cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single-strand nicking of DNA in vitro by neocarzinostatin and its possible relationship to the mechanism of drug action.

Abstract Neocarzinostatin, a protein antibiotic with anti-tumor activity was found to place single-strand scissions in DNA in an in vitro reaction. The drug's cutting activity was strongly dependent on the presence of 2-mercaptoethanol or dithiothreitol but some cutting did take place in the absence of reducing agent at very high drug levels and prolonged incubation. The requirement for reducing agents could not be replaced with NAD+, FAD, NADH or H2O2 and the strand-scission reaction was not affected by Mg2+, EDTA or intercalating agents. Similar profiles of heat-inactivation of neocarzinostatin were found whether activity was measured by the scission of DNA strands either in vitro or in HeLa cells treated with the drug. Furthermore, both of these parameters corresponded closely with the ability of the modified drug to inhibit DNA synthesis and growth of HeLa cells. By column isoelectric focusing it was shown that all four activities are associated with the same protein band (pH 3.28). From these data we conclude that the cytotoxic activity of neocarzinostatin and the nicking of DNA strands in vitro appear to reside in the same protein.
The efficacy of cetirizine hydrochloride on the pruritus of cats with atopic dermatitis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study.

Background Various antihistamines have been used in the management of feline atopic dermatitis, with variable reported benefit. To date, there have been no randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover clinical trials on the use of this drug class in cats. Hypothesis/objectives To evaluate the clinical efficacy of cetirizine hydrochloride for the control of pruritus and dermatitis in cats diagnosed with atopic dermatitis. Methods In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover clinical trial, 21 client-owned cats diagnosed with mild to moderate nonseasonal atopic dermatitis were randomly assigned to two groups. Cats in each group received either 1 mg/kg cetirizine hydrochloride or placebo once daily per os for 28 days followed by a 14 day wash-out period. Treatments were then crossed over, and cats received placebo or cetirizine hydrochloride for another 28 days. Owners marked a pruritus severity scale before inclusion in the study and weekly throughout the entire study period. Lesions were scored by the clinician using a Canine Atopic Dermatitis Extent and Severity Index (CADESI)-03 modified for the cat before enrolment and at day 28 of each treatment. Results Nineteen cats completed the study. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment with cetirizine hydrochloride and placebo for modified CADESI-03 or pruritus scores. Conclusion and clinical importance This study suggests that cetirizine hydrochloride cannot be recommended for the management of feline atopic dermatitis.
Differences in the expression of connexin genes in rat hepatomas in vivo and in vitro

Gap-junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) in normal rat liver cells involves at least three different connexins (Cxs)--Cx32, Cx26, Cx43--depending on the cell type, position in the lobule, or both. Whereas rat hepatocyte primary cultures expressed Cx32 and Cx26 as observed in vivo, cell lines derived from normal rat liver (WB-F344, Clone 9, RLEC, and BRL) expressed Cx43 and to a lesser extent Cx26. Hepatoma cells propagated in vitro were either deficient in GJIC and Cx expression (7777, 8994, H4IIE-C3) or communicated via gap junctions composed of Cx43 protein (N1S1-67, 9618A). Analysis of neoplasms that resulted from injection of hepatoma cells into rat femoral muscle showed differences in Cx expression when compared with cells grown in vitro. Whereas hepatoma cells 7777 and H4IIE-C3 failed to express Cx mRNAs in culture, these cells transplanted in vivo expressed levels of Cx32 mRNA comparable to those in normal liver. However, detectable Cx32 immunostaining was observed in less than 5% of the neoplastic cells in vivo. These results indicate that Cx32 protein was posttranscriptionally downregulated in 7777 and H4IIE-C3 tumor cells. Unexpectedly, 9618A cells expressed Cx43 mRNA and protein in cell culture but expressed Cx32 mRNA in vivo. In contrast, N1S1 transplants continued to express Cx43 mRNA and protein in vivo. Unlike the punctate Cx43 staining observed in suspension cultures of N1S1 cells, diffuse intracellular Cx43 staining was observed in N1S1-derived neoplasms in vivo, although the electrophoretic pattern of Cx43 isolated from N1S1 tumors grown in vivo (43 kDa) was different from that observed in suspension cell cultures (43 and 45 kDa). Thus, the findings reported here demonstrate that Cx expression in hepatoma cells depends on the environment, whether in vivo or in vitro, in which the cells are propagated.
Two-way sequential transductions and stack automata

A 2-way sequential transducer is a 2-way finite acceptor to which an output structure has been added. Such a device is considerably more complex than the usual 1-way sequential transducer, and it is shown that these transducers map both regular sets and context free languages into the context sensitive languages. Such a transducer is the simplest known which can map a list into its reversal or make duplicate copies of a list. In this paper unsolvability of equivalence is shown for a special class of nondeterministic 2-way sequential transducers, and it is shown that deterministic transducers are not so powerful as nondeterministic transducers. The properties of two-way transductions of regular-sets and context free languages are derived in detail and are shown to be similar to the corresponding properties of context free languages. Also, in this paper the intimate relationship between 2-way sequential transducers and 1-way stack automata is shown by presenting a new grammar which generates exactly the 1-way stack automata languages, and many of the properties of these grammars are derived.
Search for a four-pion resonance, and some decay modes of the ρ and ω-mesons

A search for four-pion resonances among six-prong annihilations of 1.61 GeV/c antiprotons in the Berkeley 72 in. hydrogen bubble chamber has been made. No four-body decays of the ρ or ω mesons have been observed and upper limits for these decays are quoted. The fraction of the charged ρ mesons which decay via ρ±→η+π± is determined to be (1.2±2)%, in agreement with a positiveG parity assignment for the η. The neutral four-pion effective mass distribution shows a suggestive, but inconclusive, peak at 1.04 GeV.
Politeness in Historical and Contemporary Chinese by PAN, YULING, & DANIEL Z. KADAR.

The article reviews the book "Politeness in Historical and Contemporary Chinese," by Yuling Pan and Daniel Z. Kadar.
A description of the upper thoracic autonomic nervous system in the rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta)

The purpose of this study was to describe the autonomic innervation of the carotid sinus and heart in the rhesus monkey. Nine male rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) and one male crab-eating macaque (M. fascicularis) were carefully dissected from the origin of the vagus nerves and superior cervical ganglia to the level of the fourth thoracic ganglion. The specimens were either freshly killed or obtained no later than 24 hours post mortem. The macaque monkeys were found to possess an innervation pattern that displayed features common to dog (connections between the vagus nerves and middle cervical ganglia), baboon (distinct cervical sympathetic and cervical vagal nerve trunks), and man (nerves projecting from the middle cervical and stellate ganglia to the heart). Distinct inferior cervical and first thoracic ganglia were never seen, but rather, large and well defined stellate ganglia were found. The macaque innervation pattern, when considered as a whole, most closely resembled the baboon.
A custom bicycle handlebar adaptation for children with below elbow amputations

As hand therapists, we are always using our creativity to help our patients participate in functional, desired activities. These authors share their expertise in adapting bicycles for children with below elbow amputations. – Victoria Priganc, PhD, OTR, CHT, CLT, Practice Forum Editor .
Perisinusoidal B Cells in the Bone Marrow Participate in T-Independent Responses to Blood-Borne Microbes

Summary Mature recirculating B cells are generally assumed to exist in follicular niches in secondary lymphoid organs, and these cells mediate T-dependent humoral immune responses. We show here that a large proportion of mature B lymphocytes occupy an anatomically and functionally distinct perisinusoidal niche in the bone marrow. Perisinusoidal B cells circulate freely, as revealed by parabiosis studies. However, unlike their counterparts in the follicular niche, these cells are capable of being activated in situ by bloodborne microbes in a T-independent manner to generate specific IgM antibodies. The bone marrow represents a unique type of secondary lymphoid organ in which mature B cells are strategically positioned in the path of circulating microbes.
Transplantation in Parkinson's disease.

: The modification of nervous system function by cell replacement and the introduction of heterologous genes are being developed as possible therapeutic approaches in degenerative diseases of the nervous system. The use of cellular transplantation in the nervous systemof patients with neurodegenerative diseases will be reviewed with an emphasis on Parkinson's disease.
Differential associative conditioning and olfactory discrimination in the spiny lobster Panulirus argus

A differential aversive associative conditioning paradigm was used to assess the ability of the spiny lobster Panulirus argus both to associatively learn not to respond to the odorant stimulus to which it was conditioned and to discriminate between odorants. The paradigm consisted of pairing an aversive stimulus (pseudopredator) with a conditioned chemical stimulus (shrimp mixture). Four artificial mixtures (crab, mullet, oyster, and shrimp), each at 0.05 and 0.5 m M , were presented to the animals prior to, during, and following conditioning to both concentrations of the shrimp mixture. Pre- vs postconditioning changes in three types of behavioral responses (and an index based on a composite of these three behaviors) were used as indicators of learned aversions. Olfactory discrimination abilities were determined by comparing the aversion to the conditioned mixture with the aversions to the three nonconditioned mixtures. A high degree of associative learning was attained after 10 pairings of the pseudopredator with the shrimp mixture over a period of 5 test days. According to the aversion index, animals conditioned to shrimp mixture perceived crab mixture as being more similar to shrimp mixture than were mullet and oyster mixtures, but all three nonconditoned mixtures were perceived as being significantly different from the shrimp mixture. These results are in concordance with results of a cluster analysis based on the mixture compositions, which indicates that shrimp and crab mixtures are compositionally similar, while mullet and oyster mixtures are compositionally distinct from the shrimp mixture.
Hormonal responses to female conspecifics in hyperprolactinemic male rats and mice.

Abstract Exposure to a female results in an acute release of LH and testosterone (T) in normal male rats and mice. This study was conducted to determine whether these hormonal responses are altered in hyperprolactinemic (hyperPRL) male rats in which copulatory behavior is known to be suppressed and in hyperPRL male mice in which it is not. Adult male CDF (F-344) rats were made hyperPRL either by grafting of three anterior pituitaries under the kidney capsule or by treatment with diethylstilbestrol (DES). Exposure of control males to receptive females for 10–15 min produced the expected two- to fourfold statistically significant elevations in plasma LH levels. In contrast, plasma LH levels in pituitary grafted or DES-treated males were not altered by female exposure. Male mice were pituitary grafted (two pituitaries per recipient) or sham-operated and housed individually with a female for 1 week. The resident females were then replaced with novel females in half of the cages and blood samples were taken from the males after 5 min exposure for determination of LH levels or after 45–60 min exposure for T levels. Female-induced LH and T elevations occurred in both hyperPRL and control groups. Failure of hyperPRL male rats to experience an increase in plasma LH levels in response to a female suggests abnormality of mechanisms controlling LHRH release. Suppression of LHRH release may be involved also in the induction of deficits of sexual behavior in these animals.
Clinically significant symptom change in children with attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder: does it correspond with reliable improvement in functioning?

This study examined the relation between clinically significant (CS) change in symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and of oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), and reliable change in multiple domains of functioning in children who participated in the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD. Children with CS change in symptoms were significantly more likely than children without CS change to have reliable change across five domains of functioning. Interestingly, however, depending on the measure of functioning, 14 to 52% of children who did not achieve CS change in symptoms showed reliable improvement in functional domains. The results have implications for the definition and measurement of CS change in child treatment-outcome studies.
An approach for incorporating classical continuum damage models in state-based peridynamics

Abstract Peridynamics has gained significant attention as an alternative formulation for problems in solid mechanics. Recent contributions have included initial attempts to include material damage and failure. In this paper, we propose an approach to incorporate classical continuum damage models in the state-based theory of peridynamics. This has the advantage of enabling the description of the damage evolution process in peridynamics according to well-established models. The approach is based on modifying the peridynamic influence function according to the state of accumulated damage. As a result, peridynamic bonds between nonlocal material points are severed in accordance with the damage law. The peridynamic damage formulation proposed is implemented for the particular case of a well established ductile damage model for metals. The model is applied to the simulation of ballistic impact of extruded corrugated aluminum panels and compared with experiments.
Reformulation of the Screened Heine-Abarenkov Model Potential

The screening of a generalized Heine-Abarenkov model potential is systematically reformulated. The electron density in a metal is calculated in terms of model-potential parameters. One contribution to this charge is a depletion hole, analogous to the orthogonalization hole in pseudopotential theory. A general expression for the depletion hole is derived. The screened form factor for the model potential is calculated, taking into account the nonlocality and energy dependence of the model potential. The long-wavelength limit of the form factor is evaluated and found to be $\ensuremath{-}\frac{2}{3}{E}_{F}$ at the Fermi surface, as for local potentials. It is found that the depletion-hole contribution cancels a term arising from the energy dependence of the potential at long wavelengths. Consequently, it is unnecessary to renormalize the dielectric constant as done by Heine and Animalu. The magnitude of the depletion hole is evaluated for several elements using the Heine-Abarenkov model potential. The expression for the depletion hole is also shown to be valid for a certain class of pseudopotentials.
Isolation by distance in human populations.

Malecot's theory of isolation by distance under 'continuous' migration is shown to fit acceptably to various human populations. Although it provides a less complete and reliable prediction of population structure than migration matrices, it is applicable to a greater range of structures and data.
Transposition of the Left Renal Vein for the Treatment of Nutcracker Syndrome in Children: A Short-term Experience

Background Nutcracker syndrome is caused by compression of the left renal vein between the superior mesenteric artery and the aorta. Invasive surgical intervention for this pathologic entity is controversial, particularly in the pediatric population. We aim to describe our early clinical and operative experience with such patients. Methods We report 3 cases of pediatric patients undergoing successful left renal vein transposition for the treatment of nutcracker syndrome. Results All 3 patients were female (age 9–17 years) and presented with a mean of 11.7 months of abdominal or left flank pain requiring chronic narcotic analgesia. Initial clinical presentations were associated with either hematuria or proteinuria. Diagnosis of nutcracker syndrome was supported in each case by an elevated renocaval pressure gradient and/or axial imaging demonstrating mesoaortic compression of the left renal vein. All patients underwent open surgical repair, which included left renal vein transposition, liberation of the ligament of Treitz and associated adhesions, as well as excision of periaortic nodal tissue (mean hospital length of stay 5.7 days). After mean follow-up of 13 months, all patients report complete resolution of symptoms and hematuria/proteinuria. Conclusions Transposition of the left renal vein is a safe and effective treatment for nutcracker syndrome in appropriately selected pediatric patients. Further experience and long-term follow-up are warranted to better evaluate the sustained efficacy of this procedure in this unique patient population.
Limited intraobserver and interobserver reliability for the common measures of hip joint congruency used in dysplasia.

Background A congruent hip frequently is cited in the literature as a prerequisite for performing a reconstructive pelvic osteotomy for hip dysplasia. The designation as congruent is important as incongruent joints generally are regarded as requiring a salvage-type procedure. Several measures of congruency are described in the literature, but it is unclear whether these measures are reliable.
Sexuality in marriage, dating, and other relationships: A decade review

In this article, we review the major research advances made during the 1990s in the study of sexuality in marriage and other close relationships. More specifically, we provide a critical review of the empirical findings from the last decade on such sexual phenomena as sexual behavior, sexual satisfaction, and sexual attitudes within the context of marriage, dating, and other committed relationships. After highlighting the major theoretical and methodological advances of the 1990s, we focus on the research literatures of: (1) frequency and correlates of sexual activity in marriage; (2) sexual satisfaction, including its association with general relationship satisfaction; (3) sexuality in gay and lesbian committed relationships; (4) trends in sexual behavior and attitudes in dating relationships; and (5) the role of sexuality in dating relationships. We also incorporate brief reviews of the past decade's research on sexual assault and coercion in marriage and dating and on extramarital sex. We end our decade review with recommendations for the study of sexuality into the next decade.
Desoxycorticosterone Acetate Is Estrogenic in the Human Female

Summary and ConclusionsTypical estrogenic effects were produced with synthetic adrenal cortex hormone (desoxycorticosterone acetate) in the vaginal smears of post-menopause women. On the basis of these observations, it is suggested that the estrogens excreted after the menopause or after surgical castration probably have their origin in the adrenal cortex. This may explain the persistence of estrogen effects in the vaginal mucosa and vaginal smears after surgical castration and may, possibly, also account for individual variations in the severity of symptoms experienced at the menopause or after surgical castration.
Gold-thioglucose-induced hypothalamic lesions inhibit metabolic modulation of light-induced circadian phase shifts in mice.

The circadian clock located in the suprachiasmatic nuclei is entrained by the 24-h variation in light intensity. The clock's responses to light can, however, be reduced when glucose availability is decreased. We tested the hypothesis that the ventromedial hypothalamus, a key area in the integration of metabolic and hormonal signals, mediates the metabolic modulation of circadian responses to light by injecting C57BL/6J mice with gold-thioglucose (0.6 g/kg) which damages glucose-receptive neurons, primarily located in the ventromedial hypothalamus. Light pulses applied during the mid-subjective night induce phase delays in the circadian rhythm of locomotor activity in mice kept in constant darkness. As previously observed, light-induced phase delays were significantly attenuated in fed mice pre-treated with 500 mg/kg i.p. 2-deoxy-D-glucose and in hypoglycemic mice fasted for 30 h, pre-treated with 5 IU/kg s.c. insulin or saline, compared to control mice fed ad libitum. In contrast, similar metabolic challenges in mice with gold-thioglucose-induced hypothalamic lesions did not significantly affect light-induced phase delays compared to mice treated with gold-thioglucose and fed ad libitum. These results indicate that destruction of gold-thioglucose-sensitive neurons in the ventromedial hypothalamus prevent metabolic regulation of circadian responses to light during shortage of glucose availability. Therefore, the ventromedial hypothalamus may be a central site coordinating the metabolic modulation of light-induced phase shifts of the circadian clock.
A Fuzzy C-Means (FCM)-Based Approach for Computerized Segmentation of Breast Lesions in Dynamic Contrast-Enhanced MR Images1

Rationale and Objectives Accurate quantification of the shape and extent of breast tumors has a vital role in nearly all applications of breast magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (MRI). Specifically, tumor segmentation is a key component in the computerized assessment of likelihood of malignancy. However, manual delineation of lesions in four-dimensional MR images is labor intensive and subject to interobserver and intraobserver variations. We developed a computerized lesion segmentation method that has the advantage of being automatic, efficient, and objective. Materials and Methods We present a fuzzy c-means (FCM) clustering-based method for the segmentation of breast lesions in three dimensions from contrast-enhanced MR images. The proposed lesion segmentation algorithm consists of six consecutive stages: region of interest (ROI) selection by a human operator, lesion enhancement within the selected ROI, application of FCM on the enhanced ROI, binarization of the lesion membership map, connected-component labeling and object selection, and hole-filling on the selected object. We applied the algorithm to a clinical MR database consisting of 121 primary mass lesions. Manual segmentation of the lesions by an expert MR radiologist served as a reference in the evaluation of the computerized segmentation method. We also compared the proposed algorithm with a previously developed volume-growing (VG) method. Results For the 121 mass lesions in our database, 97% of lesions were segmented correctly by means of the proposed FCM-based method at an overlap threshold of 0.4, whereas 84% of lesions were correctly segmented by means of the VG method. Conclusion Our proposed algorithm for breast-lesion segmentation in dynamic contrast-enhanced MRI was shown to be effective and efficient.
Moore–Penrose inverses of block circulant and block k-circulant matrices

Abstract The Moore–Penrose inverse A + of a block circulant matrix whose blocks are arbitrary square matrices is obtained. An explicit form is given for A + in terms of the blocks of A . The eigenvalues of A are determined in terms of the eigenvalues of the blocks where the blocks themselves are circulants.
Genetic influences on hippocampal structure and function in recombinant inbred mice.

Previously, we identified separate genetic influences on ventral versus dorsal hippocampal volume in BXD recombinant inbred mice [27]. Based on genotype at genetic markers associated with ventral hippocampal volume, we evaluated BXD mouse strains with relatively small versus large ventral hippocampal volumes using numerous behavioral paradigms known to rely upon hippocampal function and several other tasks that tap into behaviors analogous to those often impaired in schizophrenia. We observed a relationship between genotype at markers known to influence ventral hippocampal volume and working memory at an intermediate memory load. There was no association between genotype at markers known to influence ventral hippocampal volume and spatial reference memory, prepulse inhibition, or elevated plus maze performance. The relevance of these findings for understanding the pathophysiology of schizophrenia are discussed, including the possibility that genetic predisposition toward anterior hippocampal volume reductions and working memory deficits in schizophrenia may be related through a shared genetic locus.
Pragmatic learning and media courses at New York University.

The responses of students who were exposed to pragmatic and conventional learning models with regard to activities were analyzed and compared for content. Seventeen categories representing the students' thoughts and feelings about crafts emerged from the content analysis. These categories were divided into three content areas: pragmatic concepts, nonpragmatic concepts, and feelings. The 17 concepts were subjected to statistical analysis (i.e., group t tests). As anticipated, exposure to the pragmatic learning model resulted in significant positive changes in pragmatic concepts and feelings and, to a lesser degree, in nonpragmatic concepts. Additionally, exposure to the pragmatic learning model resulted in fewer negative remarks about crafts and their use in therapy. These findings were supported by a case study and may aid educators in designing media education courses.
Bounds testing cointegration methods and PPP: evidence from 123 Countries

Cointegration analysis is often used in empirical studies of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) to test whether there is a long-run relationship among countries' bilateral exchange rates and price levels. But the presence of a cointegrated relationship is not enough to support PPP, as other restrictions must be met as well. Nevertheless, even simple cointegration has been rejected for many countries in previous studies. We apply the ‘bounds testing’ approach of Pesaran et al. (2001), which has only seen limited use thus far, to analyse 123 countries' bilateral rates with the United States. Besides testing for cointegration, we also assess whether our long-run coefficients support the PPP hypothesis. We find that while most rates are indeed cointegrated, only a few have coefficients that meet even one of the necessary restrictions for PPP.
Genome-wide screen for inositol auxotrophy in Saccharomyces cerevisiae implicates lipid metabolism in stress response signaling

Inositol auxotrophy (Ino− phenotype) in budding yeast has classically been associated with misregulation of INO1 and other genes involved in lipid metabolism. To identify all non-essential yeast genes that are necessary for growth in the absence of inositol, we carried out a genome-wide phenotypic screening for deletion mutants exhibiting Ino− phenotypes under one or more growth conditions. We report the identification of 419 genes, including 385 genes not previously reported, which exhibit this phenotype when deleted. The identified genes are involved in a wide range of cellular processes, but are particularly enriched in those affecting transcription, protein modification, membrane trafficking, diverse stress responses, and lipid metabolism. Among the Ino− mutants involved in stress response, many exhibited phenotypes that are strengthened at elevated temperature and/or when choline is present in the medium. The role of inositol in regulation of lipid metabolism and stress response signaling is discussed.
Interactions of troponin subunits with different forms of tropomyosin.

Tropomyosin from rabbit skeletal muscle has been separated into fractions containing only 34 000 dalton chains (SB-TM) and fractions containing both 34 000 and 36 000 dalton chains (DB-TM). Both SB-TM and DB-TM formed crystals and tactoids with a common 400 A repeat. In addition the SB-TM gave a new crystal type which has not been described in studies on unfractionated tropomyosin. TN-T interacted with both tropomyosin forms to give a variety of geometric patterns, some of which have been previously ascribed to tropomyosin alone. TN-I inhibited tropomyosin tactoid formation, suggesting some type of direct interaction. TN-C, however, had no effect on the formation of tropomyosin crystals or tactoids or on their appearance.
Electrically pumped 850-nm micromirror VECSELs

Vertical-external-cavity surface-emitting lasers (VECSELs) combine high optical power and good beam quality in a device with surface-normal output. In this paper, we describe the design and operating characteristics of an electrically-pumped VECSEL that employs a wafer-scale fabrication process and operates at 850 nm. A curved micromirror output coupler is heterogeneously integrated with AlGaAs-based semiconductor material to form a compact and robust device. The structure relies on flip-chip bonding the processed epitaxial material to an aluminum nitride mount; this heatsink both dissipates thermal energy and permits high frequency modulation using coplanar traces that lead to the VECSEL mesa. Backside emission is employed, and laser operation at 850 nm is made possible by removing the entire GaAs substrate through selective wet etching. While substrate removal eliminates absorptive losses, it simultaneously compromises laser performance by increasing series resistance and degrading the spatial uniformity of current injection. Several aspects of the VECSEL design help to mitigate these issues, including the use of a novel current-spreading n type distributed Bragg reflector (DBR). Additionally, VECSEL performance is improved through the use of a p-type DBR that is modified for low thermal resistance.
Paclitaxel Gelatin Nanoparticles for Intravesical Bladder Cancer Therapy

Purpose: We have noted that inadequate drug delivery to tumor cells is a major cause of failed intravesical therapy for nonmuscle invading bladder cancer, partly due to the dilution of drug concentration by urine production during treatment. To address this problem we developed gelatin nanoparticles of paclitaxel designed to yield constant drug concentrations. The hypothesis that a constant, therapeutic concentration in urine, bladder tissue and tumors can be attained was evaluated in dogs.Materials and Methods: We studied drug release from paclitaxel gelatin nanoparticles in culture medium in vitro. In vivo studies were performed in tumor-free dogs and in pet dogs with naturally occurring transitional cell carcinoma, in which the pharmacokinetics of paclitaxel gelatin nanoparticles were determined in plasma, urine and tumors.Results: Paclitaxel release from paclitaxel gelatin nanoparticles in vitro and in vivo was rate limited by the drug solubility in aqueous medium. This property yielded constant drug ...
Sero-proteotion Against Intracerebral Salmonella typhosa Infection in Chicks.

SummaryYoung chicks were protected against intracerebral infection with S. typhosa by the prior intramuscular injection of chicken antiserum containing anti-Vi and anti-O agglutinins. Passive immunity was manifested by prevention of death and by sterilization of the tissues. To achieve this end it was necessary to administer the anti-serum in quantity and at a time sufficiently in advance of the challenge such as to ensure an adequate concentration of antibody at the intracranial site when the microorganisms were introduced.
Ribosomes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, strain LK2G12, and of other yeasts

Abstract Purified ribosomal preparations of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, strain LK2G12, contained protein, RNA, phospholipid, and polysaccharide, in varying amounts depending on the growth condition. Freshly prepared ribosomes had a reduced viscosity of about 10.0 ml/g, a partial specific volume of about 0.70–0.74 ml/g, extrapolated sedimentation coefficient (S20,w∘) of 84–90 S, and molecular weights of 7.0–10.9 × 106. Frozen ribosomes had a reduced viscosity of about 5.0 ml/g, a partial volume of 0.65 ml/g, a sedimentation coefficient of 92 S, and a molecular weight of 5.0 × 106. Freshly prepared ribosomes of Saccharomyces lactis, strain Y14, and two commercial yeasts, “Red Star” and “Fleischmann,” were also characterized. There were slight differences among all these strains, especially in RNA content.
Composition control and growth mechanisms in solid phase epitaxy of GeSi in GexSi1−x/Pd2Si/Si systems

Abstract Solid phase epitaxy (SPE) of GexSi1−x(0.25 ⩽ x ⩽ 0.67) on (111) Si has been achieved by utilizing an intermediate Pd2Si layer. On annealing a deposited GeSi/Pd2Si/Si substrate sample in the temperature range 550–750 °C, the deposited GeSi transports through the silicide and grows epitaxially on the Si substrate. By improving the quality of the Pd2Si layer, minimum yields χmin as low as 0.1 are obtained for an 80 nm thick Ge0.67Si0.33 epitaxial layer. The thermodynamic driving forces for the SPE are the reduction in the grain boundary energy of polycrystalline GeSi and the heat of mixing of the deposited GeSi with the Si substrate. The growth kinetics of the epitaxial GeSi is characterized by two-dimensional island growth from a fixed number of nuclei.
Deposition Technologies For Micromanufacturing: A Review

This paper discusses the microdeposition technologies used in the fabrication of meso- and microscale structures. The ability to process a wide range of materials and the flexibility to build functional and geometrically complex structures in meso- and microscale gives the microdeposition method some advantages over micromachining or lithography methods investigated extensively in the past. In this paper work on deposition technology is reviewed, including material, supply of material, powder flow rate, and manipulation of particles and microdeposition technologies. The advantages and disadvantages of each technology are summarized at the end of the paper.
Benchmark of Advanced Burner Test Reactor model using MCNPX 2.6.0 and ERANOS 2.1

Abstract Significant research is currently being performed whereby fast reactor cores have been designed to burn transuranic materials reducing the volume and long-term radiotoxicity of spent nuclear fuel. These core and depletion models depend on various computer codes. This research used MCNPX 2.6.0 and ERANOS 2.1 to model a standard 250 MW Advanced Burner Test Reactor (ABTR) core. The intent was to benchmark criticality and burnup results from a stochastic Monte Carlo code and a deterministic depletion code using a standard ABTR model created by Argonne National Laboratory. Because each of these codes solves the transport and burnup problem differently, there is a need to benchmark the core models in order to verify results and identify root causes for significant differences in results between codes. Flux calculations in ERANOS were performed using diffusion theory, Legendre polynomial approximations (using the VARIANT module) and discrete ordinates methods. The k-effective for the higher order transport models remained within 1000 pcm of the MCNPX model. The difference between the total heavy nuclide mass balance in ERANOS using the various flux calculations and the MCNPX depletion model was less than 0.4% out to a burnup of 1095 days (67.45 GWd/MTHM). The percent delta between the codes as a fraction of the fissioned mass was 1.34%. For the isotopes with large concentrations, such as 238U and 239Pu, the mass differences were 0.38% and 0.01% respectively. The mass difference for 241Am was also small at 0.42%. Notable isotopes in small quantities with larger mass differences were 242Am, 242Cm, 243Cm and 246Cm where differences ranged from 0.1 to 0.2% after 26 days and increased to 11–136% at 1095 days.
Indigenising the colonial city: late 19th-century Colombo and its landscape

This paper is concerned with the indigenisation of Colombo and the transformation of the city from an exclusive domain of colonial power to a milieu which supported Ceylonese social and cultural practices. It investigates the shifting indigenous response to the colonisation of Colombo, from challenging to indigenising the city between the 1860s and the 1880s. The paper approaches indigenisation from a 'reverse-Orientalist' perspective that focuses on the landscape produced by the emergence of national elite, the revival of Buddhism and processes of naturalisation and migration. It demonstrates that indigenisation was integral to colonialism, which simultaneously instigated the Westernisation of subjects and the indigenisation of social and spatial structures. The resulting multilayered landscape, negotiated between imposing colonial structures and Ceylonese cultural practices, was characterised by irony, mimicry, ambivalence, liminality and hybridity.
The effect of a transverse magnetic field on the microstructure of directionally solidified CdTe

Abstract The purpose of this study was to examine several microstructural features in Bridgman-grown CdTe and determine whether the use of a tranverse, 4.6 kG magnetic field during solidification had any effect on these features. Any variation in these microstructural features due to the use of the magnetic field could be attributed to changes in the connective state of the melt and the resulting disruption or stabilization of the solid-liquid interface. In order to accomplish this objective, samples of CdTe were directionally solidified by the vertical Bridgman-Stockbarger method and a static magnetic field of 4.6 kG was applied transverse to the growth direction during the solidification of selected samples. The microstructural features examined included the preferred crystallographic growth direction of primary gains, grain and twin boundary length per unit area and etch-pit and subgrain boundary densities on a (111)-type plane. Measurements of these features were performed using the Laue X-ray backreflection technique and quantitative optical microscopy. No measurable difference in the microstructural features occurred as a result of using the 4.6 kG transverse magnetic field. The lack of any effect is attributed to either an insufficient magnetic field intensity or the possibility that the effect of a 4.6 kG transverse magnetic field on the fluid flow may not play a significant role in the mechanisms generating the microstructural features analyzed by the characterization techniques used in this study. Subgrain boundary densities were found to vary along the length of each boule and this variation was attributed to post-growth annealing.
Computer-assisted instruction in engineering education and training

Abstract A computer-based economy implies a computer-based education. Learning and teaching are optimized by the student, as well as for the professor, if instructional redundancy is captured for reuse. One of the fundamental problems, to be confronted in the construction of complex learning programs, is that of providing ever higher-level authoring languages. This paper shows how instructional reuse, as mediated by a random seeded crystal learning algorithm, can facilitate the evolution of complex learning frames. A natural language interface enables the sharing of large software projects across a team. Here, a knoqledge-based system acquires a capability to map natural language phrases onto object invocations. The natural language phrases are iteratively normalized through a transformative process, which utilizes band theory. A human-machine system is described, which entails the construction of a self-referential program editor. The presented concepts and arguments are codified with examples taken from information systems and flexible manufacturing. Learning is shown to be a consequence of randomization and reuse.
Ozone spectroscopy with a CO 2 waveguide laser

Ozone spectral measurements were conducted with a waveguide CO2 laser, which was continuously tunable over a + or - 450-MHz region, about several lines in the P-branch of the band near the 9.5-micron wavelength region. A passively stabilized low-pressure CO2 laser was also used to provide reference CO2 frequencies. The frequencies of several ozone lines were determined in the nu-3 band, which are near CO2 laser line frequencies in the 9.5-micron wavelength region. The absolute measurement accuracy is estimated to be + or - 6 MHz, and the measurements indicate that the ozone line frequencies listed in currently available spectral compilations are 0.003-0.006 per cm too high. The size of this error is small by conventional IR standards, but extremely important when CO2 laser instruments are used to monitor stratospheric ozone, where line widths in this spectral region are typically 0.001/cm. Empirically determined absorption curves must be constructed in order to calibrate laser differential absorption instrument properly when low-altitude ozone measurements are conducted.
Self-consistent estimators of survival functions with doubly-censored data

The consistency and asymptotic normality of self-consistent estimators (SCE) of survival functions with doubly-censored data have been studied by many authors. However, to the best of our knowledge, expressions of the asymptotic variance of the SCE have not been derived in the literature. In this paper, under the assumption that the survival time and censoring time distributions are discrete with finitely many jump points, an expression and a consistent estimator of the asymptotic variance of the SCE are presented. A proof of the strong consistency of the SCE is also presented. Our simu¬lation studies indicate that the estimate of the asymptotic variance is very close to the true value even with moderate sample sizes and high censoring rates
Hydrogen diffusion and trapping in a precipitation-hardened nickel–copper–aluminum alloy Monel K-500 (UNS N05500)

Abstract Hydrogen uptake, diffusivity and trap binding energy were determined for the nickel–copper–aluminum alloy Monel K-500 (UNS N05500) in several conditions. The total atomic hydrogen (H) concentration increased from 0 to 132 wppm as the hydrogen overpotential decreased to −0.5 V in alkaline 3.5% NaCl electrolyte at 23 °C. The room-temperature H diffusion coefficient ranged from 0.9 to 3.9 × 10−14 m2 s−1 for single-phase solid solution, aged, and cold worked then aged microstructures. Diffusivity was independent of lattice H concentration but depended weakly on metallurgical condition, with slower H diffusion after aging. The apparent activation energy for H diffusion was in the range of 29–41 ± 1.5 kJ mol−1 at the 95% confidence level. The lower value approached nearly perfect lattice transport, while the high value was strongly influenced by traps of low-to-intermediate strength. Atomic hydrogen trapping at metallurgical sites, strongly suggested to be spherical-coherent γ′ (Ni3Al) precipitates, was evident in the aged compared to the solution heat treated + water-quenched condition. Both thermal desorption and classical Oriani trap state analyses confirmed that the apparent hydrogen trap binding energy interpreted as Ni3Al (10.2 ± 4.6 kJ mol−1) interfaces was significantly less than the activation energy for perfect lattice diffusion (25.6 ± 0.5 kJ mol−1) in this nickel-based alloy system.
Identifying and characterizing solution conduits in karst aquifers through geospatial (GIS) analysis of porosity from borehole imagery: An example from the Biscayne aquifer, South Florida (USA)

We apply geospatial analysis to borehole imagery in an effort to develop new techniques to evaluate the spatial distribution and internal structure of karst conduits. Remote sensing software is used to classify a high resolution, digital borehole image of limestone bedrock from the Biscayne aquifer (South Florida, USA) into a binary image divided into cells of rock matrix and pores. Within a GIS, 2D porosity is calculated for a series of rectangular sampling windows placed over the binary image and then plotted as a function of depth. Potential conduits that intersect the borehole are identified as peaks of high porosity. A second GIS technique identifies a conduit as a continuous object that spans the entire borehole width. According to these criteria, geospatial analysis reveals ∼10 discrete conduits along the ∼15 m borehole image. Continuous sampling of the geologic medium intersected by the borehole provides insight into the internal structure of karst aquifers and the evolution of karst features. Most importantly, this pilot study demonstrates that GIS-based techniques are capable of quantifying the depths, dimensions, shapes, apertures and connectivity of potential conduits, physical attributes that impact flow in karst aquifers.
Using Children's Picture Books as Tools to Facilitate Undergraduates' Learning

Abstract. The purpose of this article is to explore the use of children's picture book literature as a tool to teach undergraduate students. The research takes place in the context of an undergraduate educational psychology course that focuses on theories of learning and development. Students' written comments and scaled responses indicate that they view these books as effective tools for enhancing their learning.
Paying Attention to the Man behind the Curtain

In the push to develop smart energy systems, designers have increasingly focused on systems that measure and predict user behavior to effect optimal energy consumption. While such focus is an important component in these systems' success, designers have paid substantially less attention to the people on the other side of the energy system loop-the supervisors of power generation processes. Smart energy systems that leverage pervasive computing could add to these supervisory control operators' workload. They'll have to predict possible power plant load and production changes caused by environmental and plant events, as well as dynamic system adaptation in response to consumer behaviors. Contrary to many assumptions, inserting more automation, including distributed sensors and algorithms to postprocess data, won't necessarily reduce operators' workload or improve system performance.
Guidelines for designing writing prompts: Clarifications, caveats, and cautions

Abstract Regardless of the pedagogy of any given writing program, in the academic world, students are frequently evaluated on the basis of writing products they produce in response to various writing topics in a variety of circumstances. In testing situations, the stimulus for the student to respond to is referred to as a prompt. Special consideration should attend the preparation of writing prompts when there is a significant number of test-takers who are nonnative speakers of English. Writing prompts must be carefully prepared by test developers so that the student has the best possible chance to demonstrate accurately his or her true level of writing skills. This article proposes that there are six categories that test developers must consider and control as they develop appropriate prompt items: contextual variables, content variables, linguistic variables, task variables, rhetorical variables, and evaluation variables. Using a variety of examples from topics developed for the Test of Written English (TWE) and for other testing purposes, we show step by step how to distinguish between well-developed prompts and problematic ones by detailed exploration of each of these six variables.