cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Arsenite Interacts Selectively with Zinc Finger Proteins Containing C3H1 or C4 Motifs

Arsenic inhibits DNA repair and enhances the genotoxicity of DNA-damaging agents such as benzo[a]pyrene and ultraviolet radiation. Arsenic interaction with DNA repair proteins containing functional zinc finger motifs is one proposed mechanism to account for these observations. Here, we report that arsenite binds to both CCHC DNA-binding zinc fingers of the DNA repair protein PARP-1 (poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1). Furthermore, trivalent arsenite coordinated with all three cysteine residues as demonstrated by MS/MS. MALDI-TOF-MS analysis of peptides harboring site-directed substitutions of cysteine with histidine residues within the PARP-1 zinc finger revealed that arsenite bound to peptides containing three or four cysteine residues, but not to peptides with two cysteines, demonstrating arsenite binding selectivity. This finding was not unique to PARP-1; arsenite did not bind to a peptide representing the CCHH zinc finger of the DNA repair protein aprataxin, but did bind to an aprataxin peptide mutated to a CCHC zinc finger. To investigate the impact of arsenite on PARP-1 zinc finger function, we measured the zinc content and DNA-binding capacity of PARP-1 immunoprecipitated from arsenite-exposed cells. PARP-1 zinc content and DNA binding were decreased by 76 and 80%, respectively, compared with protein isolated from untreated cells. We observed comparable decreases in zinc content for XPA (xeroderma pigmentosum group A) protein (CCCC zinc finger), but not SP-1 (specificity protein-1) or aprataxin (CCHH zinc finger). These findings demonstrate that PARP-1 is a direct molecular target of arsenite and that arsenite interacts selectively with zinc finger motifs containing three or more cysteine residues.
Differences between the effects of acute and long-term treatment with desmethylimipramine on reserpine-induced release of amines from rat brain.

Abstract A single injection of the tricyclic anti-depressant drug desmethylimipramine (DMI) caused a small, transient and consistent rediation of reserpine-induced release of rat brain norepinephrine but not of dopamine and serotonin. In contrast, long-term treatment with desmethylimipramine enhanced the release of rat brain norepinephrine, dopamine and serotonin after reserpine. It was found that the older animals were less sensitive than the younger animals to the brain amine depletion caused by reserpine. However, the interaction between DMI and reserpine was not affected by the age of the animals; the antagonism between acute DMI and reserpine occurred in both young and old rats.
Isotope Tracer Study of Hydrogen Spillover on Carbon-Based Adsorbents for Hydrogen Storage

A composite material comprising platinum nanoparticles supported on molecular sieve templated carbon was synthesized and found to adsorb 1.35 wt % hydrogen at 298 K and 100 atm. The isosteric heat of adsorption for the material at low coverage was approximately 14 kJ/mol, and it approached a value of 10.6 kJ/mol as coverage increased for pressures at and above 1 atm. The increase in capacity is attributed to spillover, which is observed with the use of isotopic tracer TPD. IRMOF-8 bridged to Pt/C, a material known to exhibit hydrogen spillover at room temperature, was also studied with the hydrogen−deuterium scrambling reaction for comparison. The isotherms were reversible. For desorption, sequential doses of H2 and D2 at room temperature and subsequent TPD yield product distributions that are strong indicators of the surface diffusion controlled reverse spillover process.
Non-similar boundary layer analysis of mixed convection about a horizontal heated surface in a fluid-saturated porous medium

Abstract An analysis has been performed for the study of the buoyancy effects in the parallel and stagnation forced flows in a porous medium adjacent to a heated surface with wall temperature being a power function of distance, i.e., T W ≈ x λ . Local non-similarity methods were used to obtain approximate solutions for the problem. Numerical solutions were carried out to the third level of truncation for parallel aiding flow over a heated horizontal surface with 0 ≤ λ ≤ 2 for a wide range of buoyancy parameters. For wall temperature with λ 0.5, and it accentuates as the value of the buoyancy parameter or λ is increased.
Active flutter suppression using invariant zeros/eigensystem assignment

An active control law is synthesized to raise the flutter dynamic pressure boundary of an active flexible wing wind tunnel model. The multi-input/multi-output controller has a two-degree-of-freedom structure consisting of: (1) an output dynamic compensator selected to assign system invariant zeros to shape the multivariable root loci, and (2) an output gain feedback controller, based on eigensystem assignment theory, using the compensator augmented system to stabilize the flutter mode and optimize a specified performance index. Evaluation of a digital implementation of a constant gain controller in a general batch simulation of the system reveals that the feedback system is stable over a dynamic pressure range of 50-400 psf, indicating robustness of design to dynamic pressure variations.
Recent studies on soot modeling for diesel combustion

Abstract This paper analyzes published works on the emission models of diesel and BD 1 fuels. To the best our knowledge, this is the first comprehensive survey that reviews various modeling aspects of soot emitted from the combustion of diesel and BD fuels. The pros and cons of past and recent soot models, the chronological advancement of diesel combustion chemistry, and soot modeling approaches are highlighted in this review. Soot models are divided into three main groups of empirical, semi-empirical, and detailed soot model. Phenomenological model is also explored as a soot model which is one of the most extensively investigated soot models in recent years. Soot formation mechanism is discussed with an emphasis on their molecular structure. In a vast majority of the papers reviewed, acetylene was used as a soot precursor, and also as a reactant for soot mass growth and aromatics formation in diesel soot modeling studies. Thus, it is recommended that the formation and consumption of acetylene and aromatic compounds should be included in the diesel soot modeling. For BD, aromatic compounds are found at very low concentrations during the combustion, so the contribution of aromatic compounds to soot formation may be reduced or excluded in BD soot modeling. Unlike diesel, oxygen in BD fuels is found very important in soot oxidation, thus, formation and consumption of oxygen molecules, radicals and OH 2 should be incorporated in the soot modeling as well. Finally, regardless of their structures, simple molecules such as MB 3 and MD 4 are found practical as BD surrogates in many modeling papers.
Auger electron spectra of Mg thin films

The effect of oxidation on Mg thin films is studied by Auger electron spectroscopy. Several films are prepared from Mg of purity 99.999% under a pressure of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}$-${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ Torr in the thickness range 200-25 000 \AA{}A. The spectra from these films are measured on an ESCA-36 spectrometer with $\mathrm{Al} K\ensuremath{\alpha}$ excitation line under a pressure of about ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}8}$ Torr. The minimum of $\mathrm{Au}(5s\ensuremath{-}6d)$ band at 5.0 eV, and the maximum of $\mathrm{C}(1s)$ line at 284.6 eV were used as reference lines for calibration of the observed spectra. The contamination effect due to ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ is found to decrease with increasing film thickness. There was a marked change in the peak heights of all the Auger lines accompanied by substantial peak shifts towards the higher energy with oxidation. It is speculated that this resulted from the gettering action of the active Mg metal with the residual ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ in the deposition environment. In particular, the $K{L}_{1}{L}_{3}$ transition was extremely sensitive in that it disappeared rather quickly with minimal oxidation. The Auger transition shifts for both chemisorbed oxide and stoichiometric oxide are measured to be 4.7 and 6.2 eV, respectively.
New result on d-sequences

A new result for the generation of a d-sequence to an arbitrary base is presented. The result admits an elegant hardware implementation.
Teacher Unions and Teacher Compensation: New Evidence for the Impact of Bargaining.

A small number of studies have examined the importance of collective bargaining agreements in the context of teacher quality, school finance, or student outcomes. Although the evidence for a bargaining effect on most measures is mixed, the preponderance has suggested that bargaining increases expenditures on teacher compensation. In this article, I provide new evidence for this result, using a dataset of more than 1,000 districts in states with a mixture of bargaining and non-bargaining districts. I present several specifications of a general model in which district spending on teacher compensation is conditioned on bargaining status as well as other features that account for district and state educational contexts. I initially find that bargaining districts spend more on teacher compensation, even after holding constant the number of students served. The results are more complicated when bargaining status is interacted with key variables. This suggests that bargaining influences expenditures, but with more nuance than in a simple imposition of additional average costs to district operations.
Self-calibrated Multiple-echo Acquisition with Radial Trajectories using the Conjugate Gradient Method (SMART-CG)

Purpose: To remove phase inconsistencies between multiple echoes, an algorithm using a radial acquisition to provide inherent phase and magnitude information for self correction was developed. The information also allows simultaneous support for parallel imaging for multiple coil acquisitions. Materials and Methods: Without a separate field map acquisition, a phase estimate from each echo in multiple echo train was generated. When using a multiple channel coil, magnitude and phase estimates from each echo provide in vivo coil sensitivities. An algorithm based on the conjugate gradient method uses these estimates to simultaneously remove phase inconsistencies between echoes, and in the case of multiple coil acquisition, simultaneously provides parallel imaging benefits. The algorithm is demonstrated on single channel, multiple channel, and undersampled data. Results: Substantial image quality improvements were demonstrated. Signal dropouts were completely removed and undersampling artifacts were well suppressed. Conclusion: The suggested algorithm is able to remove phase cancellation and undersampling artifacts simultaneously and to improve image quality of multiecho radial imaging, the important technique for fast three-dimensional MRI data acquisition. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2011;33:980–987. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
State Legislative Support for Parks

Background: Parks are important venues that can encourage population-level physical activity, and policy legislation can facilitate or discourage physical activity and other park uses, depending on the type and level of support. This study aims to summarize the status and content of state-level park-related legislation. Methods: We searched for eligible legislation from 2001–2007 in two data sources, CDC’s Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity Legislative Database and Lexis-Nexis, using the key words conservation, growth management/land use, parks, recreation, preservation, path, green space, or open space. State legislation was categorized into seven broad topic areas and analyzed by number introduced and passed (enacted as law), by state and category. Results: States varied in the number and type of park-related legislation introduced and passed. Common categories of introduced park-related state legislation were preservation or conservation (n = 26, 9 passed), funding (n = 43, 10 passed), creation or acquisition of park land (n = 53, 9 passed), safety and liability (n = 34, 5 passed), accessibility (n = 20, 2 passed), outreach (n = 15, 2 passed), and outdoor activities (n = 13, 2 passed). Conclusion: During 2001 to 2007, 19% of park-related state legislation was enacted. Research on legislative policy is an emerging field, and more information on the content of park-related legislation could assist states in their efforts to promote physical activity in park venues.
Iridium Clusters in NaX Zeolite Cages: Synthesis, Characterization, and Selective Catalysis of CO Hydrogenation

[Ir(CO)[sub 2](acac)] in the pores of NaX zeolite was treated in CO at 1 atm and various temperatures and characterized by infrared and extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopies. The iridium precursor was converted predominantly into [HIr[sub 4](CO)[sub 11]][sup [minus]] at 70[degrees]C, and predominantly into [Ir[sub 6](CO)[sub 15]][sup 2[minus]] at 175[degrees]C, as indicated by infrared spectra. The infrared spectra indicate that both of these clusters interact through ion pairing with the zeolite support. The chemistry of their synthesis in the zeolite cages parallels that on the basic MgO surface and in basic solutions. The zeolite-supported samples catalyzed CO hydrogenation at 20 atom and 250[degrees]C, having a relatively low activity in comparison with those of typical Fischer-Tropsch catalysts. The catalyst gave a non-Schulz-Flory distribution of hydrocarbon products with a maximum at C[sub 1] and a relative maximum at C[sub 4]. Infrared and EXAFS spectra of the catalyst used with equimolar CO + H[sub 2] feed showed that the predominant iridium-containing species was [Ir[sub 6](CO)[sub 15]][sup 2[minus]]. 46 refs., 5 figs., 3 tabs.
HEART RATE, SKIN RESISTANCE, AND REACTION TIME OF MONGOLOID AND NORMAL CHILDREN UNDER BASELINE AND DISTRACTION CONDITIONS

Reaction time, body movement, heart rate, and skin resistance of Mongoloid and “normal” control children were evaluated under baseline and distraction conditions. Relative to controls, Mongoloids demonstrated (1) slower reaction time under both conditions, (2) a reduced skin resistance response and fewer heart rate fluctuations during the baseline period, and (3) fewer skin resistance fluctuations during the distraction condition. Furthermore, skin resistance fluctuations were negatively correlated with reaction time, and heart rate fluctuations, although not significant, were in the same direction. These findings offer some support for the theoretical assertions of Lacey and Lacey (1958) that spontaneous activity is related to motor impulsivity, cortical activity, and general skeletal-motor functions. Body movement was negatively related to these measures of spontaneous activity and thus cannot be invoked as an explanation for the findings.
Increasing the federal excise tax on cigarettes.

Abstract In the current debate on fiscal policy in the United States, many government officials have advocated an increase in the federal excise tax on cigarettes. Although opponents have argued that tobacco is already far too burdened by state and federal taxation, the case for new increases in federal cigarette levies is in fact strong.
Research and the social world: Honoring the connections

A critical evaluation of recent research in the area of group communication suggests three objectives to guide future studies: (1) focus on communication as a substantive, formative activity in its own right, (2) respond to human issues and problems characterizing the world beyond the ivory tower, and (3) develops research designs and methods that are compatible with the recommended conceptual foci.
New data refine the travels of Gondwana

[1] The supercontinent Pangea, which existed roughly 300–200 million years ago as the only landmass on Earth, plays a special role in the history of geophysics. The geological, biological, and paleontological similarities between now distant shores—once connected in Pangea—gave the first evidence for the theory of continental drift. That Pangea came apart to form the modern world is well established, but exactly how, when, and where the individual plates moved are still up for debate. Drawing on new high-quality paleomagnetic data, Domeier et al. describe the movements of Gondwana that, until its separation from Laurasia 200 million years ago, formed the southern half of Pangea. The authors collected samples drawn from the Sierra Chica, a band of ancient volcanic rocks in central Argentina. Within the samples the magnetic minerals hematite and titanomagnetite were used to calculate the geographic location of the magnetic pole 263 million years ago. Because the Earth's magnetic poles drift only slightly over time and have well-known reversal episodes, deviations in the location of the calculated pole (paleopole) from the present location are an indication that the plate underlying the volcanic rock has moved since the lava solidified. Changes in the paleopole drawn from samples of different ages from the same plate give a map for the plate's movement. (Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems, doi:10.1029/2011GC003616, 2011)
Allergic fungal sinusitis

AFS is a form of noninvasive fungal sinusitis that causes nasal polyps Hypersensitivity to fungus is the basis for polyp formation in AFS Aspergillus and the dematiaceous fungi have been implicated in AFS AFS is overdiagnosed and often confused with other forms of polypoid CRS
Transcriptomic analysis of the zebrafish inner ear points to growth hormone mediated regeneration following acoustic trauma

Background Unlike mammals, teleost fishes are capable of regenerating sensory inner ear hair cells that have been lost following acoustic or ototoxic trauma. Previous work indicated that immediately following sound exposure, zebrafish saccules exhibit significant hair cell loss that recovers to pre-treatment levels within 14 days. Following acoustic trauma in the zebrafish inner ear, we used microarray analysis to identify genes involved in inner ear repair following acoustic exposure. Additionally, we investigated the effect of growth hormone (GH) on cell proliferation in control zebrafish utricles and saccules, since GH was significantly up-regulated following acoustic trauma.
Metric Validation and the Receptor-Relevant Subspace Concept

Following brief comments regarding the advantages of cell-based diversity algorithms and the selection of low-dimensional chemistry-space metrics needed to implement such algorithms, the notion of metric validation is discussed. Activity-seeded, structure-based clustering is presented as an ideal approach for the validation of either high- or low-dimensional chemistry-space metrics when validation by computer-graphic visualization is not possible. Whereas typical methods for reducing the dimensionality of chemistry-space inevitably discard potentially important information, we present a simple yet novel algorithm for reducing dimensionality by identifying which axes (metrics) convey information related to affinity for a given receptor and which axes can be safely discarded as being irrelevant to the given receptor. This algorithm often reveals a three- or two-dimensional subspace of a (typically six-dimensional) BCUT chemistry-space and, thus, enables computer graphic visualization of the actual coordinat...
Remobilization of authigenic uranium in marine sediments by bioturbation

Uranium behaves as a nearly conservative element in oxygenated seawater, but it is precipitated under chemically reducing conditions that occur in sediments underlying low-oxygen bottom water or in sediments receiving high fluxes of particulate organic carbon. Sites characterized by a range of bottom-water oxygen (BWO) and organic carbon flux (OCF) were studied to better understand the conditions that determine formation and preservation of authigenic U in marine sediments. Our study areas are located in the mid latitudes of the northeast Pacific and the northwest Atlantic Oceans, and all sites receive moderate (0.5 g/cm2 kyr) to high (2.8 g/cm2 kyr) OCF to the sediments. BWO concentrations vary substantially among the sites, ranging from <3 to ∼270 μM. A mass balance approach was used to evaluate authigenic U remobilization at each site. Within each region studied, the supply of particulate nonlithogenic U associated with sinking particles was evaluated by means of sediment traps. The diffusive flux of U into sediments was calculated from pore-water U concentration profiles. These combined sources were compared with the burial rate of authigenic U to assess the efficiency of its preservation. A large fraction (one-third to two-thirds) of the authigenic U precipitated in these sediments via diffusion supply is later regenerated, even under very low BWO concentrations (∼15 μM). Bioturbating organisms periodically mix authigenic U-containing sediment upward toward the sediment–water interface, where more oxidizing conditions lead to the remobilization of authigenic U and its loss to bottom waters.
Endometrial biopsy: a test whose time has come and gone.

To document ovulation in an infertility investigation, a timed endometrial biopsy is painful, expensive, invasive, requires precise cycle timing for proper interpretation, and cannot independently distinguish between fertile and infertile women. Urinary LH kit testing has a significant false-positive rate (∼7.6%). A midluteal serum progesterone is a much simpler method that compares favorably with either endometrial biopsy or LH kit testing.
Grain Size and Petrography of C2 and C3 Carbonaceous Chondrites

Grain size frequency distributions of the ≥ 0.1 mm size fractions have been measured for 19 C2 and C3 carbonaceous chondrites (7 CM2, 5 CO3, 6 CV3 and 1 CV2). The grain size frequency distribution curves and summary statistics are remarkably similar for the CM2 and CO3 meteorites, with ranges of median grain size from 2.36φ to 2.67φ and graphic mean grain size from 2.20φ to 2.59φ. The CV3 specimens are distinctly coarser than the CM2 and CO3 meteorites and have a wider range of grain size summary statistics. The grain size frequency data for fluid drop chondrules and for lithic chondrules show approximately the same size frequency characteristics as the more abundant particles in each of the petrologic subgroups. If the chondrules and other particles were produced by different mechanisms or in different environments, an extremely effective size sorting process is required to produce the observed grain size frequency distributions. Alternatively, most of the particles and the observed grain size frequency distributions might have been produced by small impacts into an immature, accretionary regolith. The strong similarity between the grain sizes of the CM2 and CO3 meteorites, together with previously recognized chemical similarities, suggest a genetic relationship between the two petrologic subgroups. The grain size frequency distributions of chondrules and other particles in CM2 and CO3 meteorites are different from those found previously in ordinary chondrites
ROBUST CONTROL OF DUAL-STAGE CABLE SUSPENDED ROBOTS WITH INPUT CONSTRAINTS FOR CARGO HANDLING

Skin to skin transfer of cargo is a very challenging task. In a typical skin-to-skin transfer operation, the end-effector and the target are located on different ships and hence subjected to disturbances, which are not in phase. Hence, this transfer operation can be unstable unless the sea condition is properly accounted for. The cable robot should be designed for a versatile motion to track the target. NIST has proposed a dual-stage cable robot, each with six-degrees-of-freedom for this purpose. In this paper, the robust controller of the dual-stage cable robot with positive input constraints is developed which can assure robust tracking of the target in the presence of the disturbance due to the pitch, roll, and yaw motion of a ship, as well as a translation motion. Also, Pointwise optimization techniques are incorporated in order to generate feasible desired trajectories, which satisfy the input constraints. Simulations show the feasiblity of the proposed control method for the control of a dual-stage cable robot.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Climate, river network, and vegetation cover relationships across a climate gradient and their potential for predicting effects of decadal-scale climate change

Summary We determined present-day (1981–2000) relationships between river network drainage density ( D d ) and runoff ( R ), and between vegetation cover ( V ) and precipitation ( P ) across a contiguous 470,800 km 2 area (the Texas Gulf Coast basin), where P varies from 438 to 1280 mm/yr. D d ( R ) follows a saturation–growth model which is similar to process-based equilibrium landscape models. V ( P ) follows a linear relationship. The models for D d ( R ) and V ( P ) were used to assess how D d and V might respond to decadal-scale climate changes in R and P anomalies predicted by a regional climate model between 2041–2060 and 1981–2000. The regional climate model, CRCM, was forced following the SRES A2 emissions scenario. Our calculations indicate a tendency of 57,500 km of active river channels to drying up, representing 9.9% of the present-day total of 581,985 km, due to future decrease in R . This will be accompanied by a loss of 8150 km 2 in V due to decrease in P . This study extends empirical studies of relationships between climate and landscape properties and explicitly links observations with process-based models. The results provide a simple framework for modeling potential trajectories of the landscape due to climate change.
The High Cost of a Cheap Lesson

With a bit of effort, any technically skilled person can learn the latest information in their industry. That is so whether it concerns the design for a product, such as Apple's iPod, or involves demand for a newly deployed service, such as municipal Wi-Fi in a distant city. Although industry conferences, consulting reports, and trade magazines have always informed market participants, today these sources are supplemented by Web pages and community or industry forums. Any reasonably sized product market attracts an abundance of product reviewers and bloggers who track gossip about business initiatives and point out design flaws or triumphs. This article focuses on market experiment phenomenon: commodifying and accumulating lessons must go hand in hand. While that observation may sound excessively abstract, it is grounded in the experience of many markets
Examining the front lines of local environmental public health practice: a Maryland case study.

Objective: Local environmental public health (EPH) is the foundation of a nation’s environmental protection infrastructure. With increasing pressure to demonstrate the ability of EPH activities to effectively protect health, the Johns Hopkins Center for Excellence in EPH Practice, as part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) EPH capacity-building effort, developed the Profile of Maryland Environmental Public Health Practice. This profile offers an examination of front-line local EPH strengths, needs, challenges, and provides recommendations to strengthen the EPH infrastructure. Methods: A multistep process was conducted, including site visits to all of Maryland’s 24 local EPH agencies and a questionnaire addressing administrative structure, communication, funding, workforce, crisis management, technology, and legal authority, completed by local EPH directors. Results: The Maryland Profile revealed a dedicated and responsive workforce limited by a neglected, fragmented, and underfunded EPH infrastructure. Recommendations regarding leadership, workforce, training, technology, communication, and legal authority are offered. Conclusions: This research has implications for the national EPH infrastructure. Recommendations offered are consistent with the CDC’s findings in A National Strategy to Revitalize Environmental Public Health Services. 1 These findings and recommendations
Massless propagators on the light cone

The propagators of free spin-0 and spin-1/2 fields are considered in two-dimensional light-cone coordinates. It is shown by explicit construction that although the differential equations for the propagators are identical to those conventionally obtained the solutions differ from the usual space-time form by the addition of terms dependent only upon the ''time'' coordinate. The results obtained are confirmed by recourse to the usual plane-wave expansions of the scalar and spinor fields.
Detection and isolation of fetal cells from maternal blood using the flourescence-activated cell sorter (FACS)

The presence of fetal cells in the maternal circulation during pregnancy has been suggested by repeated observations of small numbers of cells containing Y chromatin or a Y chromosome in the blood of pregnant women. With the fluorescence-activitated cell sorter (FACS), we have used antibodies to a paternal cell surface (HLA) antigen, not present in the mother, to select fetal cells from the lymphocyte fractions of a series of maternal blood samples, collected as early as 15 weeks of gestation. These sorted cells have been examined for a second paternal genetic marker, Y chromatin. Y chromatin-containing cells were found among the sorted cells from prenatal maternal blood specimens in 8 pregnancies subsequently producing male infants whose lymphocytes reacted with the same antibodies to paternal antigen used for sorting with the FACS. In each of 17 pregnancies resulting in male infants who failed to inherit the antigen detected by the antibodies used for cell sorting, Y chromatin-containing cells were not found prenatally. The use of two paternal genetic markers, a cell surface antigen and nuclear Y chromatin, to identify fetal cells in maternal blood permits us to conclude that these cells are present in the mother's circulation, as early as 15 weeks gestation. Further development of the techniques reported here could lead to widespread screening of maternal blood samples during pregnancy for detection of fetal genetic abnormalities.
Design of a Programmable Star Tracker-Based Reference System for a Simulated Spacecraft

Abstract : The main objective of this research effort is to achieve an accuracy level for the SimSat star tracker system comparable to what is reported in current literature by various star tracker manufacturers and researchers. Previous work has provided a spherical star dome that needs to be fully populated with light sources. Programmable organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels were chosen to populate the dome to allow high contrast ratios without backlighting and increase the number of star combinations able to be represented. Noise equivalent angles less than five arcseconds (1 delta ) are achieved about the boresight axis and less than half an arcsecond around the other axes. Absolute accuracy near the center of the star dome is tested to be less than 0.04 degree about each axis. Two different approaches to inertially cataloging the star eld are also investigated, externally referencing each panels coordinates using a coordinate measurement arm and utilizing the camera's known position to catalog the panel's location. The full population of the SimSat star dome and reprogrammable capability of the panels allows many future research endeavors related to star pattern recognition and attitude determination to be undertaken.
e-MGR: an architecture for symbolic plasticity

Abstract The e-MGR architecture was designed for symbolic problem solving in task environments where data are noisy and problems are ill-defined. e-MGR is an operator-based system which integrates problem-solving ideas from symbolic artificial intelligence (AI) and adaptive systems research.
Paleoproterozoic mafic dike swarms of northeast Laurentia: products of plumes or ambient mantle?

Abstract The occurrence of mafic dike swarms in Archean and Paleoproterozoic terranes is often cited as evidence for mantle plume activity associated with abnormally high mantle potential temperatures ( T p ). Quantitative modeling of rare-earth-element (REE) abundances for the 2.04 Ga Kangâmiut dike swarm in west Greenland and comparisons among other Paleoproterozoic dike swarms in northeast Laurentia indicates that the conditions for mantle melt generation were similar beneath much of Laurentia and only ca. 120 °C hotter than present-day ambient mantle ( T p ca. 1300 °C). These thermal conditions correspond closely to estimates of ambient mantle potential temperatures during the Paleoproterozoic era based on secular cooling models and continental freeboard constraints. Thus, the geochemistry of most Paleoproterozoic dikes of northeast Laurentia can be accounted for by partial melting of upwelling mantle accompanying passive rifting and do not necessitate plume activity. Ambient mantle conditions during the Paleoproterozoic ( T p ca. 1420 °C) are similar to those inferred for the Paleogene volcanic rift margins of the North Atlantic igneous province, where the rate of crustal production associated with early oceanic spreading was two to three times higher than at the modern ridge. Likewise, rifting under ambient mantle conditions in the Precambrian could have resulted in similar rates of crustal productivity and thus contributed significantly to continental growth.
Advanced SPC for Higher-Quality Electronic Card Manufacturing

This article summarizes a study on implementing SPC for two of the most widely used soldering operations in the production of electronic card assemblies. After developing an appropriate SPC technique for a high-quality process, where traditional c chart..
Toxicity and accumulation of cadmium in the crayfish, Orconectes virilis (Hagen)

The acute toxicity of cadmium to the crayfishOrconectes virilis was determined over a two week exposure period. Crayfish exhibited an increased sensitivity to cadmium over time; LC50 values decreased from 6.1 mg Cd/L for 96 hr to 0.70 mg Cd/L for 14 days. An incipient LC50 value of 0.06 mg Cd/L was also calculated forO. virilis. Whole animal and tissue analyses for cadmium were performed on the crayfish used in the acute toxicity experiments. Whole animal cadmium concentrations exhibited a linear relationship to exposure concentrations as did the gill and antennal glands. Cadmium tissue concentrations were from highest to lowest in the following tissues: gill > hepatopancreas > antennal gland > carapace and abdominal muscle.
Evaluating Salt Marsh Restoration in Delaware Bay: Analysis of Fish Response at Former Salt Hay Farms

In a continuing effort to monitor the fish response to marsh restoration (resumed tidal flow, creation of creeks), we compared qualitative and quantitative data on species richness, abundance, assemblage structure and growth between pre-restoration and post-restoration conditions at two former salt hay farms relative to a reference marsh in the mesohaline portion of Delaware Bay. The most extensive comparison, during April–November 1998, sampled fish populations in large marsh creeks with otter trawls and in small marsh creeks with weirs. Species richness and abundance increased dramatically after restoration. Subsequent comparisons indicated that fish size, assemblage structure, and growth of one of the dominant species,Micropogonias undulatus, was similar between reference and restored marshes 1 and 2 yr post-restoration. Total fish abundance and abundance of the dominant species was greater, often by an order of magnitude, in one of the older restored sites (2 yr post-restoration), while the other restored site (1 yr post-restoration) had values similar to the reference marsh. The success of the restoration at the time of this study suggests that return of the tidal flow and increased marsh area and edge in intertidal and subtidal creeks relative to the former salt hay farms contributed to the quick response of resident and transient young-of-the-year fishes.
A new combination chemotherapy for resistant trophoblastic disease.

Abstract Six patients with gestational trophoblastic neoplasia resistant to triple chemotherapy (methotrexate, actinomycin D, and Cytoxan: MAC) treated with a new chemotherapeutic regimen (modified Bagshawe protocol: MBP) are presented. Five of the six patients are alive without evidence of recurrent disease with negative β-subunit human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) titers from 2 to 18 months after completion of therapy. The MBP regimen would appear to be less toxic than triple chemotherapy (MAC) in this group of patients. A critical analysis of the MBP regimen is presented.
Multicomponent, reacting MHD flows

Equations differentielles decrivant les ecoulements MHD a multicomposante, avec des champs magnetiques orientes arbitrairement
A longitudinal study of family size expectations among young blacks and whites.

Despite past research, there are gaps in our knowledge on the stability of family size expectations and the direction of change in expectations among different groups. In the present study, 437 low‐income respondents, both black and white, male and female, answered a question on expected family size both at high school age and four years later. Respondents varied in their consistency with 78% of those first naming one or two children, but only 9% of those expecting no children, naming the same number at the second interview. Consistency was also found to vary by sex and race. Support was found for the hypothesis that change in expectations is related to the proximity of parenthood decision.
Mature Thunderstorm Cloud-Top Structure and Dynamics: A Three-Dimensional Numerical Simulation Study

The present investigation is concerned with results from an initial set of comparative experiments in a project which utilize a three-dimensional convective storm model. The modeling results presented are related to four comparative experiments, designated Cases A through D. One of two scientific questions considered involves the dynamical processes, either near the cloud top or well within the cloud interior, which contribute to organize cloud thermal patterns such as those revealed by IR satellite imagery for some storms having strong internal cloud-scale rotation. The second question is concerned with differences, in cloud-top height and temperature field characteristics, between thunderstorms with and without significant internal cloud-scale rotation. The four experiments A-D are compared with regard to both interior and cloud-top configurations in the context of the second question. A particular strong-shear experiment, Case B, is analyzed to address question one.
Immunoreactive cholecystokinin in human and rat plasma: correlation of pancreatic secretion in response to CCK

Abstract Immunoreactive cholecystokinin (CCK) levels in human and rat plasma are described using a radioimmunoassay specific for the biologically active sulfated end of CCK. This assay detected significant changes in plasma cholecystokinin levels during intrajejunal administration of amino acids and intravenous infusions of CCK-8 which were followed by increased pancreatic secretion. In humans, the concentration (pg/ml) of plasma cholecystokinin increased from 10.8 to 18.9 following intrajejunal amino acid instillation and from 15.4 to 31.1 during CCK infusion, while pancreatic trypsin secretion increased more than 15 fold. Ingestion of a test meal also caused a rapid and significant elevation ( P ) in both plasma CCK (14.5–21.7 pg/ml) and gastrin (50–160 pg/ml) levels. In the rat, an injection of 46 ng of CCK-8 produced a 300% increase in immunoreactive plasma CCK levels (2 min) and caused peak pancreatic protein secretion within 5 min; 4 fold lower doses (11.5 ng) elevated plasma CCK by 38% and pancreatic protein secretion to a small but significant extent. The ability of this assay to detect various forms of sulfated CCK in human plasma was also determined. Following gel chromatography on Sephadex G-50, at least three different immunoreactive peaks were found in plasma from fasted subjects and after intrajejunal amino acid stimulation. While the lower molecular weight CCK peptides (CCK-8 and CCK-12) were detected in plasma from both fasted and stimulated subjects, the larger form (CCK-33) was only present in measurable concentrations after amino acid infusion. The simultaneous measurement of increased plasma CCK levels and pancreatic secretion and the changes in the distribution of CCK peptides following amino acid infusion provides strong support that this assay detects physiologically relevant changes in biologically active CCK peptides.
Shame, Stigma, and Sponsorship: Links Between Personal Bloggers and Weight-Loss Products

Americans have long considered fat problematic, and overweight individuals now endure a similar level of discrimination as other stigmatized groups (Latner et al. 2008). Weight-loss blogs serve as public forums in which bloggers demonstrate an understanding of the stigma against fat and detail dieting efforts. These blogs are also a space for dieters to trade information such as diet plans or products. This study conducted a link analysis to learn which consumer products were favored by weight-loss products. Results determined the bloggers avoided linking to food or diet products and instead favored exercise plans or training equipment.
Genetic variation in the carbonic anhydrase isozymes of macaque monkeys. I. The radioimmunosorbent assay.

A radioimmunosorbent technique is described which is capable of independently detecting both isozymes of carbonic anhydrase, CA I and CA II, in concentrations as low as 1 ng/ml. The technique is used to quantitate the different electrophoretic variants of red cell CA I as well as levels of CA II in the pig-tailed macaque, Macaca nemestrina.
A Stitch in Time: Improving Public Health Early Warning Systems for Extreme Weather Events

Extreme weather events, particularly floods and heat waves, annually affect millions of people and cause billions of dollars of damage. In 2003, in Europe, Canada, and the United States, floods and storms caused 15 deaths and US$2.97 billion in total damages, and the extended heat wave in Europe caused more than 20,000 excess deaths (1); the impacts in developing countries were substantially larger. There is a growing body of scientific research suggesting that the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are likely to increase over the coming decades as a consequence of global climate change (2). These events cannot be prevented, but their consequences can be reduced by taking advantage of advances in meteorologic forecasting in the development and implementation of early warning systems that target vulnerable regions and populations. The skill with which weather and climatic events can be forecast has increased significantly over the past 30 years as more has been learned about the climate system. During this period, weather forecasting improved from the same-day forecast to the advance forecast. Our understanding of the mechanics and teleconnections of El Nino/Southern Oscillation now provides us with the capacity for seasonal and annual forecasting—assumed as recently as the 1970s to be more science fiction than fact (3). In fact, Chen et al. (4) recently suggested that El Nino events can be predicted 2 years in advance. Public health professionals have the opportunity to integrate weather- and climate-related information into local and regional risk management plans to reduce the detrimental health effects of hazards as diverse as tropical cyclones, floods, heat waves, wildfires, and droughts (5, 6).
Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Pulse Sensitivity of Follicle-Stimulating Hormone-β Gene Is Mediated by Differential Expression of Positive Regulatory Activator Protein 1 Factors and Corepressors SKIL and TGIF1

Gonadotropin synthesis and release is dependent on pulsatile stimulation by the hypothalamic neuropeptide GnRH. Generally, slow GnRH pulses promote FSH production, whereas rapid pulses favor LH, but the molecular mechanism underlying this pulse sensitivity is poorly understood. In this study, we developed and tested a model for FSHβ regulation in mouse LβT2 gonadotropes. By mining a previous microarray data set, we found that mRNA for positive regulators of Fshb expression, such as Fos and Jun, were up-regulated at slower pulse frequencies than a number of potential negative regulators, such as the corepressors Skil, Crem, and Tgif1. These latter corepressors reduced Fshb promoter activity whether driven by transfection of individual transcription factors or by treatment with GnRH and activin. Overexpression of binding or phosphorylation-defective ski-oncogene-like protein (SKIL) and TG interacting factor (TGIF1) mutants, however, failed to repress Fshb promoter activity. Knockdown of the endogenous repressors SKIL and TGIF1, but not cAMP response element-modulator, increased Fshb promoter activity driven by constant GnRH or activin. Chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis showed that FOS, SKIL, and TGIF1 occupy the FSHβ promoter in a cyclical manner after GnRH stimulation. Overexpression of corepressors SKIL or TGIF1 repressed induction of the Fshb promoter at the slow GnRH pulse frequency but had little effect at the fast pulse frequency. In contrast, knockdown of endogenous SKIL or TGIF1 selectively increased Fshb mRNA at the fast GnRH pulse frequency. Therefore, we propose a potential mechanism by which production of gonadotropin Fshb is modulated by positive transcription factors and negative corepressors with different pulse sensitivities.
Are eating disorders associated with borderline personality disorder? A critical review

Seven studies using structured diagnostic interviews have assessed the prevalence of borderline personality disorder among patients with eating disorders, yielding rates from 0% to 42% in different samples. However, many patients with eating disorders suffer from depression, and there is substantial overlap between the symptoms of depression and those of borderline personality disorder. Thus, structured interviews for borderline personality disorder–most of which are of untested or uncertain specificity–may perhaps frequently produce false-positive diagnoses of borderline personality disorder in patients with eating disorders and hence yield exaggerated estimates of the true prevalence of borderline personality disorder in this population. Considering the grave implications of the borderline diagnosis, one must remain critical of studies in this area until further data, using instruments of documented specificity, blind ratings, and suitable control groups, become available.
Posterior matching variants and fixed-point elimination

The posterior matching scheme is known to achieve capacity for a large class of memoryless channels with noiseless feedback. In this contribution, it is shown that whenever the posterior matching kernel admits a fixed point, the corresponding scheme is not ergodic and cannot achieve any positive rate. The source of the problem is traced back to the input ordering implicit in the definition of the scheme. It is then shown how for any discrete memoryless channel, a simple (and easily computable) input permutation eliminates the fixed point phenomena and allows a corresponding variant of the scheme to achieve capacity. This notion is then systematically extended to the case of continuous alphabet memoryless channels.
Managing Cross-Functional Integration of Complex Developments

The demand for faster and more cost-effective product developments encouraged the creation of new project management platforms, designed to expedite and streamline new product development, R&D-to-market. Systems such as Design for Manufacture (DMF), Integrated Product and Process Development (IPPD), Structured Systems Design (SSD), Stage-Gate Processes, and perhaps the oldest and most widely used IPD concept of Concurrent Engineering (CE), all promise more flexible and more effective new product development processes. Yet, for many managers the results were mixed regarding overall project performance. The paper reports the findings of a three-year field study of over 60 complex technology-based product developments in 10 companies. The drivers and barriers toward cross-functional cooperation are examined together with the type of work processes, leadership style and organizational environment most conducive to effective product integration. Specific suggestions are being made for enhancing cross-functional linkages, involvement, commitment, communications and decision-making, factors that ultimately determine new product success.