cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
X-ray Structure Determination, Antioxidant Voltammetry Studies of Butein and 2′,4′-Dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxychalcone. Computational Studies of 4 Structurally Related 2′,4′-diOH Chalcones to Examine Their Antimalarial Activity by Binding to Falcipain-2

Malaria is a huge global health burden with resistance to currently available medicines resulting in the search for newer antimalarial compounds from traditional medicinal plants in malaria-endemic regions. Previous studies on two chalcones, homobutein and 5-prenylbutein, present in E. abyssinica, have shown moderate antiplasmodial activity. Here, we describe results from experimental and computational investigations of four structurally related chalcones, butein, 2′,4′-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxychalcone (DHDM), homobutein and 5-prenylbutein to elucidate possible molecular mechanisms by which these compounds clear malaria parasites. The crystal structures of butein and DHDM show that butein engages in more hydrogen bonding and consequently, more intermolecular interactions than DHDM. Rotating ring-disk electrode (RRDE) voltammetry results show that butein has a higher antioxidant activity towards the superoxide radical anion compared to DHDM. Computational docking experiments were conducted to examine the inhibitory potential of all four compounds on falcipain-2, a cysteine protease that is involved in the degradation of hemoglobin in plasmodium-infected red blood cells of the host. Overall, this work suggests butein as a better antimalarial compound due to its structural features which allow it to have greater intermolecular interactions, higher antioxidant activity and to create a covalent complex at the active site of falcipain-2.
Marketing messages for post-pandemic destination recovery- A Delphi study

Abstract What is the best way to communicate with American outbound visitors as the travel recommences after the COVID-19 pandemic? This timely study aimed to find answers to this question faced by many destinations. To this end, ideas were sought from industry and academic experts on what message features may positively influence American visitors international travel intentions following the COVID-19 pandemic. Three rounds of conventional Delphi research delivered fifteen message features, eight of which attained panel consensus. These included COVID-related features such as safety , accurate pandemic information , a show of open outdoor spaces , and building visitor confidence along with destination-related features including positive destination attributes, authentic local experience, locals support , and reminder of joys of travel . Each message feature is discussed in detail with implications to the prescribed context.
Rapid and Sensitive Determination of Protein Disulfide Bonds

Therapeutically important polypeptides such as lymphokines and growth factors often contain disulfide bonds. The intact disulfide structures in these proteins are formed post-translationally and are often essential for biological activity. Such proteins produced by genetically modified E. coli cells are usually recovered using various processes including the denaturation-renaturation step. This step also allows formation of correct disulfide bonds. When foreign protein is secreted by genetically modified yeast, the effect of passage through its secretory pathway on the fidelity and efficiency of protein folding, particularly the disulfide formation in the recombinant protein, has to be determined. Different disulfide structures may cause changes in gross protein conformation, biological activity and stability and alter antigenicity. It is important to be able to determine and quantify correct disulfide bonds as well as incorrect ones in such molecules. A number of chemical methods are available for use in such characterization. So far, diagonal electrophoresis (1, 2) has been found to be most useful. However, characterization and quantitation of protein disulfide structures using this method usually involves multi-step procedures, requires a considerable amount of materials and is time-consuming. Here we describe a rapid and sensitive procedure for the direct determination of protein disulfide bonds in several rDNA-derived proteins.
Chapter 17 Development of an Isolation Procedure for the Brush Border Membrane of an Electrically Tight Epithelium: Rabbit Distal Colon

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the development of an isolation procedure for the brush border membrane of an electrically tight epithelium: rabbit distal colon. The chapter discusses the need to isolate brush border membrane from tight epithelia. Epithelial tissues with high electrical resistance, so-called “tight” epithelia, have been used frequently for electrophysiological studies of transepithelial ion transport. These studies point to the apical or luminal plasma membrane as the principal permeability barrier or controller of sodium permeability. Additionally, in several tight epithelia, evidence indicates that the luminal membrane is the site of action of hormones that alter transepithelial ion and water permeability and transport. Two critical problems were encountered in choosing the appropriate tight epithelium to attempt isolation of the luminal membrane: cellular heterogeneity of the transport epithelial cell layer, a distinct disadvantage of the frog skin, and the availability of large amounts of starting material, a severely limiting factor in both the toad and rabbit urinary bladder. The chapter presents an approach to problems of brush border membrane isolation in rabbit descending colon and outlines several unique properties of the membrane that could be demonstrated only after isolation of the membrane in high purity.
Nature of electrocortical potentials and synaptic organizations in cerebral and cerebellar cortex.

Publisher Summary This chapter presents two aspects of cortical electrophysiology that become amenable to analysis because of identifying spontaneous and evoked slow potentials as algebraically summated postsynaptic potentials, generated in varying proportions in the soma-dendritic membrane of cortical neurons by complexly organized systems of excitatory and inhibitory elements. These include (1) the relation of slow potentials to unit discharges; and (2) the synaptic organizations in cerebral and cerebellar cortex involved in the production of potentials evoked in response to different activating pathways. Analyses of different varieties of data indicate that the major determinants of electrocortical activity are (1) the specific organization of neuronal connections; (2) the temporal and spatial distribution of their synaptic actions; (3) the proportions of depolarizing and hyperpolarizing postsynaptic potentials (p.s.p.); and (4) their magnitudes. The use of selectively acting pharmacological agents permits, in certain instances, defining the proportion and relative magnitudes of axodendritic depolarizing and hyperpolarizing p.s.p.s evoked by different afferent pathways. Surface potentials with similar characteristics can represent the integrated synaptic activity of entirely different neuronal organizations and the same neuronal population activated in different ways can give rise to evoked potentials with entirely different characteristics.
Evaluation of a New Incubation-Type Indole Strip Test

A total of 189 of Enterobacteriaceae and three strains of Clostridium perfringens were tested with a new incubation-type indole paper strip. This 4-hr incubation test gave the same results as a standard 48-hr indole test, except with some strains of Proteus rettgeri. Results with P. rettgeri varied somewhat according to the medium upon which the organisms had been grown.
Ladder systems on trees

We formulate the notion of uniformization of colorings of ladder systems on subsets of trees. We prove that Suslin trees have this property and also Aronszajn trees in the presence of Martin's Axiom. As an application we show that if a tree has this property, then every countable discrete family of subsets of the tree can be separated by a family of pairwise disjoint open sets. Such trees are then normal and hence countably paracompact. As a dual result for special Aronszajn trees we prove that the weak diamond, Φ ω , implies that no special Aronszajn tree can be countably paracompact.
Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing:Sensors, Methods, Applications

This book provides a comprehensive overview of the state of the art in the field of thermal infrared remote sensing. Temperature is one of the most important physical environmental variables monitored by earth observing remote sensing systems. Temperature ranges define the boundaries of habitats on our planet. Thermal hazards endanger our resources and well-being. In this book renowned international experts have contributed chapters on currently available thermal sensors as well as innovative plans for future missions. Further chapters discuss the underlying physics and image processing techniques for analyzing thermal data. Ground-breaking chapters on applications present a wide variety of case studies leading to a deepened understanding of land and sea surface temperature dynamics, urban heat island effects, forest fires, volcanic eruption precursors, underground coal fires, geothermal systems, soil moisture variability, and temperature-based mineral discrimination. ‘Thermal Infrared Remote Sensing: Sensors, Methods, Applications’ is unique because of the large field it spans, the potentials it reveals, and the detail it provides. This book is an indispensable volume for scientists, lecturers, and decision makers interested in thermal infrared technology, methods, and applications.
Neural control systems trained by dynamic gradient methods for automotive applications

The use of dynamic gradient-based training of neural controllers for automotive systems is illustrated. The authors use a recurrent structure that embeds an identification network and a neural controller and that properly treats both short- and long-term effects of controller weight changes. This results in an approximately optimal control strategy. Feedforward and hybrid feedforward-feedback neural controllers trained by dynamic backpropagation and a dynamic decoupled extended Kalman filter (DDEKF) are investigated. A quarter-car active suspension model is considered in both linear and nonlinear forms, and representative results are presented. Methods using higher-order information, e.g., DDEKF are very effective in comparison to methods based exclusively upon gradient descent, e.g., dynamic backpropagation (DBP). The use of a recurrent structure for obtaining derivatives for controller training is illustrated. >
An Underdeveloped Role for Occupational Social Work: Facilitating the Employment of People with Disabilities

Although occupational social workers routinely assist employees with alcohol-or drug-related disabilities, workers with disabling problems such as back pain, paralysis, and cancer have not received as much attention, even though they are covered by the same laws and programs. Employees with disabilities benefit from assistance in assessing health and work abilities, seeking accommodation and protection from discrimination in the workplace, developing a plan for income and health insurance, and maintaining family functioning and self-esteem. Employers benefit from assistance with employees that supports the need to balance safety, efficiency, and the considerate and legal treatment of workers. Occupational social workers are uniquely qualified to assist in this arena because the issues raised by disability reflect a mix of workplace requirements, individual physical and emotional needs, and public social policy. This article presents an analysis of the issues confronting workers with disabilities and their employers and provides information about disability and workplace disability policy important to the practice of occupational social work.
Evaluation of three adaptive control procedures for multiple drug infusion

This paper compares the utilization of three different adaptive controllers for the adjustment of dopamine and nitroprusside infusion in order to control cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance. Algorithms include indirect pole placement, direct model reference, and indirect optimization based procedures.
Derivation of some formulae in combinatrics by heuristic methods

Heuristic methods are more effective for students inlearning permutations and combinations in mathematics than passive learning such as rote memorization of formulae. Two examples, n! and 2n − 1Cn, of finding new combinatorial formulae are discussed from a pedagogical standpoint. First, the factorial of n can be expressed as ∑n − 1k = 0k · k!, which can be found by a heuristic method. This expression is comparable to representations of powers of r using geometrical series. Second, the number of possible combinations with repetition of n drawings from n elements is denoted 2n − 1Cn, which can be calculated from ∑n − 1k = 0nCk + 1n − 1Ck. The relation ∑n − 1k = 0nCk + 1n − 1Ck = 2n − 1Cn can be found by a heuristic method through a corresponding problem on mapping.
Molecular fate of DNA in genetic transformation of Pneumococcus.

Extracts of pneumococcal cells which had incorporated [ 32 P]DNA were fractionated in order to determine the fate of the incorporated radioactivity. Immediately after entry, about half of the DNA was found to be converted to a single-stranded form; the other half was degraded to dialysable oligonucleotides and inorganic phosphate. Very little native [ 32 P]DNA was present. On incubation of the cells for various lengths of time after introduction of the DNA, radioactivity was rapidly incorporated into the native DNA fraction. The sources of this radioactivity were (1) the fragments initially present which apparently were incorporated by means of normal synthetic processes, and (2) the single-stranded DNA some of which may have been transferred intact. This latter transfer appears to be the route by which genetic information is transferred. The increase of radioactivity in native DNA and the depletion of the single-stranded DNA corresponded in time with recovery of a genetic factor introduced by the donor DNA. The extent to which this genetic factor was recovered, determined both by direct measurement of its transforming activity and by measurement of the frequency of transformed cells, corresponded to a physical integration of about one-quarter of the donor DNA taken up by the cells.
Effect of arginine and canavanine on arginine messenger RNA synthesis.

Summary The level of messenger RNA for the arg ECBH gene cluster in Escherichia coli was determined by hybridization of 3 H-pulse-labeled RNA with DNA from 80darg. L-Arginine repressed the level of hybridizable message 7 to 24 fold lower than that observed in arginine-deprived cells. Added L-canavanine had little effect on the level of hybridizable message during arginine-deprivation. Our data suggest that the arginine regulon is repressed at both the level of transcription and translation.
Locating Gender and Resistance Through a Feminist Application of Gramsci's “Organic Intellectual”: An Analysis of Time Magazine's 2002 “Person(s) of the Year”

In December of 2002, Time Magazine chose Sherron Watkins, Coleen Rowley, and Cynthia Cooper as the “Person(s) of the Year.” These women became famous for their roles as “whistle-blowers” in the country's highly publicized corporate scandals. Time's coverage of these women revealed the complex nature of corporate scandal and whistle-blowing. However, also apparent was the struggle each woman faced as a “gendered other” within the organizations they worked for. The role of the gendered other is examined using “feminist communicology” and Gramsci's theory of the “Organic Intellectual.” These women's experiences allow Time to portray them as individuals capable of navigating the hegemonic bloc's power structure while simultaneously undermining its power by using discourse and language as tools of resistance.
Chloro­[hydridotris(3-tert-butyl-5-methyl­pyrazol­yl)­borato]cobalt(II)

In the title complex, [Co(C24H40BN6)Cl], the Co atom is coordinated by three N atoms, arranged with the typical facial arrangement imposed by tris­pyrazolylborate ligands, and a chloride ligand in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry. The molecule has mirror symmetry.
Age-related alterations in the activation and expression of phosphotyrosine kinases and protein kinase C (PKC) among human B cells ☆

Abstract Age-related changes in the functional properties of human B cells have been reported by several groups, but little is known about the early biochemical events and signaling pathways that might be altered during aging. The present investigation examined whether differences in the activation of protein tyrosine kinases (PTK) and in the expression of protein kinase C (PKC) enzymatic activity could be identified in B cells from 16 elderly subjects (mean 77 years) compared to B cells from 15 young subjects (mean 33 years). B cells from young subjects stimulated with the surface immunoglobulin (sIg) crosslinkers anti-IgM or Staphylococcus aureus Cowan I (SAC) demonstrated rapid increases in PTK mediated de novo tyrosine phosphorylation of endogenous proteins. In comparison, stimulated B cells from elderly subjects were reduced 22–46% in tyrosine phosphorylations. Quantitation of the enzymatic levels and activation/translocation of PKC activity among resting and sIg stimulated B cells showed that B cells from ∼ 50% of elderly subjects had significant reductions compared to B cells from young subjects. Further analyses of the expression of PTK and PKC enzymatic activity by stimulated B cells from elderly subjects demonstrated that aging was associated with greater heterogeneity in PKC expression and that defects in PKC enzymatic activity could coexist with relatively normal PTK activity. Thus, these data suggest that aging can alter the expression of PTK/PKC enzymatic activity in human B cells and that these age-related alterations might perturb the balance between PKC-dependent and -independent signaling pathways.
The Diencephalon and Midbrain of the American Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)

Summary (1. ) The nuclear topography of the thalamus of Crotalus adamanteus is similar to that of tiphenodon punctatum and Lacerta vivipara, resembling these forms more than that of the Hydrosauria. (2. ) The lateral geniculate nucleus consists of a dorsal and a ventral division. (3. ) The hypothalamus resembles, in its nuclear topography, that of Varanus salvator and Chameleon vulgaris. (4. ) A nucleus lentiformis, nucleus pretectalis and nucleus geniculatum pretectale have been observed, which are similar to the corresponding cell masses in Varanus and Lacerta muralis. (5. ) The nucleus interstitialis of the medial longitudinal bundle is similar to that of other reptiles. A nucleus interstitialis tegtnentalis commissurae posterioris, such as noted by Curwen and Miller (1939) in the turtle, has been identified in Crotalus adamanteus. (6. ) The lateral and medial forebrain bundles are quite similar to those of Varanus salvator and Lacerta vivipara. (7. ) The optic tracts are similar to those of other reptiles. (8. ) Dorsal and ventral supraoptic decussations have been noted, similar to those found in Sphenodon punctatum by Cairney. (9. ) A well-defined habenulo-thalamic and a habenulo-tectal tract have been noted. (10. ) A dorsal and ventral tecto-thalamic tract, such as noted in other reptiles by De Lange, Cairney, Frederikse and others, have been observed. (11. ) A tractus supraoptico-hypophyseos, similar to the tractus praethalamo-hypophyseos, which Shanklin noted in Chameleon vulgaris, has been noted in Crotalus adamanteus. (12. ) A well-defined octavo-hypothalamic tract was found. (13. ) A complex hypothalamo-pedunculo-tegmental fibre system is present, and a fairly large dorsal hypothalamo-tegmental fibre system has likewise been identified in Crotalus adamanteus. (14. ) Dorsal and ventral tecto-bulbar fibre systems have been noted, which are quite similar to those of other reptiles.
Analyzing use of privacy policy attributes in a location sharing application

Privacy in location sharing applications is particularly important due to the sensitivity of users’ geographical location. Privacy in most location sharing applications is provided through relatively simple functionality where users have to specify which friends they are willing to share their location with. This approach may not be adequate to fully express users’ privacy requirements. In this short article, we present results obtained with a privacy preserving location sharing application, where users are given the option of specifying location disclosure preferences that reflect recurring scenarios, using attributes such as days of the week, times of the day or specific locations. Our results indicate that, while many users tend to start with relatively simple policies similar to those they could specify using today’s applications, over time they seem to increasingly refine these policies and take advantage of time and location restrictions.
On the Roughening of Ceramic Surfaces

The faceting of single-crystal ceramic surfaces has been investigated by atomic force microscopy, scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. Single-crystals of α-Al2O3 (alumina) with different nominal surface orientations were annealed and used as a model system to investigate the faceting of a polished ceramic surfaces. The {1010} orientation of α-alumina, which facets into a hill-and-valley morphology, provides a dramatic representation of the different stages by which a surface facets. This surface starts faceting with the growth of an individual facet. The growth of this facet creates local surface disturbances that promote the nucleation of adjacent facets; thus, domains of faceted surface form on the otherwise smooth surface. Through time, these domains coalesce and the facets coarsen into a hill-and-valley morphology. Surfaces which facet into a terrace-and-step structure, such as (0001) and {1120} surfaces of alumina, are characterized for their progression of surface faceting and are compared with the stages of faceting observed for the {1010} surface.
Joint Acquisition/Channel Estimation for UWB Communications in the Presence of Narrow-band Interference

In recent years, UWB has become a candidate for future high-speed indoor communications. Its wide bandwidth, on the order of a few gigahertz, and its very low power spectral density, can achieve high data rates as well as good coexistence capabilities with other commercial systems. UWB systems employing sub-nanosecond waveforms benefit from a large frequency diversity, resulting in an extremely high number of resolvable multipaths. The complexity arising from the use of an optimal matched-filter receiver (i.e. RAKE receiver) can be overcome by so-called transmitted reference (TR) systems, where the receiver strategy correlates the received waveform with a dirty template. For this reason, TR systems do not need channel estimation, but are sub-optimal. On the other hand, both RAKE and TR systems need to acquire code and/or symbol synchronization. This paper presents a general code acquisition strategy that can be applied to both schemes. The estimation and acquisition in the presence of additive colored Gaussian noise are based on an approximate maximum-likelihood criterion. Several performance measures and means of comparison are presented. The probability of correct synchronization in different scenarios is presented. Moreover, the quality of the channel estimates to be used by a RAKE receiver is addressed in terms of mean-square-error. Finally, in order to compare the performance of different receiving strategies, the performance in terms of bit-error-rate is addressed
Implantation of the Automatic Defibrillator: The Subxiphoid Approach

The automatic implantable defibrillator is an electronic device capable of diagnosing and correcting malignant venticular arrhythmias. While major thoracic surgery was required in the original 24 implants, a new technique for implanting the device has been developed. The first subxiphoid implantations have been accomplished with the defibrillatory function successfully tested intraoperatively. The advantages and indications of the subxiphoid technique are reviewed.
Factors Associated with Successful Performance in an Orthopaedic Surgery Residency

With all of the constraints facing residency programs today, such as increasing work-hour restrictions, a changing economy and its accompanying financial pressures, and the current generation of physicians' enhanced interest in lifestyle quality, it is imperative for orthopaedic educators to identify and select the best possible residents to fill our residency programs. Several recent editorials from major orthopaedic journals have discussed identifying resident quality and maximizing success during residency. One such commentary stressed that continuously refining and improving resident education and training are of the utmost importance to the future of orthopaedic surgery (and, indeed, to the future of medicine) because doing so today will facilitate the continued recruitment of top medical students to orthopaedic surgery1. In another recent editorial, in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery (American Volume), Deputy Editor Marc Swiontkowski remarked that the Orthopaedic Residency Review Committee's expanded role within the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) has recently enabled us to attain a number of important goals in postgraduate education with respect to interviewing and selecting candidates for residency as well as educating and counseling residents during residency2. In order to build on these improvements, Swiontkowski stressed that we must continue to innovate and improve all aspects of orthopaedic surgery postgraduate education. Therefore, it is important for orthopaedic surgery postgraduate training programs to evaluate the means by which they identify and select the candidates who are likely to succeed during residency and, ultimately, in practice. Moreover, identifying predictors or factors associated with success during orthopaedic surgery residency is critical knowledge for program directors, selection committees, and students. Currently and for the last twenty years, resident selection decisions have been made by a committee of faculty at our institution that reviews all of the applications and then generates a consensus ranking …
Modelling on plasma immersion implantation of trenches

Abstract Plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) is a technique for surface modification of three dimensional objects where the spatial dose distribution and homogeneity is a priori unknown. Here we present model calculations for trenches, determining the retained dose, the angle of incidence and the depth profiles. In the trenches, especially in the side walls, a reduced dose is obtained as the plasma sheath expands out of the trench during the pulse. A reduction of the pulse rise time from 2 to 0.1 μs results in an increase of the ion range of up to 100%.
Positive control of cyclic AMP on mesenchymal factor controlled DNA synthesis in embryonic pancreas.

THERE is increasing evidence that cyclic AMP and/or cyclic GMP are involved in the regulation of a number of metabolic processes including cell proliferation1–13. We report here the results of an investigation testing the effects of cyclic AMP, cyclic GMP and the mesenchymal factor (MF)14–17 on the stimulation of DNA synthesis in embryonic epithelia in organ culture.
Comparative properties of polychaete trypsin

1. 1. Several proteolytic digestive enzymes were identified when digestive fluid extracts of Nereis brandti were subjected to acrylamide gel electrophoresis and included an acidic trypsin that is stable at an alkaline pH. 2. 2. The presence of trypsin in the digestive fluid was based on the isolation of a single CANA specific proteinase that hydrolyzes TAME and BAPA with alkaline pH optima, is inhibited by ovomucoid and TLCK and has a molecular weight of approximately 23,000. 3. 3. Since CANA activity can be attributed to a single proteolytic component, the histochemical substrate should be useful in the elucidation of the specific area of the digestive tract responsible for the production and secretion of trypsin.
Photon blockade in a photonic crystal cavity with a strongly coupled quantum dot

The strong coupling regime between a single emitter and the mode of an optical resonator allows for nonlinear optics phenomena at extremely low light intensities. Down to the single photon level, extreme nonlinearities can be observed, where the presence of a single photon inside the resonator either blocks or enhances the probability of subsequent photons entering the resonator. In this paper we experimentally show the existence of these phenomena, named photon blockade and photon induced tunneling, in a solid state system composed of a photonic crystal cavity with a strongly coupled quantum dot.
Informal scientific communication in the agricultural sciences

Abstract This analysis of informal scientific communication emphasizes the communication which occurs among public sector agricultural researchers. While the formal channels and the informal channels constitute the two mutually dependent elements of this communication, the importance of the informal channels is often ignored. The informal communication network is examined utilizing a survey of randomly sampled U.S. agricultural scientists listed in the Current Research Information System (N = 1431). Particular individuals in the informal communication network are viewed as important sources of influence for a variety of research decisions such as choice of problem, methods, key concepts and theoretical orientation. However, informal scientific communication appears to occur infrequently, and to be primarily limited to one's own discipline. Scientists report communication with scientists outside their department, clients and extension staff is limited to less than once a month. In addition, the nature and frequency of the informal scientific communication is highly related to the criteria utilized in establishing research agendas and the publication products. However, the use of and reliance on particular channels of communication may affect scientists and their research in different and sometimes contradictory ways. Consequently, it is important to view the informal scientific communication and the processes and products of science as inextricably bound together in a mutually interdependent social system.
Hetroepitaxy of GaAs by MBE on High Temperature Hydrogen Annealed Nominally (100) Oriented Silicon

High-quality GaAs epitaxial layers have been grown by molecular beam epitaxy on nominally (100) oriented silicon substrates annealed in a hydrogen-ambient at 1250°C. Growth procedure involves an in-situ thermal annealing step after the initial deposition of a thin GaAs buffer layer. Rutherford backscattering and channeling of 2.1 MeV He+ ions, interference optical and transmission electron microscopy have been used to characterize these layers. Comparative studies indicate that the epitaxial layers grown on hydrogen-ambient annealed substrates have a superior surface morphology and a lower interface disorder than those on chemically cleaned silicon (100) substrates. Microtwins, dislocations and antiphase domain boundaries are the predominant defects observed in these layers. A lower incidence of microtwins were observed in the hydrogen annealed substrates.
Miscellaneous Notes on the Ustilaginales

"Soris in ovariis leniter quam normales majoribus evolutis, matricem leniter deformantibus, cinnamomeo-brunneis; glomerulis rotundatis 35-50 / diam., vel rarius ellepticis aut oblongis et tunc usque 60 / longis, ex sporis numerosis denissime coalitis conmpositis; sporis singulis angulato-globosis, angulato-ovatis vel cuneatis, superficie verruculosis, ad latera levibus, dilute brunneis, 9-16, 8-12 pu, membrana ca. 1 L/ crassa." Besides the type specimen, material collected near Kreuzeburg, Germany, Hungary, and Brno, Czechoslovakia, has been examined. It was noted that the spore balls are yellowish in color. According to the usually accepted classification, all smuts with yellowish or reddish colored spore balls are referred to the genus Thecaphora. The spore balls of the genus Tolyposporium are always dark colored. The name of this smut then should be Thecaphora leptideum (Syd.) Zundel. In a collection of unnamed specimens of smuts I found one that had been sent to me from New South Wales and labeled "Soro-
Aprotinin in primary valve replacement and reconstruction: A multicenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial

Abstract Background: Patients having cardiac operations often require blood transfusions. Aprotinin reduces the need for blood transfusions during coronary artery bypass graft operations. To determine the safety and effectiveness of aprotinin in reducing the use of allogeneic blood and postoperative mediastinal chest tube drainage, we studied 212 patients undergoing primary sternotomy for valve replacement or repair. Methods: This study was multicenter, randomized, prospective, double-blind, and placebo-controlled. Patients received high-dose aprotinin ( n = 71), low-dose aprotinin ( n = 70), or placebo ( n = 71). The study medication was given as a loading dose followed by a continuous infusion and pump prime dose. Heparin administration was standardized. Transfusions, postoperative mediastinal shed blood, and adverse events were tracked. Results: Demographic profiles were similar among the treatment groups. Aprotinin did not decrease the percentage of patients receiving transfusions when compared with placebo (high-dose aprotinin, 63%, p = 0.092; low-dose aprotinin, 52%, p = 0.592; placebo, 48%). Aprotinin was associated with a reduction in the volume of mediastinal shed blood (high-dose aprotinin vs placebo, p = 0.002; low-dose aprotinin vs placebo, p = 0.017). Adverse events were equally distributed among the treatment groups except for postoperative renal dysfunction (high-dose aprotinin, 11%; low-dose aprotinin, 7%; placebo, 0%; p = 0.01). A disproportionate number of patients in the high-dose aprotinin group with postoperative renal dysfunction also had diabetes mellitus. Conclusions: Aprotinin treatment in this population did not reduce allogeneic blood use, although there were significant reductions in the volume of mediastinal shed blood. (J THORAC CARDIOVASC SURG 1996;112:1081-9)
Increasing School Success Through Partnership-Based Family Competency Training: Experimental Study of Long-Term Outcomes.

An expanding body of research suggests an important role for parent or family competency training in children’s social-emotional learning and related school success. This article summarizes a test of a longitudinal model examining partnership-based family competency training effects on academic success in a general population. Specifically, it examines indirect effects of the Iowa Strengthening Families Program (ISFP) on school engagement in 8th grade and academic success in the 12th grade, through direct ISFP effects on intervention-targeted outcomes—parenting competencies and student substance-related risk—in 6th grade. Twenty-two rural schools were randomly assigned to either ISFP or a minimal-contact control group; data were collected from 445 families. Following examination of the equivalence of the measurement model across group and time, a structural equation modeling approach was used to test the hypothesized model and corresponding hypothesized structural paths. Significant effects of the ISFP were found on proximal intervention outcomes, intermediate school engagement, and the academic success of high school seniors.
Enteroinvasive and Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli: Occurrence in Acute Diarrhea of Infants and Children

The abilities ofEscherichia colito induce diarrhea by enterotoxin production and by intestinal cell penetration have not been explored simultaneously in children with diarrheal disease. In this study, we investigated 36 infants and children with acute diarrhea and 17 healthy controls. From each patient's rectal swab culture,E colicolonies were tested for enterotoxin production by intragastric inoculation in suckling mice and screened for cell penetration with HEp-2 cells. Colonies showing invasiveness in HEp-2 cells were further tested by inoculation into guinea pig conjunctivae. SalmonellaorShigellastrains were isolated from 42% of the patients with diarrhea. Enterotoxin-producing strains ofE coliwere found in 86% of the diarrhea group and in 41% of controls. Strains with capability to invade epithelial cells were found in 30% of the diarrhea group and in 12% of controls. In seven patients,E colistrains demonstrated both enterotoxin production and invasiveness. In an overall view, consideringSalmonella, Shigella, and enteroinvasive or enterotoxigenicE coli, a possible etiologic agent was demonstrated in 94% of infants with diarrheal disease. However, the high frequency of enterotoxigenic strains in healthy controls suggests that in some patients with diarrhea there may be a coincidental carrier state with diarrhea actually due to another cause.
Evaluation of the time distribution of t.v. frame-difference elements

An evaluation of the time distribution of t.v. frame-difference elements is made, and it is shown from experimental analysis how the probability-density function (p.d.f.) of the number of frame-difference signal pulses (f.d.s.p.) per second can be modelled by the gamma distribution for very large video sequences.
Erratum to ``hadron showers in a low-density fine-grained flash chamber calorimeter''

Abstract Our recent paper ∗ described an analysis of the energy deposition in hadronic showers at six incident particle energies from 33.8 to 415.4 GeV using the low-density fine-grained flash chamber calorimeter of the Lab C neutrino detector at Fermilab. More recent work on the subject has led us to revise some of the results presented for energies above 200 GeV. We present here revised results for the longitudinal and transverse energy deposition, and new coefficients for the parametrization of these curves.
The explosive growth of postdocs in computer science

Considering the factors influencing the recent rapid increase in the number of postdoctoral positions in computer science.
Influence of diet on sugars found by thin-layer chromatography in thoraces of honey bees, Apis mellifera L.

Twelve sugars in 0.5 M solution in water and also in 0.5 M solution in 0.5 M sucrose were fed to newly emerged, caged honey bee workers. After 11 to 27 hours, the sugars of ice water extracts of degutted thoraces were promptly analyzed by thin-layer chromatography. Unlike published values for sugars in the hemolymph from healthy bees, trehalose was the predominant sugar in the thorax. Lesser amounts of glucose and only traces of fructose were found. Trisaccharides were found in the thorax after they were fed to bees. Progress was made toward determining which nonsustentative sugars are toxic and which are not accepted. Galactosides seem toxic per se and not to be progenitors of toxic galactose. Galactosides and mannose gave no buildup of a particular sugar to indicate metabolic blockage. Starved bees and moribund bees with empty crops contained glucose but no trehalose. Analysis of thoracic sugars has potential value in diagnosis of bee poisoning.
Quantitation of coverages on rough surfaces by XPS: An overview

Selected methods for the XPS quantitation of surface coverages are summarized with an emphasis on non-planar samples with overlayers, e.g. powders of high surface area. Equations have been modified for uniform terminology and are presented based on a photoelectron spectrometer with an E−1 transmission function. Approaches which require a minimum of information from independent analytical techniques are given special consideration. Quantitative schemes discussed include calibration curves, surface sensitivity factors, exponential attenuation of bulk signals by overlayers, catalyst models, and the use of subshell twins or peak shape distortions related to photoelectron energy losses.
THE EFFECTS OF PACKAGING FILM AND STORAGE TEMPERATURE ON THE INTERNAL PACKAGE ATMOSPHERE AND FERMENTATION ENZYME ACTIVITY OF SWEET POTATO SLICES

Fresh-cut sweet potato slices were packaged in low- (PD900), medium(PD961) and high-permeability (PD941) film bags, and were stored at 2 or 8C for 14 days. Changes in O2 ,C O2, ethanol and acetaldehyde concentrations in the headspace were monitored over 14 days. The activities of fermentation enzymes and the concentration of fermentation volatiles were measured from tissue extracts on days 0, 7 and 14. Storage at 8C was an excessively high temperature for fresh-cut sweet potatoes to maintain aerobic respiration for 14 days. Low-permeability film bags resulted in anaerobiosis at 2 and 8C. Medium-permeability film bags were able to maintain a higher O2 and a lower CO2 level than PD900 film bags at 2C. However, they behaved similarly at 8C. High-permeability film bags maintained an aerobic atmosphere during the 14 days of storage at both temperatures.
LPE growth of GaAs: Formation of nuclei and surface terraces

Observations, analyses and measurements of LPE GaAs are presented on the formation of nuclei and surface terraces. The observations show that nuclei grow into well-defined prismatic hillocks bounded by only {100} and {111} planes and are unique to each substrate orientation, and hillocks tend to coalesce into chains and then into parallel surface terraces. An analysis of these results indicates that growth is limited to interface attachment on {100} planes, and {111} planes and curved surfaces are composed of {100} planes interlocked along 〈100〉 directions. To determine the surface terrace width a model of parallel nuclei on the substrate is analyzed to show that the heat of formation creates a diffuse liquid-solid interface region that can stabilize the nuclei separation and subject the interface to thermal fluctuations. When the thermal fluctuations are superimposed on a temperature gradient normal to the liquid-solid interface, the diffuse interface region is shown to decrease in size. Corresponding measurements of the terrace width for different temperature gradients are then shown to be in excellent agreement with this model.
Flour Beetles: Responses to Extracts of Their Own Pupae

Two species of flour beetles, Tribolium confusum and Tribolium castaneum, respond to neutral pith disks impregnated with aqueous extracts of their pupae in such a way that the adults and larvae tend to select the extract of the other species. These findings have implications for the population ecology of Tribolium.
TLR9 agonists induced cell death in Burkitt's lymphoma cells is variable and influenced by TLR9 polymorphism

Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) triggering is a promising novel strategy to combat cancer as it induces innate and adaptive immunity responses. B-cell lymphoma is unique in this context as tumor cells express TLR9 and may harbor latent Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a gamma-herpesvirus with remarkable oncogenic potential when latent. Latent EBV may be promoted by TLR9 triggering via suppression of lytic EBV. Here, we elaborated an initial assessment of the impact of TLR9 triggering on EBV-positive and EBV-negative B-cell lymphoma using Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) cell lines as an in vitro model. We show that, independent of the presence of EBV, the TLR9 ligand oligodeoxynucleotide (ODN) CpG-2006 may or may not induce caspase-dependent cell death in BL cells. Moreover, ODN CpG-2006-induced cell death responses of BL cells were associated with TLR9 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) rs5743836 or rs352140, which we detected in primary BL tumors and in peripheral blood from healthy individuals at similar frequencies. Thus, our findings suggest that the effect of TLR9 agonists on BL cells should be tested in vitro before installment of therapy and TLR9 SNPs in BL patients should be determined as potential biological markers for the therapeutic response to treatment targeting innate immunity.
Analysis of TM scattering from open two-dimensional perfectly conducting shells using aggregated compactly-supported wavelet bases

A technique for the efficient analysis of electromagnetic scattering from open conducting structures is presented. The technique is based on the construction of a compactly supported aggregated wavelet basis that is used to transform vectors of arbitrary length. The use of this technique leads to a sparse method of moments matrix, and speeds up matrix-vector products required in the iterative solution. The proposed algorithm can be appended to standard MoM codes and is capable of automatically handling an arbitrary number of unknowns and open-conductor configurations. For closed conducting structures, the method reduces to previously existing wavelet-based techniques.
Acute anoxia-induced alterations in MAP2 immunoreactivity and neuronal morphology in rat hippocampus

Cerebral ischemia induces major neuronal morphological alterations. It is not clear, however, whether this is directly caused by O2 deprivation. To determine the effect of hypoxia on cytoskeletal structures and neuronal morphology, we performed experiments and examined anoxia-induced changes in microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) and cell morphology in hippocampal slices in vitro. Anoxia (measured PO2 = 0 Torr) induced a marked loss in dendritic MAP2 immunoreactivity and cell swelling of hippocampal neurons by 2 h after O2 reinstitution. These changes were severe in CA1 and CA3 neurons and comparatively mild in dentate gyrus neurons. Quantitative analysis showed that 10 min of anoxia induced a 30% loss of MAP2-positive dendrites but this increased to 70% after 30 min of anoxia. A concurrent major increase in somata area of about 100% and 200% was observed in CA1 and CA3 neurons respectively. Somata area in the lower dentate gyrus, however, increased either insignificantly or by only 30% for the respective periods of anoxia. These results suggest that deprivation of O2 can by itself induce a major loss in dendritic MAP2 immunoreactivity and changes in cell morphology in hippocampal neurons. These alterations occur rapidly after hypoxia, and the severity of these changes is directly related to the duration of anoxia and brain region in the hippocampus.
Missed myocardial infarction in the emergency room.

Sixty-four cases of missed myocardial infarction in the emergency room were identified from the records of a major insurance company. The records were reviewed by three health care professionals using established standards of care for myocardial infarc tion. The diagnosis of myocardial infarction was missed in many cases due to the lack of diagnostic test ordering, poor interpretation of diagnostic tests, and the young age of the patients. Most patients were presented with symptoms compatible with myocar dial ischemia. There was an 83% mortality rate in the 64 cases. The cost of settlement and litigation far exceeded the cost of safe, effective, medical care in the cases studied.
Small Molecule Inhibition of RISC Loading

Argonaute proteins are the core components of the microRNP/RISC. The biogenesis and function of microRNAs and endo- and exo- siRNAs are regulated by Ago2, an Argonaute protein with RNA binding and nuclease activities. Currently, there are no in vitro assays suitable for large-scale screening of microRNP/RISC loading modulators. We describe a novel in vitro assay that is based on fluorescence polarization of TAMRA-labeled RNAs loaded to human Ago2. Using this assay, we identified potent small-molecule inhibitors of RISC loading, including aurintricarboxylic acid (IC50 = 0.47 μM), suramin (IC50 = 0.69 μM), and oxidopamine HCL (IC50 = 1.61 μM). Small molecules identified by this biochemical screening assay also inhibited siRNA loading to endogenous Ago2 in cultured cells.