cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Accuracy of Implant Verification Casts Compared With Casts Produced From A Rigid Transfer Coping Technique

PURPOSE: Prosthodontic techniques for implant-supported prostheses continue to evolve in an effort to facilitate treatment and minimize costs. Because research has shown no impression transfer technique to be without error, some clinicians have attempted to control the fit of prosthetic frameworks by reorienting sections of patterns or frameworks intraorally, fabricating a verification cast, and completing the prosthesis to fit such a cast. One manufacturer has attempted to meet both impression-making and verification-cast objectives by providing metallic impression copings (MICS) with extensions that allow contact between the copings for rigid fixation with acrylic resin before impression making. The purpose of this study was to determine the accuracy of casts produced from the MICS transfer process compared with casts produced from sectioned frameworks, where both techniques used a low-polymerization-shrinkage acrylic resin polymer to rigidly join the sections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Using stainless steel measurement spheres as a reference point on each implant analog, the distances between analogs on the experimental casts were compared with the distances measured on the master cast. Seven casts were produced for each group and measured with a machinist's microscope at a 4-micron level of precision. RESULTS: The results revealed that the MICS transfer exhibited a mean error of 41 microns, which was significantly less than the verification-cast group mean error of 57 microns (p < .01, Student's t test). CONCLUSIONS: Given these results, clinicians can consider the rigid transfer technique as provided in the MICS transfer to be more accurate than the verification technique as outlined in this study.
Intrapulmonary interleukin 1 mediates acute immune complex alveolitis in the rat

Abstract Interleukin 1α and β are polypeptide cytokines that possesses a wide variety of immunologic and inflammatory activities. We have examined the role of intrapulmonary interleukin 1 in the pathogenesis of acute IgG immune complex alveolitis in the rat. Intratracheal instillation of IgG anti-bovine serum albumin accompanied by intravenous infusion of bovine albumin results in acute neutrophil and complement-dependent alveolitis. Over the course of evolving lung injury there was a 12-fold increase in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid interleukin 1 activity. Intratracheal instillation of neutralizing anti-interleukin 1β antibodies upon induction of lung injury resulted in a dose-dependent reduction in lung injury as assessed by measurements of pulmonary hemorrhage and vascular permeability. Morphometric analysis and measurements of myeloperoxidase activities in whole lung homogenates from rats that received anti-interleukin 1β revealed a pronounced reduction in neutrophil recruitment compared to positive controls. Incubation of isolated alveolar macrophages with preformed IgG immune complexes resulted in dose-dependent interleukin 1 secretion. These data suggest that intrapulmonary IL-1 activity plays a role in neutrophil recruitment and is necessary for the full development of acute IgG immune complex induced lung injury in the rat.
Thermodynamics of the slow–fast transition in bacteriophage T2L

We have measured the thermodynamic parameters of the slow-fast tail-fiber reorientation transition on T2L bateriophage. Proportions of the virus in each form were determined from peak-height measurements in sedimention-velocity runs and from average diffusion coefficients obtained by quasielastic laser light scattering. Computer simulation of sedimentation confirmed that there were no undetected intermediates in the transition, which was analyzed as a two-state process. Van't Hoff-type plots of the apparent equilibrium constant and of the pH midpoint of the transition as function of reciprocal temperature led to the following estimates of the thermodynamic parameters for the transition at pH 6.0 and 20°C: ΔH° = −139 ± 18Kcal mol−1, ΔS° = −247 ± 46 cal K−1 mol−1, and ΔG° = −66 ± 22 kcal mol−1. Per mole of protons taken up in the transition, the analogous quantities were −15.9 ± 1.7 kcal mol−1, −26.3 ± 2.2 cal K−1 mol−1, and −8.22 ± 1.8 kcal mol−1. The net number of protons taken up was about 8.5 ± 1.5. The large values of the thermodynamic functions are consistent with a highly cooperative reaction and with multiple interactions between the fibres and the remainder of the phage. The negative entropy of the transition is probably due to immobilization of the fibres.
Evaluation of an expert system for searching in full text

This paper presents a prototype expert system which provides online search assistance. The expert system automatically reformulates queries, using an online thesaurus as the source of domain knowledge, and a knowledge base of domain-independent search tactics. The expert system works with a full-text database which requires no syntactic or semantic pre-processing. In addition, the expert system ranks the retrieved passages in decreasing order of probable relevance.Users' search performance using the expert system was compared with their search performance on their own, and their search performance using the online thesaurus. The following conclusions were reached: 1) The expert system significantly reduced the number of queries necessary to find relevant passages compared with the user searching alone or with the thesaurus. 2) The expert system produced marginally significant improvements in precision compared with the user searching on their own. There was no significant difference in the recall achieved by the three system configurations. 3) Overall, the expert system ranked relevant passages above irrelevant passages.
Glutamate enhances survival and proliferation of neural progenitors derived from the subventricular zone

Extracellular glutamate levels increase as a consequence of perinatal hypoxia/ischemia, causing the death of neurons and oligodendrocytes. Precursors in the subventricular zone (SVZ) also die following perinatal hypoxia/ischemia; therefore we hypothesized that glutamate would stimulate the death of neural precursors. Here we demonstrate using calcium imaging that SVZ derived neural stem/progenitor cells respond to both ionotropic and metabotropic excitatory amino acids. Therefore, we tested the effects of high levels of glutamate receptor agonists on the proliferation, survival, and differentiation of SVZ derived neural stem/progenitor cells in vitro. We show that high levels of glutamate, up to 1 mM, are not toxic to neural precursor cultures. In fact, stimulation of either the kainate receptor or group 2 metabotropic glutamate receptors (group 2 mGluR) reduces basal levels of apoptosis and increases neural precursor proliferation. Furthermore, group 2 mGluR activation expands the number of multipotent progenitor cells present in these cultures while maintaining equivalent mature cell production. We conclude that the glutamate released following perinatal hypoxia/ischemia may act to acutely promote the proliferation of multipotent precursors in the subventricular zone.
A solid state ultraviolet lasers based on cerium-doped LiCaAlF6 crystal resonator

We report the first demonstration of a UV laser using a high-Q whispering gallery mode (WGM) resonator of Ce 3+ : LiCaAlF 6 . We show that WGM resonators from LiCaAlF 6 can achieve a Q of 2.6 x 10 7 at UV. We demonstrated a UV laser at 290 nm with a pulsed pump laser at 266 nm. The experiments showed the low pump threshold intensity of 7.5 x 10 9 W/m 2 and slope efficiency of 25%. We have also observed lasing delay dynamics. These results are consistent with our modeling and theoretical estimates, and pave the way for a low threshold cw UV laser using WGM resonator cavity.
Public – Private Partnerships as Catalysts for Community-Based Water Infrastructure Development: The Border WaterWorks Program in Texas and New Mexico Colonias

Increased awareness of shortcomings in both provision and maintenance of public services is triggering new approaches to policymaking and service delivery. Conventional debates over public versus private service provision obscure the multiple configurations possible. We consider the effectiveness and desirability of an alternative approach to public-service provision of water and wastewater services, specifically the Border Waterworks program, which has helped deliver water-related services to economically disadvantaged communities (colonias) along the US – Mexico border. We explore some issues that emerge when nonprofit organizations take on functions of governments and service providers, and examine the conditions under which the provision of water and wastewater infrastructure can be advanced by nonprofit organizations. We conclude that the general effectiveness of Border Waterworks was thanks to its ability to adapt to local circumstances and respond to situations as they arose in the context of the n...
Dietary abuse in maintenance hemodialysis patients

Abstract Thirty-one patients on maintenance hemodialysis were studied for compliance to prescribed diet, as measured by weight gain between dialyses and changes in weekly predialysis serum potassium levels. Nineteen patients were poor compliers. Patients who remained vocationally active had a significantly higher percentage of good compliance.
Chemical Processes in the Dense Interstellar Medium

In this brief review we discuss how some of our basic understanding of chemical processes in interstellar medium has received a boost from the Herschel Space Observatory. With Herschel in operations for over 1 year, it is still early to discuss the full impact of new results and instead I demonstrate the new science enabled by near-complete spectroscopic access to sub-millimeter to far-infrared wavelengths.
Efficacy of laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty

Background and Objective: Laser-assisted uvulopalatoplasty (LAUP) is being used increasingly as a surgical treatment for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). There is limited evidence for the success of LAUP in eliminating OSA. This study assesses the efficacy of LAUP in eliminating snoring and OSA and addresses which patients may be the best candidates for LAUP treatment. Study Design/Materials and Methods: From January 1994 to January 1996, 297 patients were evaluated for snoring, with 190 (64%) exhibiting some degree of OSA documented by a PSG: 41/ 190 (22%) mild OSA; 33/190 (17%) moderate OSA; 85/190 (45%) severe OSA; 31/190 (16%) severity unknown. Ninety patients (90/ 297) have undergone LAUP treatment: 58/90 (64%) with OSA and 32/90 (36%) with snoring only. Results: Our results indicate a significant reduction of snoring in patients without OSA, but diminishing success in patients with increasing degrees of OSA. Additionally, LAUP was not efficacious in treating OSA: pre-op respiratory disturbance index (RDI) of 10.8 vs. post-op RDI of 19.5 for mild OSA (P = 0.14); pre-op RDI of 22.9 vs. post-op RDI of 25.4 for moderate OSA (P = 0.43); pre-op RDI of 56.8 vs. post-op RDI of 46.3 (P < 0.05), which is statistically but not clinically significant (i.e., RDI remained in the severe range). Conclusion: We conclude that LAUP is an effective treatment for nonapneic snoring, but does not provide sufficient resolution of OSA, and based on our results, LAUP should be considered as an adjunctive therapy rather than a sole treatment for OSA in most cases.
Examining the Relationship Between Scores on the Behavioral and Emotional Screening System and Student Academic, Behavioral, and Engagement Outcomes: An Investigation of Concurrent Validity in Elementary School

Universal screening of emotional and behavioral problems among students warrants further consideration by school professionals. School-based universal screening may provide opportunities for early identification and intervention, ultimately preventing the development of more severe problems and promoting more positive outcomes in the future. The Behavioral and Emotional Screening System (BESS) is a contemporary screening instrument that may be used to identify risk for emotional and behavioral problems in students from preschool to high school. The purpose of the present study was to examine the concurrent validity of the BESS in elementary school settings. Specifically, this study examined the relation between BESS ratings and report-card outcomes (i.e., academic, behavioral, and engagement marks). The results supported the hypotheses that students’ risk-level classifications were significantly related to school-based outcome criterions and that school-based outcome criterions were deemed to be effective discriminators of students’ risk-level classification. Limitations, future directions for research, and implications for practice are discussed herein.
Loss of Myt1 function partially compromises endocrine islet cell differentiation and pancreatic physiological function in the mouse

Myelin transcription factor 1 (Myt1) is one of the three vertebrate C2HC-type zinc finger transcription factors that include Myt1 (Nzf1), Myt1L (Png1), and Myt3 (Nzf3, St18). All three paralogs are widely expressed in developing neuronal cells. Yet their function for mammalian development has not been investigated directly. Here we report that only Myt1 is expressed in the embryonic pancreas, in both endocrine progenitors and differentiated islet cells. Myt1(-/-) animals die postnatally, likely due to confounding effects in multiple tissues. The endocrine tissues in the embryonic Myt1(-/-) pancreas contained abnormal islet cells that expressed multiple hormones; although hormone levels were normal. We also created pancreas-specific Myt1 knockout mice. These mutant animals had no obvious physical defects from their wild-type littermates. Male mutant animals had reduced glucose-clearing abilities and abnormal multi-hormone-expressing cells present in their endocrine islets. In addition, they also had reduced Glut2 expression, and attenuated glucose-induced insulin secretion in the adult islets. Surprisingly, the expression of the Myt1 paralogs, Myt1l and Myt3, was induced in the embryonic Myt1(-/-) pancreas. The consequences of Myt1 inactivation in the developing pancreas could be masked by activation of its paralogs, Myt1l and Myt3. These findings suggest Myt1 is involved in proper endocrine differentiation and function.
Adaptive contraction of diet breadth affects sexual maturation and specific nutrient consumption in an extreme generalist omnivore

Animals balance their intake of specific nutrients, but little is known about how they do so when foraging in an environment with toxic resources and whether toxic foods promote adaptations that affect life history traits. In German cockroach (Blattella germanica) populations, glucose aversion has evolved in response to glucose-containing insecticidal baits. We restricted newly eclosed glucose-averse (GA) and wild-type (WT) female cockroaches to nutritionally defined diets varying in protein-to-carbohydrate (P : C) ratio (3 : 1, 1 : 1, or 1 : 3) or gave them free choice of the 3 : 1 and 1 : 3 diets, with either glucose or fructose as the sole carbohydrate source. We measured consumption of each diet over 6 days and then dissected the females to measure the length of basal oocytes in their ovaries. Our results showed significantly lower consumption by GA compared to WT cockroaches when restricted to glucose-containing diets, but also lower fructose intake by GA compared to WT cockroaches when restricted to high fructose diets or given choice of fructose-containing diets. Protein intake was regulated tightly regardless of carbohydrate intake, except by GA cockroaches restricted to glucose-containing diets. Oocyte growth was completely suppressed in GA females restricted to glucose-containing diets, but also significantly slower in GA than in WT females restricted to fructose-containing diets. Our findings suggest that GA cockroaches have adapted to reduced diet breadth through endocrine adjustments which reduce requirements for energetic fuels. Our study illustrates how an evolutionary change in the chemosensory system may affect the evolution of other traits that govern animal life histories.
Alendronate Prevents Bone Loss and Improves Tendon-To-Bone Repair Strength in a Canine Model

Previously we showed a loss of bone and a concomitant decrease in mechanical properties in the first 21 days after flexor tendon insertion site injury and repair in a canine model. The goal of this short-term study was to suppress bone loss after insertion site repair using alendronate in an attempt to prevent the reduction in biomechanical properties. Flexor tendons of the second and fifth digits of the right forelimbs of canines were injured and repaired. Dogs received a daily oral dose of alendronate (2 mg/kg). One digit in each dog also received a local dose of alendronate in the bone tunnel at the time of surgery. The repair was evaluated for bone mineral density (BMD) and biomechanical properties and compared to data from a previous study in which no alendronate was used. Alendronate was effective in protecting the distal phalanx from resorption during tendon-to-bone healing (BMD was 94 and 104% of control for systemic alendronate and for systemic plus local alendronate, respectively). Alendronate treatment prevented much of the decrease in ultimate load that occurs in the first 21 days. Without treatment, ultimate load was 42% of control. With systemic alendronate treatment and systemic plus local alendronate treatment, ultimate load was 78 and 69% of control, respectively. Failure mode was significantly different when comparing alendronate treatment to repair alone. A lower incidence of suture pull through was found in alendronate treated dogs, suggesting less tendon degeneration. Ultimate load can be improved in association with preventing the bone loss that normally occurs during the early period following tendon-to-bone repair. These initial short-term data demonstrate the potential for a clinical treatment that could enhance tendon-to-bone healing.
Inhomogeneous continuum random trees and the entrance boundary of the additive coalescent

Regard an element of the set of ranked discrete distributions Δ := {(x 1, x 2,…):x 1≥x 2≥…≥ 0, ∑ i x i = 1} as a fragmentation of unit mass into clusters of masses x i . The additive coalescent is the Δ-valued Markov process in which pairs of clusters of masses {x i , x j } merge into a cluster of mass x i + x j at rate x i + x j . Aldous and Pitman (1998) showed that a version of this process starting from time −∞ with infinitesimally small clusters can be constructed from the Brownian continuum random tree of Aldous (1991, 1993) by Poisson splitting along the skeleton of the tree. In this paper it is shown that the general such process may be constructed analogously from a new family of inhomogeneous continuum random trees.
A theory of caring and dementia

This paper explores the applicability of Swanson's mid-range theory of caring to work with persons with dementing illness. The definition of caring and the caring process inductively derived by Swanson from research with samples of women in a perinatal context have relevance for both formal and informal caregivers of persons with dementia. The nature of severe dementia necessitates modifications in applying the theory. However, the well-being of this vulnerable population may be enhanced when practice and research are based on this rich conception of caring. This theory of caring provides structure to the sometimes amorphous characterization of an ethic of care and gives meaning and direction for work with persons affected by dementia.
Evidence for failure of V(D)J recombination in bone marrow pre-B cells from X-linked agammaglobulinemia.

Abstract X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) results from a failure of B lymphoid development. We have previously examined pre-B cell hybrids from three patients with XLA and found them to be limited to production of a novel germ line transcript of the Ig H chain locus composed of a leader sequence (LS) spliced to the constant region of mu chain (C mu) as mRNA and polypeptide. These transcripts result from transcriptional activation of the germ line heavy chain locus from an LS exon upstream of the embryonic JH locus. Germ line LS-C mu transcripts are produced by pre-B cells from normal bone marrow and fetal liver, indicating that they are products of normal pre-B cell development, as part of the process of transcriptional activation to provide access for the recombinase. Bone marrow from three patients with XLA has been examined directly by polymerase chain reaction amplification to determine whether the exclusive production of LS-C mu by XLA pre-B cell hybrids is representative of XLA pre-B cells. I report that LS-C mu is the predominant Ig molecule produced by XLA pre-B cells, with limited production of the D mu product of DJH intermediate stage of V(D)J recombination. Mature VHDJH recombinations were not detected with a variety of primers that amplify VH sequences. I conclude that XLA is associated with a limitation in V(D)J recombination that may cause the failure of pre-B cell development.
Transmural Myocardial Infarction with Arteriographically Normal Appearing Coronary Arteries

Two patients with electrocardiographic and clinical manifestations of transmural myocardial infarction, who subsequently were shown to have arteriographically normal appearing coronary arteries, are described. The etiology of the apparent myocardial infarction in these patients was not determined.
Immunological and microbiological factors in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis

Among the several pathological events that lead to the formation of an atheromatous lesion, endothelial cell damage, smooth muscle cell proliferation, and foam cell formation, are considered as particularly significant. In this review we summarize data suggesting that immunological and microbial factors may cause, directly or indirectly, these pathological events. Binding of immunocomplexes to endothelial cells, phagocytic cells, platelets, or erythrocytes could be the starting point for a variety of circuits leading to endothelial cell cytotoxicity and to the release of a variety of mediators, including cell proliferative factors. Endothelial cell toxicity could also be induced, directly or indirectly, by endotoxin; however, the possibility that endotoxin and other microbial factors may induce abnormalities in lipid metabolism at the monocyte/macrophage level which eventually result in intracellular accumulation of cholesterol (particularly if cholesterol levels are elevated) is specially attractive as a potential pathogenic mechanism. The various pathologic pathways discussed in this review appear plausible on the basis of our current knowledge and point to the need to investigate the potential role of infectious processes, autoimmune reactions, and administration of antigenic compounds as possible risk factors for the development of atherosclerosis.
Analyzing and minimizing effects of temperature variation and NBTI on active leakage power of power-gated circuits

Power-gating (PG) techniques have been widely used in modern digital ICs to reduce their standby leakage power during idle periods. Meanwhile, virtual supply voltage (VVDD) of a power-gated IC is a function of strength of a PG device and total current flowing through it. Thus, the VVDD level becomes susceptible to 1) negative bias temperature instability (NBTI) degradation that weakens the PG device over time and 2) temporal temperature variation that affects active leakage current (thus total current) of the IC. To account for the NBTI degradation, the PG device must be upsized such that it guarantees a minimum VVDD level that prevents any timing failure over chip lifetime. Moreover, the PG device is also sized for the worst-case voltage drop partly resulted by a large amount of active leakage current at high temperature. However, increasing the size of the PG device to consider both effects leads to higher VVDD (thus active leakage power) than necessary at low temperature and/or in early chip lifetime. To minimize active leakage power increase due to these effects, we propose two techniques that adjust strength of a PG device based on its usage and IC's temperature at runtime. Both techniques are applied to an experimental setup modeling total current consumption of an IC in 32nm technology and their efficacy is demonstrated in the presence of within-die spatial process and temperature variations. On average of 100 die samples, they can reduce active leakage power by up to 10% in early chip lifetime.
Akinetopsia, achromatopsia and blindsight: Recent studies on perception without awareness

The neural substrate of early visual processing in the macaque is used as a framework to discuss recent progress towards a precise anatomical localization and understanding of the functional implications of the syndromes of blindsight, achromatopsia and akinetopsia in humans. This review is mainly concerned with how these syndromes support the principles of organization of the visual system into parallel pathways and the functional hierarchy of visual mechanisms.
Classification of normal and infarcted myocardium based on statistical analysis of high-frequency intracardiac ultrasound rf signal

Myocardial structural changes caused by infarction / reperfusion may result in increased scatterer density and variation of scatterer arrangement in ultrasound imaging. Homodyned K (HD_K) distribution is employed in this paper to model the backscattered signal from both normal and reperfused infarcted myocardium and is used to characterize them. Statistical testing showed that among the Rayleigh, K, Nakagami and Homodyned K distributions, the Homodyned K distribution is the best model to describe ultrasound signal backscattered from both normal and infarcted reperfused myocardium. Using HD_K distribution, in vivo demodulated RF data (8.5MHz) from anterior myocardial wall, as imaged from both left and right ventricle at baseline and after infarction/reperfusion, were analyzed. Significant increase of scatterer density in reperfused infarcted myocardium has been found compared to the normal myocardium. We concluded that HD_K distribution has potential to distinguish reperfused infarcted myocardium from normal using high frequency ultrasound imaging, irrespective of LV or RV data acquisition.
To prevent another world war : truth detection

The argument is simple: given matched power, at any level from maximal armament to none at all, opposing nations will resort to actual warfare overwhelmingly as a result of mistrust of the other or of misunderstanding resulting from false information-either suspected or actual. My solution is to insure that public or other official statements made by key figures are indeed true. This can be done with available lie detection techniques if national leaders will submit to them. Given an agreement to try, the operational procedures and instrumental techniques could readily be tested and perfected in real life situations of lesser moment than international warfare.
Households: A systematic unit of analysis through history

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to extend and apply the systems model of the household proposed by Dixon, his colleagues, and his students to situations in which vulnerable consumers are not able to follow the purely rational models of economics. The case of homeless families is examined.Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a literature review, an introduction of Baker et al.'s concepts of consumer normalcy and consumer vulnerability, and an application of expanded model to consumer studies of homeless persons published by Ronald Hill and his colleagues.Findings – The same household systems models might be used to unfold the complex problems that can undermine the functioning in a household, causing it to be unproductive and potentially fail. Applications of the concepts of “consumer normalcy” and “consumer vulnerability” provide a useful platform to develop public policy recommendations, the example of homeless persons will be considered as an illustration.Research limitations/implicat...
Bridge Orientation as a Selector of Intermolecular Interactions in a Series of Crystalline Isomeric Benzylideneanilines

Comparison of the crystal structures of compounds we have designated “bridge-flipped isomers,” which on the molecular level differ only in the orientation of a bridge of atoms connecting two larger parts of the molecule, offers a useful context for the examination and evaluation of intermolecular interactions and their robustness as supramolecular synthons. Intermolecular interactions in the crystal structures of five pairs of bridge-flipped isomeric benzylideneanilines are examined here, including interactions between nitrile groups and ring hydrogen atoms, between halogen atoms, and between nitrile groups and halogen atoms. Of these, only the halogen−nitrile interaction in which the halogen is iodine is present in both bridge-flipped isomers of the pair, although its influence on the molecular packing arrangement is insufficient to compel the two isomers to assume identical packing arrangements. Pairwise analysis of crystal structures of bridge-flipped isomers thus provides a perspective beyond that pro...
Selecting Project Portfolios by Optimizing Simulations

New advances in the area of simulation optimization allow managers to go beyond traditional ranking rules, CAPM, and real options analysis in order to select optimal sets of projects to fund. Furthermore, these advances make use of portfolio performance measures and goals that can be defined to directly relate to corporate strategy and are easy to communicate and understand. We present a real-world example to illustrate this methodology.
Multiplexed microsatellite loci in American crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos): A severely affected natural host of West Nile virus

Recent advances in high throughput molecular techniques have allowed the development of cost- and time-effective libraries of molecular markers, such as microsatellites, for population genetic studies in non-model species. The American crow, Corvus brachyrhynchos, is recognized to be one of the species that has been most negatively affected by the emergence of West Nile virus (WNV) in North America in 1999. Genetic monitoring of the process of a declining population after the introduction of an infectious disease can provide insights into the demographic and evolutionary impact of a pathogen in a natural host population over time. In this study, shotgun pyrosequencing and validation of previously published cross-species markers were the approaches used to identify and develop a set of 32 polymorphic loci for the C. brachyrhynchos. Since the American crow is morphologically similar to the sympatric species Fish crow (Corvus ossifragus), we also designed a real-time PCR protocol to rapidly differentiate these two species using a set of primers and probes that can discriminate a section of the COI gene at the mitochondrial DNA. These new markers together with a faster method for species verification will allow further detailed studies to characterize and compare genetic diversity of historic and contemporary C. brachyrhynchos populations.
The Structural Basis of Gating Currents: Insights from Fluorescence Spectroscopy

The S4-based voltage sensor found in voltage-gated ion channels and in voltage dependent phosphatases plays a fundamental role in controlling cellular excitability. Although recently the combination of electrophysiology, mutagenesis, spectroscopy and X-ray crystallography have delineated the basic molecular correlates of the voltage sensor operation, we still are far from understanding the physical basis of the sensing (gating) currents. The study of sensing currents show that the sensor visits three main states: Resting, Active and Relaxed (inactivated). Furthermore, between the Resting and Activestatesthere is at least another major state that can be modulated by mutations. In addition, we know with a fair degree of precision, the kinetics and magnitude of the charge moving among the different states. However, the structural correlates of these states and transitions are for the most part unknown. Fluorescence spectroscopy , concomitant with electrophysiology, has been used to detect conformational changes. Thus, local changes within the sensor are detected by following modifications in the environment of a fluorophore probe situated in specified sites and changes in conformations have been detected and quantified as intramolecular distance changes using the LRET technique. These techniques are especially critical in characterizing the short-lived Active state that is populated by positive potentials and spontaneously decays to the Relaxed state within tens to hundreds of milliseconds. As the Relaxed state is stable, it is most likely the state that X-ray crystallography has caught. Fluorescence spectroscopy confirmed that indeed there are three main states and that they each correspond to different conformations of the voltage sensor. In addition, it has provided the kinetics of the conformational changes and estimates of the relative movements of the voltage sensor while evolving from Resting to Active to Relaxed. Support: NIHGM030376.
An expedient synthesis of α-fluoro-β-ketoesters

Abstract Acylation of fluorocarboethoxymethylene tri- n -butylphosphorane (4) followed by hydrolysis under mild basic conditions provides the title compounds (6) in good yields.
Integration of Electronic Books into Library Catalogs: The UIC Library Experience

ABSTRACT This article describes the experiences of the University of Illinois at Chicago Library in integrating vendor-supplied records of electronic books into the local catalog. It further proposes guidelines for accepting outsourced catalog records into the catalog, examines unique cataloging challenges presented by this electronic format, and describes how the cataloging was done for some e-book collections when vendor-supplied catalog records were unavailable.
Trennung von Salzlösungen mittels Hochtemperaturelektrodialyse

Elektrodialyseanlagen werden heute fur eine Vielzahl von Stofftrennungen, wie beispielsweise zur Meer- und Brackwasserentsalzung und zur Aufbereitung industrieller Prozes- und Abwasser eingesetzt. Da wesentliche Verfahrensparameter temperaturabhangig sind, konnen durch Temperaturerhohung die Anlagen- und/oder Betriebskosten gesenkt werden. Es wurden sowohl physikalisch-chemische Membrandaten als auch Verfahrensparameter bestimmt. — Bei der elektrodialytischen Meerwasserentsalzung kann durch Erhohung der Temperatur von 25°C auf 75°C der Membranbedarf um etwa 60% verringert und damit eine Senkung der Wasserkosten um 33% erreicht werden. — Fur die Trennung von Ammoniumsulfat in Ammoniak und Schwefelsaure wurde im Gegensatz zu den ublicherweise benutzten H2-entwickelnden Kathoden eine luftdepolarisierte Elektrode eingesetzt. Die dadurch erzielte Energieeinsparung betrug bei 25°C etwa 15 bis 20% und stieg bei Erhohung der Betriebstemperatur auf 50°C auf etwa 25% an. Electrodialysis plants are used for a number of separation processes, e. g. desalination of brackish water and seawater and recycling of industrial process and waste water. The main process parameters are temperature dependant, therefore the investment and/or operation costs can be decreased by temperature increase. Physico-chemical membrane data as well as process parameters were determined. - By increasing the temperature from 25°C to 75°C the required membrane area can be lowered by 60% and consequently the water costs will decrease by about 33%. — As far as the separation of ammonium sulphate in ammonia and sulfuric acid is concerned an air-depolarized electrode was examined in contrast to the hydrogen evolving cathodes which would be used normally. The energy saved hereby was 15 to 20% at 25°C and amounted to 25% at 50°C.
Development of an Instrument for Studying Flow in Computer Game Play

Flow theory (Csikszentmihalyi, 1993; Csikszentmihalyi & Csikszentmihalyi, 1990; Csikszentmihalyi & LeFevre, 1989) has been widely adopted in research on computer games (e.g., Fu, Su, & Yu, 2009; Sherry, 2004; Sweetser & Wyeth, 2005). According to this theory, flow leads to enjoyment, a central construct in computer games. However, no such instrument, adopting a rigorous process to measure all flow elements in the field of computer games, has been developed and validated to date. An effective measurement of flow experiences during computer game play is essential to study how a flow state can be induced. It will assist game designers in understanding the strength and flaw of the game from a player's perspective. This article reports on the development of an instrument measuring all flow elements in computer game play, based on the flow theory, and following a rigorous method introduced by Moore and Benbasat (1991). The results show that the validity and reliability of the instrument are satisfactory. This i...
Cushing's syndrome in children.

Summary The literature of Cushing's syndrome or basophilism in children has been reviewed with particular reference to the seventeen cases which have come to post-mortem examination. An additional case in an 8-year-old white girl is reported, together with theclinical and post-mortem findings. The majority of the clinical and experimental evidence at present availablesuggests that the physiologic and pathologic changes in this syndrome are due to an imbalance of the hormones of the adrenal cortex. However, the role of the pituitary as a causative or initiating factor cannot be entirely discounted, in view of the fact that the hyaline change in the basophiles of this-gland is the most constant pathologic change in this disease. Further knowledge must be gained before this condition is thoroughly understood and before adequate treatment can be given.
The Unsteady Effect of Passing Shocks on Pressure Surface Versus Suction Surface Heat Transfer in Film-Cooled Transonic Turbine Blades

This paper documents the measurement of the unsteady effects of passing shock waves on film cooling heat transfer on both the pressure and suction surfaces of first stage transonic turbine blades with leading edge showerhead film cooling. Experiments were performed for several cooling blowing ratios with an emphasis on time-resolved pressure and heat flux measurements on the pressure surface. Results without film cooling on the pressure surface demonstrated that increases in heat flux were a result of shock heating (the increase in temperature across the shock wave) rather than shock interaction with the boundary layer or film layer. Time-resolved measurements with film cooling demonstrated that the relatively strong shock wave along the suction surface appears to retard coolant ejection there and causes excess coolant to be ejected from pressure surface holes. This actually causes a decrease in heat transfer on the pressure surface during a large portion of the shock passing event. The magnitude of the decrease is almost as large as the increase in heat transfer without film cooling. The decrease in coolant ejection from the suction surface holes did not appear to have any effects on suction surface heat transfer.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Limitations on mndo and mndo/ci computations of activation barriers

Abstract The ability of MNDO and MNDO/CI for predicting activation barriers of unimolecular reactions is tested for decompositions of methane, ethane, nitromethane, and methyl nitrite. MNDO is not useful for this purpose; MNDO/CI gives energy barriers in agreement with experiment to about ±10 kcal mole for the types of reactions considered.
Attenuation of Zero Sound and the Low-Temperature Transitions in Liquid He 3

Peaks have been observed in the attenuation of zero sound at the "$A$" and "$B$" transitions below 3 mK in liquid $^{3}\mathrm{He}$. In a magnetic field the $A$ transition splits, exhibiting two narrow attenuation peaks. The attenuation peak at the $B$ transition seems to result from scattering localized at the interface between the two liquid phases.
Absence of Liver Damage in Chicks Hypoprothrombinemic Due to Vitamin K Deficiency or Ingestion of 3,3'-methylenebis (4-hydroxycoumarin)

Summary1. Hypoprothrombinemia was produced in chicks by feeding a vitamin K-free diet, or by adding dicumarol to a standard commercial diet. 2. The livers of these animals showed no gross or microscopic changes which would distinguish them from corresponding groups of control animals. 3. Fatty infiltration of the liver which occurred in some of the chicks was related to the synthetic diet employed; but was not related to the lack of vitamin K or choline, or to the degree of hypoprothrombinemia. 4. In chicks there can be produced severe hypoprothrombinemia un-associated with histologic evidence of liver damage demonstrable by the methods employed in this study.
Analysis of Elastic Stresses in Thick, Polar–Orthotropic, C-Shaped Rings:

The discrepancies observed in the measured strains and those calculated on the basis of a plane-stress elasticity solution for a thick, polar–orthotropic, C-shaped ring with end loading are investigated by finite element analysis (FEA). Thick C-rings are used as test specimens for determining the tensile radial strength of composite flywheel rotors. The C-ring is modeled in three dimensions and the strains predicted on the surface of the specimen are compared with the measured strains to validate the model. The discrepancies in the strains and stresses predicted by the planestress elasticity and 3-D finite element approaches are attributed to the Poisson’s effect, which gives rise to a significant variation of stresses and strains across the axial thickness. The discrepancies depend on the geometry of the specimen. Therefore, the effects of the geometric dimensions on the variation of stresses are studied using the 3-D FEA and a guideline is proposed for selecting a C-ring specimen geometry to have approx...
A neurobiological basis for nicotine withdrawal

Tobacco products have been used for >1,000 years, and the key active psychopharmacological ingredient, nicotine, has been studied for almost 200 years (1, 2). The health hazards of tobacco use have been studied and documented extensively in dozens of reports from U.S. Surgeons General, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and other government offices, as well by not-for-profit organizations, epidemiologists, physicians, psychologists, nurses, and others. Nicotine also has received an extraordinary amount of research attention for its role in tobacco use and as a possible treatment for physical and mental health disorders. Therefore, it is noteworthy and impressive when a new investigation of nicotine makes a meaningful contribution to the research literature. The article by George et al. (3) in a recent issue of PNAS does just that. These investigators address the critical, and poorly understood, biological mechanism for the nicotine abstinence syndrome (or nicotine “withdrawal”). They make a sound argument that corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF)–CRF1 system activation underlies nicotine withdrawal. They also suggest that this system is the biological basis of negative reinforcement that plays a key role in difficulty abstaining from tobacco and in relapsing to tobacco use. If correct, then this article is a watershed paper in the science of nicotine addiction and suggests new pharmaceutical directions to help tobacco users abstain.
Magnetic stirling cycles--A new application for magnetic materials

There is the prospect of a fundamental new application for magnetic materials as the working substance in thermodynamic cycles. Recuperative cycles which use a rare-earth ferromagnetic material near its Curie point in the field of a superconducting magnet appear feasible for applications from below 20K to above room temperature. The elements of the cycle, advanced in an earlier paper, are summarized. The basic advantages include high entropy density in the magnetic material, completely reversible processes, convenient control of the entropy by the applied field, the feature that heat transfer is possible during all processes, and the ability of the ideal cycle to attain Carnot efficiency. The mean field theory is used to predict the entropy of a ferromagnet in an applied field and also the isothermal entropy change and isentropic temperature change caused by applying a field. Results are presented for J=7/2 and g=2. The results for isentropic temperature change are compared with experimental data on Gd. Coarse mixtures of ferromagnetic materials with different Curie points are proposed to modify the path of the cycle in the T-S diagram in order to improve the efficiency or to increase the specific power.
Formaldehyde Formation in Large Bore Natural Gas Engines Part 1: Formation Mechanisms

Recent testing of exhaust emissions from large bore natural gas engines has indicated that formaldehyde (CH 2 O) is present in amounts that are significant relative to hazardous air pollutant standards. In consequence, a detailed literature review has been carried out at Colorado State University to assess the current state of knowledge about formaldehyde formation mechanisms and evaluate its applicability to gas engines. In this paper the following topics from that review, which bear directly on formaldehyde formation in natural gas engines, are discussed; (1) post combustion equilibrium concentrations; (2) chemical kinetics; (3) flame propagation and structure; (4) partial oxidation possibilities; and (5) potential paths for engine out formaldehyde. Relevant data taken from the literature on equilibrium concentrations and in-flame temperatures and concentrations are presented in graphical form. A map of possible paths for engine out formaldehyde is used to summarize results of the review, and conclusions relative to formation and destruction mechanisms are presented.
Solubilization of histamine H-1, GABA and benzodiazepine receptors.

Abstract Binding sites for histamine H-1, GABA and benzodiazepine receptors have been solubilized from mammalian brain membranes using, as detergents, digitonin for benzodiazepine and H-1 receptors and lysolecithin for GABA receptors. The dissociation constants for 3 H-mepyramine at histamine H-1 (1.5 nM), 3 H-muscimol at GABA (7 nM, 24 nM) and 3 H-flunitrazepam at benzodiazepine receptors (1.5 nM) are similar to values in membrane preparations. The relative and absolute potencies of various drugs in competing for 3 H-ligand binding to the three receptors are closely similar in the soluble and membrane bound states, indicating that the conformation of the receptor recognition site is maintained during solubilization. Maximal numbers of binding sites are about 50% of corresponding levels in the membrane bound state.