cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vaccination strategies in follicular lymphoma.

Follicular lymphoma is one of the most immuneresponsive cancers. The clonal tumor immunoglobulin expressed on the surface of malignant B cells, termed idiotype, has been used as a tumor-specific antigen in therapeutic vaccination strategies for follicular lymphoma and other B-cell malignancies. A number of phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials have established the safety and immunogenicity of idiotype vaccine in follicular lymphoma. Three randomized, double-blind, controlled phase 3 clinical trials have recently been completed to definitively evaluate the clinical benefit of idiotype vaccine in follicular lymphoma. This review focuses on the results of these idiotype vaccine trials and discusses poten tial strategies to enhance the efficacy of vaccines in the future.
A Pilot Study Revealing Impaired P50 Gating in Antisocial Personality Disorder

The authors investigated preattentive filtering assessed by P50 gating in nine participants with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and seven with adult-onset antisocial behavior (AAB). Relative to 15 comparison subjects, gating was impaired in ASPD, suggesting abnormal pre-attentive filtering in pathological impulsivity.
Developmental Morphology of Smooth Bromegrass Growth Following Spring Grazing

The timing of initial spring grazing of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) pastures affects regrowth potential and subsequent forage yield and quality. This study was conducted to quantify the effects of the timing of the initiation of spring grazing on these factors. A field experiment was conducted at the Rhodes Research and Demonstration Farm in central Iowa from April through July in 1996 and 1997. Treatments were an undefoliated control and four initial dates of defoliation that were applied weekly, beginning when one fully collared leaf per tiller was present. Defoliation was done using two mature cattle (Bos taurus) to quickly (12-24 h) graze the sward to a height of 5 to 10 cm. Regrowth was sampled weekly for 8 wk, staged, and analyzed for forage quality. Early grazing of smooth bromegrass pastures did not delay sward development. Initiation of grazing at the later dates caused short delays in both development and the ability to regrow rapidly, but allowed utilization of a larger quantity of forage for the initial grazing event, with minimally decreased forage quality. Sward development differed between years. Tiller density and mean stage count did not differ among treatments during the 7 wk after defoliation in 1996 but did so in 1997. However, by the end of 8 wk, development was similar for all treatments. On the basis of this study, initiation of grazing when one fully collared leaf per tiller was present, followed by an adequate recovery period before beginning rotational grazing would give producers an early start on pasturing with limited impact on sward yield and health.
Revisiting Protocols for the NMR Analysis of Bacterial Metabolomes

Over the past decade, metabolomics has emerged as an important technique for systems biology. Measuring all the metabolites in a biological system provides an invaluable source of information to explore various cellular processes, and to investigate the impact of environmental factors and genetic modifications. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an important method routinely employed in metabolomics. NMR provides comprehensive structural and quantitative information useful for metabolomics fingerprinting, chemometric analysis, metabolite identification and metabolic pathway construction. A successful metabolomics study relies on proper experimental protocols for the collection, handling, processing and analysis of metabolomics data. Critically, these protocols should eliminate or avoid biologically-irrelevant changes to the metabolome. We provide a comprehensive description of our NMR-based metabolomics procedures optimized for the analysis of bacterial metabolomes. The technical details described within this manuscript should provide a useful guide to reliably apply our NMR-based metabolomics methodology to systems biology studies.
One-hour plasma glucose concentration during the OGTT: what does it tell about β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity in overweight/obese children?

In 2010, about 285 million people, ages 20–70 yr, are estimated to have diabetes mellitus worldwide (1), representing a 67% increase from the published estimates for the year 2000 (2). Moreover, most disconcerting is that rates of type 2 diabetes mellitus are increasing among youth (3) concomitant with the increase in childhood obesity (4). It is suggested that efforts to lessen the escalating rates of future type 2 diabetes mellitus among adults should target at risk children (5). In order to identify children at risk for type 2 diabetes development, it is paramount to understand the pathogenesis of the disease. Similar to adults, overt type 2 diabetes mellitus in children manifests when there is a significant decline in β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity (6). The disposition index (DI), a composite measure derived from first-phase insulin secretion, calculated during the hyperglycemic clamp, and insulin sensitivity, calculated during the hyperinsulinemic–euglycemic clamp, is considered the ‘gold standard’ in assessing β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity (7, 8). DI is highest among children with normal glucose tolerance, lower among those with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT), and lowest in those with type 2 diabetes mellitus despite similar degrees of obesity (9). Thus a progressive decline in DI appears to underlie the progression from normal to impaired glucose tolerance and eventually to overt diabetes (10, 11). Adults with IGT are at increased risk of future diabetes, with a rate of conversion of 5–10% per year (12). However, studies in adults suggest that the population at risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus should not be limited only to subjects with IGT (13). Recent reports from the San Antonio Heart Study and the Botnia Study have shown that the plasma glucose concentration at 1 h during the oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) is a strong predictor of future type 2 diabetes risk in adults (14, 15). Abdul-Ghani et al. identified 1-h plasma glucose concentration cut-off of 155 mg/dL (8.6 mmol/L) as a useful tool to stratify subjects into high and low-risk groups for developing diabetes, regardless of their glucose tolerance status (14, 15). Moreover the presence of the metabolic syndrome among individuals with 1-h plasma glucose ≥155 mg/dL further increased the risk of diabetes mellitus development (14, 15). In this study, we investigated the relationship between OGTT 1-h glucose concentration and β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity expressed as the disposition index, in children. On the basis of adult studies, we hypothesized that a 1-h glucose concentration ≥155 mg/dL is associated with a lower DI in youth, independent of the degree of obesity and glucose tolerance status.
Conformation-dependent state selectivity in O-O cleavage of ONOONO: an "inorganic cope rearrangement" helps explain the observed negative activation energy in the oxidation of nitric oxide by dioxygen.

ONOONO has been proposed as an intermediate in the oxidation of nitric oxide by dioxygen to yield nitrogen dioxide. The O−O bond breaking reactions of this unusual peroxide, and subsequent rearrangements, were evaluated using CBS-QB3 and B3LYP/6-311G* hybrid density functional theory. The three stable conformers (cis,cis-, cis,trans-, and trans,trans-ONOONO, based on the O−N−O−O dihedral angles of either ∼0° or ∼180°) are predicted to have very different O−O cleavage barriers: 2.4, 13.0, and 29.8 kcal/mol, respectively. These large differences arise because bond breaking leads to correlation of the nascent NO2 fragments with either the ground 2A1 state or the excited 2B2 state of NO2, depending on the starting ONOONO conformation. A cis-oriented NO2 fragment correlates with the 2A1 state, whereas a trans-oriented NO2 fragment correlates with the 2B2 state. Each NO2 fragment that correlates with 2A1 lowers the O−O homolysis energy by ∼15 kcal/mol, similar to the ∼17−25 kcal/mol 2A1 → 2B2 energy difference...
Information acquisition and/or bid preparation: A structural analysis of entry and bidding in timber sale auctions☆

Recently, several auction models with entry have been proposed: in one model (Levin and Smith, 1994; Li and Zheng, 2009), bidders are assumed to draw their private values after they decide to enter. In another model (Samuelson, 1985; Li and Zheng, 2009), bidders are assumed to learn their values before their entry decisions are made. The entry cost in the latter model can be interpreted as bid preparation cost, while the entry cost in the former model consists of both costs from information acquisition and bid preparation. Moreover, these two models have different implications for important policies, e.g., the optimal reserve price. In this paper we provide a unified structural framework where the two models can be estimated and distinguished using the Bayesian method. We apply our method to analyze Michigan timber sale auctions.
Frontal white matter integrity as an endophenotype for schizophrenia: diffusion tensor imaging in monozygotic twins and patients' nonpsychotic relatives.

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) provides anatomical connectivity information by examining the directional organization of white matter microstructure. Anatomical connectivity and its abnormalities may be heritable traits associated with schizophrenia. To further examine this hypothesis, two studies were conducted to compare anatomical connectivity between (a) monozygotic (MZ) twin pairs and random pairings among twins and (b) first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients and a healthy control group. Analyses focused on frontal regions of the brain following previous findings of anatomical connectivity abnormalities associated with schizophrenia. For Study 1, eighteen MZ twin pairs (11 female pairs, age: M=25.44, SD=5.69) were recruited. For Study 2, twenty two first-degree relatives of schizophrenia patients (14 females, age: M=48.50, SD=8.22), and 30 healthy controls (12 females, age: M=43.83, SD=11.39) were recruited. Fractional anisotropy (FA), a white matter directional organization metric, was measured with DTI. In Study 1, FA values were more strongly correlated between MZ twin pairs than between randomly generated pairs in genu of corpus callosum, anterior cingulum and forceps minor. In Study 2, relatives of schizophrenia patients showed reduced FA values in medial frontal white matter (p<0.05, corrected). The present study suggested that anatomical connectivity in medial prefrontal cortex appeared significantly heritable within MZ twin pairs, an important criterion in the development of an endophenotype. In addition, altered medial frontal white matter integrity found in non-affected relatives of schizophrenia patients seems to suggest that reduced white matter integrity in medial frontal regions of the brain might be associated with the genetic liability to schizophrenia.
Vaginal candidiasis: review and role of local mucosal immunity.

Vulvovaginal candidiasis is a common mucosal fungal infection in women of child-bearing ages. Despite the role for cell-mediated immunity and T cells in host protection against the majority of muco...
Contemporary use of clopidogrel in patients with coronary artery disease

Antiplatelet agents have long served as the cornerstone of pharmacologic therapy to prevent atherothrombotic events. The thienopyridines have risen to prominence as both an alternative and adjunctive treatment to aspirin monotherapy. These agents prevent platelet aggregation by selectively and irreversibly blocking the platelet ADP P2Y12 receptor. In this article we focus on the use of clopidogrel in the contemporary management of coronary artery disease. We assess the use of clopidogrel following revascularization for coronary artery disease with percutaneous coronary intervention, particularly after deployment of drug-eluting stents. Finally, we address some aspects of clopidogrel resistance.
Role of a salt bridge in the model protein crambin explored by chemical protein synthesis: X-ray structure of a unique protein analogue, [V15A]crambin-α-carboxamide

We have used total chemical synthesis to prepare [V15A]crambin-α-carboxamide, a unique protein analogue that eliminates a salt bridge between the δ-guanidinium of the Arg10 side chain and the α-carboxylate of Asn46 at the C-terminus of the polypeptide chain. This salt bridge is thought to be important for the folding and stability of the crambin protein molecule. Folding, with concomitant disulfide bond formation, of the fully reduced [V15A]crambin-α-carboxamidepolypeptide was less efficient than folding/disulfide formation for the [V15A]crambin polypeptide under a standard set of conditions. To probe the origin of this less efficient folding/disulfide bond formation, we separately crystallized purified synthetic [V15A]crambin-α-carboxamide and chemically synthesized [V15A]crambin and solved their X-ray structures. The crystal structure of [V15A]crambin-α-carboxamide showed that elimination of the Arg10–Asn46 salt bridge caused disorder of the C-terminal region of the polypeptide chain and affected the overall ‘tightness’ of the structure of the protein molecule. These studies, enabled by chemical protein synthesis, strongly suggest that in native crambin the Arg10–Asn46 salt bridge contributes to efficient formation of correct disulfide bonds and also to the well-ordered structure of the protein molecule.
New forms of amino acid naphthylamidase in pregnancy.

Abstract Three new electrophoretically distinct forms of pregnancy-specific amino acid naphthylamidase have been demonstrated in late pregnancy on acrylamide gel. These late pregnancy enzymes demonstrated lower electrophoretic mobilities than the two new enzymes which appear in early pregnancy. All five forms showed a similar resistance to inhibition by l -methionine.
DC microgrids and distribution systems: An overview

Abstract This paper presents an overview of the most recent advances in DC distribution systems. Due to the significantly increasing interest that DC power systems have been gaining lately, researchers investigated several issues that need to be considered during this transition interval from current conventional power systems into modern smart grids involving DC microgrids. The efforts of these researchers were mostly directed toward studying the feasibility of implementing DC distribution on a given application, DC distribution design-related aspects such as the system architecture or its voltage level, or the unique challenges associated with DC power systems protection and stability. In this paper, these research efforts were categorized, discussed and analyzed to evaluate where we currently stand on the migration path from the overwhelming fully AC power system to a more flexible hybrid AC/DC power system. Moreover, the impediments against more deployment of DC distribution systems and some of the proposed solutions to overcome those impediments in the literature will be discussed. One of the obstacles to increased DC system penetration is the lack of standards. This problem will be discussed, and the most recent standardization efforts will also be summarized and presented.
A COMPARISON OF GRADE EQUIVALENT SCORES BETWEEN GRADE LEVELS ON TWO SUBTESTS OF THE IOWA TESTS OF BASIC SKILLS

consists of separate but overlapping batteries for each of the six grade levels covered by the test. The ITBS Manual (1956, pp. 12-15) and Fenollosa (1957) have pointed to a number of technical as well as practical advantages associated with the "multi-level" approach. Among the claimed advantages over earlier broad-range (level) type batteries are: (1) more appropriate content at each grade level resulting in improved power and difficulty; (2) greater appropriateness of content at each grade level resulting in the inhibiting of coaching for purposes of "looking good" on the test; and (3) the presence of "anchor units" by virtue of overlapped test content, grade to grade, providing a more nearly common basis for scaling and equating scores grade to grade. While not denying the desirability of these results, they remain, with the possible exception of the first, to be demonstrated.
A SIMPLE PROTOCOL FOR CRYOPRESERVATION OF MOSSES

Maintaining numbers of aseptic cultures of bryophytes by serial transfer not only consumes supplies and labor but can result in loss of vigor or the appearance of other abnormalities in long-term cultures. Cryopreservation of cultures solves the problems associated with long-term culture, and is of particular importance for cultures or mutant cell lines incapable of making spores or where spores are short-lived. Dramatic simplification of a published protocol for moss cryopreservation is accomplished by preconditioning cultures for 3-4 days in medium supplemented with 10-5 M ABA and 100 mM proline. This proline/ABA protocol can be successfully used with Ceratodon purpureus, Funaria hygrometrica, Physcomitrella patens, and two species of Sphagnum; cryopreserved cultures remain viable for a minimum of one year at -800C. Experiments demonstrate a differential response by cell types to cryopreservation, as well as differences between species or for particular selected cell lines within a species. Other experiments suggest that successful cryopreservation is not a simple consequence of brood cells in ABA-treated
Initial value calculation for dynamic simulation of power systems in the presence of disturbances within transmission network

Transient stability analysis of power systems involves the study of synchronism (through dynamic simulation) when the system is subjected to large disturbances within the transmission network, such as: load switching, loss of generators, loss of lines, or short circuit faults. One major problem in the above simulation is finding the initial values of the algebraic state variables involved in the simulation. This problem is, basically, a modified power flow problem that involves calculation of bus voltages and angles for all buses including the generator and the swing buses. Although the available industrial simulation packages solve the above mentioned problem, but the method of solution has not been reported in the open literature. This paper presents an approach to solve the above initial-value calculation problem by modifying the existing power flow program. The presented approach is applied/tested on the IEEE 14-Bus test system using MATLAB.
Comparative interactions of streptozotocin and chlorozotocin with DNA of an insulin-secreting cell line (RINr)

Both streptozotocin and chlorozotocin, the 2-chloroethyl analogue of streptozotocin, are diabetogenic chemicals in rodents. Although these chemicals are similar structurally, they appear to act on pancreatic B cells via different mechanisms [1, 2]. In studies here, damage and repair of DNA after exposure of an insulin-secreting cell line to streptozotocin and chlorozotocin were assessed by nucleoid sedimentation and alkaline elution. Equitoxic concentrations of streptozotocin and chlorozotocin caused significant single-strand breakage of DNA (p<0.005). These lesions were repaired in a time-dependent manner, with most repair completed by 24-h post-exposure to chemicals. Additionally, chlorozotocin caused DNA-DNA and DNA-protein crosslinks in insulinoma cells. When proteinase K was included in the crosslinking assay, a substantial proportion of the chlorozotocin-associated crosslinks proved to be DNA interstrand in nature. Analysis of the amount of interstrand crosslinking in insulinoma cells after exposure to chlorozotocin for 1 h showed that formation of interstrand crosslinks was slow. Increasing amounts appeared over a 24-h period. These results suggest that the formation of irreversible DNA interstrand crosslinks may be a critical factor in cytotoxicity and diabetogenicity caused by chlorozotocin.
Observations on sperm penetration in the rat.

The structural aspects of sperm penetration in the rat egg were investigated by electron microscopy. Eggs were recovered at intervals between 8 and 10:30 A.M. from females which had mated during the previous night. The oviducts were flushed with hyaluronidase and the eggs transferred into a 2 per cent osmium tetroxide solution, buffered at pH 7.8. After fixation, the eggs were mounted individually in agar, dehydrated in ethyl alcohol, and embedded in butyl-methyl methacrylate (3:1). The sperm penetrating the egg is covered by a plasma membrane which is present only on the side facing toward the zona pellucida; no membrane is visible on the side facing toward the vitellus. The sperm plasma membrane becomes continuous with the egg plasma membrane and forms a deep fold around the entering sperm. Cross-sections through the sperm midpiece in the perivitelline space show an intact plasma membrane. At the place of entrance, the plasma membrane of the sperm appears to fuse with the egg plasma membrane. After the sperm has penetrated the vitellus, it has no plasma membrane at all. The nuclear membrane is also absent. These observations suggest a new hypothesis for sperm penetration. After the sperm has come to lie on the plasma membrane of the egg, the egg and sperm plasma membranes rupture and then fuse with one another to form a continuous cell membrane over the egg and the outer surface of the sperm. As a result the sperm comes to lie inside the vitellus, leaving its own plasma membrane incorporated into the egg membrane at the surface of the egg.
Output error identification without SPR assumptions

This paper uses an input-output stability analysis approach to show that for a large class of output error identification algorithms, the usual strict positive real (SPR) conditions on the unknown plant can be replaced by "persistent power" conditions on the plant input sequence. The only a priori knowlege of the plant assumed is stability and knowlege of a model order upper bound. This class of algorithms is shown to include the constant direction, recursive least squares with forgetting, controlled trace, and covariance resetting variants, extending the results of [1]. Arguments for the necessity of the SPR condition in other cases, eg. recursive least squares and stochastic approximation, are also given. Implications in identification and adaptive IIR filtering are discussed.
Antigen Retrieval Immunohistochemistry: Practice and Development

AbstractThe antigen retrieval (AR) technique is a novel, simple, and reliable approach to routine immunohistochemistry (IHC) developed in 1991. It has increasingly been used in pathology and analytical morphology, with a wide fruitful field opened for both clinical and research projects. Hundreds of articles concerning AR-IHC have been published in a variety of journals all over the world. As a recently developed technique, the wide use of AR has raised numerous questions for further study. This review article focuses on several key points of the method and further developments of the AR technique that are different from some review articles published recently. (The J Histotechnol 20:145, 1997)
Probability of quasiparticle self-trapping due to localized energy deposition in nonequilbrium tunnel-junction detectors

Voltage-biased, superconducting tunnel junctions are investigated as x-ray detectors for applications requiring both high quantum efficiency and better than 1% energy resolution. The nonequilibrium quasiparticles, produced as the energy deposited degrades to the few-meV-per-excitation level, tunnel and are detected before they are lost to recombination. Previous event modeling ignored the energy cascade under the assumption that the equilibrium of the electrodes is minimally perturbed by the deposited energy. In this paper we demonstrate that that assumption is invalid. We calculate the local energy density as the average quasiparticle energy becomes of the proper magnitude to suppress the gap. The fraction of the nonequilibrium quasiparticles that become spatially trapped (never to tunnel) in the order-parameter well that their existence creates may vary between events. If so, the source of the observed non-Poisson-limited energy resolution of this class of detectors would be identified. The input parameters used were evaluated in equilibrium. Thus our conclusions need to be confirmed via a fully nonequilibrium calculation of the cascade.
Spermidine/Spermine N1-Acetyltransferase-1 Binds to Hypoxia-inducible Factor-1α (HIF-1α) and RACK1 and Promotes Ubiquitination and Degradation of HIF-1α *

Abstract Hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) is a master regulator of oxygen homeostasis that controls the expression of genes encoding proteins that play key roles in angiogenesis, erythropoiesis, and glucose/energy metabolism. The stability of the HIF-1α subunit is regulated by ubiquitination and proteasomal degradation. In aerobic cells, O2-dependent prolyl hydroxylation of HIF-1α is required for binding of the von Hippel-Lindau tumor suppressor protein VHL, which then recruits the Elongin C ubiquitin-ligase complex. SSAT2 (spermidine/spermine N-acetyltransferase-2) binds to HIF-1α and promotes its ubiquitination/degradation by stabilizing the interaction of VHL and Elongin C. Treatment of cells with heat shock protein HSP90 inhibitors induces the degradation of HIF-1α even under hypoxic conditions. HSP90 competes with RACK1 for binding to HIF-1α, and HSP90 inhibition leads to increased binding of RACK1, which recruits the Elongin C ubiquitin-ligase complex to HIF-1α in an O2-independent manner. In this work, we demonstrate that SSAT1, which shares 46% amino acid identity with SSAT2, also binds to HIF-1α and promotes its ubiquitination/degradation. However, in contrast to SSAT2, SSAT1 acts by stabilizing the interaction of HIF-1α with RACK1. Thus, the paralogs SSAT1 and SSAT2 play complementary roles in promoting O2-independent and O2-dependent degradation of HIF-1α.
A DEAE-cellulose chromatographic separation of Co57 vitamin B12 binders in normal human serum.

SummaryA method was described for the separation of vit B12 binders in normal serum on a 15 × 4 cm DEAE-cellulose column by stepwise elution with 0.005 M pH 8.0, 0.0175 M pH 6.3, 0.04 M pH 5.9, 0.1 M pH 5.8 and 0.4 M pH 5.2 sodium phosphate buffers. Two radioactive peaks appeared when 300 μμg Co57 B12 per ml of serum had been added in vitro. With the addition of 2,000 μμ/ml of Co57 B12 to the serum, 5 radioactive peaks appeared.
Ab initio molecular dynamics study of carbon dioxide and bicarbonate hydration and the nucleophilic attack of hydroxide on CO2.

We apply ab initio molecular dynamics (AIMD) to study the hydration structures of the carbon dioxide molecule and the bicarbonate and carbonate anions in liquid water. We also compute the free energy change associated with the nucleophilic attack of the hydroxide ion on carbon dioxide. CO2 behaves like a hydrophobic species and exhibits weak interactions with water molecules. The bicarbonate and carbonate ions are strongly hydrated and coordinate to an average of 6.9 and 8.7 water molecules, respectively. The energetics for the reaction in the gas phase are investigated using density functional theory and second-order Moller−Plesset perturbation theory (MP2) in conjunction with high-quality basis sets. Using umbrella sampling techniques, we compute the standard state, aqueous phase free energy difference associated with the reaction CO2 + OH- → HCO3- after correcting AIMD energies with MP2 results. Our predictions are in good agreement with experiments. The hydration structures along the reaction coordina...
Traumatic brain injury in older adults

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious health risk for older adults, and the consequences of TBI range from full recovery to death. For many who survive, there is a legacy of cognitive, physical, and emotional disability. Falls are the major cause of head injury in older adults. There are many risk factors including pre-existing brain disease, other diseases, and, sometimes, iatrogenic factors. Efforts directed at prevention are of great importance. Outcome studies indicate that outcome is generally worse for older people than for younger people with similar injuries, but older individuals also deserve aggressive rehabilitation directed at the best possible recovery. This review will discuss the symptoms and syndromes that commonly result from TBI with comments about treatment.
On the effect of fine second-phase particles on primary recrystallization as a function of strain

Some alloys containing fine, undeformable, second-phase particles (typically, 25 nm < diameter < 1 {micro}m; 8 nm < interparticle-spacing < 0.5 {micro}m) can display either accelerated or retarded recrystallization depending on the particle dispersion parameters. The recrystallization of a series of such alloys, internally oxidized (12)[11{bar 1}] single crystal plates of copper containing SiO{sub 2} particles, has been examined over a range of true strains from 32% to 335%. The stored energies and recrystallization temperatures have been measured at various strain levels using differential scanning calorimetry. A model to explain the recrystallization kinetics based on a balance between the extra stored energy of deformation due to the geometrically-necessary dislocations associated with the particles and particle pinning is presented. The experimental results are found to be in reasonable agreement with this model.
The isotropic shear modulus of multicomponent Fe-base solid solutions

Abstract A critical analysis of the available experimental data for the effect of alloying elements on the isotropic shear modulus of bcc (body-centered cube) Fe–X (X=Al, Be, C, Co, Cr, Ge, Ir, Mn, Ni, Pt, Re, Rh, Ru, Si and V) solid solutions is carried out. The total effect of a solute on the shear modulus is decomposed into two contributions: the electronic (or chemical) and the volumetric. A systematic trend of the electronic contribution is demonstrated as a function of electron-to-atom (e/a) ratio and the ground-state electronic configuration of the solute atom. Based on the demonstrated trend, we predict the chemical contribution of the shear modulus of Cu, Mo, N, Nb, Ti and W in ferromagnetic α-Fe (bcc), and that of Ti and V in paramagnetic γ-Fe [face-centered cube (fcc)]. These along with the corresponding volumetric contributions enable us to predict the total effect of a solute on the shear modulus in α-Fe and γ-Fe. In the case of γ-Fe, we derive the chemical and volumetric contributions of Ni and Pt from the experimental shear modulus data of paramagnetic Fe–Ni and Fe–Pt alloys while those of C, Co, Cr, Mn, Mo, N and Si are derived from the shear modulus of paramagnetic Fe–Ni–X alloys. In the case of Al, Be, Cu, Ge, Ir, Nb, Re, Rh , Ru and W, the total effect on the shear modulus is calculated by assuming that the electronic contribution to the shear modulus in γ-Fe is the same as in α-Fe. To calculate the isotropic shear modulus of multicomponent bcc and fcc solid solutions, we propose linear superposition laws. The proposed relationships are validated using the experimental data of a large number of multicomponent alloys having austenitic, ferritic, and lath martensitic microstructures. It is demonstrated that for all three microstructures, in most cases the shear modulus can be predicted with an accuracy of ±3% in multicomponent solid solutions. It is also found that the high dislocation density in lath martensite accounts for a decrease in shear modulus by about 5% compared to the ferritic counterpart. We also demonstrate that the temperature dependence of shear modulus in multicomponent bcc and fcc solid solutions is similar to that of pure α- and γ-Fe, respectively, for up to about 800 K.
Interaction of L‐cysteine with a human excitatory amino acid transporter.

1. The interaction of L-cysteine with three excitatory amino acid transporter subtypes cloned from human brain (EAAT1-3) was examined by measuring transporter-mediated electrical currents and radiolabelled amino acid flux in voltage-clamped Xenopus oocytes expressing the transporters. 2. L-Cysteine was transported by the neuronal subtype EAAT3 (EAAC1) with an affinity constant of 190 microM and a maximal rate of flux similar to that of L-glutamate; the relative efficacies (Vmax/K(m)) of the EAAT1 and EAAT2 subtypes for transporting L-cysteine were 10- to 20-fold lower. 3. Changing the ionization state of L-cysteine by raising the external pH did not significantly change the apparent affinity, transport rate, or magnitude of currents induced by L-cysteine, suggesting that both the neutral zwitterionic and anionic forms of the amino acid are transported with the same net charge stoichiometry. 4. In addition to competing with L-glutamate for uptake by the neuronal carrier, L-cysteine caused transporter-mediated release of transmitter by heteroexchange; both actions would elevate extracellular glutamate concentrations and may thus contribute to the known excitotoxic actions of L-cysteine in the brain. 5. Because the EAAT3 transporter is also expressed in tissues including kidney and intestine, the results suggest the possibility of a heretofore unrecognized mechanism of L-cysteine uptake in peripheral tissues as well as in brain.
Care without chemotherapy: the role of the palliative care team.

So--what will be your answer to the medical student? What should you tell Barbara and her family? That's up to you. But whatever you chose, you can be confident that you will be able to provide for her comfort and help her maximize her quality of life. When you share your most honest estimate of her prognosis and help her reframe her hope, you can increase the chance that she will be able to define and accomplish her last goals, bring closure to her life, and do the work that will minimize the pain of her bereaved family. You are not alone in this work: you can enlist hospice and palliative care teams to help you. With their help, you can promise Barbara the same expert care with or without chemotherapy And then . . . it's up to her.
The effect of cholecystokinin-octapeptide, insulin, glucagon, triiodothyronine, and epidermal growth factor on amylase activity in fetal pancreas in vitro.

ABSTRACT: To evaluate the possible role of various hormones on fetal pancreas development, late gestational fetal rat pancreata (20 days) were cultured in a serum-free medium for 6 days in the presence of cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8), epidermal growth factor, triiodothyronine, or glucagon with or without dexamethasone. In the absence of any added hormone, the tissue amylase activity declined very rapidly. Epidermal growth factor alone (4·10-7 M) could not preserve the amylase activity, whereas triiodothyronine (0.1 μM) and glucagon (4 μg/ml) had a deleterious effect that was prevented by the addition of DXM (3 · 10-6 M). In the presence of CCK-8 (2 · 10-11 M) 50 and 30% of the amylase activity was maintained on the 2nd and the 4th day of culture, respectively. The CCK-8 effect was dose dependent and was inhibited by asperlicin (10 μM). The combination of CCK-8 and dexamethasone maintained more than 80% of the amylase activity in the fetal pancreas explants through 4 days of culture. Fetal pancreas cultured in this optimal medium and treated with streptozotocin (10-7 M) during the 1st day of culture showed a significantly lower tissue amylase activity on the 4th and 6th days than those not treated with streptozotocin. The streptozotocin effect was attenuated when insulin (0.1 U/ml) was added. These data suggest that, in addition to the well-known effect of glucocorticoid on enzyme activities in the fetal pancreas, two additional hormones, CCK and insulin, could play a role in the modulation of pancreatic amylase activity in the fetal rat.
The Mayo Clinic Cohort Study of Personality and Aging: Design and Sampling, Reliability and Validity of Instruments, and Baseline Description

We established a historical cohort of 7,216 subjects who completed the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) at the Mayo Clinic from 1962 through 1965 for research (not clinical indication), and who resided within a 120-mile radius centered in Rochester, Minnesota. We describe here the overall cohort design and sampling, we report results concerning reliability and validity, and we describe age and sex patterns at baseline for four MMPI scores of primary interest (depression, anxiety, social introversion, and negativity). Subjects excluded from the cohort because of missing data had MMPI scores similar to subjects included (after appropriate rescaling). A cut-off specific for age and sex at the 75th percentile of the distribution of raw scores was valid compared with the traditional clinical cut-off (T scores plus one standard deviation). Baseline scores for all four scales were higher in women than in men at all ages (all p < 0.0001). Depression and social introversion scores showed an increasing trend with age in both sexes (Spearman rank correlation, rho = 0.05 and 0.08, respectively, p < 0.0001 for both). Baseline scores on the anxiety scale showed a decreasing trend with age in both sexes (rho = -0.06, p < 0.0001). Negativity scores remained relatively stable with age in both sexes (rho = 0.03, p = 0.01). We found a high correlation between the anxiety score and the negativity score (rho = 0.90, p < 0.0001) even after the exclusion of overlapping items (rho = 0.68, p < 0.0001). This newly established historical cohort study provides opportunities to test hypotheses regarding the link between personality and aging, aging-related diseases, and overall mortality.
Information in entangled dynamic quantum networks

We present a simple method of obtaining a completely entangled lattice of qubits, using a modified form of the controlled-NOT quantum gates connecting nearest neighbors, which we have studied earlier. In this fully entangled case, for computational economy a slightly modified form of the c-NOT gate is used, which inverts the phase as well as the state of the controlled qubit when the controlling qubit is excited. It too gives a manifestly unitary transition matrix for each updating of the network, while keeping all the numbers produced in the operations real. The dynamics leads to a completely entangled state of the qubits. Simulation shows a surprising property of the dynamics of the network, viz. the possibility of obtaining the initial state by a method of back-projecting the complicated entangled states that evolve after many updatings of the entire network. We prove that it is not possible for a sequence of unitary operators working on a net to make it move from an aperiodic regime to a periodic one, unlike some classical cases where phase-locking happens in course of evolution. However, we show that it is possible to introduce periodic orbits to sets of initial states, which may be useful in forming dynamic pattern recognition systems.
Automatic Anti-Icing Robot of High-Voltage Transmission Wire

The problem of persistent icing on high-voltage line is very serious and cause severe losses. In order to solve the high-voltage line freezing, an automatic anti-icing robot (AAR) of high-voltage transmission line is designed in a new way. In this article, the technologies of take power online (TPO), mechatronics and network group control (NGC) are used in the designs. The automatic anti-icing robot (AAR) can work continuously in all weather and be controlled in large scale. In addition, a de-icing tool is designed specially. In conclusion, the automatic anti-icing robot of high-voltage transmission line can effectively solve the freezing of the high voltage line and has a large value of reference and promotion.
Structure and orientation development in biaxial stretching of ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene gel films

Ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) gel films were prepared by gelation crystallization from decalin solutions. According to wide- and small-angle X-ray scattering (WAXD and SAXS) studies, single crystal mat texture with crystal c-axis oriented normal to film surface generally develops. However, randomly oriented structure can also develop if an external force is applied to gel films during gelation crystallization. Both textures invariably yield high drawability in uniaxial mode with outstanding modulus and strength. Biaxial films, typically 5 × 5, 6 × 6, 8 × 8, and 10 × 10 times the original dimensions, were prepared at 130°C–135°C in a biaxial stretcher. Optical microscopic Investigations reveal the development of interwoven fibrillar structure in all specimens. WAXD and SAXS studies show that lamellar structure transforms to fibrillar texture during biaxial stretching. Crystal orientation is characterized by WAXD pole figure and infrared dichroic methods. Mechanical studies suggest that tensile modulus and strength appear uniform. In comparison with uniaxial deformation, significant improvement in the lateral strength is seen in the biaxially stretched films.
Natural accumulation of Schottky-Frenkel defects: Implications for a quartz geochronometer

Electron spin resonance (ESR) analyses have been made of natural quartz samples ranging in age from 100 ka to 1.4 Ga. Signal intensities of two ESR centers that can be associated with Schottky-Frenkel (SF) defects are significantly correlated with age. These defects are thought to accumulate naturally as a result of elastic collisions in the quartz lattice initiated by the recoil of alpha-emitting nuclides present as impurities. Preliminary indications are that recoil-induced SF defects can be significantly more abundant than original SF defects in samples older than several million years. These considerations provide the theoretical basis for a long-ranging quartz geochronometer.
Women’s Timing of Receipt of Social Security Retirement Benefits

The 2000–2006 waves of Health and Retirement Study data were used to estimate the effects of human capital characteristics and income sources on women’s timing of receipt of Social Security retirement benefits. Using logistic regression, the likelihood of early election of benefits was increased by earnings regardless of marital status; and, for married women, by husband’s age being greater than wife’s, and by other income. For married women, education decreased the likelihood of electing early benefits. For unmarried women, IRA/annuity income reduced the likelihood of early receipt of benefits. Using multinomial logistic regression, the likelihood of combinations of expected and actual benefit receipt options were estimated. A greater percentage of married, compared to unmarried, women expected and elected early benefits.
Cyclic GMP: Control of concentration by light in retinal photoreceptors

Abstract The cyclic GMP concentration of dark-adapted rod outer segments (ROS) is approximately 30 pmoles/mg protein and only 3 pmoles/mg protein in ROS light-adapted in vivo or in vitro. The cyclic AMP concentration of dark-adapted ROS is about 2 pmoles/mg protein with no difference observed upon bleaching. A role for cyclic GMP in the visual process may thus be indicated.
Double-resonance spectroscopy of transitions between autoionizing levels of atomic oxygen.

Double-resonance spectroscopy is used to study transitions between autoionizing levels of atomic oxygen. The first laser is used to produce oxygen atoms in the 1${\mathit{s}}^{2}$2${\mathit{s}}^{2}$2${\mathit{p}}^{4}$ $^{1}$${\mathit{D}}_{2}$ level by photodissociation of ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$O and to excite two-photon transitions from the $^{1}$${\mathit{D}}_{2}$ level to the long-lived ${(}^{2}$D\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{})3p $^{1}$${\mathit{F}}_{3}$ autoionizing level. The second laser is used to probe transitions from the $^{1}$${\mathit{F}}_{3}$ level to higher-energy autoionizing levels as well as to the ${\mathrm{O}}^{+}$ $^{2}$D\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{} direct-ionization continuum. The transitions are detected by using a magnetic bottle electron spectrometer to monitor photoelectrons selectively with the kinetic energy specific to the process of interest. New transitions to the ${(}^{2}$D${\mathrm{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}}_{5/2,3/2}$)ns' and nd' Rydberg-series members with n=16\char21{}31 are observed. The intensity dependence of these results has also been studied, and the implications of this relatively low-power measurement for above-threshold ionization are discussed.
THE SELECTION OF STATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICES

Using weighted least squares analysis, we examine the effects of region and judicial selection system on the characteristics of state supreme court judges. The article tests hypotheses concerning the quality of judges, specifically the ability of merit plans to recruit superior judges, and the openness of various selection systems. Major findings are that region is the main factor accounting for variations in judges' backgrounds and no method of recruitment selects judges with substantially different credentials. However, merit selection systematically is less open to religious minorities.
Hamiltonian description of monopoles on a rotating sphere

Abstract The Poisson bracket for 2D hydrodynamics on a Riemann manifold is considered. For a special class of vorticities a general method is suggested for reducing this bracket to Gardner–Zakharov–Faddeev bracket by changing the functional variable. When applying to a rotating sphere, new Hamiltonian equations are obtained for Rossby monopoles in terms of the vorticity extremum coordinates and the distance from it to the vorticity lines. The equations have clear physical meaning and may be used as a split-up scheme for numerical solution.
The Political Economy of Gender: Explaining Cross‐National Variation in the Gender Division of Labor and the Gender Voting Gap

Mainstream political economy has tended to treat the family as a unit when examining the distributional consequences of labor market institutions and of public policy. In a world with high divorce rates, we argue that this simplification is more likely to obscure than to instruct. We find that labor market opportunities for women, which vary systematically with the position of countries in the international division of labor and with the structure of the welfare state, affect women's bargaining power within the family and as a result, can explain much of the cross country variation in the gender division of labor as well as the gender gap in political preferences.
Common Referent versus Shifting Referent Methods When Using Case–Control Data to Examine Patterns of Incidence Across Multiple Exposure Variables

Purpose In case–control studies, when odds ratios estimate rate ratios or risk ratios, trends in odds ratios can reflect trends in incidence in the underlying population. Methods and Results In this report, we use an empirical example and hypothetical data to compare two methods (“common referent” and “shifting referent”) for calculating odds ratios from case–control data across multiple exposure variables. With common referent methods, a single independent variable is constructed from the joint distribution of all exposure variables. With shifting referent methods, each stratum-specific trend has its own referent. Conclusions Using examples involving a single ordinal “trend” variable and a dichotomous “stratification” variable, we show that common referent odds ratios will reflect the pattern of incidence in the underlying population, whereas odds ratios calculated using shifting referent methods will not.