompted a national voluntary smallpox (SP) vaccination program in the United States. Although emergency health care providers are among the first targeted for vaccination, little is known about how these providers view the risks and benefits of SP vaccination. OBJECTIVES To assess the willingness of emergency health care personnel to receive pre-event SP vaccination prior to the start of the national program. METHODS The authors conducted a national cross-sectional, anonymous survey of 1,701 emergency physicians, nurses, and mid-level practitioners working full time in 13 adult and pediatric academic emergency departments in large U.S. cities in November and December 2002. The main outcome measure was willingness to be vaccinated against SP. Secondary outcomes included the prevalence of self-reported contraindications, and reasons for and against vaccination. RESULTS 732 emergency health care providers returned questionnaires (response rate 43%). Overall, 73% (95% CI = 66% to 80%) were willing to receive pre-event SP vaccination. 18% (95% CI = 14% to 23%) reported contraindications to vaccination, and 50% (95% CI = 39% to 61%) of these providers were willing to receive pre-event SP vaccination. Self-protection (72%) was the most common reason cited for desiring vaccination against SP; concern about vaccine-related adverse events (54%) was the most common reason cited for not wanting immunization. CONCLUSIONS Most emergency health care providers express a willingness to receive pre-event SP immunization; self-protection is a principal motivating reason. A subset of health care providers, however, may place themselves at increased risk by desiring vaccination despite contraindications.
The ionization of atomic oxygen by electron impact

Single and double ionization of atomic oxygen by electron impact has been studied experimentally. The energy dependence of the specific ionization cross sections sigma(O+) and sigma(O2+) has been measured in the energy range 40-300 eV using a high-density atomic oxygen source not contaminated by metastable O(D-1) or O(S-1) atoms. The ratios of the measured cross sections to absolute values are given in a table.
The effect of anticipated transportation improvement on residential land values

This paper is an empirical study of residential land values in the vicinity of the new elevated transit line that runs the 11 miles from downtown Chicago to Midway Airport. The results show that in 1990 an increase of 17% in residential land values within one-half mile of the station sites can be attributed to improved access provided by the transit line. Alternatively, the increase was 1.9% (or $126.75 per lot) per mile of distance to downtown Chicago for those sites within one-half mile of the stations. The line opened on 31 October 1993, so the land market had begun to adjust well before the transit facilities were available for use.
caCORRECT2: Improving the accuracy and reliability of microarray data in the presence of artifacts

Background In previous work, we reported the development of caCORRECT, a novel microarray quality control system built to identify and correct spatial artifacts commonly found on Affymetrix arrays. We have made recent improvements to caCORRECT, including the development of a model-based data-replacement strategy and integration with typical microarray workflows via caCORRECT's web portal and caBIG grid services. In this report, we demonstrate that caCORRECT improves the reproducibility and reliability of experimental results across several common Affymetrix microarray platforms. caCORRECT represents an advance over state-of-art quality control methods such as Harshlighting, and acts to improve gene expression calculation techniques such as PLIER, RMA and MAS5.0, because it incorporates spatial information into outlier detection as well as outlier information into probe normalization. The ability of caCORRECT to recover accurate gene expressions from low quality probe intensity data is assessed using a combination of real and synthetic artifacts with PCR follow-up confirmation and the affycomp spike in data. The caCORRECT tool can be accessed at the website: http://cacorrect.bme.gatech.edu.
Interaction of a Monoclonal IgE-Specific Antibody with Cell-Surface IgE−FcεRI: Characterization of Equilibrium Binding and Secretory Response†

Aggregation of FcepsilonRI, the high-affinity cell-surface receptor for IgE antibody, is required for degranulation of basophils and mast cells, but not all receptor aggregates elicit this cellular response. The stereochemical constraints on clusters of FcepsilonRI that are able to signal cellular responses, such as degranulation, have yet to be fully defined. To improve our understanding of the properties of FcepsilonRI aggregates that influence receptor signaling, we have studied the interaction of 23G3, a rat IgG(1)(kappa) IgE-specific monoclonal antibody, with IgE-FcepsilonRI complexes on rat mucosal-type mast cells (RBL-2H3 line). We find that 23G3 is a potent secretagogue. This property and the structural features of 23G3 (two symmetrically arrayed IgE-specific binding sites) make 23G3 a potentially valuable reagent for investigating the relationship between FcepsilonRI clustering and FcepsilonRI-mediated signaling events. To develop a mathematical model of 23G3-induced aggregation of FcepsilonRI, we used fluorimetry and flow cytometry to quantitatively monitor equilibrium binding of FITC-labeled 23G3 intact Ab and its Fab' fragment to cell-surface IgE. The results indicate that IgE bound to FcepsilonRI expresses two epitopes for 23G3 binding; that 23G3 binds IgE resident on the cell surface with negative cooperativity; and that 23G3 appears to induce mostly but not exclusively noncyclic dimeric aggregates of FcepsilonRI. There is no simple relationship between receptor aggregation at equilibrium and the degranulation response. Further studies are needed to establish how 23G3-induced aggregation of IgE-FcepsilonRI correlates with cellular responses.
Fecal corticosteroids in agouti and non-agouti deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)

Total and per gram fecal corticosteroid concentrations were determined for agouti and non-agouti deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus gracilis) over 24 h under normal caging conditions and after exposure to the stress of novel caging. Per gram corticosteroid concentrations, fecal output, and 24-h corticosteroid production were greater in stressed compared with unstressed deer mice of both color morphs, whereas stressed agoutis had a greater increase in per gram corticosteroid concentrations when compared with non-agoutis. However, due to increased fecal output, stressed non-agouti deer mice had greater 24-h corticosteroid production. Thus, agouti and non-agouti deer mice differ in their hormonal reaction to stress. This is the first demonstration of corticosteroid differences associated with the agouti locus.
Phase Structures and Self-assembled Helical Suprastructures via Hydrogen Bonding in a Series of Achiral 4-Biphenyl Carboxylic Acid Compounds

A series of achiral 4-biphenyl carboxylic acid compounds (BPCA-Cn-PmOH) connected with alkoxyl chains having various carbon numbers (n = 6−10) and terminated by phenyl groups with meta-positioned hydroxyl groups was synthesized. Different phase structures including nematic, smectic A (SmA), smectic C (SmC), and highly ordered smectic liquid-crystalline phases along with crystalline phases were identified based on wide-angle X-ray diffraction and electron diffraction experiments. It was found via infrared spectroscopy that the hydrogen (H)-bonds were formed between the carboxylic acids to construct head-to-head dimers as the building blocks for these ordered structural formations. H-bonds formed via the meta-positioned hydroxyl groups also played an important role in forming ordered layers in these structures. The morphology of this series of BPCA-Cn-PmOH as observed under polarized light microscopy showed an oily streak (cylinder) texture with Myelin-figure in the SmA phase. When temperature cools to ente...
Current advances and remaining challenges in human transplant immunology.

A variety of solid organs, tissues and cell types are currently used for human transplantation and are the therapy of choice in an increasing number of clinical situations. Transplants are being pe...
Townsendia gypsophila (Compositae: Astereae): a new species from northern New Mexico

Townsendia gypsophila, a new species from Sandoval Co., New Mexico, is described and illustrated. It is a narrowly distributed obligate gypsophile closely related toT. fendleri andT. incana. It overlaps the ranges of the two taxa at the edge of their distributional limits in New Mexico.
A web services framework for distributed model management

Distributed model management aims to support the wide-spread sharing and usage of decision support models. Web services is a promising technology for supporting distributed model management activities such as model creation and delivery, model composition, model execution and model maintenance to fulfill dynamic decision-support and problem solving requests. We propose a web services based framework for model management (called MM-WS) to support various activities of the model management life cycle. The framework is based on the recently proposed Integrated Service Planning and Execution (ISP & E) approach for web services integration. We discuss encoding of domain knowledge (as individual models) and utilize the MM-WS framework to interleave synthesis of composite models with their execution. A prototypical implementation with an example is used to illustrate the utility of the framework to enable distributed model management and knowledge integration. Benefits and issues of using the framework to support model-based decision-making in organizational contexts are outlined.
Ion-Beam-Assisted Deposition of Mo Thin Films for TES Applications

Molybdenum/nonsuperconducting metal bilayers form the basis for many high-performance superconducting transition-edge sensors. The low-stress high-density molybdenum films required for this application are usually produced with sputter deposition or evaporation onto a heated substrate to keep the surface mobility of adatoms sufficiently high. However, reproducible and uniform superconducting transition temperatures are difficult to achieve via either technique. As an alternative, we are exploring the use of low-energy (50-150 eV) Ar ion assisted e-beam evaporation to provide an energy/momentum input that can be tuned to optimize film quality. We present measurements of stress, resistivity, and transition temperature of thin (40-100 nm) Mo films deposited over a range of conditions.
Intermediate filaments on the move

In most vertebrate cells, intermediate filaments (IF) form a continuous structural network extending from the nuclear surface to the cell periphery. Their unique viscoelastic properties render them more resistant than either microtubules or microfilaments to deformation and other external physical
Effects of continuous lumbar intrathecal infusion of leptin in rats on weight regulation.

Intracranial leptin alters food consumption and body weight. To systematically characterize the effects of extended continuous spinal intrathecal delivery on such regulation, female rats received continuous lumbar spinal infusion (14 days) through catheters connected to osmotic minipumps of a vehicle or one of several doses of recombinant murine leptin (0.03-10 microg/day). The following observations were made. (1) Leptin resulted in a dose-dependent suppression in body weight and food consumption at doses above 0.3 microg/day. (2) Food consumption was initially reduced. Weight fell for 7 days and then plateaued at a level proportional to dose. (3) The ratio of food consumed to body weight was constant for control animals across the study. Leptin-infused rats slowed the initial fall in weight by increasing food consumption, such that the food to body weight ratio returned to that of control values. Rats were thus regulating food consumption to sustain body weight as defined by leptin dose. (4) On day 14, cisternal cerebrospinal fluid was obtained and leptin measured. Concentrations covaried in a log linear fashion with infusion dose. Body weight and food consumption covaried similarly with cisternal leptin concentrations across dose groups. Our data suggest that steady state infusions of leptin induce a degree of appetite suppression that leads to a steady state level of body weight loss and not simply to a simple block of consumatory behavior. The unexpected potency of the observed effects of intrathecal leptin relative to doses that are required after i.c.v. delivery suggests that at least a portion of the effects of intrathecal leptin may reflect a medullary action. The observed correlation of cisternal leptin levels with the behavioral effects is also consistent with a reliable distribution of the infused leptin to target supraspinal sites.
Angiophagy: Clearing or Clogging Microvessels?

The body clears small clots from blood vessels through a process called angiophagy, opening up new approaches to combat cerebral and cardiac microvascular occlusive diseases (Grutzendler et al., this issue).
Laboratory and field comparison of three methods for monitoring sulfur dioxide in air.

The purpose of this test was to establish the relative response of Du Pont Pro-Tek® C-20 SO2 air monitoring badges with NIOSH Physical and Chemical Analytical Methods (P&CAM S308 and 160) in field tests at a steel mill blast furnace area during normal slag release operations. No significant difference was found at the 95% confidence level between the badges and P&CAM S308. The correlation coefficient between the badges and P&CAM S308 was 0.996. The NIOSH P&CAM 160 gave considerably lower results in the field. Exposures ranged from 6.3 to 35.4 ppm airborne sulfur dioxide. Analysis of field-exposed badges stored for five days at room temperature showed no loss of absorbed SO2 when compared with badges analyzed immediately. Prior to field testing, badges and impingers were validated in the laboratory using certified gas cylinders containing SO2 in air over the anticipated exposure range. Both impinger methods, when validated in the laboratory, met NIOSH accuracy requirements for a sampling and analytical method.
Rectal cancer in pregnancy: a new management based on blended anesthesia and monitoring of fetal well being

Colorectal carcinoma presenting during pregnancy is an extremely rare condition associated with a poor prognosis. In this report we studied a patient referred to our hospital at 26 weeks of gestation with the diagnosis of rectal adenocarcinoma. Tumor resection with a colostomy was planned in the attempt to preserve pregnancy until fetal viability could be reached. Blended anesthesia (general and epidural) was chosen to avoid surgical and anesthesiological risks; in fact this technique allows either an optimal block of neurohormonal response or a good control of surgical stress to be obtained. In order to monitor fetal well being during surgery, Doppler evaluations of fetal heart rate and umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms were performed. The patient was dismissed in good health and then rehospitalized at 32 weeks of gestation in order to perform an elective cesarean section. In conclusion we suggest that, with the choice of a good anesthesiological technique and monitoring of fetal well being, surgical treatment in case of rectal cancer could be performed without affecting the course of pregnancy.
Water Deficit Effects on Raffinose Family Oligosaccharide Metabolism in Coleus

Variegated coleus (Coleus blumei Benth.) plants were exposed to a restricted water supply for 21 d. The relative water content in leaf tissues was reduced from 80% (control) to 60% (drought-stressed). Under drought conditions, the stomatal conductance and leaf photosynthetic rate were reduced. In green leaf tissues, drought stress also greatly decreased the diurnal light-period levels of the raffinose family oligosaccharides (RFOs) stachyose and raffinose, as well as those of other non-structural carbohydrates (galactinol, sucrose, hexoses, and starch). However, drought had little effect on soluble carbohydrate content of white, non-photosynthetic leaf tissues. In green tissues, galactinol synthase activity was depressed by drought stress. An accumulation of O-methyl-inositol was also observed, which is consistent with the induction of myoinositol-6-O-methyltransferase activity seen in the stressed green tissues. In source tissues, RFO metabolism is apparently reduced by drought stress through a combined effect of decreased photosynthesis and reduced galactinol synthase activity. Moreover, a further reduction in RFO biosynthesis may have been due to a switch in carbon partitioning to O-methyl-inositol biosynthesis, creating competition for myoinositol, a metabolite shared by both biochemical pathways.
Promoting Quality of Life for Clients Diagnosed with Dementia

Much of the nursing research related to clients diagnosed with dementia has focused on management of disruptive behaviors, safety, and basic sustenance with little attention to the higher level developmental needs of love, belonging, self-esteem, self-actualization, and aesthetics. As nurses seek to understand the links between cognitive, functional, and developmental decline and focus interventions on meeting the higher level needs of their clients, they can provide more comprehensive care and promote quality of life for clients diagnosed with dementia.
Physiological Characterization of Pseudomonas aeruginosa during Exotoxin A Synthesis: Glutamate, Iron Limitation, and Aconitase Activity

Glutamate enhances the yield of exotoxin A (ETA), which is induced by iron limitation, from Pseudomonas aeruginosa. We tested the possibility that glutamate affects growth during iron restriction. We confirmed that iron limitation caused early entry into stationary phase but had no effect on the exponential growth rate. We showed that glutamate, as well as citrate and isocitrate, partially overcame this growth limitation. Glutamate had no effect on toxA (ETA-encoding) transcription, which implies that glutamate primarily increases the number of toxin-producing cells. In contrast, citrate and isocitrate diminished toxA transcription. Since glutamate, citrate, and isocitrate stimulated growth, we suspected a block in the citric acid cycle. Iron limitation reduced the activity of the iron-containing aconitase 12-fold but had no effect on isocitrate dehydrogenase activity, which was assayed as a control. There is a reciprocal relationship between aconitase activity and ETA synthesis, and this correlation does not appear to be coincidental because aconitase-specific effectors affect ETA synthesis. We tested whether a metabolic block is sufficient to induce ETA synthesis, but an aconitase-specific inhibitor diminished ETA production, which argues against this possibility. Finally, we present preliminary evidence that iron limitation may reversibly and posttranslationally inactivate aconitase in vivo. In summary, the environmental factors that stimulate ETA synthesis are related: glutamate bypasses an iron limitation-dependent metabolic block that causes entry into stationary phase. We speculate that one or more of the aconitases in P. aeruginosa may contribute to the control of virulence factor synthesis.
Polarography of gibberellic acid

The polarographic characteristics of several gibberellins have been determined and a method for determining gibberellic acid in the presence of gibberellenic acid proposed. Gibberellic acid was found to possess a characteristic prewave in addition to a larger proton reduction wave shown by all gibberellins. This prewave may be measured with an accuracy to ± 2 per cent within definite concentration limits. Average recoveries of gibberellic acid from a typical formulation measured by the method was 97 per cent. The main reduction wave was shown to be that of carboxyl proton but the prewave reduction mechanism is not yet clear.
Comparison of effects of lidocaine hydrochloride, buffered lidocaine, diphenhydramine, and normal saline after intradermal injection.

Abstract Study Objective: To evaluate pain and the spread of analgesia when local anesthetics are given as an intradermal injection into the dorsal aspect of the hand. Design: Randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. Setting: University medical center. Patients: 40 consenting adult volunteers. Interventions: Volunteers were randomly assigned to receive a 0.25-mL injection of either lidocaine hydrochloride (1%), buffered lidocaine, diphenhydramine (1%), or placebo (0.9% sodium chloride solution) into the dorsal aspect of both hands. Measurements: The volunteers used a visual analog scale to compare the pain of needle insertion and solution injection. Then at 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, and 30 minutes after intradermal injection, the extent of the analgesic area was marked on a strip of tape placed horizontally across the hand. Then at 32 minutes after intradermal injection, the extent of the analgesic area was marked on a strip of tape placed vertically across the hand. The volunteers were called each day and asked the duration of their numbness or hyperesthesia until their hands were no longer numb or sore. Main Results : Buffered lidocaine during intradermal infiltration was found to be significantly ( p p p p p p Conclusion: There is a reduction of infiltration pain using buffered lidocaine as opposed to lidocaine and diphenhydramine. Although lidocaine injection resulted in a slightly faster spread of analgesic diameter, buffered lidocaine was equivalent to lidocaine from minute 2 until minute 30. Therefore, to obtain optimal anesthetic conditions, we recommend that buffered lidocaine be given 2 minutes before performing catheterization, whereas diphenhydramine should be given 5 minutes before catheterization, but only when buffered lidocaine cannot be used.
Ruling out (160, 54, 18) difference sets in some nonabelian groups

We prove the following theorems. Theorem A. Let G be a group of order 160 satisfying one of the following conditions. (1) G has an image isomorphic to D20 × Z2(for example, if G ≃ D20 × K). (2) G has a normal 5-Sylow subgroup and an elementary abelian 2-Sylow subgroup. (3) G has an abelian image of exponent 2, 4, 5, or 10 and order greater than 20. Then G cannot contain a (160, 54, 18) difference set. Theorem B. Suppose G is a nonabelian group with 2-Sylow subgroup S and 5-Sylow subgroup T and contains a (160, 54, 18) difference set. Then we have one of three possibilities. (1) T is normal, |ϕ(S)| = 8, and one of the following is true: (a) G = S × T and S is nonabelian; (b) G has a D10image; or (c) G has a Frobenius image of order 20. (2) G has a Frobenius image of order 80. (3) G is of index 6 in A Γ L(1, 16). To prove the first case of Theorem A, we find the possible distribution of a putative difference set with the stipulated parameters among the cosets of a normal subgroup using irreducible representations of the quotient; we show that no such distribution is possible. The other two cases are due to others. In the second (due to Pott) irreducible representations of the elementary abelian quotient of order 32 give a contradiction. In the third (due to an anonymous referee), the contradiction derives from a theorem of Lander together with Dillon's “dihedral trick.” Theorem B summarizes the open nonabelian cases based on this work. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Combin Designs 8: 221–231, 2000
Chaining for flexible and high-performance key-value systems

Distributed key-value (KV) systems are a critical part of the infrastructure at many large sites such as Amazon, Facebook, Google, and Twitter. The first research question this dissertation addresses is: How should we design a cluster-based key-value store that is fault tolerant, achieves high performance and availability, and offers strong data consistency? We present a new replication protocol, Ouroboros, which extends chain-based replication to allow fast, non-blocking node additions to any part of the replica chain, and guarantees provably strong data consistency. We use Ouroboros to implement a distributed key-value system, FAWN-KV, designed with the goal of supporting the three key properties of fault tolerance, high performance, and generality. We present a formal proof of correctness of Ouroboros, and evaluate FAWN-KV on clusters with Flash storage. FAWN-KV is, still, only a specific KV solution that offers strong data consistency and is optimized for clusters that have storage devices with slow random writes. The current diversity in hardware and application requirements have resulted in a plethora of KV systems today, with no one system meeting the needs of all applications. The second, and final, research question this dissertation addresses is therefore: Is it possible for a KV architecture to be easily configured to support many points along the KV system design continuum? We present a generalization of chain-based replication, Ouroboros+, which extends Ouroboros to effectively support a wide range of application requirements by (a) selecting from different update protocols between replicas, and, (b) selecting a query node in a replica chain. We describe Flex-KV which uses Ouroboros+ with different datastores that expose a common storage interface to form heterogeneous replica chains. Flex-KV can support DRAM, Flash, and disk-based storage; can act as an unreliable cache or a durable store; and can offer strong or weak data consistency. The value of such a system goes beyond ease-of-use: We enable new choices for system designs that offer some applications a better balance of performance and cost than was previously available.
Lower energy cost of skeletal muscle contractions in older humans

Recent studies suggest that the cost of muscle contraction may be reduced in old age, which could be an important mediator of age-related differences in muscle fatigue under some circumstances. We ...
A 250 GHz photonic band gap gyrotron traveling wave amplifier

A 250 GHz gyrotron traveling wave tube (gyro-TWT) for nanosecond pulse amplification with 1 kW peak power and gain exceeding 50 dB has been designed and is under construction. The amplifier uses a novel photonic band gap (PBG) interaction circuit that confines a TE03-like mode while providing lower-order mode suppression. Cold test results for the transmission line, input coupler, PBG waveguide and mode converter are presented. A triode electron gun designed for this amplifier has been constructed. Ongoing experimental installation and cold test results for the photonic structure will be discussed.
Synthesis and characterization of single-crystalline nanowires of bismuth doped with manganese

We report the first synthesis of nanowires of bismuth doped with manganese prepared via an homogeneous non-aqueous solution reaction. By studying intermediates at different temperatures during the nanowire growth process, the evolution of the crystallization of metallic products and the mechanism of nanowire formation are investigated. In this work, a combination of TEM (transmission electron microscopy), XRD (X-ray powder diffractometry), ICP (inductively-coupled plasma spectrometer) and SQUID (superconducting quantum interference device) magnetometry were employed to characterize the morphology, structure, composition and magnetic properties of the products.
Ontogeny and insulin regulation of fetal ovine white adipose tissue leptin expression.

Leptin, an adipocyte-derived factor, has multiple biological roles including mitogenesis. We investigated the effect of normal development, acute and chronic hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, and sel...
Integrating Global and Local Structures: A Least Squares Framework for Dimensionality Reduction

Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) is a popular statistical approach for dimensionality reduction. LDA captures the global geometric structure of the data by simultaneously maximizing the between-class distance and minimizing the within-class distance. However, local geometric structure has recently been shown to be effective for dimensionality reduction. In this paper, a novel dimensionality reduction algorithm is proposed, which integrates both global and local structures. The main contributions of this paper include: (1) We present a least squares formulation for dimensionality reduction, which facilities the integration of global and local structures; (2) We design an efficient model selection scheme for the optimal integration, which balances the tradeoff between the global and local structures; and (3) We present a detailed theoretical analysis on the intrinsic relationship between the proposed framework and LDA. Our extensive experimental studies on benchmark data sets show that the proposed integration framework is competitive with traditional dimensionality reduction algorithms, which use global or local structure only.