cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of retrovirus-induced syncytium formation by photoproducts of a brominated 1,8-naphthalimide compound

Abstract A major disadvantage of conventional phototherapy is the requirement for the in situ delivery of stimulating photoenergy subsequent to the binding of photochemicals to target malignant cells, or virus-infected cells, or viruses. This drawback has resulted in considerable limitation in the use of photochemicals in photomedicine. To circumvent this problem, we have investigated the antiviral efficacy of a brominated 1,8-naphthalimide photocompound, termed LY66Br [3-bromo-4-(hexylamino)-N-hexyl-1,8-naphthalimide], which upon exposure to visible light at 420 nm generates independently of oxygen one or more stable antiviral molecular photoproducts (e.g., is ‘preactivated’). Human cell lines infected with the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), or with the human T-lymphotropic virus type-1 (HTLV-I) exposed to photochemical products of LY66Br (P-LY66Br) completely lost their ability to form syncytia in vitro. Photoproducts of P-LY66Br retain full antiviral activity for at least 3 and 6 weeks when stored at room temperature and at −80°C, respectively. Concentrations of P-LY66Br, effective in inhibiting syncytium formation mediated by HIV-1 and HTLV-I, were nontoxic to normal red cell components of whole blood (red blood cell 2,3-diphosphoglyceric acid, adenosine triphosphate, osmotic fragility or blood type antigens). Additionally, no evidence of acute toxicity was demonstrated in mice following an intravenous bolus inoculation to achieve plasma concentration of 600 μM of P-LY66Br. These findings represent the first demonstration of inhibition of retrovirus-induced syncytium formation by a photochemical product, and justify further investigation of the preactivation process of photochemicals in the treatment of systemic viral infections such as the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), in cancer therapy, and in sterilization of banked blood products.
Octave-spanning mid-infrared supercontinuum generation in silicon nanowaveguides

We report, to the best of our knowledge, the first demonstration of octave-spanning supercontinuum generation (SCG) on a silicon chip, spanning from the telecommunications c-band near 1.5 μm to the mid-infrared region beyond 3.6 μm. The SCG presented here is characterized by soliton fission and dispersive radiation across two zero group-velocity dispersion wavelengths. In addition, we numerically investigate the role of multiphoton absorption and free carriers, confirming that these nonlinear loss mechanisms are not detrimental to SCG in this regime.
Clustering and blending for texture synthesis

We consider texture modeling techniques which are exemplar-based, i.e. techniques which use several example texture images to learn pixel arrangements. The motivation for these techniques is that the structure of a texture can be characterized by the spatial distribution of pixels in a neighborhood of the image or the multiresolution pyramid. To get another instance of the same type of texture, one can rearrange the pixels as long as certain spatial neighbor relationships are enforced. In this work, we investigate two components of exemplar-based modeling: (1) grouping examples for computational savings during analysis and (2) blending for artifact removal during synthesis. First, we employ clustering in order to group example features and this method provides a significant computational savings without compromising the quality of the texture characterization. Second, we implement techniques for blending to remove border artifacts during the placement stage of texture synthesis. We show that for many textures, the pixel rearrangements can be done without filtering or neighborhood constraints, as long as the blending of borders is done well. Specifically, random rearrangement of texture patches generates a new texture instance of the same texture type when artifacts are removed with blending. We investigate existing blending approaches and introduce a blending method based on image fusion.
Thermodynamic assessment of the Co-Ta system

Abstract The phase equilibria and thermodynamic properties of the binary Co-Ta system were analyzed and a complete thermodynamic description of the binary system was obtained with the CALPHAD technique using a computerized optimization procedure. The thermodynamic descriptions of pure Co and Ta elements were taken from the SGTE database. Based on the experimental data, six binary intermetallic compounds were considered. They are three Laves phases, μ phase, θ phase and Co 7 Ta 2 phase. The last two compounds are treated as stoichiometric compounds. Good agreement was obtained between calculated results and experimental data in the binary system.
Inhibition of Capillary Morphogenesis and Associated Apoptosis by Dominant Negative Mutant Transforming Growth Factor-β Receptors

Transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) induces angiogenesis in vivo and capillary morphogenesis in vitro. Two receptor serine/threonine kinases (types I and II) have been identified as signal transducing TGF-β receptors. We explored the possibility of inhibiting TGF-β- mediated events in glomerular capillary endothelial cells using a TGF-β type II receptor (TβR-II) transdominant negative mutant. A mutant TGF-β type II receptor (TβR-IIM), lacking the cytoplasmic serine/threonine kinase domain, was produced by polymerase chain reaction using rat TβR-II cDNA as template. Since TβR-II and TGF-β type I receptor (TβR-I) heterodimerize for signal transduction, the mutant receptor competes for binding to wild-type TβR-I, hence acting in a dominant negative fashion. Glomerular capillary endothelial cells were stably transfected with TβR-IIM, and four independent clones were expanded. That the TβR-IIM mRNA was expressed was shown by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, RNase protection assay, and Northern analysis. Presence of cell surface TβR-IIM protein was shown by affinity cross-linking with 125I-TGF-β1. In wild-type endothelial cells, TGF-β1 (2 ng/ml) significantly inhibited [3H]thymidine incorporation to 63 ± 10% of control (n = 4). In transfected endothelial cells carrying TβR-IIM, TGF-β1 stimulated [3H]thymidine incorporation to 131 ± 9% of control (n = 4, p This represents the first demonstration that capillary morphogenesis in vitro is associated with apoptosis, and that interference with TβR-II signaling inhibits this process in glomerular capillary endothelial cells.
Japan in an institutional quagmire: international business to the rescue?

Abstract In the early postwar period, Japan crafted its own set of institutions to catch-up in industrialization under the favorable external conditions of Cold War geopolitics (the then-prevailing set of outer institutions and circumstances). The United States largely tolerated Japan's dirigiste economic policy and protectionism. Japan's successful catch-up, however, soon made its existent institutions obsolete, even deleterious to the economy, and incongruous with the altered outer set of institutions promoted by the post-Cold War United States. The Japanese markets are now open than ever before to foreign multinationals who increasingly serve as vital players assisting the host to restructure its dual economy. Yet, Japan's entrenched domestic politics is hindering the wholesale reform of inner institutions in a path-dependent fashion.
Lie algebraic factorization of multivariable evolution operators: Definition and the solution of the canonical problem

Abstract We have recently shown that the factorizaton of certain Lie algebraic evolution operators into a convergent infinite product of simple evolution operators is possible for one-dimensional cases. In this paper, we deal with the multivariable case. To this end, we formulate the factorization for the general case, then we show that most of the practical problems can be brought to a canonical one. The canonical problem has nothing different in concept but the relevant partial differential equations need not be solved. Three simple illustrative examples and concluding remarks complete the work.
Ashbery's down by the Station, Early in the Morning

(1994). Ashbery's down by the Station, Early in the Morning. The Explicator: Vol. 52, No. 4, pp. 245-248.
From Cellular Mechanotransduction to Biologically Inspired Engineering: 2009 Pritzker Award Lecture, BMES Annual Meeting October 10, 2009

This article is based on a lecture I presented as the recipient of the 2009 Pritzker Distinguished Lecturer Award at the Biomedical Engineering Society annual meeting in October 2009. Here, I review more than thirty years of research from my laboratory, beginning with studies designed to test the theory that cells use tensegrity (tensional integrity) architecture to stabilize their shape and sense mechanical signals, which I believed to be critical for control of cell function and tissue development. Although I was trained as a cell biologist, I found that the tools I had at my disposal were insufficient to experimentally test these theories, and thus I ventured into engineering to find critical solutions. This path has been extremely fruitful as it has led to confirmation of the critical role that physical forces play in developmental control, as well as how cells sense and respond to mechanical signals at the molecular level through a process known as cellular mechanotransduction. Many of the predictions of the cellular tensegrity model relating to cell mechanical behaviors have been shown to be valid, and this vision of cell structure led to discovery of the central role that transmembrane adhesion receptors, such as integrins, and the cytoskeleton play in mechanosensing and mechanochemical conversion. In addition, these fundamental studies have led to significant unexpected technology fallout, including development of micromagnetic actuators for non-invasive control of cellular signaling, microfluidic systems as therapeutic extracorporeal devices for sepsis therapy, and new DNA-based nanobiotechnology approaches that permit construction of artificial tensegrities that mimic properties of living materials for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.
Nonuniform sampling of image-based rendering data with the position-interval-error (PIE) function

In this paper we study the non-uniform sampling problem for image-based rendering (IBR). We first propose a general position-interval error (PIE) function that can help solve practical sampling problems. We then propose two approaches to capturing IBR data non-uniformly based on PIE, namely progressive capturing (PCAP) and rearranged capturing (RCAP). PCAP is applicable for static scenes. Based on the images captured so far, PCAP determines where to take the next image. RCAP, on the other hand, is for capturing both static and dynamic scenes. The goal is to intelligently arrange the positions of a limited number of cameras such that the final rendering quality is optimal. Experimental results demonstrate that the non-uniform sampling approaches outperform the traditional uniform methods.
Telotristat etiprate, a novel serotonin synthesis inhibitor, in patients with carcinoid syndrome and diarrhea not adequately controlled by octreotide

Serotonin produced by neuroendocrine tumors is believed to be a principal cause of the diarrhea in carcinoid syndrome. We assessed the safety and efficacy of telotristat etiprate, an oral serotonin synthesis inhibitor, in patients with diarrhea associated with carcinoid syndrome. In this prospective, randomized study, patients with evidence of carcinoid tumor and ≥4 bowel movements (BMs)/day despite stable-dose octreotide LAR depot therapy were enrolled in sequential, escalating, cohorts of 4 patients/cohort. In each cohort, 1 patient was randomly assigned to placebo and 3 patients to telotristat etiprate, at 150, 250, 350, or 500 mg 3x/day (tid). In a subsequent cohort, 1 patient was assigned to placebo and 6 patients to telotristat etiprate 500 mg tid. Patients were assessed for safety, BM frequency (daily diary), 24-hour urinary 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (u5-HIAA), and adequate relief of carcinoid gastrointestinal symptoms (using a weekly questionnaire). Twenty-three patients were treated; 18 received telotristat etiprate and 5 received placebo. Adverse events were generally mild. Among evaluable telotristat etiprate-treated patients, 5/18 (28%) experienced a ≥30% reduction in BM frequency for ≥2 weeks, 9/16 (56%) experienced biochemical response (≥50% reduction or normalization in 24-hour u5-HIAA) at Week 2 or 4, and 10/18 (56%) reported adequate relief during at least 1 of the first 4 weeks of treatment. Similar activity was not observed in placebo-treated patients. Telotristat etiprate was well tolerated. Our observations suggest that telotristat etiprate has activity in controlling diarrhea associated with carcinoid syndrome. Further studies confirming these findings are warranted.
Familial monozygotic twinning

A questionnaire was submitted to convention members of the Pacific Northwest Mothers of Twins Clubs. Of the 46 questionnaires returned by mothers of reputed monozygotic twins, seven reported at least one other set of monozygotic twins within the first three degrees of kinship to their twins. In addition to this ascertainment, colleagues informed us of three additional pertinent families. Zygosity was determined by overall physical similarity, including assessment of photographs. In two local families, shown in Fig. 1, blood samples for confirmation of zygosity were obtained. Analyses of five different ~blood groups ~/nd seven enzymes were evaluated according to the methods suggested by Race and Sanger. ~ For each of the three sets of twins there was a less than 2% probability of dizygosity, based on general population figures. In addition, at all informative loci the twins were identical. In order to obtain a nonbiased frequency of recurrence of twinning in families, the University of London twin study of Huntley 3 was utilized. In this study, zygosity was determined by physical similarity, including five specific features, and blood studies were carried out if there was any question as to zygosity. The frequencies of presumed monozygotic and dizygotic twins among the first-, sec-
Some New Procedures and Instruments Useful for Microbiological Antibiotic Testing by Diffusion Methods. : IV. Apparatus for a New Method Employing Linear Diffusion into Inoculated Agar-Filled Glass Capillaries

A description of apparatus designed for the routine large-scale assay of antibiotics employing as a basis linear diffusion in glass capillary tubes is presented. The apparatus described includes the glass capillaries, a device for filling large numbers of them simultaneously with seeded agar, a zone reader for the semiautomatic reading of zone lengths, and an assembly suitable for the rapid cleansing of capillary tubes, test tubes, and bottles. The capillaries used were treated with a water-repellent coating such as ferric stearate which caused the agar column to bond more tightly to the glass.
Evaluation and retrofit of floorbeam cracking on a tied arch bridge

Several tied arch and truss bridges have experienced horizontal floorbeam cracking in the region of the upper web-to-flange weld or in the web gap between the top flange and the connection angles where simple web shear connections have been used. A recent study on a 189 m (620 ft) span tied arch bridge located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania over the Monongahela River has evaluated the cause of this type of cracking and resulted in an effective retrofit strategy. Remote monitoring of two retrofitted floorbeam connections was conducted for a period of almost 40 days as random vehicles crossed the bridge. The measurements have confirmed that the primary cause of the observed cracking is the relative longitudinal displacements between the top flange of the floorbeam and the face of the tie girder. This relative movement was focused within the horizontal web gap between the connection angles and the bottom of the top flange. This resulted in the development of horizontal fatigue cracks along the web-to-flange wel...
Typical 2-Cys Peroxiredoxins: Structures, mechanisms and functions

Peroxiredoxins are abundant cellular antioxidant proteins that help to control intracellular peroxide levels. These proteins may also function, in part, through an evolved sensitivity of some peroxiredoxins towards peroxide-mediated inactivation in hydrogen peroxide signaling in eukaryotes. This review summarizes recent progress in our understanding of the catalytic and regulatory mechanisms of 'typical 2-Cys' peroxiredoxins and of the biological roles played by these important enzymes in oxidative stress and nonstress-related cellular signaling. New evidence suggests localized peroxide buildup plays a role in nonstress-related signaling.
Four great coccidioidomycologists: William Ophuls (1871–1933), Myrnie Gifford (1892–1966), Charles Edward Smith (1904–1967) and William A. Winn (1903–1967)

The careers of William Ophuls (1871–1933), Myrnie Gifford (1892–1966), Charles Edward Smith (1904–1967) and William A. Winn (1903–1967) are briefly reviewed, with emphasis on their contributions to knowledge of Coccidioides and coccidioidomycosis. All were students with broad interests, and all were quite willing to suggest new concepts and classifications to replace those of their predecessors.
Phonetically Switched Tree coding of speech with a G.727 Code Generator

A simple phonetic classification method based on frame error energy level in combination with the AMR-VADI Voice Activity Detection algorithm is used to classify input speech into five different modes: Voiced, Onset, Unvoiced, Hangover and Silence. Each mode is coded at a suitable bit-rate using a Tree Coder with perceptual error weighting criteria and a G.727 Code Generator. Apart from efficient coding, the Tree coder smoothes transitions between different coding modes. At an average bit-rate just greater than 16 kbps the phonetically switched Tree coder produces speech quality equivalent to the G.727 ADPCM coder at 32 kbps for nearly a 50% bit-rate saving. Apart from bit-rate savings; bit-rate scalability, moderate delay, and good tandeming performance are also achieved.
A formal model and specification language for procedure calling conventions

Procedure calling conventions are used to provide uniform procedure-call interfaces. Applications, such as compilers and debuggers, which generate, or process procedures at the machine-language abstraction level require knowledge of the calling convention. In this paper, we develop a formal model for procedure calling conventions called P-FSA's. Using this model, we are able to ensure several completeness and consistency properties of calling conventions. Currently, applications that manipulate procedures implement conventions in an ad-hoc manner. The resulting code is complicated with details, difficult to maintain, and often riddled with errors. To alleviate the situation, we introduce a calling convention specification language, called CCL. The combination of CCL and P-FSA's facilitates the accurate specification of conventions that can be shown to be both consistent and complete.
HSP70‐2 heat‐shock protein of mouse spermatogenic cells

The HSP70 heat-shock proteins are molecular chaperones that assist other proteins in folding, transport, and assembly into complexes. The genes for these proteins are either constitutively expressed (Hsc70, Grp78), or their expression is induced by heat shock and other stresses (Hsp70-1, Hsp70-3). Two additional genes encode proteins that are developmentally regulated and expressed specifically in spermatogenic cells (Hsp70-2, Hsc70t). The HSP70-2 protein is synthesized during the meiotic phase of spermatogenesis and is abundant in pachytene spermatocytes. Studies in transgenic mice indicated that the region between nucleotides -640 and +1 contains promoter sequences necessary for expression of Hsp70-2 in spermatocytes. Because of the pattern of gene expression, it was hypothesized that HSP70-2 is a chaperone necessary for completion of meiosis in spermatogenic cells. The gene knockout approach was used to test this hypothesis, and it was found that male mice homozygous for the mutation were infertile, whereas homozygous females were fertile. Spermatogenesis was disrupted, with the nuclei of late pachytene spermatocytes often appearing fragmented and spermatids being absent. Disruption of spermatogenesis occurred at the G2-M phase transition in prophase of meiosis I, and all pachytene spermatocytes underwent apoptosis. It was demonstrated that HSP70-2 is a chaperone for Cdc2, with their association allowing Cdc2 to acquire the necessary conformation to form a heterodimer with cyclin B1, leading to changes in Cdc2 phosphorylation and the development of kinase activity necessary for the G2-M phase transition. This appears to be the first demonstration that interaction between an HSP70 protein and a cyclin-dependent kinase is necessary for progression of the cell cycle.
Postural Position Constrains Multimodal Object Exploration in Infants

Recent research has revealed the important role of multimodal object exploration in infants' cognitive and social development. Yet, the real time effects of postural position on infants' object exploration have been largely ignored. In the current study, 5- to 7-month-old infants (N = 29) handled objects while placed in supported sitting, supine, and prone postures, and their spontaneous exploratory behaviors were observed. Infants produced more manual, oral, and visual exploration in sitting compared to lying supine and prone. Moreover, while sitting, infants more often coupled manual exploration with mouthing and visual examination. Infants' opportunities for learning from object exploration are embedded within a real time postural context that constrains the quantity and quality of exploratory behavior.
Novel Dendritic Chromophores for Electro-optics: Influence of Binding Mode and Attachment Flexibility on Electro-optic Behavior

Four dendritic electro-optic (EO) chromophores were designed, prepared, and evaluated to explore the effects on EO behavior of end-on relative to side-on chromophore attachment geometry as well as differing chromophore-to-dendrimer core tether groups. Composite samples of APC and dendritic chromophores were found to exhibit considerably more thermally stable EO properties as compared to samples of the corresponding isolated chromophore. Side-on type binding geometry was found most thermally stable, requiring larger thermal activation energies to induce dipole randomization. Incorporation of a long, flexible chromophore−core tether group greatly enhanced average EO coefficients of the dendritic systems.
Reexamination of the mode-coupling scheme for the glass transition

Abstract Within the context of a general mode-coupling theory previously developed for the description of equilibrium fluctuations in simple classical fluids, we derive an expression for the effective longitudinal viscosity includings couplings to currents so that certain key assumptions inherent in previous work on the glass transition can be analyzed critically. We show that the hopping kernels arise from an approximate resummation of the dominant class of diagrams resulting from bilinear modes. Although the resummed expression for the viscosity obtained in this paper is very similar to the result previously obtained from a kinetic theory approach, there are important difference, most notably in the form of the vertices connecting the hopping kernels and the lack of subtractions in the kernels representing the cage effect and activated hopping transport. Using the formalism developed presently, we show that the introduction of an initial cut off time in the hopping kernel to obtain a strong temperature dependence for the viscosity amounts to neglecting a class of processes that may be of comparable if not greater importance than the terms explicityly kept in previous work.
Depletion region geometry analysis applied to single event sensitivity

The effects of device geometry on single-event-upset (SEU) rate in space, beginning with the ground test measurements, are explored. Analysis of sensitive volume geometry is used to establish a relationship between it and SEU cross section. This relationship is used as a basis for geometric models wherein measured cross sections determine model shape parameters. Fits of one of these models to a range of experimental cross sections are exhibited. These fits and physical argument suggest that the actual sensitive volume shape differs from that assumed in most current calculations, i.e. a rounded shape with no lower corners is more appropriate than the box shape currently used. A correction that justifies a current heuristic practice of relating critical charge to an LET (linear energy transfer) on the shoulder of the cross section rather than to onset LET is devised. A further correction is obtained by a calculation using the omnidirectional chord distribution for a hemisphere. Together the two corrections show that nearly an order of magnitude error results from assuming that the sensitive volume is box shaped when calculating upset rate due to isotropic fluences. >
A microscopic kinetic theory of crystal growth

We re-examine the rate-determining kinetic process that is used in the Burton-Cabrera-Frank (BCF) theory of crystal growth using the Fokker-Planck equation to describe the diffusion of molecules along terraces. We show that the use of the diffusion equation with Fick's law to relate the surface concentration and flux requires the use of a modified surface diffusion coefficient which has the form D′s = Ds(1 + o(β)). Here Ds is the surface diffusion coefficient in the absence of adsorption and desorption from and to the bulk, and β = 1/ξτD, the ratio of relaxation times characterizing surface diffusion (1/ξ) and desorption (τD and is generally a small quantity. We also present explicit results for the molecular flux entering and exiting the steps. The latter results cannot be determined in the diffusion equation description on which the BCF theory is based.
The role of protein C in sepsis

During the past 15 years, several anti-inflammatory treatments have failed to reduce mortality in patients with severe sepsis. However, recent evidence indicates that coagulation abnormalities in sepsis may play a major role in the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure and the high mortality rate in patients with severe sepsis. Interestingly, blockade of the coagulant pathway can inhibit both procoagulant and proinflammatory pathways in sepsis. Protein C, a natural anticoagulant, interrupts several of the pathophysiologic pathways in sepsis. Acquired protein C deficiency is present in the majority of septic patients and is associated with unfavorable outcomes. Protein C replacement therapy was effective in preclinical animal models of sepsis in reducing end-organ damage and mortality. Recent clinical trials of protein C replacement in human meningococcemia resulted in a markedly decreased morbidity and mortality. And, most importantly, in a recently completed large, randomized trial of activated protein C treatment in severe sepsis, mortality was reduced from 30.8% in the placebo group to 24.7% in the treatment group at 28 days. Thus, there is new evidence that mortality can be reduced among patients with severe sepsis through the use of a new therapy that inhibits the procoagulant and the inflammatory cascades.
SENSITIVITY STUDIES IN THE OPTIMAL DESIGN OF A NATURAL-CIRCULATION BOILING WATER LOOP.

Abstract Optimal control methods are applied to the design of the heating section of a natural-circulation boiling loop for maximum heat rejection rate, subject to a burnout safety margin. The design variables are taken to be the tube shape and the heat flux distribution. Significant increases in power over present-day designs are predicted. In addition, it is shown that the adiabatic section can be eliminated from the optimal design by decreasing the heater length, keeping the sum of the heater and chimney lengths constant, with only a slight decrease in power. The effects of the condenser pressure and the form of the burnout correlation are also investigated. Applicability of the model in nuclear power is discussed.
Effects of Acute and Chronic Cocaine Administration on Titrating-Delay Matching-to-Sample Performance

The effects of cocaine were examined under a titrating-delay matching-to-sample procedure. In this procedure, the delay between sample stimulus offset and comparison stimuli onset adjusts as a function of the subject's performance. Specifically, matches increase the delay and mismatches decrease the delay. Titrated delay values served as the primary dependent measure. After establishing stable performance in pigeons, several behaviorally-effective doses of cocaine were administered acutely. Dose-related within-session decreases in titrated delay values were observed. Following acute determinations, the dose of cocaine that produced the most rapid decline without eliminating performance was administered prior to each daily session. Chronic administration resulted in performance trending toward control levels. A redetermination of the dose–response function following chronic exposure revealed reduced potency (i.e., tolerance) under cocaine on titrated delay matching-to-sample performance. Supplemental analyses suggest that cocaine may serve as a disruptor of the stimulus conditions in which the performance was established.
Injury of the anterior longitudinal ligament during whiplash simulation.

Anterior longitudinal ligament (ALL) injuries following whiplash have been documented both in vivo and in vitro; however, ALL strains during the whiplash trauma remain unknown. A new in vitro whiplash model and a bench-top trauma sled were used in an incremental trauma protocol to simulate whiplash at 3.5, 5, 6.5 and 8 g accelerations, and peak ALL strains were determined for each trauma. Following the final trauma, the ALLs were inspected and classified as uninjured, partially injured or completely injured. Peak strain, peak intervertebral extension and increases in flexibility parameters were compared among the three injury classification groups. Peak ALL strains were largest in the lower cervical spine, and increased with impact acceleration, reaching a maximum of 29.3% at C6-C7 at 8 g. Significant increases (P<0.05) over the physiological strain limits first occurred at C4-C5 during the 3.5 g trauma and spread to lower intervertebral levels as impact severity increased. The complete ligament injuries were associated with greater increases in ALL strain, intervertebral extension, and flexibility parameters than were observed at uninjured intervertebral levels (P<0.05).
The effects of aspect and exposure on the growth of dune grasses in Cape Hatteras National Seashore

During the month of July 1974, various growth parameters were measured forUniola paniculata (sea oats) andAmmophila breviligulata (American beach grass), plants on the dunes of east- and south-facing beaches of Cape Hatteras. The data were grouped based on the exposure and aspect of dunes studied. ForUniola, height of the flowering culm, number of flowering culms/m2, and the height of leaves of non-flowering plants were the most diagnostic parameters. ForAmmophila, the height of the leaves of non-flowering plants was diagnostic. Generally, theUniola plants on the foredunes were taller than those on the backdunes. Plants growing on the southfacing beach were taller than their counterparts on the east-facing beach. On the southfacing beach, the side of the dunes which faces away from the ocean had the taller plants. On the east-facing beach, the side facing the ocean tended to have taller plants. ForAmmophila, the tallest plants were on the back portions of overwash areas. The next tallest occurred on the front of overwash sites. TheAmmophila plants on the ocean side of the dunes were taller than the plants on the back side of the dunes.
A framework for counseling women

“The goal is to develop human beings who are free to act in ways that are appropriate to their interests and their values—not their sex.“
Binding of Biotinylated DNA to Streptavidin-Coated Polystyrene Latex

The binding of 5'-end biotinylated DNA fragments was compared between streptavidin (SA)-coated commercial M-280 magnetic latex particles with a diameter of 2.8 microns and adsorption-coated polystyrene (PS) latex standard particles whose diameter is 0.272 microns. Amino acid analysis showed the protein content of the commercial particles to correspond to 4x monolayer coverage, while the adsorption-coated PS particles displayed monolayer coverage, or 8 pmol/cm2. A fluorescence-based method was developed to quantify the adsorption of FITC-labeled SA, biotin, and biotinylated DNA. The validity of the method was substantiated for the labeled protein by both amino acid analysis and a colorimetric protein assay. While the specific binding of biotin was 0.38 mol per mole of SA on the adsorption-coated 0.272-microns particles and slightly higher (0.6 mol per mole SA) on the 2.8-microns particles, the specific binding of the bulky biotinylated 300-bp DNA was more favorable on the smaller particle (0.12 mol per mole SA for 0.272 microns versus 0.04 mol per mole SA for 2.8 microns).
International environmental treaty secretariats: A case of neglected potential?

Secretariats are the Cinderellas of international environmental treaty systems. They are often neglected, regularly criticized, and seldom rewarded for assisting governments in meeting their treaty implementation obligations. Yet secretariats play a crucial role in ensuring that treaty goals are transformed from legal text into practical achievements. Despite their significance as the executive support systems of treaties, the importance of secretariats as organizational actors in treaty implementation has been overlooked by scholars. Until now, most studies of environmental treaties have focused on nation states--and to a lesser extent on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs)--as the main actors and stakeholders in environmental treaty making. Although diplomats and lawyers negotiate treaties, it is primarily national and international civil servants who coordinate and manage their implementation.
Cleavage fracture of ordered intermetallic alloys

Abstract Fundamental aspects of cleavage fracture behavior of ordered intermetallic alloys are analyzed on the basis of first-principles total energy calculations of cleavage strength (and energy) and anisotropic elasticity modeling of crack tip slip (and twinning). Intrinsic brittleness of Al 3 Sc and NiAl is rationalized from the comparative analyses with Ni 3 Al and FeAl, respectively. The cleavage habit planes of (110) for NiAl and (100) for FeAl are correctly predicted in terms of the anisotropy of cleavage energies and elastic properties of dislocations. Boron strengthening in Ni 3 Al and hydrogen embrittlement in FeAl are discussed in view of the calculated results.
Luxation of the globe

Emergency physicians encounter globe luxation, anterior dislocation of the eyeball beyond retracted lids, in a limited number of clinical circumstances. The authors present a case of spontaneous luxation followed by a general discussion of luxation. An understanding of the pathophysiology of various causes of luxation and the appropriate method and timing of reduction allows appropriate evaluation, treatment, and follow-up, thereby limiting patient discomfort, recurrence, and perhaps long-term visual impairment.
Treatment of Common Low Back Pain: A New Approach to an Old Problem

Low back pain is very common, but the pathophysiology is poorly understood. We present a new hypothesis regarding the pathophysiology of common low back pain supported by our flexible endoscopic observations of the epidural cavity (epiduroscopy), anatomic dissection of embalmed and fresh cadavers, and careful review of preexisting information available on the anatomy of the epidural space and neuroforamen. A new approach to the treatment of common low back pain based on the hypothesis was developed and is presented in the case reports of five patients. Treatment focuses on a perichondrium derivative; the peridural membrane, which creates a suprapedicular compartment in the neuroforamen where we hypothesize inflammatory material accumulates. This produces common low back pain by causing inflammation and sensitization of the peridural membrane and periosteum that forms the boundaries of this compartment. Percutaneous Ablation and Curettage and Inferior Foraminotomy (PACIF(sm)) aims to destroy the peridural membrane, denervate sensitive structures, and remove inflammatory tissues from the suprapedicular canal. The proposed mechanism of action and safety of PACIF(sm) is discussed in the context of epidural and neuroforaminal anatomy. As shown by the five case reports, PACIF(sm) appears to be highly effective and safe, warranting further evaluation.
Determinants of religious expression in the workplace

With the importance of religion to many individuals and the legal protections present in various countries, religious expression in the workplace is a phenomenon worthy of greater research and understanding. This study examined several potential antecedents of religious expression in the workplace. Results from a sample of employed individuals suggest that both individual and organisational factors, including individual religiosity, company culture and value congruence, influence the level of workplace religious expression.
The Waiting Time Process for a Certain Correlated Queue

A brief description is given of a problem that arose in a nonqueuing context but that can be interpreted in queuing terms. The result is the unusual single-server system in which the length of a customer's service is determined by the length of the interarrival interval separating himself and his predecessor. The main result is the distribution of waiting time, and its moments. It is shown numerically that this pattern of server behavior results in a drastic reduction of the mean and variance of the waiting time as compared with a conventional M/M/l system.
Dose reconstruction for weapons experiments involving 140La at Los Alamos National Laboratory, 1944-1962.

A series of 254 weapons design experiments was conducted by Los Alamos National Laboratory from 1944 through 1962 and resulted in the dispersal of approximately 11 PBq (300 kCi) of radioactive {sup 140}La. All shots occurred at Point Able in Bayo Canyon, east of the Los Alamos townsite. Public interest and the Government Accounting Office probe precipitated a dose reconstruction to assess potential exposures to members of the public. The information available for each shot included explosive charge size, date and time of explosion, and shot activity. Detailed meteorological data were not available for the majority of the shots, requiring the development of statistically representative meteorological data. A wind rose was developed specific to the afternoon-evening time of the shots, and the wind frequency in each sector was used to determine the fraction of activity dispersed towards each hypothetical receptor. HOTSPOT 7, a Gaussian plume-based dispersion model, was used to determine the average dose per sector per unit of shot activity. The dose from penetrating radiation from ground-deposited {sup 140}La was greater by several orders of magnitude than the dose from inhalation and immersion. The highest doses to a permanent resident probably occurred in the easternmost part of the Losmore » Alamos townsite. The highest annual dose occurred in 1955 and was approximately 0.23 mSv. Assuming an individual had been at the location of maximum potential exposure in the Los Alamos townsite continuously throughout the experiments, the total dose from the 18-y series would have been approximately 1.4 mSv with an average dose of approximately 0.09 mSv y{sup -1}. Doses at nearby Totavi trailer park, San Clara Pueblo, and Santa Clara Pueblo were approximately 75%, 40%, and 15%, respectively, of those at Los Alamos. Visitors to nearby public areas received negligible doses. 11 refs., 6 figs., 4 tabs.« less
Study of the far wake of a large ship

AbstractA large dataset of high-resolution photographic images of far wakes of a volunteer observing ship (Royal Caribbean’s Explorer of the Seas) has been acquired under various meteorological conditions and ship operation modes. This work presents the description of instrumentation, methodology, and the results of the experiment. Environmental and ship operation factors that affect appearance and geometric properties of ship wakes in photographic and satellite-based radar images have been analyzed. The photo imagery reveals an asymmetry of the wake depending on wind direction relative to the ship course. In addition, a good agreement between the averaged shape of the wakes measured from the photographic images and a few available satellite-based radar images of the wake of the same ship has been found.
Multiuser operation at the Stanford Free Electron Laser Center

The Stanford Picosecond Free Electron Laser Center has been extremely productive, and requests for beam time far exceed the amount available. In this paper we review the unique characteristics of Stanford's lasers that make them so popular. We then describe our efforts to increase the available beam time by interleaving pulse trains of different wavelengths and delivering these to different users, and present some of our results.
Latinos, Poverty, and the Underclass: A New Agenda for Research

During the 1980s scholars interested in Hispanic issues sought to advance research by ensuring that Latinos were included in the ongoing debate on the urban underclass. In this article, it is argued that Blacks and Latinos differ in such fundamental ways that the underclass model-which was developed primarily to describe the situation of inner-city Blacks-cannot legitimately be employed to understand the social and economic problems of contemporary Hispanic groups in the United States. Although both groups share high rates of poverty and social dislocation, these high rates are generated through different mechanisms andfor different reasons, compared to Blacks.
Strategies and counterstrategies to infanticide in mammals

I analyse and summarize the empirical evidence in mammals supporting alternative benefits that individuals may accrue when committing nonparental infanticide. Nonparental infanticide may provide the perpetrator with nutritional benefits, increased access to limited resources, increased reproductive opportunities, or it may prevent misdirecting parental care to unrelated offspring. The possibility that infanticide is either a neutral or maladaptive behaviour also is considered. I devote the second half of this article to reviewing potential mechanisms that individuals may use to prevent infanticide. These counterstrategies include the early termination of pregnancy, direct aggression by the mother against intruders, the formation of coalitions for group defence, the avoidance of infanticidal conspecifics, female promiscuity, and territoriality. I evaluate the support for each benefit and counterstrategy across different groups of mammals and make suggestions for future research.
Process integration for backside illuminated image sensor stacked with Analog-to-Digital Conversion chip

In this research, a new structure and process integration for backside illuminated CMOS image sensor by using thin wafer handling technology is proposed. First of all, the wafer of a 3 Mega pixel CMOS image sensor is temporary bonded to a silicon carrier wafer with thermal plastic material and ZoneBond technology. Then the CMOS wafer is thinned down to few microns to detect the light from the backside. The backside is then permanently bonded to a glass carrier substrate with a transparent thermal set bonding material. After the glass permanent bonding process, the temporary bonded silicon carrier could be removed. Cu/Sn micro-bump is fabricated at the front-side of the CMOS image sensor, thus no TSVs are needed in the proposed structure. A 3 Mega pixel CMOS wafer with micro-bumps bonded on 500µm-thick glass wafer is demonstrated. Void-free bonding is obtained both in temporary bonding and permanent bonding processes. The thickness of the CMOS image sensor wafer is less than 10 µm after thinning and the total thickness variation is around 1 µm. Thermal plastic material is used for temporary bonding because it flows during bonding process and resulted in excellent planarization. From the cross-section SEM image, Cu/Sn micro-bump is formed at the front-side of the CMOS image sensor and the ENIG UBM is formed on the front side of the Analog-to-Digital Conversion wafer. A 3 Mega pixel image is captured and demonstrated in this research. The proposed backside illuminated CMOS image sensor structure and process integration are processed in wafer level, therefore enabling a low cost technology which can be manufactured using existing infrastructure. By using thin wafer handling technology, direct fusion bond and TSV processes are not needed which provides a low cost wafer level solution.
Relaxation of nuclear magnetic moments and site-selective NMR in d -wave superconductors

A mechanism for relaxing the nuclear magnetic moments, in which a pair of spin-polarized BCS quasiparticles is emitted or absorbed, and which dominates at low temperature, is identified in type-II $d$-wave superconductors in an external magnetic field above ${H}_{c1}$. The results of the theory are compared with the NMR experiments on YBCO in high magnetic fields and found to agree without invoking antiferromagnetic order in the vortex core.
Covert sensitization with alcoholics: a controlled replication.

Abstract Covert sensitization was used to condition a phobic-type response to alcohol for the treatment of maladaptive drinking behavior. A 6-month follow up showed significant differences between treated alcoholics and matched controls. It was concluded that covert sensitization was an effective short-term treatment for the modification of drinking behavior.
Mapping the SecA-SecY Interaction Interface Using in Vivo Photocrosslinking

In Escherichia coli (E. coli) the major secretory pathway for proteins is the “general secretion pathway” or “Sec-dependent pathway”. Its major components include the SecA ATPase, the SecB chaperone, and SecYEG: the channel-forming complex. Once bound to SecYEG, the preprotein substrate, and ATP, SecA undergoes an ATP-driven conformational cycle that drives the step-wise translocation of proteins. While cytosolic SecA specifically recognizes and binds SecYEG, the specific residues by which these two proteins interact are not known. A study from Mori and Ito (2006) analyzed SecY-SecA interaction by using an in vivo site-directed cross-linking technique developed by Schultz and co-workers. In this experimental system, an amber suppressor tRNA and a tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase from Methanococcus jannaschii are genetically engineered to allow for the charging of the tRNA with p-benzoyl-phenylalanine (pBpa), a photo-reactive phenylalanine derivative. They showed that pBpa residues introduced into the second, fourth, fifth, and sixth cytoplasmic domains of SecY could be crosslinked to SecA.We have chosen a similar approach to Mori and Ito, but we have designed sites of in vivo pBpa incorporation into SecA based on an in vivo SecA membrane topology study performed by Jilaveanu et al. (2006). The amber positions in SecA were chosen based on residues of SecA that were accessible to small molecule labeling from the exterior side of the membrane-indicating proximity to the SecYEG channel. Our results demarcate novel sites of SecA interaction with SecY. Our data provide in vivo support for the biological relevance of the recent SecA-SecYEG X-ray structure (Zimmer et al., 2008), but they also demonstrate the importance of both the SecA N-domain as well as its C-domain in stabilizing the interaction in vivo.