cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Superallowed nuclear beta decay: Precision measurements for basic physics

For 60 years, superallowed 0+→0+ nuclear beta decay has been used to probe the weak interaction, currently verifying the conservation of the vector current (CVC) to high precision (±0.01%) and anchoring the most demanding available test of the unitarity of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix (±0.06%), a fundamental pillar of the electroweak standard model. Each superallowed transition is characterized by its ft-value, a result obtained from three measured quantities: the total decay energy of the transition, its branching ratio, and the half-life of the parent state. Today’s data set is composed of some 150 independent measurements of 13 separate superallowed transitions covering a wide range of parent nuclei from 10C to 74Rb. Excellent consistency among the average results for all 13 transitions – a prediction of CVC – also confirms the validity of the small transition-dependent theoretical corrections that have been applied to account for isospin symmetry breaking. With CVC consistency establishe...
Geology of the San Benito Islands, Baja California, Mexico

The San Benito Islands, a group of three islands off the Pacific coast of Baja California, are of significant geologic interest because of their proximity to the continental crust—oceanic crust interface. The islands consist of a complexly folded and sheared eugeosynclinal sequence of graywacke, chert, basalt, altered basalt and carbonate, serpentine, and glaucophane rock. The western two thirds of West Island consist of a folded sequence of graywacke beds which are terminated on the east by a major shear zone, hereafter called the San Benito shear zone. The eastern third of the island consists of basalt, altered basalt, chert, sheared graywacke, and minor occurrences of glaucophane and serpentine. The areal relationship of these rocks is predominantly controlled by shearing. The distribution of rocks on Central Island and the northern third of East Island is also controlled by tectonic movements, with the same juxtaposition of rock types as occurs on the eastern third of West Island. The southern two thirds of East Island consist of large blocks of glaucophane-bearing rock embedded in serpentinite in a chaotic manner. West Island, Central Island, and the northern third of East Island are characterized by structural elements which generally trend N. 30°W. Both the anticlinal axes and the shear zone on West Island exhibit this trend, with the shear zone showing right-lateral movement. Structural elements east of the shear zone on West Island, on Central Island, and on northern East Island tend to swing to the north. The foliation of the remainder of East Island trends from north-south to N. 30°W. and faulting is apparently random in direction. Tectonic movements have affected the islands during the Pleistocene, as evidenced by at least three levels of elevated terraces which are tilted in different directions on the three islands. Bathymetric surveys around the islands suggest the presence of other terraces below the present sea level as well as the extension of the San Benito shear zone to the north. The bathymetric survey also indicates the possible termination to the south of the folded graywacke sequence on West Island. From field investigations it is concluded that at least some of the bedded chert on the San Benito Islands is a product of the chertification of graywacke beds and that most of the glaucophane-bearing rock is a metamorphosed graywacke. The association of rocks on the San Benito Islands is strikingly similar to the Franciscan rocks of California and is therefore tentatively identified as such.
Androgen regulation of nuclear poly(A) polymerase activities in rat ventral prostate.

Abstract The existence of nucleoplasmic and chromatin bound forms of poly(A) polymerase in the rat ventral prostate has been demonstrated. The levels of the prostate chromatin and nucleoplasmic poly(A) polymerase activities appeared to be under the influence of testosterone. Castration reduced both free and bound prostatic poly(A) polymerase activities to 30% of the normal values. Administration of testosterone to castrated rat resulted in increases in both nuclear poly(A) polymerase activities at 2–4 h after androgen replcement. The results suggest that post-transcriptional processing is under androgenic control.
Planned short-term psychotherapy: Current status and future challenges

Abstract The history and rationale of planned short-term psychotherapy is reviewed in the process of considering its optimal future development. To judge by the early literature on the topic, planned short-term psychotherapy (often as short as one session) began either as an interesting anomaly or as a second-best treatment whose justification was the chronic mismatch between the supply and demand of traditional time-unlimited therapy. In recent years, the growing appeal and remarkable effectiveness of brief psychotherapy have been repeatedly documented, and the field is now achieving all the hallmarks of a professional subspecialty in its own right. Future development of planned short-term psychotherapy will depend on recruiting young mental-health professionals who have been trained in short-term therapy techniques, in encouraging increased flexibility in planning the therapeutic enterprise, and in rewarding therapeutic effectiveness and efficiency.
Development of an integrated nodal model for the 1-D multigroup diffusion equation

Abstract An integrated nodal model was described for the 1-D multigroup diffusion equation. The finite-difference method (FDM) and the diffusion theory nodal method (DTNM) were used to solve the diffusion equation. The partial currents were used at the nodal interfaces and the diffusion theory boundary conditions were applied at the external boundaries. The use of the partial currents at the nodal interfaces was essential to the development of the integrated nodal model. The interface partial currents allow the program user to choose any combination of the two aforementioned methods of solution, to change models while the calculation continues, or to use both methods simultaneously. Different cases of a sample problem were investigated. The results showed a perfect flux match at the nodal interfaces between the two methods of solution. The flux match at the interfaces was the result of using the partial currents.
Can amiodarone pulmonary toxicity be predicted in patients undergoing implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation

Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD)implantation is rapidly becoming accepted as primary therapy for malignant ventricular arrhythmias. Many patients undergoing ICD implantation are on concomitant antiarrhythmic drugs to decrease shock frequency, slow tachycardia rate, and suppress supraventricular arrhythmias. Amiodarone is a potent antiarrhythmic agent that is also frequently used in the treatment of patients with refractory ventricular arrhythmias. Ten to forty percent of patients undergoing ICD implantation will also be taking amiodarone. It has been reported to cause pulmonary toxicity in about 5% of patients per year. Acute amiodarone toxicity presenting as adult respiratory distress syndrome has been reported much less frequently. Although perioperative morbidity due to amiodarone has been described, the risk, predictability, and consequences of acute pulmonary toxicity from amiodarone in patients undergoing ICD implantation have not been previously described. We reviewed the records of 99 consecutive patients undergoing ICD implantation at our institution from October 1987 to April 1992. Thirty-nine patients were taking 480 ± 230 mg of amiodarone (median 400 mg, lower 20th percentile 400 mg, upper 80th percentile 800 mg)for 291 ± 554 days prior to ICD implantation. Ten patients taking amiodarone developed acute pulmonary toxicity clinically manifesting as diffuse pulmonary infiltrates on chest radiography and adult respiratory distress syndrome with hypoxia (arterial pO2 < 60 mmHg)without evidence of pneumonia or elevated pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCW ±15 mmHg). Of the 60 patients not taking amiodarone none developed adult respiratory distress syndrome. There was no relationship between the clinical variables of age, type of anesthesia, ejection fraction, dose or duration of amiodarone use, number of intraoperative ICD test shocks, operative time, or intraoperative FIO2. Compared to patients on amiodarone who did not develop toxicity, patients with amiodarone pulmonary toxicity had prolonged intensive care unit stays (17.1 ± 16.9 days vs 3.5 ± 1.5 days, P < 0.001), as well as prolonged ventilator dependence (9.1 ± 18.7 days vs 0.9 ± 1.1 days. P = 0.02). Acute amiodarone pulmonary toxicity resulted in a widely variable clinical syndrome that occurred 1–5 days after surgery. In conclusion, pulmonary toxicity was not predicted by clinical orhemodynamic variables, results in markedly prolonged ventilator dependence and intensive care unit stays, and may result in death.
Two‐effective‐source method for the calculation of in‐air output at various source‐to‐detector distances in wedged fields

A simple algorithm was developed for calculation of the in-air output at various source-to-detector distances (SDDs) on the central axis for wedged fields. In the algorithm we dealt independently with two effective sources, one for head scatter and the other for wedge scatter. Varian 2100C with 18 and 8 MV photon beams was used to examine this algorithm. The effective source position for head scatter for wedged fields was assumed to be the same as that for open fields, and the effective source position for wedge scatter was assumed to be a certain distance upstream from the physical location of the wedge. The shift of the effective source for wedge scatter, w, was found to be independent of field size. Moreover, we observed no systematic dependency of w on wedge angle or beam energy. One value, w=5.5 cm, provided less than 1% difference in in-air outputs through the whole experimental range, i.e., 6×6 to 20×20 cm 2 field size (15×20 cm 2 for 60° wedge), 15°–60° wedge angle, 80–130 cm SDD, and both 18 and 8 MV photon beams. This algorithm can handle the case in which use of a tertiary collimator with an external wedge makes the field size for the determination of wedge scatter different from that for head scatter. In this case, without the two-effective-source method, the maximum of 4.7% and 2.6% difference can be given by the inverse square method and one-effective-source method in a 45° wedged field with 18 MV. Differences can be larger for thicker wedges. Enhanced dynamic wedge (EDW) fields were also examined. It was found that no second effective source is required for EDW fields.
Modulation of anti-tumor lymphocyte function by neurotransmitter glutamate

Meeting abstracts Most research to date pertaining to neural influence on immune response involves immunosuppression via the anti-inflammatory pathway. However, there is emerging evidence indicating that neurotransmitters have the ability to promote immune activation. We are investigating whether
MANAGING UNEMPLOYMENT: THE ROLE OF UNION BUSINESS AGENTS AND THE USE OF WORK SHARING*

When work sharing was proposed in the United States in the early 1930s, unions rejected the idea as “misery sharing.” Forty years later, California unions overwhelmingly accepted a short-time program known as Shared Work Unemployment Insurance, in spite of its conflict with the seniority provisions of labor contracts. This paper examines the role of union business agents in the decision to use the California program. Using agents' reports of program acceptance and rejection, I conclude that workers accept work sharing because they face labor cutbacks under duress, and because agents play an important role in flexibly administering seniority rules. But workers reject the program when senior workers rely heavily upon full-time earnings or believe management to be acting in bad faith. I also find that, although agents and workers may have diverging interests, when it comes to unemployment, their interests are similar and they share a similar fate.
Dislocation-crack edge interaction in dynamic brittle fracture and crack propagation

Abstract Due to the formation of small inelastic zones near crack edges, brittle fracture and crack propagation involve dislocation-crack edge interaction. An approximate transient solution for a single screw dislocation moving near a propagating Mode III crack is obtained here, and used to study dislocation arrays which exist prior to fracture in circular zones around the crack edge. Using dislocation force concepts, it is found that these dislocations coalesce into bands near the crack surface when fracture is triggered by SH-wave diffraction and, if their speeds exceed that of the crack edge, collapse onto the crack surface itself. Moreover, this dislocation motion has a noticeable if brief effect on the dynamic stress intensity factor.
Prejudice, exclusion, and compensating transfers: the economics of ethnic segregation

Abstract Prejudiced groups self-segregate and exclude others. This is observed in South African apartheid, in the exclusion of Eastern European or Muslim immigrants from Western Europe and in ghettos formed by immigrants in many countries. In the United States, minorities (mostly African Americans) are segregated in central cities and wealthier European Americans reside predominantly in the suburbs. A fully closed general equilibrium model of the last case is presented. The model treats land, labor and product markets. Most whites flee the inner city for white-dominated suburbs. This benefits blacks by lowering inner city rents relative to wages. When whites are weakly prejudiced, exclusion from the suburbs hurts whites as well as blacks. But when whites are strongly prejudiced, a lump sum endowment transfer from whites to blacks can split the gains-from-trade: whites can pay transfers to blacks in exchange for blacks accepting exclusion. The transfer needed to compensate blacks is large if blacks are strongly hurt by exclusion and small if they are only slightly hurt. How much transfers to US central cities and to the poor compensate American blacks for the effects of exclusion is an open question.
Ergonomics in Academic Libraries

Examines ergonomics with particular reference to the libraries of Liverpool John Moores University and the City of Liverpool Community College, Central. Following a definition of ergonomics and analyses of the physical aspects of the human nervous systems and sense organs, investigates library layout and the design and positioning of furniture. Scrutinizes causes and effects of noise and light in libraries. Discusses environmental aspects and health hazards, and examines visual display units.
Economic Growth and Agriculture: An Evaluation of the Compensation Principle

The feasibility of a program to insure farmers against losses due to economic growth is explored. Adjustment problems in agriculture are similar to those of other sectors. The feasibility of a general compensation policy to insure farmers against losses due to economic progress is questioned on practical and theoretical grounds.
ENVIRONMENTAL TRENDS CREATE NEW PRESSURES ON HUMAN RESOUCES

The next decade will be one of significant human resource problems and opportunities. The successful corporation will be the one that makes human resources the driving force of long‐run strategic plans.
Fish Behavior in Relation to Passage through Hydropower Turbines: A Review

Abstract We evaluated the literature on fish behavior as it relates to passage of fish near or through hydropower turbines. Our goal was to foster compatibility of engineered systems with the normal behavior patterns of fish species and life stages such that passage into turbines and injury in passage are minimized. In particular, we focused on aspects of fish behavior that could be used for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) modeling of fish trajectories through turbine systems. Salmon smolts approaching dams are generally surface oriented and follow flow. They can be diverted from turbines by spills or bypasses, with varying degrees of effectiveness. Smolts typically become disoriented in dam forebays. Those smolts drawn into turbine intakes orient vertically to the ceilings but are horizontally distributed more evenly, except as they are affected by intake-specific turbulence and vortices. Smolts often enter intakes while oriented with their heads upstream, but they may change orientation in the flow f...
EVIDENCE FOR A NATURALLY OCCURING MINERALOCORTICOIDANTAGONIST IN CONGENITAL ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA (CAH)

EVIDENCE FOR A NATURALLY OCCURING MINERALOCORTICOIDANTAGONIST IN CONGENITAL ADRENAL HYPERPLASIA (CAH)
Form and Function of Habituation and Sensitization of Male Courtship in the Three-Spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus Aculeatus L.)

A model female stickleback presented to a territorial male with a nest usually results in the male courting the model with a series of zigzag movements followed by a leading to the nest entrance. Following such a display, a live gravid female might follow, enter the nest, spawn and leave permitting the male to fertilize the eggs. Frequently, however, the female is not ready to spawn, and the male continues to court until, at some point, he ceases courting that female at least for a short period of time and directs his attention to another female. We propose that mechanisms involved in the modulation of this behavior may include habituation and sensitization in a way that is analogous to that apparently involved in territorial aggression and predation. This study demonstrates that habituation and sensitization do influence the behavioral decrement and reinstatement respectively of male courtship of a female model, and it may be that the stickleback uses habituation as one means of curtailing courtship towards unresponsive females, thus conserving energy and permitting redeployment of attention to other, possibly more responsive, females.
Psst: a web-based system for tracking political statements

Determining candidates' views on important issues is critical in deciding whom to support and vote for; but finding their statements and votes on an issue can be laborious. In this paper we present PSST, (Political Statement and Support Tracker), a search engine to facilitate analysis of political statements and votes over time. We show that prior tools for text analysis can be combined with minimal manual processing to provide a first step in the full automation of this process.
Melanoma survivorship: research opportunities

Introduction The rising incidence and mortality rates of melanoma, the most fatal form of skin cancer, are among the greatest increases of all preventable cancers over the past decade. However, because of recent advances in early detection, secondary prevention efforts, and treatment, the number of melanoma survivors is increasing. Little research has been conducted on melanoma survivors and important opportunities exist for research in this understudied population. Here, we outline the important research opportunities related to the study of melanoma survivorship and summarize the paucity of literature currently available.
Mycotic Cervical Carotid Artery Aneurysms: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Mycotic cervical carotid artery aneurysms are rare. We report one case successfully treated by resection and reconstruction with a saphenous vein interposition graft. A review of the English world literature revealed 22 additional cases. Principles of management include appropriate and timely antibiotic use, resection of the aneurysm, debridement of all infected tissue, and restoration of arterial continuity with autogenous tissue through uninvolved tissue planes.
Tissue ablation at 10 GHz vs. 1.9 GHz: Ex vivo experiments demonstrate comparable ablation zones

We demonstrate the feasibility of using high-frequency microwaves for tissue ablation by comparing the performance of a 10 GHz microwave ablation system with that of a 1.9 GHz system. Two floating sleeve antennas operating at these frequencies were designed and fabricated for use in ex vivo experiments with bovine liver. Each ablation experiment was conducted at an RF power level of 50 W for approximately 15 minutes. The 10 GHz and 1.9 GHz experiments resulted in comparable ablation zone dimensions (7.5 cm × 5cm and 9.5 cm × 6cm, respectively). These experiments show that, contrary to prior consensus, high-frequency microwave antennas may be in fact used to create reasonably large ablation zones. Higher frequencies offer the advantage of smaller antenna size, which leads to less intrusive interstitial devices or more compact multi-element arrays with uniform heating patterns.
Blue-Phase Liquid Crystals for Reflective Projection Displays

A reflective projection display based on blue phase liquid crystal (BPLC) is proposed. The fast response time of BPLC enables color sequential projection display while suppressing color breakup. Methods for reducing the operation voltage of BPLC are also discussed.
Co-expression of metabotropic glutamate receptor type 1alpha with homer-1a/Vesl-1S increases the cell surface expression of the receptor

Homer-1a is a 30 kDa protein that forms part of a family of conserved Homer-related proteins that interact with the C-termini of the metabotropic glutamate receptors mGluR1alpha and mGluR5a. Analysis of HEK-293 cells by PCR showed that they contained mRNA coding for members of the Homer family with the predominant form being Homer-1b, which is consistent with the immunochemical analysis of these cells. Homer-1a could not be detected by immunochemical analysis. To examine the function of Homer-1a, HEK-293 cells were transfected with cDNA encoding mGluR1alpha or Homer-1a or co-transfected with both cDNAs. When cells were co-transfected with the cDNAs for both proteins, immunofluorescent staining and biotinylation of cell surface molecules revealed a significant increase in the amount of receptor present at the cell surface in contrast to cells transfected with mGluR1alpha cDNA alone. This finding was consistent with a concomitant increase in the production of inositol phosphates after treatment of the doubly transfected cells with agonist. Intracellular immunostaining for both proteins revealed that they were co-localized and underwent a redistribution into a large vesicular compartment when they were co-expressed.
TAT-mediated protein transduction into human corneal epithelial cells: p15(INK4b) inhibits cell proliferation and stimulates cell migration.

Purpose The cell cycle inhibitor p15(INK4b) has been localized in migrating corneal epithelial cells. In this study, TAT-fusion protein technology was used to transduce p15(INK4b) into human corneal epithelial cells to examine the effect on cell proliferation and migration. Methods Human p15(INK4b), obtained by RT-PCR, was cloned into a TAT-HA vector, and the fusion protein was purified from bacteria transformed with the TAT-HA-p15 construct. Various dilutions of TAT-HA-p15 were applied to primary human corneal epithelial cells to test potency. In addition, the effect of exposure time was examined. Cells were labeled with bromodeoxyuridine to detect proliferation, and indirect immunofluorescence was performed. Ki67 expression was also examined. To assay cell migration, human corneal epithelial cells were plated inside a cylinder and exposed to TAT-HA-p15. The cylinder was removed, the cells were allowed to spread for 2 days, and the area of cell coverage was calculated. TAT-HA-beta-galactosidase served as the control in all experiments. Finally, the extent of retinoblastoma protein phosphorylation was assayed by Western blot in cells cultured with and without TAT-HA-p15. Results TAT-HA-p15 was successfully transduced into primary human corneal epithelial cells. TAT-HA-p15 decreased proliferation in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. The migration assay showed that TAT-HA-p15 stimulated cell migration 1.8-fold. TAT-HA-beta-galactosidase had no effect on proliferation or migration. Finally, TAT-HA-p15 decreased the level of phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein by 4.9-fold. Conclusions Active p15(INK4b) can be efficiently transduced into primary human corneal epithelial cells using TAT-fusion protein technology. p15(INK4b) appears to be sufficient to inhibit corneal epithelial cell proliferation and to stimulate cell migration.
Context-Dependence of Auditors' Interpretations of the SFAS No. 5 Probability Expressions*

. Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No. 5 requires accrual of contingent losses which are deemed probable. This disclosure criterion is intended to be applied uniformly across a variety of contexts. We performed an experiment which examined whether audit managers' interpretations of the SFAS No. 5 probability expressions are influenced by one contextual feature, event base rate. Counter to the intention of the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), interpretations of the expression probable were positively associated with event base rate. Resume. Le SFAS no 5 exige l'imputation a l'exercice des pertes eventuelles qui sont jugees «probables». La regle ainsi etablie veut que ce critere de presentation d'information soit applique uniformement dans des contextes tres divers. Les auteurs procedent a une experience dans le cadre de laquelle ils examinent si la facon dont les responsables de mission interpretent la gamme de probabilites, au sens du SFAS no 5, est influencee par une caracteristique contextuelle, la frequence relative de l'evenement. Contrairement au resultat vise par le FASB, les interpretations du terme «probable» sont en relation positive avec la frequence relative de l'evenement.
Calibrating Translational Cancer Research: Collaboration without Consensus in Interdisciplinary Laboratory Meetings

Based on an original ethnographic study of a translational cancer research institute in the United States, we propose calibration as a process that makes interdisciplinary collaboration without con...
Chemical decomposition of urinary stones during holmium-laser lithotripsy: I. Lack of a photomechanical effect

The Ho:YAG laser commonly used for clinical lithotripsy of urinary stones typically emits 250-microsecond pulses at a wavelength of 2.12 micrometer and repetition rates of up to 10 Hz. This pulse duration is longer than the time required for a pressure wave to propagate beyond the optical penetration depth of this wavelength in water. Fast-flash photography was used to study the dynamics of urinary stone fragmentation by the Ho:YAG laser. Stone ablation began approximately 50 microseconds after the onset of the laser pulse, long before the collapse of the cavitation bubble at about 350 microseconds. Pressure measurements, made with a PVDF needle- hydrophone and correlated with the fast-flash images, indicated that the peak acoustical transient was less than 2 bars. Regardless of fiber orientation to the stone, no shockwaves were recorded at the beginning of the bubble, and the maximum pressure waves recorded at bubble collapse were approximately 20 bars. However, no fragmentation occurred during or subsequent to the bubble collapse. The measurements indicated that stone ablation was not due to a photomechanical effect.
Evaluation and Synthesis of Polar Aryl- and Heteroaryl Spiroazetidine-Piperidine Acetamides as Ghrelin Inverse Agonists

Several polar heteroaromatic acetic acids and their piperidine amides were synthesized and evaluated as ghrelin or type 1a growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHS-R1a) inverse agonists. Efforts to improve pharmacokinetic and safety profile was achieved by modulating physicochemical properties and, more specifically, emphasizing increased polarity of our chemical series. ortho-Carboxamide containing compounds provided optimal physicochemical, pharmacologic, and safety profile. pH-dependent chemical stability was also assessed with our series.
Experimental evaluation of molecular dynamics simulations on multi-core systems

Multi-core processors introduce many challenges both at the systemand application levels that need to be addressed in order to attain the best performance.In this paper, we study the impact of the multi-core technologies inthe context of two scalable, production-level molecular dynamics simulationframeworks. Experimental analysis and observations in this paper provide for abetter understanding of the interactions between the application and the underlyingsystem features such as memory bandwidth, architectural optimization,and communication library implementation. In particular, we observe that parallelefficiencies could be as low as 50% on quad-core systems while a set ofdual-core processors connected with a high speed interconnect can easily outperformthe same number of cores on a socket or in a package. This indicates thatcertain modifications to the software stack and application implementations arenecessary in order to fully exploit the performance of multi-core based systems.
Constitutive endocytosis of the metabotropic glutamate receptor mGluR7 is clathrin-independent

Metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs) are G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) that are widely expressed throughout the brain and are involved in synaptic development, transmission, and plasticity. The endocytosis of several members of the GPCR superfamily of receptors, such as β-adrenergic receptors, has been studied extensively. In contrast, the mechanisms regulating mGluR endocytosis and intracellular trafficking remain poorly defined. We describe here for the first time a distinct endocytic and intracellular sorting pathway utilized by mGluR7. We show that mGluR7 constitutively internalizes via a non-clathrin mediated pathway in heterologous cells and in neurons. Unlike clathrin-mediated NMDAR endocytosis, mGluR7 traffics via an Arf6-positive endosomal pathway, similar to other well-characterized proteins such as major histocompatibility complex class I (MHC I) and the GPI-anchored protein CD59. Thus constitutive endocytosis of mGluR7 in neurons is not regulated by clathrin-dependent mechanisms, and this clathrin-independent pathway ultimately determines the amount of receptor present on the plasma membrane available to bind and respond to glutamate.
Sickle cell disease--pathophysiology and treatment.

Progress in the management of SCD has been steady over the last 30 years and is reflected in the impressive improvement in life expectancy and quality of life over the same period—1978 through 2003. 1 Children have been the main beneficiaries of these improvements. A number of specific milestones have been responsible for the progress. Prophylactic penicillin, the development and dissemination of protocols for the management of febrile episodes, and the recognition of acute chest syndrome as an important cause of illness and death have improved care and probably reduced mortality. The use of transfusions for primary and secondary stroke prevention and the use of hydroxyurea in severely affected children with SCD have reduced morbidity. Newborn screening and follow-up now exists across the United States, permitting the early institution of prophylactic penicillin and other preventive measures. Bone marrow transplantation, although currently limited to a small number of patients with matched siblings, has shown that a cure is possible in 85% so treated. 2 Also, one cannot overemphasize the importance of the education of increasingly well-informed and active parents, who are working alongside health care providers in improving the health and well-being of their children. These parents are providing care at home, seeking timely medical care, and advocating strongly for their children. Most research and advances apply directly to those individuals who have homozygous SCD and sickle- 0
Monoclonal IgA J539 binds galactopyranosyl antigens on its surface.

Murine monoclonal IgA J539 binds to methyl β-d-galactopyranoside. With nearly the same affinity, it binds to methyl 6-O-pivaloyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (4) and to methyl 6-O-β-d-gentiobiosyl-β-d-galactopyranoside (7). These observations confirm that the combining area of J539 is of the surface-, and not of the cavity-type.
Theoretical thermochemistry of homolytic C-C and C-Cl bond dissociations in unbranched perchloroalkanes

Proper description of the dispersion interactions that attenuate the closed-shell repulsions among chlorine atoms in n-perchloroalkanes requires an accurate treatment of long-range electron correlation effects. The presently known density functionals, which do not correctly account for such effects, grossly underestimate thermodynamic stability of these molecules, yielding the standard enthalpy of C−C bond dissociation in n-C4Cl10 as low as 20 kcal/mol. In contrast, the predictions of the CBS-4 scheme fail to reproduce the weakening of the C−C bonds that is experimentally observed in the higher members of the CnCl2n+2 homologous series. For the CCl4 and C2Cl6 the most reliable estimates of and are provided by the G2 and G2MP2 methods. The MP2/6-311G** level of theory (without ZPEs and finite-temperature corrections) appears at present to be the only viable, though quite inaccurate, theoretical approach to theoretical thermochemistry of larger chlorocarbons. At that level of theory, is predicted to decreas...
Farm practices for food safety: an emerging threat to floodplain and riparian ecosystems

Floodplain and riparian ecosystems are noteworthy for their biodiversity conservation value as well as for their widespread conversion to agriculture. Recent evidence indicates that the conversion of remaining habitat may be accelerating because of a new threat: on-farm practices meant to promote food safety. Nationwide, US fruit and vegetable farmers report being pressured by commercial produce buyers to engage in land-use practices that are not conducive to wildlife and habitat conservation, in a scientifically questionable attempt to reduce food-borne illness risk. We measured the extent of impacts from some of these practices in a leading produce-growing region of California. Over a 5-year period following an outbreak of toxic Escherichia coli from spinach, a crop grown extensively in the region, 13.3% of remaining riparian habitat was eliminated or degraded. If these practices were implemented statewide, across all crops, up to 40% of riparian habitat and 45% of wetlands in some counties would be aff...
Becoming Aware of Feelings: Integration of Cognitive-Developmental, Neuroscientific, and Psychoanalytic Perspectives

A fundamental ingredient of psychoanalytic treatment is the ability of the analysand to become consciously aware of his or her own emotional responses. We propose that the conscious awareness of emotion is a type of information processing that can be viewed as a separate domain of cognitive function, that the transition from unconscious (implicit) to conscious (explicit) aspects of emotion can be understood developmentally in the manner described by Piaget for cognitive functions generally, and that explicit emotional processes have a modulatory effect on implicit processes. We then present a parallel hierarchical model of the neural substrates of emotional experience supported by recent neuroimaging work. We describe how the neural substrates of implicit and explicit aspects of emotion are dissociable, and we discuss the neural substrates of implicit aspects of emotion, background feelings, focal attention to feelings, and reflective awareness of feelings. This framework constitutes an alternative to tra...
Evaluation of Amniotic-Derived Membrane Biomaterial as an Adjunct for Repair of Critical Sized Bone Defects

Introduction. Autogenous bone graft is the gold standard in reconstruction of bone defects. The use of autogenous bone graft is problematic because of limited bone as well as donor site morbidity. This study evaluates a novel biomaterial as an alternative to autogenous bone graft. The biomaterial is amniotic membrane, rich in growth factors. Methods. Twenty-one adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with biomaterial using the rat critical size femoral gap model. After creation of the critical size femoral gap animals were randomized to one of the following groups: Group 1 (control): gap left empty and received no treatment; Group 2 (experimental): the gap was filled with commercially available bone graft; Group 3 (experimental): the gap was filled with bone graft plus NuCel amniotic tissue preparation. Results. The experimental groups demonstrated new bone formation compared to controls. The results were evident on radiographs and histology. Histology showed Group 1 controls to have 11.1% new bone formation, 37.8% for Group 2, and 49.2% for Group 3. These results were statistically significant. Conclusions. The study demonstrates that amniotic membrane products have potential to provide bridging of bone defects. Filling bone defects without harvesting autogenous bone would provide a significant improvement in patient care.
Vitamin A-Choline Interrelationship.

SummaryThe highest level of free choline in rat livers was obtained from rats with a normal level of vit. A storage in their livers. Rat livers which contained an excessive amount or a deficient amount of vit. A had low concentrations of free choline.
The Myth of the “Turn” in Contrastive Rhetoric

Contrastive rhetoric scholarship researches rhetorical structures across languages to predict the difficulties experienced by students learning to write essays in a second language. The paradigmati...
Ultramafic inclusions and high-pressure xenocrysts in submarine basanitoid, equatorial Mid-Atlantic Ridge

A basanitoid dredged from near St. Paul's Rocks represents the first reported occurrence of an abyssal lava containing ultramafic xenoliths and high-pressure xenocrysts. The xenoliths include three separate populations. A suite of clinopyroxene-poor spinel-harzburgite and spinel-lherzolite inclusions have tectonite textures and highly refractory mineral compositions; these nodules probably represent residua from partial melting events unrelated to the host basanitoid. One harzburgite inclusion apparently accumulated from a tholeiitic magma and is also an accidental inclusion. Ultrabasic mylonites comprise a third xenolith group whose members are comparable to lithologies exposed on St. Paul's Rocks. A diverse xenocryst assemblage including labradoritebytownite, andesine, high-Ca pyroxene, low-Ca pyroxene, aluminous Cr-spinel, Cr-free aluminous spinel and Fe-Ti oxides, suggests at least two petro-genetic affinities. Fe-rich low-Ca pyroxene and Ca-rich plagioclase, together with the cumulate harzburgite xenolith, indicate the presence of a differentiated tholeiitic suite in the area. Most xenocrysts, including Ca-rich pyroxene, spinel and andesine have alkalic affinities consistent with crystallization at elevated pressure over a wide range in temperature. Both spinel populations are interpreted as cognate precipitates with Cr-free Al-spinels crystallizing above about 10 kb and aluminous Cr-spinels co-precipitating with plagioclase at lower pressures. Compared to the olivine-dominated, low-pressure phenocryst assemblage, extraction of the generally basaltic, aluminous clino-pyroxene-dominated assemblage at high pressure should have a minor effect on the major element differentiation of the host basanitoid magma.
Effect of simulated air-lift and conveyor leg takeaway systems on starch availability and in vitro dry matter disappearance of steam-flaked corn grain

Abstract An experiment was conducted to determine effects of simulated air-lift (AIR) and auger/drag-chain leg (LEG) takeaway systems on starch availability (SA) and in vitro dry matter disappearance (IVDMD) of steam-flaked corn grain. At a commercial feedlot in Texas (USA) on 3 different days, corn grain was steam flaked to a bulk density of 360 g/l. At three random times per day, grain was sampled beneath the rolls, with a portion allocated to initial measurement of flake color with the flake camera index system (FCIS). The remaining grain was allocated to the AIR and LEG treatments. For AIR, flaked grain was placed in a Styrofoam cooler, cooled to 37.8 °C, covered and stored for 4 h. For LEG, flaked grain was placed in a Styrofoam cooler, covered immediately and stored for 4 h. After the 4 h storage period, three random samples of corn grain from each treatment were analyzed for SA, flake color and IVDMD. The AIR samples had higher (P versus 0.313, respectively). Similarly, AIR samples had higher (P versus LEG samples. Correspondingly, half time of disappearance ( t 1/2 ) was higher (P=0.06), for AIR versus LEG samples. The FCIS measurements did not differ between initial and 4 h AIR and LEG samples. Results indicate that rate of cooling of freshly processed steam-flaked corn grain as influenced by simulated takeaway system may affect starch retrogradation. Whether the magnitude of these differences under commercial feedlot conditions elicits a difference in animal performance remains to be determined.
Massively parallel quantification of the regulatory effects of noncoding genetic variation in a human cohort

We report a novel high-throughput method to empirically quantify individual-specific regulatory element activity at the population scale. The approach combines targeted DNA capture with a high-throughput reporter gene expression assay. As demonstration, we measured the activity of more than 100 putative regulatory elements from 95 individuals in a single experiment. In agreement with previous reports, we found that most genetic variants have weak effects on distal regulatory element activity. Because haplotypes are typically maintained within but not between assayed regulatory elements, the approach can be used to identify causal regulatory haplotypes that likely contribute to human phenotypes. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of the method to functionally fine map causal regulatory variants in regions of high linkage disequilibrium identified by expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) analyses.
Review of electrical resistivity measurements of dense aluminum

Summary form only given. We have completed an analysis of recent experiments that were done at Los Alamos and other laboratories that measured the electrical resistivity of aluminum at conditions where the aluminum is in a dense, strongly coupled, plasma state. A plasma is strongly coupled when the parameter /spl Gamma/, defined as the ratio of the average potential energy between ions to their temperature, is >1. These plasmas occur naturally in the interiors of giant planets and brown dwarfs and on the surfaces of white dwarfs and neutron stars. They also occur in laboratory systems of high energy density whenever solid material is rapidly heated to plasma conditions, such as laser heated plasmas and ohmically heated metals. The properties of these plasmas cannot be treated using standard plasma theory, which treats the correlations among particles as a small effect. Many theories have been developed which predict the properties of such plasmas, but their is little data from experiments with which to compare. These experiments provide data for a comprehensive comparison of resistivity data with dense plasma theories. The experiments provide data under a wide range of conditions, from temperatures 1 for these experiments. In this presentation, we will present a comparison of the data with various theoretical predictions. From this comparison we will draw some conclusions concerning under what conditions some of the theories are adequate and other conditions where none of the theories appear to be accurate. Possible reasons for this continued discrepancy will be discussed.
Significance of Microstructure for a MOCVD-Grown YSZ Thin Film Gas Sensor

The authors report the fabrication and characterization of a low temperature (200--400 C) thin film gas sensor constructed from a MOCVD-grown yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) layer sandwiched between two platinum thin film electrodes. A reproducible gas-sensing response is produced by applying a cyclic voltage which generates voltammograms with gas-specific current peaks and shapes. Growth conditions are optimized for preparing YSZ films having dense microstructures, low leakage currents, and maximum ion conductivities. In particular, the effect of growth temperature on film morphology and texture is discussed and related to the electrical and gas-sensing properties of the thin film sensor device.
The Michaelis–Becker Reaction in Phosphonium and Imidazolium Ionic Liquids

The Michaelis–Becker reaction was performed in imidazolium ionic liquids using sodium hydroxide as base or sodium dialkylphosphites with good yield and selectivities. The analogous reaction performed in phosphonium ionic liquids resulted in decomposition to phosphine oxides.
Energy Efficiency of Fixed-Rate Wireless Transmissions under QoS Constraints

Transmission over wireless fading channels under quality of service (QoS) constraints is studied when only the receiver has perfect channel side information. Being unaware of the channel conditions, transmitter is assumed to send the information at a fixed rate. Under these assumptions, a two-state (ON-OFF) transmission model is adopted, where information is transmitted reliably at a fixed rate in the ON state while no reliable transmission occurs in the OFF state. QoS limitations are imposed as constraints on buffer violation probabilities, and effective capacity formulation is used to identify the maximum arrival rate that a wireless channel can sustain while satisfying statistical QoS constraints. Energy efficiency is investigated by obtaining the minimum bit energy and wideband slope expressions in both low-power and wideband regimes. The increased energy requirements due to the presence of QoS constraints are quantified. Comparisons with variable-rate/fixed-power and variable-rate/variable-power cases are given. Overall, an energy-delay tradeoff for fixed-rate transmission systems is provided.
War and the evolution of belligerence and bravery

Tribal war occurs when a coalition of individuals use force to seize reproduction-enhancing resources, and it may have affected human evolution. Here, we develop a population-genetic model for the coevolution of costly male belligerence and bravery when war occurs between groups of individuals in a spatially subdivided population. Belligerence is assumed to increase an actor's group probability of trying to conquer another group. An actor's bravery is assumed to increase his group's ability to conquer an attacked group. We show that the selective pressure on these two traits can be substantial even in groups of large size, and that they may be driven by two independent reproduction-enhancing resources: additional mates for males and additional territory (or material resources) for females. This has consequences for our understanding of the evolution of intertribal interactions, as hunter-gatherer societies are well known to have frequently raided neighbouring groups from whom they appropriated territory, goods and women.