cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Synchrotron X-ray topography studies of twinning and the phase transition at 145°C in LaGaO3 single crystals

Abstract An investigation of (i) twinning in the room temperature orthorhombic phase, (ii) the orthorhombic-to-rhombohedral phase transformation occurring at 145°C and (iii) twinning in the high temperature rhombohedral phase, all occurring in lanthanum gallate single crystals has been undertaken using white-beam synchrotron X-ray topography (WBSXRT). At room temperature, WBSXRT results obtained from the (110) orth surface, orthorhombic crystals indicated the presence of “mirror” twinning on (1 1 2) orth , (1 1 2 ) orth , ( 1 10) orth ) orth and (112) orth planes. Differenttial thermal analysis confirmed the existence of a first-order phase transformation at 145°C. WBSXRT observations of the associated structural change (orthorhombic to rhombohedral) correlated well with the results of temperature-dependent powder diffraction results which are presented in the companion paper. WBSXRT also revealed the detailed spatial characteristics of the transition on the microstructural scale, as well as the nature of twinning in the rhombohedral phase, with the latter occurring on (110) rhomb planes. In all three cases, results were consistent with the transmission electron microscopy results presented in the companion paper. The influence of both the twinning and the phase transition on the potential use of LaGaO 3 single crystals as substrates for high T c superconductor epilayers is discussed.
0.10-μm overlay for DRAM production using step and scan

The resolution capabilities of lithographic tools are being progressively pushed to allow the replication of increasingly smaller lithographic features1'2 The target for 0.5-micron resolution is almost past; 0.4-micron resolution is of keen interest; and the goal of 0.35 micron is just around the corner. The overlay requirements using the familiar rule of thumb of Overlay = Resolution I 4 indicates that a 0.10-micron (mean plus 3 sigma) specification is required for 0.40-micron resolution tools. This is not an easy task. We will explore it in the context of a Step-and-Scan' alignment system.
Staged Repair of Cervical Tracheoesophageal Fistulae

Acquired, nonmalignant tracheoesophageal (TE) fistulae are most often iatrogenic or trauma induced. When a cervical TE fistula is complicated by tracheal stenosis or malacia, a single-stage repair of the fistula and tracheal defect is usually advocated. Complications of this single-stage repair, which occur in 25% to 50% of patients, are secondary to either excess tension at the tracheal anastomosis or the presence of inflammation at the time of tracheal anastomosis. Complications include recurrent tracheal stenosis, pneumonia, or a recurrent TE fistula. This report describes the senior author's techniques of reconstructing the trachea when tracheal stenosis complicates a TE fistula. These techniques are illustrated in two case reports of patients with postintubation TE fistulae. Current methods of tracheal reconstruction in this setting are reviewed. The incidence of postoperative complications may decrease if tracheal reconstruction is delayed until the fistula is successfully closed.
Mid-spatial Frequency Specification and Characterization for Freeform Surfaces

Freeform fabrication is sub-aperture by nature and gives rise to mid-spatial frequency structure. This paper compares methods for quantifying mid-spatial frequencies: power spectral density, autocorrelation function and structure function, and discusses aspects unique to freeforms.
Starvation for arginine and glutamine sensitizes human diploid cells to the transforming effects of N-acetoxy-2-acetyl-aminofluorene

We have examined the influence of the method of synchronization on the transformation of normal human diploid fibroblasts treated in mid-S phase with N-acetylaminofluorene (N-Ac-AAF), and on the subsequent kinetics of the removal of carcinogen damage. At early times post-treatment, the transformation frequency in cultures synchronized by a 24 h starvation for arginine and glutamine was enhanced over that of cultures synchronized by release from confluence. In cells synchronized by either method, transformation was enhanced at all times when the cells were incubated after treatment in medium containing high concentrations of nonessential amino acids, vitamins and serum. Synchronized cells treated with 3 microM [3H]N-Ac-AAF in mid-S removed significantly less DNA damage than cultures treated and held under confluent, noncycling conditions. Cells synchronized by amino acid starvation removed less damage than cells synchronized by release from confluence. S-phase treatment of synchronized cells resulted in a dose-dependent delay of DNA replication. The early, rapid phase of repair was temporally correlated with the delay in S-phase progression. We conclude from these data that synchrony achieved by amino acid starvation renders human cells more sensitive to N-Ac-AAF-induced transformation in vitro than does that achieved by release from density-inhibition of growth. The S-phase treated, cycling cells lost only about 10% of their initial carcinogen damage before reinitiation of treatment-delayed bulk DNA synthesis. These results support the hypothesis that the persistence of carcinogen damage in replicating DNA may be an important factor in cell transformation.
Plato's Apology: Republic I

I T is at this point, I believe, that Plato's thought takes a different direction from the philosophy of his master, Socrates. There are two ways in which a man may approach the task of conceiving an ideal society. One is to start with the moral reformation of the individual, and then to imagine a society consisting of perfect individuals. This is the logical outcome of Socrates' mission to his fellow-citizens as described in the Apology. The other is to take individual hunman nature as we find it, and to construct a social order that will make the best of it as it is and as it seems likely to remain. This is the course taken by Plato in the Republic." 1 Thus F. M. Cornford, in his essay "Plato's Commonwealth," identifies the juncture at which Plato's method diverges fronm that of Socrates. It is not, of course, a minor divergence. From its source in the freedom exercised and cherished by Socrates who, feeling that "each person must organize his own independent search for the good, " 2 wouLld discuss any question with any man who would ask and answer, Plato's path leads toward that scene imagined by Cornford as a counterpart to Dostoyevsky's "Grand Inquisitor" in which Socrates, arraigned for a second trial before the Nocturnal Council of the Laws, is confronted by Plato in the president's chair.3 Nor can we accept the implication that this divergence is lightly undertaken by Plato. We cannot reasonably either simply denounce Plato's betrayal of Socrates, with Popper, or pretend that the Platonic drift away from Socratic modes of thought and discourse developed so gradually that Plato himself was unaware of it. If any writer still accessible to us can be said to have known and understood Socrates, it is surely Plato we must admit this if only because our Socrates is so completely a product of Plato's art. And if there is one aspect of Plato's relation to Socrates of which we may be certain it is Plato's belief in the injustice of the trial and death of his master. The whole series of dialogues in which Plato recreated the life and character
Somatostatin is released in response to cholecystokinin by activation of type A CCK receptors

Cholecystokinin is a principal mediator of intestinal fat-induced inhibition of gastric acid secretion, indicating that it is an important physiological enterogastrone. Cholecystokinin has been shown to inhibit acid secretion by activation of type A CCK receptors and through a mechanism involving somatostatin. In the present study, we investigated the possibility that these two mechanisms are directly related such that activation of type A CCK receptors by CCK causes the release of somatostatin. We tested this hypothesis in vivo in a study of CCK-stimulated release of somatostatin in dogs and in vitro in a study of CCK-stimulated release of somatostatin from an enriched culture of canine fundic D cells. In dogs, IV infusion of CCK (50 pmol/kg/h, IV) significantly increased circulating somatostatin concentrations above basal. Further, systemic administration of somatostatin MAb F(ab)1 fragments of a somatostatin monoclonal antibody prevented most of CCK-induced inhibition of meal-stimulated acid secretion. In canine fundic D cells in culture, CCK-stimulated somatostatin release was blocked in a dose-dependent fashion by application of a type A CCK receptor antagonist. This study indicates that CCK activates type A CCK receptors to release somatostatin from canine fundic mucosal D cells, and accounts for somatostatin-dependent CCK-induced inhibition of acid secretion.
Vasoconstrction Elicited by Addition of Plasma to Vasoinactive Tissue Extracts.

SummaryVasoconstriction of the isolated vessels of the rabbit's ear follows the addition of fresh plasma to perfusates containing liver preparations that are in themselves inactive. The activation caused by plasma is indistinguishable from the effect of subthreshold amounts of epinephrine added to these tissue fractions. Incubation of plasma, known to result in loss of its epinephrine content, also causes loss of its vasoconstrictive influence on perfusate containing liver fractions.
The Role of the School in the Maintenance and Change of Ethnic Group Affiliation

As one of society's principal socializing agents, the public schools play a major role in the Americanization of foreign born students. To explore ways in which the school contributes to the change in structural and cultural/symbolic aspects of ethnicity, this study focused on Portuguese immigrant students in an urban New England high school.Research compared explicit and implicit educational policies vis-a-vis the Portuguese immigrant. The public school's role in shaping the ethnic identity of these Portuguese students was found to be both significant and invested with far-reaching social implications.
Virus-Specific Antibody Responses in Mothers and Their Newborn Infants with Asymptomatic Congenital Cytomegalovirus Infections

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-specific antibody response was analyzed to determine its relationship with sequelae in children with asymptomatic congenital HCMV infection. IgG antibodies reactive with envelope glycoprotein gB were significantly higher in cord and maternal delivery serum of infants developing hearing loss than in those without any sequelae. Women of hearing impaired children had higher levels of serum anti-gB IgG and HCMV IgM at first prenatal visit (8-16 weeks gestation) than did those with children with normal hearing. Kinetics of the antibody response revealed that women with hearing impaired children had peak anti-gB and IgM response at the first prenatal visit compared with at or near delivery in mothers of normal children. These results suggested that women who delivered infants developing hearing loss had a more intense and prolonged antibody response, and factors such as early virus acquisition during pregnancy might contribute to the development of sequelae in asymptomatic congenital HCMV infection.
Learning Impacts of a Digital Augmentation in a Science Museum

ABSTRACT This study investigated the effects of using digital augmentation to enhance an exhibit device to influence conceptual understanding about a science topic in a science museum setting. In particular, the study considered how students in Grades 6–8 engaged with the device that was available in both augmented and nonaugmented (control) conditions. Results show increased cognitive (critical thinking) skills when the digital augmentation was present that we hypothesize led to increased conceptual gains. We illustrate how this research contributes to three important areas of need identified in informal science literature: the need for evidence of conceptual and cognitive gains; the need for understanding how digital platforms improve the learning experience; and the need to demonstrate how designed interactive devices may impact higher order skills such as critical thinking and theorizing.
William Osler and development of the concept of systemic lupus erythematosus.

Abstract Objective: This historical review summarizes the understanding of lupuserythematosus (LE) during the time of the career of William Osler and analyzes factors that may have retarded the clinical identification of this disease. Methods: All of Osler's writings related to diseases that he defined as the"erythema group" were studied, in conjunction with relevant writings on Schonlein-Henoch purpura and erythema multiforme. Results: Osler did not knowingly describe cases of LE, nor did he discuss thedisease in general. He proposed that a primary skin disease, which in some cases has visceral manifestations, may develop as a purely visceral disease, using cases from his "erythema group" cohort as evidence. Conclusions: The reluctance into the 1940s to diagnose systemic LE was primarily a consequence of the erroneous belief that a skin eruption was required to establish the diagnosis. Osler's teaching regarding the possible dissociation of visceral from cutaneous symptoms with regard to the erythema group was not analogized to LE. The interpretation that Osler had elucidated aspects of LE has developed since 1937 and attributes insights to Osler that his writings do not substantiate.
Mouse mammary tumor virus DNA in infected rat cells: characterization of unintegrated forms.

Abstract Mouse mammary tumor virus (MMTV) DNA in chronically infected rat hepatoma cells is maintained in both the integrated and unintegrated state. Fractionation of DNA by the procedure of Hirt (1967) as well as by sedimentation through alkaline sucrose suggests that about two thirds of the viral DNA is associated with high molecular weight cell DNA. The remainder of the viral DNA is unintegrated and is present primarily as linear or open circular duplexes consisting of a genome-length strand complementary to the viral RNA ("minus" strand) and "plus" strands of subgenomic length. Approximately 20% of the unintegrated MMTV DNA is present as double-stranded, covalently closed circles (form I) with a molecular weight of 6 × 10 6 daltons. Form I viral DNA is found primarily in the nucleus, whereas the open forms are both nuclear and cytoplasmic.
Evidence for the T3-associated 90K heterodimer as the T-cell antigen receptor

Several surface molecules appear to be involved in antigen recognition by human T lymphocytes including the monomorphic 20/25K T3 structure present on all mature T lymphocytes and the subset-specific associative recognition elements, T4 and T8 (refs 1–8). More recently, Ti1, a clonally unique antigen recognition structure comprised of a 49,000 molecular weight (49K) α-chain and a 43K β-chain, linked to T3 was identified on a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I specific T8+ T-cell clone, CT8III (ref. 9). To determine whether analogous receptor molecules could be found on other T-cell clones of differing specificity, we produced monoclonal antibodies against a clonal structure (Ti2) on an MHC class II specific T4+ lymphocyte, CT4II, derived from the same donor as CT8III. The Ti2 structure on CT4II is shown here to be a disulphide-linked heterodimer like Ti1 on CT8III and is composed of summits of similar molecular weight. Monoclonal antibodies against Ti2 or Ti1 block antigen specific functions of the respective clone without showing any cross-reactivity. These findings suggest that each T lymphocyte, regardless of subset derivation or specificity, uses an analogous Ti heterodimer for antigen specific function. The latter is linked to T3 and expressed on the cell surface at an identical density (30,000–40,000 sites per cell).
Randomized clinical trial comparing a patient-driven titration protocol of intravenous hydromorphone with traditional physician-driven management of emergency department patients with acute severe pain.

Study objective: We test the null hypothesis that the “11” hydromorphone patient-driven protocol is clinically and statistically equivalent in safety and efficacy to that of traditional physician-driven administration of opioids for emergency department (ED) treatment of acute severe pain. Methods: This was a prospective randomized clinical trial of nonelderly adults presenting to an urban academic ED with acute pain of sufficient severity to warrant intravenous (IV) opioids in the judgment of the attending physician. Patients randomized to the 11 hydromorphone patient-driven protocol received 1 mg IV hydromorphone followed by a second 1-mg dose 15 minutes later if the patient responded affirmatively to the question, “Do you want more pain medication?” Patients in the physician-driven group received any IV opioid in the dose chosen by the ED attending physician, with any additional analgesia provided at the discretion of that physician. The primary outcome was the difference in improvement in pain between the 2 groups at 60 minutes, as measured by a validated and reproducible numeric rating scale. Secondary outcomes included incidence of oxygen desaturation, hypoventilation, hypotension, bradycardia, nausea, vomiting, pruritus, and use of naloxone. Results: The mean decrease in numeric rating scale pain scores for the 11 hydromorphone patient-driven group was 5.6 versus 4.5 in the physician-driven group. The difference of 1.1 numeric rating scale units (95% confidence interval 0.3 to 1.9) was statistically significant but fell 0.2 numeric rating scale units short of the 1.3 numeric rating scale unit threshold required to attain clinically significant efficacy. Safety profiles were similarly satisfactory in both groups. Ninety-four percent of the 11 hydromorphone patient-driven group achieved adequate analgesia (as defined by the patient) within 60 minutes of protocol initiation. Conclusion: The 11 hydromorphone patient-driven protocol is statistically superior and at least as clinically efficacious and safe as traditional physician-driven treatment of ED patients with acute severe pain. More than 9 of 10 patients randomized to the study protocol achieved satisfactory pain control, as defined by the patient, within an hour or less. [Ann Emerg Med. 2009;54:561-567.]
The adaptive significance of insect gall distribution: survivorship of species in xeric and mesic habitats

We studied the relationship between habitat moisture and gall-forming insect populations. Population sizes for most galling taxa were significantly larger in xeric habitats compared with mesic habitats. Our results indicate that the differential abundance of galling insects in these habitats is due primarily to differential mortality and survivorship. Mortality factors acting upon eight insect galling species (belonging to eight genera and four families) were measured on six species (five genera and five families) of host plants. Survival was significantly higher for galling populations inhabiting xeric habitats compared with mesic habitats. Parasitism was higher in mesic habitats in seven of eight habitats and fungus-induced diseases were higher in five of seven habitats. Mortality due to predation and other (unknown) factors showed no clear trends. Overall, there was a tendency towards lower mortality and consequently higher survival for populations inhabiting xeric habitats. We hypothesize that reduced mortality caused by natural enemies and endophytic fungi has contributed to the speciation and radiation of galling insects in apparently harsh environments.
P-385 - Broken heart syndrome: A case report and review

Introduction Broken heart syndrome (BHS) is a stress-induced cardiomyopathy. Individuals usually present with a clinical picture that mimics myocardial infarction. In many of these cases the precipitating factor is emotional distress. Commonly consult/liaison psychiatrists are involved in their management. Objectives To examine the current evidence that links BHS with psychiatric disorders. Aims To familiarize psychiatrists with BHS. Methods Literature review and case description of a patient with BHS. Results/case Ms C a 31 year old female previously healthy was admitted with severe left ventricular dysfunction. Psychiatry was consulted since overdose was suspected as the day of her admission was also the 11th anniversary of her brother's death and she had a prior history of depression. After careful evaluation her suicide risk was considered low and psychiatric hospitalization was not pursued. Two weeks later her angiography showed resolution of cardiac dysfunction, no coronary artery disease was identified. A diagnosis of BHS was given. Discussion Ms C had minimal cardiovascular risk factors but significant psychosocial stressors and premorbid psychiatric disorders. Articles linking psychiatric disorders with BHS, include 2 retrospective studies and 10 case reports. A history of anxiety and depressive disorders are prevalent among BHS patients, particularly for postmenopausal females. Conclusion Psychiatrists should have a high suspicion for diagnosing anxiety and depressive disorders in patients with left wall myopathy. Aggressive treatment of psychiatric conditions is warranted to prevent recurrence. Particular attention should be paid to elderly females undergoing electroconvulsive therapy that develop acute coronary syndrome.
Matrices with some extremal properties

Abstract For a complex matrix A , there are many inequalities related to its eigenvalues, diagonal elements, and three types of singular values. We investigate the conditions on the matrices for which those inequalities become equalities. It is shown that in many cases the conditions are both necessary and sufficient for the matrices to be unitarily similar to matrices of lower orders. Moreover, we get alternative proofs of various characterization theorems of different classes of matrices.
Hybridization of DNA to bead-immobilized probes confined within a microfluidic channel.

We report the factors influencing the capture of DNA by DNA-modified microbeads confined within a microfluidic channel. Quantitative correlation of target capture efficiency to probe surface concentration, solution flow rate, and target concentration are discussed. The results indicate that the microfluidic system exhibits a limit of detection of ∼10-10 M (∼10-16 mol) DNA and a selectivity factor of ∼8 × 103. Typical hybridization times are on the order of minutes.
Serpentinites, Blueschists, and Tectonic Continental Margins

A recently proposed model for metastable production of blueschists during serpcntimzation has broad implications for processes taking place at tectonic continental borders. This paper accepts current ideas on continental underthrustmg by the sea-floor spreading mechanism and examines the following problems associated with the Franciscan Formation: (1) presence of amphibohtes; (2) detrital serpentine and glaucophane; (3) origin of alpine ultramafic rocks; and (4) time relationships of sedimentation and metamorphism. The metastable formation of blueschists at relatively shallow depths is more compatible with these observations than the deep burial required by conventional facies treatment of metamorphism.
The impact of flow of funds and management style on abnormal performance

This article analyses 1349 well-diversified, actively managed equity mutual funds across nine different categories from the period January 1992 to November 2011, based on the management style (active or passive), pursued by fund managers who receive new money as it flows (commonly known as flow of funds) into the mutual funds. Results of this research do not support, in totality, the results found in the existing literature. Abnormal performance does diminish following the excessive inflow of funds for large-cap funds; however, it increases for small-cap funds for the same phenomenon. I further evaluate abnormal performance based on active and passive style of fund management following the inflow and outflow of funds. Results of this study show mixed results. Although active management does improve the performance of a segment of equity funds, the improvement is not evident for all types of equity funds. Finally, this study also applies a portfolio approach, and results indicate that the impact of active management on a fund's abnormal performance is not homogeneous across winner and loser portfolios for the same type of funds.
Alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes increase glutathione S-transferase mRNA and protein: correlation with activation of the antioxidant response element.

A series of alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes was evaluated to determine if these compounds could mediate inducible expression of glutathione S-transferase (GST) through the 5'-flanking antioxidant response element (ARE). The ARE from rGST A1 was subcloned into a luciferase reporter construct and used to transiently transfect rat Clone 9 hepatoma cells. Transfected cells were treated with 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (4-HNE), trans-2-hexenal (t-2-HE), 2-propenal (acrolein, 2-PE), and ethacrynic acid (EA), a control compound also containing an alpha,beta-unsaturated carbonyl moiety. Each compound was evaluated for cytotoxicity to construct dosing regimens in transfection studies. IC50 values for growth inhibition were measured using 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide. IC50 values in Clone 9 cells were: 4-HNE, 6.3 +/- 0.7 microM; t-2-HE, 16.0 +/- 0.7 microM; 2-PE, 2.2 +/- 0.4 microM; and EA, 38.0 +/- 1.6 microM. A dose-dependent increase in luciferase activity was observed in transfected cells with all four compounds tested, indicating that alpha, beta-unsaturated aldehydes function as direct activators of the ARE. To determine whether or not the observed promoter activation led to increased transcriptional and translational induction of GST, cells were treated with the various compounds and assayed for increases in GST mRNA, protein, and enzyme activity. Studies in Clone 9 cells revealed increased steady-state message for GST A1 and A4, increased GST A4-4 protein by Western blotting, and increased GST activity toward 1-chloro-2,4-dinitrobenzene in response to treatment with all four compounds evaluated. Collectively, these studies demonstrate that EA and certain alpha,beta-unsaturated aldehydes produced as a result of cellular membrane lipid peroxidation are activators of the ARE and efficient inducers of GST A1-1 and A4-4.
NEUROSECRETORY BODIES WITHIN THE MEDIAN EMINENCE IN ASSOCIATION WITH PITUITARY TUMOURS

During necropsy the pituitary stalk is usually deliberately divided and the median eminence is separated from the posterior pituitary. In a series of 133 necropsies the brain was removed in a manner that preserved the integrity of the neurohypophysis and allowed histological examination of the entire neurohypophysis and the juxtaposed adenohypophysis. Neurosecretory bodies were found within the neurohypophysis in 2 patients,and in both microadenomas were found within the adenohypophysis. 2 other patients had larger tumours within the adenohypophysis but had no abnormalities within the neurohypophysis.
Defensiveness and essential hypertension.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between essential hypertension and defensiveness. Fifty normotensive and 74 hypertensive subjects completed the State–Trait Personality Inventory (STPI) and State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) to assess perceived anger and anxiety, and the Marlowe–Crowne Scale of Social Desirability as an indicator of defensiveness. Hypertensive and normotensive groups did not differ in their scores on the anger, anger expression, and anxiety scales. In contrast, Marlowe–Crowne scores were higher in the hypertensive group (18.1±5.5 vs. 15.4±5.1) (p=0.006). Stepwise logistic regression that included age, gender, BMI, and Marlowe–Crowne scores (dichotomized at 18) showed that a high Marlowe–Crowne score was associated with a relative risk of 3.63 (CI 1.49–8.83) of being hypertensive, independent of age, gender, and BMI. Anger and anxiety scores did not predict hypertensive status and did not affect the relationship between Marlowe–Crowne score and hypertensive status. We conclude that defensiveness is more closely related to essential hypertension than is self-reported anger or anxiety. Better understanding of conscious and unconscious mechanisms of defensiveness are likely to be important in clarifying the link between emotions and hypertension.
Chromatographic Characterization of Hemoglobin Benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide Adducts

Abstract The formation of hemoglobin–carcinogen adducts has been detected in carcinogen-treated animals and in human populations. Although polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons are ubiquitous in the human environment and DNA–aromatic hydrocarbon adducts have been detected in human tissue, the occurrence of hemoglobin–polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbon adducts in humans has not been thoroughly described. In this study we examined the effects of reaction conditions on the extent ofin vitroreaction of human hemoglobin and (+) [3H]benzo[a]pyrene-7,8-diol-9,10-epoxide (anti)(BPDE), a metabolite thought to be largely responsible for the carcinogenic effect of benzo[a]pyrene. The chromatographic properties of the resulting hemoglobin–BPDE adducts were examined by conventional DEAE-cellulose ion exchange liquid chromatography and by reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography. Several adducts were formed which were chromatographically resolved from hemoglobin and from the individual globins. Some adducts were basic and some acidic relative to unaltered hemoglobin, suggesting adduct formation by reaction at carboxyl and basic nitrogen groups, respectively. Alteration of the ion - chromatographic properties of the adducts by an ionic sulfhydryl reagent, together with only a moderate effect of pH on the extent of adduct formation, indicated that the adducts were not formed via reaction with the β93cysteine sulfhydryl group. The chromatographic techniques employed may be applicable for the characterization and analysis of other hemoglobin–carcinogen adducts.
The relationship between caudal differential pressure and activity of Atlantic cod: a potential method to predict oxygen consumption of free-swimming fish

This study reports the first results on telemetry of caudal differential pressure during spontaneous swimming activity in cod Gadus morhua and demonstrates that tail-beat pressure may be used as a predictor of activity and swimming costs of free-swimming cod. Tail-beat pressure was monitored using a differential pressure sensor on the caudal peduncle of cod and spontaneous swimming activity was quantified using a customized video-computer tracking programme. Tail-beat pressure was found to correlate with (1) swimming speed (U) and oxygen consumption ðMO2 Þ during forced swimming and (2) mean U during spontaneous activity. Based on the relationship between MO2 and the integrated pressure performed by the tail during forced swimming, it should be possible to predict MO2 during spontaneous activity. To gain precise measures of activity and thus predictions of MO2 for free-swimming fish, however, individual calibrations are necessary.
Modulation of NF-κB-dependent gene transcription using programmable DNA minor groove binders

Nuclear factor κB (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that regulates various aspects of immune response, cell death, and differentiation as well as cancer. In this study we introduce the Py-Im polyamide 1 that binds preferentially to the sequences 5′-WGGWWW-3′ and 5′GGGWWW-3′. The compound is capable of binding to κB sites and reducing the expression of various NF-κB–driven genes including IL6 and IL8 by qRT-PCR. Chromatin immunoprecipitation experiments demonstrate a reduction of p65 occupancy within the proximal promoters of those genes. Genome-wide expression analysis by RNA-seq compares the DNA-binding polyamide with the well-characterized NF-κB inhibitor PS1145, identifies overlaps and differences in affected gene groups, and shows that both affect comparable numbers of TNF-α–inducible genes. Inhibition of NF-κB DNA binding via direct displacement of the transcription factor is a potential alternative to the existing antagonists.
MYCORRHIZAE INFLUENCE PLANT COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND DIVERSITY IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE

In grassland ecosystems, symbiotic associations between plants and mycor- rhizal fungi are widespread and have important influences on the life histories, demography, and species interactions of plants, and on belowground ecosystem processes. To assess the consequences of the symbiosis at the plant community level, we conducted a 5-yr field experiment in tallgrass prairie to investigate the influence of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on plant species composition, relative abundances, and diversity. Replicate plots in which mycorrhizal fungi were suppressed with benomyl application every two weeks during each growing season, were compared to nontreated mycorrhizal control plots on six watershed units at the Konza Prairie in northeastern Kansas. Benomyl successfully reduced mycor- rhizal colonization to <25% of mycorrhizal control plots. Mycorrhizal colonization of roots in control plots was inversely related to annual precipitation. Suppression of mycorrhizae resulted in decreases in abundances of the dominant, obligately mycotrophic C4 tall grasses, compensatory increases in abundances of many subordinate facultatively mycotrophic C3 grasses and forbs, but no change in total aboveground biomass, as estimated from canopy density. Suppression of mycorrhizal symbiosis resulted in a large increase in plant species diversity. Two possible mechanisms for mycorrhizal mediation of plant species composition and diversity are: (1) alterations in resource distribution among neighbors via hyphal con- nections, and (2) differential host species responses to mycorrhizal fungal colonization in communities in which the competitive dominants are more strongly or more weakly my- cotrophic than their neighbors. The results of this study demonstrate that mycorrhizal symbiosis can have large effects on plant community structure, and that differential host species response to fungal colonization is a key factor explaining the dominance of warm- season C4 grasses in tallgrass prairie and limiting plant species evenness and diversity. The results also underscore the importance of above- and belowground linkages in tallgrass prairie and indicate that alterations in belowground fungi and rhizosphere processes can have large effects on aboveground floristic composition and diversity in grasslands.
Perceptions of Personalized Medicine in an Academic Health System: Educational Findings.

Objective: Prior reports demonstrate that personalized medicine implementation in clinical care is lacking. Given the program focus at Duke University on personalized medicine, we assessed health care providers’ perspectives on their preparation and educational needs to effectively integrate personalized medicine tools and applications into their clinical practices. Methods: Data from 78 health care providers who participated in a larger study of personalized and precision medicine at Duke University were analyzed using Qualtrics (descriptive statistics). Individuals age 18 years and older were recruited for the larger study through broad email contacts across the university and health system. All participants completed an online 35-question survey that was developed, pilot-tested, and administered by a team of interdisciplinary researchers and clinicians at the Center for Applied Genomics and Precision Medicine. Results: Overall, providers reported being ill-equipped to implement personalized medicine in clinical practice. Many respondents identified educational resources as critical for strengthening personalized medicine implementation in both research and clinical practice. Responses did not differ significantly between specialists and primary providers or by years since completion of the medical degree. Conclusions: Survey findings support prior calls for provider and patient education in personalized medicine. Respondents identified focus areas in training, education, and research for improving personalized medicine uptake. Given respondents’ emphasis on educational needs, now may be an ideal time to address these needs in clinical training and public education programs.
Identification of the membrane component of the anion pump encoded by the arsenical resistance operon of R-factor R773.

Summary The arsenical resistance (ars) operon of the conjugative R-factor R773 encodes an ATP-driven anion extrusion pump, producing bacterial resistance to arsenicals. There are three structural genes, of which the product of the middle gene, arsB, has not previously been identified. From nucleotide sequence data, the ArsB protein is predicted to be a 45577 Dalton hydrophobic protein. A mini-Mu transposition procedure was used to construct an arsB-lacZ gene fusion, producing a hybrid ArsB-β-galactosidase protein which was localized in the inner membrane. The operon was cloned into a T7 RNA polymerase expression vector. In addition to the previously identified ArsA and ArsC proteins, the cells synthesized an inner membrane protein with an apparent mass of 36 kD identified as the ArsB protein.
A semi-custom design flow in high-performance microprocessor design

In this paper we present techniques shown to significantly enhance the custom circuit design process typical of high-performance microprocessors. This methodology combines flexible custom circuit design with automated tuning and physical design tools to provide new opportunities to optimized design throughout the development cycle.
Small-angle neutron scattering of silica nanoparticles templated in PEO-PPO-PEO cubic crystals

Abstract Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is used to characterize self-assembled nanocomposites. Thermo-reversible block-copolymer cubic crystals (Pluronic® F127) are used as three-dimensional templates to control the spatial arrangement of silica nanoparticles. The particles are dispersed in the block-copolymer phase and are organized by excluded volume interactions as they are driven into the interstitial cavities of the micelle cubic crystal. The technique of contrast variation is used to evaluate the structure of the templated nanoparticle array and the micelle crystal as a function of relative size, relative concentration and temperature. We show that shearing the samples results in macroscopic alignment of both the micelle cubic crystal and the templated particles. We use this highly ordered state to verify the feasibility of this templating approach. Through a study of control parameters, we find that templating is most effective at silica concentrations below the stoichiometric ratio of one particle per available template site. Higher polymer concentrations in the matrix and temperature above, but near, the order–disorder transition are also found to be favorable conditions for nanoparticle templating. The level of order of the cubic template is also found to be affected by the addition of the particles. At low silica concentrations, particle addition increases the long-range cubic order while at higher concentrations particle addition promotes disorganization. At a high polymer concentrations (30 w%), the addition of silica nanoparticles is also shown to trigger a change from a face-centered cubic (FCC) to a body-centered cubic (BCC) lattice of the micelle crystal. Through this work, we demonstrate the feasibility of this templating approach and also provide design criteria for developing structured thermo-reversible nanocomposites.
An iterative approach for deterministic beamformer design

An iterative method for designing the quiescent response which closely matches a prespecified desired response in the passband while simultaneously minimizing the sidelobe levels in the stopband is discussed. The method is based on the use of eigenvector constraints in the array and searches for a set of coefficients which combine the constraints to generate the quiescent response. Using this method, the sidelobe levels in the stopband are reduced from one iteration to another; the search continues until the maximum ripple in the passband reaches a prespecified level. Both min-max and least-squares criteria, which are used to specify the ripple levels in the passband, are discussed. >
Bayesian mixture modeling using a hybrid sampler with application to protein subfamily identification.

SUMMARY Predicting protein function is essential to advancing our knowledge of biological processes. This article is focused on discovering the functional diversification within a protein family. A Bayesian mixture approach is proposed to model a protein family as a mixture of profile hidden Markov models. For a given mixture size, a hybrid Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler comprising both Gibbs sampling steps and hierarchical clustering–based split/merge proposals is used to obtain posterior inference. Inference for mixture size concentrates on comparing the integrated likelihoods. The choice of priors is critical with respect to the performance of the procedure. Through simulation studies, we show that 2 priors that are based on independent data sets allow correct identification of the mixture size, both when the data are homogeneous and when the data are generated from a mixture. We illustrate our method using 2 sets of real protein sequences.
Association of Hepatitis C Virus Infection With Prevalence and Development of Kidney Disease

Background Hepatitis C and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are both highly prevalent diseases in the United States. Data showed that hepatitis C may be causally linked to some glomerular diseases, and patients who are positive for hepatitis C have increased risk of albuminuria. Study Design To determine whether hepatitis C infection is associated with increased likelihood of CKD, we performed retrospective cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses of a large clinical database. Setting & Participants Data for a study population of 13,139 African American and white patients tested for hepatitis C between 1994 and 2004 were extracted from a computerized database from a clinical population of an urban hospital and affiliated clinics. Predictor Hepatitis C by means of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Outcome In cross-sectional analysis, CKD was defined as a minimum estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 by using the 4-variable isotope dilution mass spectrometry–traceable Modification of Diet in Renal Disease Study equation or proteinuria. In longitudinal analysis, CKD was defined as eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Measurements Potential confounders investigated included sex, age, race, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) status, chronic hypertension, diabetes, and other laboratory test result abnormalities. Results 3,938 patients (30.0%) were positive for hepatitis C and 2,549 (19.4%) had CKD. Of those with CKD, 1,999 (78.4%) had an eGFR less than 60 mL/min/1.73 m 2 , 186 (7.3%) had proteinuria, and 364 (14.3%) had both. In cross-sectional analysis, after controlling for diabetes, hypertension, age, aspartate aminotransferase level, and HIV status, patients who tested positive for hepatitis C had a decreased risk of CKD (odds ratio, 0.69; 95% confidence interval, 0.62 to 0.77). A total of 7,038 subjects without CKD were followed up for a median of 3.5 years. Of these, 2,243 (31.8%) were hepatitis C positive at the onset of follow-up. In longitudinal analysis, after adjustment for age, baseline eGFR, diabetes, hypertension, aspartate aminotransferase level, and HIV status, the hazard ratio for the development of CKD compared with those who were hepatitis C negative was 0.896 (95% confidence interval, 0.790 to 1.015). Limitations Retrospective design, clinical database with missing values, different hepatitis C assays used during the study period, limited data for proteinuria. Conclusions Our results do not support the hypothesis that infection with hepatitis C virus per se is associated with increased risk of having or developing CKD.
A Levinson-type algorithm for two-dimensional Wiener filtering using bivariate Szeg&#246; polynomials

The Levinson algorithm has been widely utilized in the solution of the normal equations which arise in Wiener filtering. The algorithm can be easily derived and implemented using Szego polynomials. In recent years, Wiener filtering techniques have been extended to two-dimensional processes. We show that the Szego polynomials have bivariate analogues which can be used to derive and implement a two-dimensional analogue of the Levinson algorithm.
Tropical glaciers, recorders and indicators of climate change, are disappearing globally

In this paper we review the interaction of El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO) variability and warming trends recorded in ice-core records from high-altitude tropical glaciers, discuss the implications of the warming trends for the glaciers and consider the societal implications of glacier retreat. ENSO has strong impacts on meteorological phenomena that directly or indirectly affect most regions on the planet and their populations. Many tropical ice fields have provided continuous annually resolved proxy records of climatic and environmental variability preserved in measurable parameters, especially oxygen and hydrogen isotopic ratios (d 18 O, dD) and the net mass balance (accumulation). These records present an opportunity to examine the nature of tropical climate variability in greater detail and to extract new information on linkages between rising temperatures on tropical glaciers and equatorial Pacific sea surface temperatures in critical ENSO indicator regions. The long-term climate records from a collection of high-altitude tropical ice cores provide the longer-term context essential for assessing the significance of the magnitude and rate of current climate changes that are in large measure driving glacier retreat. The well-documented ice loss on Quelccaya in the Peruvian Andes, Naimona'nyi in the Himalaya, Kilimanjaro in eastern Africa and the ice fields near Puncak Jaya in Papua, Indonesia, presents a grim future for low-latitude glaciers. The ongoing melting of these ice fields (response) is consistent with model predictions for a vertical amplification of temperature in the tropics (driver) and has serious implications for the people who live in these areas.
Design, simulation, fabrication, and characterization of package level micro shielding for EMI/EMC management in BGA environment

With the introduction of compact mixed signal assemblies and mixed signal integrated circuits, electromagnetic interference (EMI) and electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) problems have started to emerge on the package and chip levels. Mixed signal circuit partitions (digital/analog/RF) have to be implemented such that EMI/EMC effects can be controlled. EMI/EMC management is today primarily performed on the subsystem level. We explore here EMI/EMC management on the package level using design EM field simulation and measurements. We have identified micro-shielding as the most effective approach and explore it here theoretically and experimentally in the BGA packaging environment for frequencies up to 20 GHz.
Linguistic Profiling of Texts Across Textual Genres and Readability Levels. An Exploratory Study on Italian Fictional Prose

In this paper we present a case study focusing on the literature genre, in particular on Italian fictional prose, aimed at identifying the features characterizing this text type. Identified features were tested in two classification tasks, i.e. by genre and by readability, with promising results. Interestingly, the same multi–level set of linguistic features turned out to reliably capture variation within and across textual genres.