cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
FACILE SYNTHESIS OF ISOINDOLINE AND SUBSTITUTED ISOINDOLINES.

The preparation of isoindoline and several derivatives bearing nuclear substituents by methods previously employed successfully only for N -substituted derivatives is described. The method involves the preparation and hydrogenolysis of N -benzyl isoindolines.
Thymosin stimulates secretion of luteinizing hormone-releasing factor

Partially purified thymosin fraction 5 and one of its synthetic peptide components, thymosin beta 4, but not thymosin alpha 1, stimulated secretion of luteinizing hormone--releasing factor from superfused medial basal hypothalami from random cycling female rats. In addition, luteinizing hormone was released from pituitary glands superfused in sequence with hypothalami. No release of luteinizing hormone in response to thymosin was observed from pituitaries superfused alone. These data provide the first evidence of a direct effect of the endocrine thymus on the hypothalamus and suggest a potentially important role for thymic peptides in reproductive function.
Low-temperature renormalization group for the Lifshitz point

The momentum-shell technique is employed to derive the recursion relations for the Lifshitz point above the lower critical dimensionality. For the uniaxial point ($m=1$) the expansion is made in $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=d\ensuremath{-}2.5$ and the critical exponents are calculated. The results are ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{t}}={\ensuremath{\nu}}_{4}^{\ensuremath{-}1}=2\ensuremath{\epsilon}$, ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{2}=\frac{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}{(n\ensuremath{-}2)}$, ${\ensuremath{\eta}}_{4}=\frac{2\ensuremath{\epsilon}}{(n\ensuremath{-}2)}$, ${\ensuremath{\beta}}_{k}=\frac{1}{2}+\frac{3\ensuremath{\epsilon}}{4(n\ensuremath{-}2)}$, where $n$ is the number of components of the spin. The critical behavior in the presence of long-range power-law interactions is also studied.
Thin and layered subcontinental crust of the great Basin western north America inherited from Paleozoic marginal ocean basins

Abstract The seismic profile of the crust of the northern part of the Basin and Range province by its thinness and layering is intermediate between typical continental and oceanic crust and resembles that of marginal ocean basins, especially those with thick sedimentary fill. The geologic history of the Great Basin indicates that it was the site of a succession of marginal ocean basins opening and closing behind volcanic arcs during much of Paleozoic time. A long process of sedimentation and deformation followed throughout the Mesozoic modifying, but possibly not completely transforming the originally oceanic crust to continental crust. In the Cenozoic, after at least 40 m.y. of quiescence and stable conditions, substantial crustal and upper-mantle changes are recorded by elevation of the entire region in isostatic equilibrium, crustal extension resulting in Basin and Range faulting, extensive volcanism, high heat flow and a low-velocity mantle. These phenomena, apparently the result of plate tectonics, are superimposed on the inherited subcontinental crust that developed from an oceanic origin in Paleozoic time and possibly retained some of its thin and layered characteristics. The present anomalous crust in the Great Basin represents an accretion of oceanic geosynclinal material to a Precambrian continental nucleus apparently as an intermediate step in the process of conversion of oceanic crust into a stable continental landmass or craton.
Viscoelasticity of Tau Proteins Leads to Strain Rate-Dependent Breaking of Microtubules during Axonal Stretch Injury: Predictions from a Mathematical Model

The unique viscoelastic nature of axons is thought to underlie selective vulnerability to damage during traumatic brain injury. In particular, dynamic loading of axons has been shown to mechanically break microtubules at the time of injury. However, the mechanism of this rate-dependent response has remained elusive. Here, we present a microstructural model of the axonal cytoskeleton to quantitatively elucidate the interaction between microtubules and tau proteins under mechanical loading. Mirroring the axon ultrastructure, the microtubules were arranged in staggered arrays, cross-linked by tau proteins. We found that the viscoelastic behavior specifically of tau proteins leads to mechanical breaking of microtubules at high strain rates, whereas extension of tau allows for reversible sliding of microtubules without any damage at small strain rates. Based on the stiffness and viscosity of tau proteins inferred from single-molecule force spectroscopy studies, we predict the critical strain rate for microtubule breaking to be in the range 22–44 s−1, in excellent agreement with recent experiments on dynamic loading of micropatterned neuronal cultures. We also identified a characteristic length scale for load transfer that depends on microstructural properties and have derived a phase diagram in the parameter space spanned by loading rate and microtubule length that demarcates those regions where axons can be loaded and unloaded reversibly and those where axons are injured due to breaking of the microtubules.
Secondary turbidity maximum in a partially mixed microtidal estuary

Data from a two-year period of monthly slackwater surveys reveal that in addition to the classical estuary turbidity maximum (ETM), another peak of bottom total suspended sediment (TSS) concentration, or a so-called secondary turbidity maximum (STM), often exists in the middle part of the York River estuary, Virginia. This STM, observed in most (but not all) of the slackwater surveys, moves back and forth in the region of about 20 to 40 km from the York River mouth where the mud percentage of bottom sediment is very high. The distribution of the potential energy anomaly, which was calculated using salinity data, indicates that the STM usually resides in the transition zone between the upstream well mixed and the downstream more stratified water columns. An analysis using the conservation equation of suspended sediment concentration in the water column reveals that four processes may contribute to the formation of the STM: convergence of bottom residual flow, tidal asymmetry, inhibition of turbulent diffusion by stratification, and bottom resuspension. The along-channel variations of the strength of bottom residual flow, the effect of tidal asymmetry, and the stratification patterns are probably due to the geometric features of the York River estuary.
Techniques for Studying Fast Reactions in Liquids

The study of chemistry is the study of chemical reactivity, — of how reactions take place. It is known that chemical transformations take place through a sequence of elementary reactions. These elementary reactions determine the outcome of the reaction sequence. In the past one determined the overall reaction, possibly determined the kinetics of the reaction, and the dependence on parameters such as the dielectric constant or the proton affinity of the solvent. From these data one then created a mechanism which explained the reactions. Now it has become possible to measure the elementary reactions that make up mechanisms. These measurements have become sufficiently routine so that the chemist, who wants to learn more about a particular chemical reaction, can find a technique to help him.
Protein Kinase G Phosphorylates Cav1.2 α1c and β2 Subunits

Voltage-dependent Ca(2+) channel function (Ca(v)1.2, L-type Ca(2+) channel) is required for cardiac excitation-contraction (E-C) coupling. Ca(v)1.2 plays a key role in modulating cardiac function in response to classic signaling pathways, such as the renin-angiotensin system and sympathetic nervous system. Regulation of cardiac contraction by neurotransmitters and hormones is often correlated with Ca(v)1.2 current through the actions of cAMP and cGMP. Cardiac cGMP, which activates protein kinase G (PKG), is regulated by nitric oxide (NO), and natriuretic peptides. Although PKG has been reported to activate or inhibit Ca(v)1.2 function, it is still unclear whether Ca(v)1.2 subunits are PKG substrates. We have identified phosphorylation sites within the alpha(1c) and beta(2a) subunits that are phosphorylated by PKGIalpha in vitro. We demonstrate that a subset of these phosphorylation sites is modulated, in a cGMP-PKG-specific manner, in intact HEK cells heterologously expressing alpha(1c) and beta(2a) subunits. Using phospho-epitope-specific antibodies, we show that the phosphorylation of these residues is enhanced by PKG in intact cardiac myocytes. Activation of PKG in HEK cells transfected with alpha(1c) and beta(2a) subunits caused an inhibition of Ca(v)1.2 whole-cell current. PKG-mediated inhibition of Ca(v)1.2 current was significantly reduced by coexpression of an alanine-substituted Ca(v)1.2 beta(2a) subunit (Ser(496)). Our results identify a molecular mechanism by which cGMP-PKG regulates Ca(v)1.2 phosphorylation and function.
Residential Foreclosure Rates and Calls for Service for Domestic Disputes: An Exploratory Analysis

Over the past 10 years the U.S. has experienced a sharp increase in the number of foreclosures. The problem has been particularly severe in a number of states, including Florida. The purpose of this article is to explore the relationship between foreclosure rates and calls for service for domestic disturbances reported to the City of Tampa, Florida Police Department in 2008. The results suggest that even when controlling for a number of socioeconomic variables, the foreclosure rate remained a significant predictor of domestic disturbance calls for service.
Observed activities and stress behaviors of children in developmentally appropriate and inappropriate kindergarten classrooms

This study investigated the effect of classroom type (developmentally appropriate; inappropriate) on the stress behaviors of 204 kindergarten children as mediated by race, sex, and SES. There were 101 children in inappropriate classrooms and 103 children in appropriate classrooms. Substantive findings indicated that males in inappropriate classrooms exhibited more stress than males in appropriate classrooms. Blacks in inappropriate classrooms exhibited more stress than whites during transition, waiting, and teacher-directed whole group, while whites in inappropriate classrooms exhibited more stress during group story. More overall stress was exhibited by children in developmentally inappropriate classrooms than by children in appropriate classrooms, particularly during transition, waiting, and workbook/worksheet activities. For activity types, low SES children and black children had tendencies to be less involved in developmentally appropriate activities. More appropriate activities (e.g., center, story) were found in appropriate classrooms, while more inappropriate activities (e.g., waiting, workbook/worksheet) were noted in inappropriate classrooms.
Meteoroids captured into Earth orbit by grazing atmospheric encounters

Abstract Some meteoroids, such as the one that produced the daytime fireball of August 10, 1972 that passed over the western United States and the European fireball of October 13, 1990, graze the atmosphere of Earth before returning to space (at reduced speed). Other grazing meteoroids, such as Peekskill, penetrate deeper into the atmosphere and lose enough energy to plunge to ground. It is evident that if a grazing meteoroid is within some critical range of closest approach distance and speed, it is captured into a gravitationally bound orbit around Earth. It must ultimately plunge to ground after further orbital dissipation in subsequent atmospheric passages unless the gravitational pull of the Moon and Sun or other intervention raise its perigee above the atmosphere. A spherical atmospheric model is used to integrate the passage of meteoroids in grazing atmospheric encounters. It is found that the corridor for capture narrows with increasing values of V∞, the approach velocity of the meteoroid prior to gravitational acceleration by Earth. As an example, if V∞= 5 km s−1, stony meteoroids with closest-approach distances of h = 40 km above the Earth are captured if their radii, R, are between 3 and 9 m while if V∞ = 15 km s−1 and h = 40 km, they are only captured if R is between 1.5 and 2m. Irons with V∞ = 5 km s−1 and h = 40 km, are captured if R is between 1 and 3.5 m, while if V∞ = 15 km s−1, they are captured if R is between 0.6 and 0.9 m. The cross section for orbital capture of iron meteoroids and small stony meteoroids is about 0.001 that for directly hitting Earth. Large stones are never captured except at very low impact velocities because of the large increase in drag resulting from fragmentation.
Progressive osseous heteroplasia

Progressive osseous heteroplasia (POH) is a recently described genetic disorder of mesenchymal differentiation characterized by dermal ossification during infancy and progressive heterotopic ossification of cutaneous, subcutaneous, and deep connective tissues during childhood. The disorder can be distinguished from fibrodysplasia ossificans progressiva (FOP) by the presence of cutaneous ossification, the absence of congenital malformations of the skeleton, the absence of inflammatory tumorlike swellings, the asymmetric mosaic distribution of lesions, the absence of predictable regional patterns of heterotopic ossification, and the predominance of intramembranous rather than endochondral ossification. POH can be distinguished from Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) by the progression of heterotopic ossification from skin and subcutaneous tissue into skeletal muscle, the presence of normal endocrine function, and the absence of a distinctive habitus associated with AHO. Although the genetic basis of POH is unknown, inactivating mutations of the GNAS1 gene are associated with AHO. The report in this issue of the JBMR of 2 patients with combined features of POH and AHO--one with classic AHO, severe POH-like features, and reduced levels of Gsalpha protein and one with mild AHO, severe POH-like features, reduced levels of Gsalpha protein, and a mutation in GNAS1--suggests that classic POH also could be caused by GNAS1 mutations. This possibility is further supported by the identification of a patient with atypical but severe platelike osteoma cutis (POC) and a mutation in GNAS1, indicating that inactivating mutations in GNAS1 may lead to severe progressive heterotopic ossification of skeletal muscle and deep connective tissue independently of AHO characteristics. These observations suggest that POH may lie at one end of a clinical spectrum of ossification disorders mediated by abnormalities in GNAS1 expression and impaired activation of adenylyl cyclase. Analysis of patients with classic POH (with no AHO features) is necessary to determine whether the molecular basis of POH is caused by inactivating mutations in the GNAS1 gene.
Alcohol consumption by college women following exposure to unsolvable problems: Learned helplessness or stress induced drinking?

Abstract Three experiments were intended to examine the relationship between alcohol, depression and learned helplessness. In Study I, more female undergraduate heavy drinkers than light drinkers were found to have critically elevated scores on a depression index. A sex difference in the relationship between drinking and depression is suggested since male depressives were equally distributed among drinking categories. In Studies II and III, female undergraduates were given unsolvable problems in a learned helplessness paradigm. Relative to controls these subjects reported increased depressive and hostile affect and drank more beer in a taste rating task. However, we failed to find deficits in anagram solution with those subjects given the learned helplessness manipulation. Specific questions are raised regarding the boundary conditions of learned helplessness while implications bearing on stress-related alcohol consumption are discussed.
The father's role during infancy. Factors that influence maternal expectations.

Objective: To describe factors that influence maternal expectations of the father's role during infancy. Research Design: Cross-sectional survey. Setting: Postpartum obstetric ward of an inner-city teaching hospital. Subjects: Mothers who were residents in the innercity communities that surround the hospital and who were recently delivered of a newborn. Selection Procedure: Consecutive sampling from March to May 1992. Measurements: Through structured maternal interviews, the father's expected role was measured in terms of accessibility, engagement in child care tasks, and decision-making responsibility. Influences included demographics, the mother's desire for the father's involvement, and her perceptions of his motivation, prenatal support, and ability to parent. Results: Of 226 eligible mothers, 197 (87%) were interviewed. Expectations varied widely. Concerning accessibility, 48% and 18% of the mothers expected to see the father daily and less than weekly, respectively. Concerning engagement, 81% of the mothers expected some paternal involvement; the average mother assumed that the father would participate in one third of child care tasks. Concerning decision-making responsibility, 34% of the mothers expected to share all decisions; 30% expected to share none. In all areas, expectations were positively associated with the mother's desires, the strength of the parents' relationship, and the mother's perceptions of the father's motivation and ability to parent and the father's prenatal involvement (all,P Conclusions: The maternal desire for the father's participation, the strength of the parents' relationship, the mother's perception of the father as a parent, and the father's prenatal involvement are all consistently associated with the maternal expectations of the father's role. The demographic characteristics of either parent are not as strongly or consistently associated with the maternal expectations. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 1997;151:705-711
Managing technology risks in the healthcare sector: disaster recovery and business continuity planning

The relentless onslaught of computers and communications technologies has recently descended on the healthcare industry. Fortunately, however, the utilization of technologies in healthcare delivery and administration could not be timelier because of the need to control escalating health costs. While the proliferation of information and communication technologies in healthcare, referred to as health management information systems (HMIS), is certainly long overdue in healthcare organizations (HCOs), it is important to recognize and be prepared for the vulnerabilities of these technologies to natural, technological, and man‐made disasters. This paper describes how HCOs have justifiably become dependent on HMIS and how these organizations may proactively plan for disasters which can impact on HMIS. A phased approach, referred to as the disaster recovery and business continuity (DRBC) planning model, is presented in the paper as an approach to develop and implement business continuity plans in HCOs.
Making SVMs Scalable to Large Data Sets using Hierarchical Cluster Indexing

Support vector machines (SVMs) have been promising methods for classification and regression analysis due to their solid mathematical foundations, which include two desirable properties: margin maximization and nonlinear classification using kernels. However, despite these prominent properties, SVMs are usually not chosen for large-scale data mining problems because their training complexity is highly dependent on the data set size. Unlike traditional pattern recognition and machine learning, real-world data mining applications often involve huge numbers of data records. Thus it is too expensive to perform multiple scans on the entire data set, and it is also infeasible to put the data set in memory. This paper presents a method, Clustering-Based SVM (CB-SVM), that maximizes the SVM performance for very large data sets given a limited amount of resource, e.g., memory. CB-SVM applies a hierarchical micro-clustering algorithm that scans the entire data set only once to provide an SVM with high quality samples. These samples carry statistical summaries of the data and maximize the benefit of learning. Our analyses show that the training complexity of CB-SVM is quadratically dependent on the number of support vectors, which is usually much less than that of the entire data set. Our experiments on synthetic and real-world data sets show that CB-SVM is highly scalable for very large data sets and very accurate in terms of classification.
Decrement in distress to an aversive event during a conditioned positive opponent-process

During Phase 1, 24 rats received CS1 (light)-shock trials while the remaining 24 rats received CS1 and shock on a random control schedule. During Phase 2, all subjects were presented trials of CS2 (tone)-shock. When CS2 was subsequently presented immediately after CS, while subjects licked for water, it was found that subjects that had received CS1-shock pairings during Phase 1 exhibited less suppression of licking to CS2, indicating less distress, than control subjects. The results are compatible with the opponent-process theory and suggest the presence of a positive hedonic afterreaction to an aversive event which reduced distress to a following aversive event.
Metabolism of caffeine to nucleic acid precursors in mammalian cells.

Abstract Caffeine is rapidly metabolized in human and mouse cells in culture by demethylation: within 1–3 h of exposure to millimolar concentrations of labeled caffeine, more than 90% of the pool consists of labeled products of metabolism and less than 10% is still caffeine. The metyhl groups seem to be transferred and used in the de novo synthesis of thymine, guanine, and adenine in nucleic acids. Normal fibroblasts, Lesch-Nyhan fibroblasts, xeroderma pigmentosum fibroblasts, HeLa cells, wild type mouse cells, and adenine phosphoribosyl- transferase-deficient mouse cells all seem to metabolize caffeine similarly.
Racism, Counterfactual Thinking, and Judgment Severity1

Two contrasting models of the effects of motivational influences on the relationship between counterfactual thinking and social judgment were tested, using a modified version of Wells and Gavanski's (1989) cab driver vignette. Undergraduates (N= 208) assigned blame to a negligent white or black target after imagining how the target's alternative behavior could have either easily or improbably averted two accident-related fatalities. Results suggested that motivational variables such as racism moderate the relationship between counterfactual thinking and judgment severity rather than directly affect the counterfactual thinking process itself. Implications for current conceptions of both counterfactual thinking and racism are discussed.
Is Greulich and Pyle atlas still a good reference for bone age assessment

The most commonly used method for bone age assessment in clinical practice is the book atlas matching method developed by Greulich and Pyle in the 1950s. Due to changes in both population diversity and nutrition in the United States, this atlas may no longer be a good reference. An updated data set becomes crucial to improve the bone age assessment process. Therefore, a digital hand atlas was built with 1,100 children hand images, along with patient information and radiologists' readings, of normal Caucasian (CAU), African American (BLK), Hispanic (HIS), and Asian (ASI) males (M) and females (F) with ages ranging from 0 - 18 years. This data was collected from Childrens' Hospital Los Angeles. A computer-aided-diagnosis (CAD) method has been developed based on features extracted from phalangeal regions of interest (ROIs) and carpal bone ROIs from this digital hand atlas. Using the data collected along with the Greulich and Pyle Atlas-based readings and CAD results, this paper addresses this question: "Do different ethnicities and gender have different bone growth patterns?" To help with data analysis, a novel web-based visualization tool was developed to demonstrate bone growth diversity amongst differing gender and ethnic groups using data collected from the Digital Atlas. The application effectively demonstrates a discrepancy of bone growth pattern amongst different populations based on race and gender. It also has the capability of helping a radiologist determine the normality of skeletal development of a particular patient by visualizing his or her chronological age, radiologist reading, and CAD assessed bone age relative to the accuracy of the P&G method.
Right ventricular apexangiography for precise placement of transvenous electrode catheters.

A simple angiographic technique (right ventricular apexangiography) for positioning permanent transvenous pacemakers is described. With this technique, electrode failure occurred in only five (3 percent) of 186 patients followed for more than two years, as compared to an average failure rate of 23 percent in 11 reported series. Right ventricular apexangiography should be particularly useful in those patients in whom problems arise during insertion of a permanent transvenous electrode catheter.
Dayside auroral activities and their implications for impulsive entry processes in the dayside magnetosphere

The dayside auroral bright spots as observed by the Viking satellite are studied and the evidence that argues against the notion that these auroral bright spots are the optical signatures of FTEs in the ionosphere is discussed. Reports of transient dayside auroral phenomena that were interpreted as the optical signatures of FTEs to determine the solar wind conditions at the time of the events are examined. It is found that many of the previously reported transient occurrences of poleward drifting auroral arcs in the dayside auroral region can be associated with sudden increases in the solar wind dynamic pressure. An explanation of these events is offered in terms of solar wind dynamic pressure enhancement.
Selective antinociceptive effects of a combination of the N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor peptide antagonist [Ser1]histogranin and morphine in rat models of pain

Numerous rather than a few analgesic endogenous neuropeptides are likely to work in concert in vivo in ameliorating pain. Identification of effective neuropeptide combinations would also facilitate the development of gene or cell-based analgesics. In this study, opioid peptides endomorphin-1 (EM-1) and endomorphin-2 (EM-2) and the peptide histogranin analogue [Ser1]histogranin (SHG), which possess activity as an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, were intrathecally (i.t.) injected alone and in combination in rat models of acute and persistent pain. None of the peptides when injected alone altered hind paw responses of uninjured rats to acute noxious stimulation. EM-1 and EM-2 showed divergent efficacies in the persistent pain models. For example, EM-1 injected alone was antinociceptive in rats with neuropathic pain, whereas EM-2 demonstrated no efficacy. Demonstration of synergism was also divergent across the models. For example, while SHG combined with EM-1 did not alter the efficacy of EM-1 in rats with neuropathic pain, SHG significantly increased the efficacy of EM-1 in the formalin test. By contrast, the potency and efficacy of the peptides alone and combinations were much less than those of the reference analgesic morphine. Furthermore, morphine combined with the clinically used NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine showed synergism across a broad range of pain states. While the current set of neuropeptides could serve as a basis for analgesic therapeutics, there could be other neuropeptides with greater efficacy and potency and broader therapeutic application.
ETA photoproduction on the deuteron

Abstract Cross sections are calculated for the reaction 2H(γ, η)2H. The calculation includes an impulse term and rescattering terms which are obtained by a reduction of a covariant formalism. Modern vertex functions and a realistic deuteron wave function are employed. Calculated 90° cross sections are at least a factor of two smaller than the existing data. The calculated angular distributions indicate that future experiments can determine the reaction mechanism and isolate the cause for the disagreement with theory.
Ceramide displaces cholesterol from lipid rafts and decreases the association of the cholesterol binding protein caveolin-1

Addition of exogenous ceramide causes a significant displacement of cholesterol in lipid raft model membranes. However, whether ceramide-induced cholesterol displacement is sufficient to alter the protein composition of caveolin-enriched lipid raft membranes is unknown. Therefore, we examined whether increasing endogenous ceramide levels with bacterial sphingomyelinase (bSMase) depleted cholesterol and changed the protein composition of caveolin-enriched membranes (CEMs) isolated from immortalized Schwann cells. bSMase increased ceramide levels severalfold and decreased the cholesterol content of detergent-insoluble CEMs by 25-50% within 2 h. To examine the effect of ceramide on the protein composition of the CEMs, we performed a quantitative proteomic analysis using stable isotope labeling of cells in culture and matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry. Although ceramide rapidly depleted lipid raft cholesterol, the levels of the cholesterol binding protein caveolin-1 (Cav-1) decreased by 25% only after 8 h. Importantly, replenishing the cells with cholesterol rapidly reversed the loss of Cav-1 from the CEMs. Ceramide-induced cholesterol depletion increased the association of 5'-nucleotidase and ATP synthase beta-subunit with the CEMs but had a minimal effect on changing the abundance of other lipid raft proteins, such as flotillin-1 and G-proteins. These results suggest that the ceramide-induced loss of cholesterol from CEMs may contribute to altering the lipid raft proteome.
Comparison of Normal Dent with Waxy, High-Oil, and Waxy-High-Oil Corns on Pellet Quality of Associated Feeds and Response by Broilers

SUMMARY This study evaluated corn cultivars having normal and waxy starches, with and without high associated oil content, on pellet quality of corresponding feeds and response to these feeds by male broilers. Upon steam pelleting the complete feeds, an increase in the proportion of intact pellets having additional durability was extensive when waxy starch was present. Displacement of added fat when using high-oil corn also enhanced pellet quality, but this improvement was less than occurred with waxy starch and was not fully additive when both features were combined with waxy high-oil corn. Corns having waxy starch led to improved live performance when associated with a normal level of oil as did high-oil corn having normal starch, but growth was adversely affected when both features were combined. Increased abdominal fat removed from the carcass and reduced deboned breast meat with broilers given the waxy high-oil corn suggest that large increases in productive energy beyond that provided by waxy or high-oil alone adversely altered the balance with existing protein.
Can the genetic code be mathematically described

From a mathematical point of view, the genetic code is a surjective mapping between the set of the 64 possible three-base codons and the set of 21 elements composed of the 20 amino acids plus the Stop signal. Redundancy and degeneracy therefore follow. In analogy with the genetic code, non-power integer-number representations are also surjective mappings between sets of different cardinality and, as such, also redundant. However, none of the non-power arithmetics studied so far nor other alternative redundant representations are able to match the actual degeneracy of the genetic code. In this paper we develop a slightly more general framework that leads to the following surprising results: i) the degeneracy of the genetic code is mathematically described, ii) a new symmetry is uncovered within this degeneracy, iii) by assigning a binary string to each of the codons, their classification into definite parity classes according to the corresponding sequence of bases is made possible. This last result is particularly appealing in connection with the fact that parity coding is the basis of the simplest strategies devised for error correction in man-made digital data transmission systems.
The sympathetic role as an antagonist of erection

The effects of the lumbar and pelvic sympathetic system on penile erection were studied in a canine model. Erection was induced by cavernous nerve stimulation and detumescence by sympathetic trunk stimulation. Erection induced by cavernous nerve stimulation normally subsides slowly. After discontinuation of electrical stimulation the intracavernous pressure drops within a mean of 291 s to 50% and after a mean of 372 s to 10% of the highest level. However, stimulation of the sympathetic trunk at the level of L4-S1 applied directly after discontinuation of cavernous nerve stimulation accelerated this drop of intracavernous pressure significantly: to 50% after a mean of 19 s and to 10% after a mean of 36 s. If stimulation of the sympathetic trunk was initiated 20 s before cavernous nerve stimulation, the pressure rise was aborted completely. Neurostimulation of the hypogastric nerves alone or in combination with cavernous nerve stimulation did not change the intracavernous pressure. These results were not altered after neurotomy of the pudendal or hypogastric nerves. The main pathway of the fibers from the sympathetic trunk to the penis seems to run via the pelvic plexus. The stimulation voltage and frequency to induce erection or detumescence were equivalent. Our results suggest that an elevated central sympathetic tone may be one of the causes of psychogenic impotence.
Premixed flame propagation in a confining vessel with weak pressure rise

The propagation of a premixed flame inside of a confining vessel filled with combustible fluid is determined using large-activation-energy asymptotics. The flame structure is analysed assuming that spatial and temporal variations in the transverse direction are weak compared to those in the direction normal to the flame surface. The analysis considers weak pressure rise from confinement and also allows for mixtures that are both near and removed from stoichiometry, non-unity reaction orders, temperature-dependent transport coefficients, and general Lewis numbers. The resulting equations for flame propagation speed are expressed in a coordinate-free form and describe the evolution of an arbitrary shaped flame in a general confining flow. These expressions are specifically applied to the case of a spherical flame propagating inside a spherical chamber. The radius at which the confining vessel influences the flame propagation is determined and the various mechanisms influencing flame behaviour are discussed. The results give rise to a simplified asymptotic relationship that provides an improved equation that may be used to more accurately extrapolate unstretched laminar flame speeds from experimental measurements.
Assessing the extent of provision of comprehensive medical care management for female sexual assault patients in US hospital emergency departments

Abstract Objective To describe medical services provided to sexual assault patients in US emergency departments and to identify the percentage of hospitals always providing the 10 elements of comprehensive medical care management (CMCM). Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted in a national sample of US hospitals. A 26-item telephone survey assessed provision of services to sexual assault survivors in accordance with CMCM. Management included acute medical care comprising history and physical examination; acute and long-term rape crisis counseling; STI testing and prophylaxis; emergency contraception counseling and provision; and HIV testing and prophylaxis. The primary outcome was extent of provision of these elements. Results Overall, 582 emergency departments responded to the survey. The following components of CMCM were provided: acute medical care (582 [100.0%]); rape crisis counseling (234 [40.2%]); STI management (448 [77.0%]); emergency contraception (351 [60.3%]); and HIV management (380 [65.3%]). Only 101 (17.4%) hospitals provided all 10 elements of CMCM. Conclusion Less than one-fifth of US hospitals provide comprehensive services to sexual assault patients. A national program incorporating clinical guidelines, checklists, and funding for sexual assault forensic/nurse examiner programs could improve the standard of care provided in emergency departments—the primary point of contact for acute care of sexual assault survivors.
Individual and Crossover Effects of Work Schedule Fit: A Within-Couple Analysis

A couple-level analysis with a sample of 105 female reduced-hours physicians and their fulltime‐employed husbands found individual and spouse crossover effects: Each spouse’s ratings of own schedule fit predict own job-role quality; wives’ ratings of partner/family schedule fit predict their marital-role quality, with a similar trend for husbands; husbands’ ratings of own schedule fit predict wives’ marital-role quality; and husbands’ ratings of partner/family schedule fit and wives’ ratings of own schedule fit predict husbands’ psychological distress. These findings highlight the interdependence of couple members’ experiences and illustrate potential costs of wives’ trading off time at work for time at home.
Stratigraphy and Sedimentation of Mississippian Ste. Genevieve-Cedar Bluff Interval, Southwestern Indiana: ABSTRACT

The Ste. Genevieve Limestone and Cedar Bluff Group of Mississippian age, both important sources of hydrocarbons in the Illinois basin, were traced from a subsurface stratigraphic section in White County, Illinois (described by Swan in 1963, across Gibson and Daviess Counties, Indiana, using electric logs and sample descriptions from 84 wells. The Ste. Genevieve Limestone is subdivided into four members and the Cedar Bluff Group into three formations. Six cross sections and nine isopach maps based on 300 wells show that these units comprise a succession of alternating fine- and coarse-grained carbonate rocks with only minor interruptions of sandstone and shale. Two complete coarsening-upward cycles are apparent, and a third cycle is incomplete. Each cycle consists of a low r sequence of lime mudstones and wackestones, and an upper sequence of oolitic and skeletal grainstones. These cycles are the record of successive shoaling-upward cycles of sedimentation on a shallow marine platform. The lower mudstone-wackestone sequence represents deposition in a shallow subtidal environment, and the upper oolitic-skeletal grainstone unit represents development of oolite shoals and tidal channels in very shallow waters. Terrigenous clastic sediments brought into the basin by the Michigan River periodically encroached into the marine environment. Dolomitization of the fine-grained carbonate sediments is largely restricted to areas which are overlain by oolitic grainstones. In eastern Daviess County, identification of the individual stratigraphic units in this interval i somewhat tenuous, but tracing the units from eastern Illinois into Indiana made correlation and identification of the individual stratigraphic units possible by using electric logs and sample descriptions. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1453------------
Accurate and efficient Nyström volume integral equation method for the Maxwell equations for multiple 3-D scatterers

In this paper, we develop an accurate and efficient Nystrom volume integral equation (VIE) method for the Maxwell equations for a large number of 3-D scatterers. The Cauchy Principal Values that arise from the VIE are computed accurately using a finite size exclusion volume together with explicit correction integrals consisting of removable singularities. Also, the hyper-singular integrals are computed using interpolated quadrature formulae with tensor-product quadrature nodes for cubes, spheres and cylinders, that are frequently encountered in the design of meta-materials. The resulting Nystrom VIE method is shown to have high accuracy with a small number of collocation points and demonstrates p-convergence for computing the electromagnetic scattering of these objects. Numerical calculations of multiple scatterers of cubic, spherical, and cylindrical shapes validate the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method.
Fringing Field Effect in MOS Devices

Fringing field action in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) devices is discussed theoretically. Line capacitance coefficients on silicon-on-sapphire (SOS) and bulk configurations are determined from a three-dimensional model. Increase of threshold voltage of narrow-width devices due to fringing is described.
Lipopolysaccharide-enhanced, Toll-like Receptor 4–dependent T Helper Cell Type 2 Responses to Inhaled Antigen

Allergic asthma is an inflammatory lung disease initiated and directed by T helper cells type 2 (Th2). The mechanism involved in generation of Th2 responses to inert inhaled antigens, however, is unknown. Epidemiological evidence suggests that exposure to lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or other microbial products can influence the development and severity of asthma. However, the mechanism by which LPS influences asthma pathogenesis remains undefined. Although it is known that signaling through Toll-like receptors (TLR) is required for adaptive T helper cell type 1 (Th1) responses, it is unclear if TLRs are needed for Th2 priming. Here, we report that low level inhaled LPS signaling through TLR4 is necessary to induce Th2 responses to inhaled antigens in a mouse model of allergic sensitization. The mechanism by which LPS signaling results in Th2 sensitization involves the activation of antigen-containing dendritic cells. In contrast to low levels, inhalation of high levels of LPS with antigen results in Th1 responses. These studies suggest that the level of LPS exposure can determine the type of inflammatory response generated and provide a potential mechanistic explanation of epidemiological data on endotoxin exposure and asthma prevalence.
Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) pediatric tympanostomy tube otorrhea.

Objectives To describe our experience and clinical outcomes with the management of pediatric tympanostomy tube otorrhea secondary to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Methods Retrospective review of pediatric patients (age Results MRSA positive ear cultures in the presence of tympanostomy tubes were identified in 41 patients (6.3%). The average age was 2.9 years old. In all cases, culture results indicated sensitivity to trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole and gentamicin; resistance to fluoroquinolones and clindamycin occurred in 87.8% and 61.0% of cases, respectively. Fluoroquinolone and sulfacetamide ototopical medications were found to be associated with successful otorrhea resolution (p=0.005 and 0.009, respectively). Adjunctive therapy with oral antibiotics, bactrim and clindamycin (p=0.172 and 0.877, respectively), did not improve resolution rates with medical treatment. Tympanostomy tube removal was more successful than medical therapy alone (p Conclusion Appropriately treated recurrent or recalcitrant tympanostomy tube-related otorrhea should raise the suspicion for MRSA-related tympanostomy tube otorrhea. Fluoroquinolone ototopical medication should be considered for initial therapy. Sulfacetamide ototopical medication can be considered for failures. The adjunctive use of oral antibiotics, bactrim and clindamycin, and aminoglycoside ototopical medications did not improve clinical outcomes for medical therapy alone. We believe that some consideration be given to removal of the tympanostomy tube with or without replacement, after an initial treatment period with fluoroquinolone and/or sulfacetamide otopical medications. Our findings seem to suggest an improved rate with tympanostomy tube removal over medical therapy alone (p
The Amino Terminus of Slob, Slowpoke Channel Binding Protein, Critically Influences Its Modulation of the Channel

The Drosophila Slowpoke calcium-dependent potassium channel (dSlo) binding protein Slob was discovered by a yeast two-hybrid screen using the carboxy-terminal tail region of dSlo as bait. Slob binds to and modulates the dSlo channel. We have found that there are several Slob proteins, resulting from multiple translational start sites and alternative splicing, and have named them based on their molecular weights (in kD). The larger variants, which are initiated at the first translational start site and are called Slob71 and Slob65, shift the voltage dependence of dSlo activation, measured by the whole cell conductance-voltage relationship, to the left (less depolarized voltages). Slob53 and Slob47, initiated at the third translational start site, also shift the dSlo voltage dependence to the left. In contrast, Slob57 and Slob51, initiated at the second translational start site, shift the conductance-voltage relationship of dSlo substantially to more depolarized voltages, cause an apparent dSlo channel inactivation, and increase the deactivation rate of the channel. These results indicate that the amino-terminal region of Slob plays a critical role in its modulation of dSlo.
The Riata story - Where are we now?

a c One hundred fifty-seven thousand Riata leads were placed in patients in the United States, and it took over 8 years from the time of first implantation to recognize “inside-out abrasion” as a significant problem with the lead. This recently described problem appears to be unique, with the conductors eroding out through the insulation in an “inside-out” manner. The initial reports of this were found after patients presented with electrical abnormalities in the lead and were found to have externalized conductors. Now that the problem is recognized, further analysis has found the precursor lesion to this problem, namely, areas of insulation worn in an inside-out fashion without full externalization of the conductors. While this is related to electrical abnormalities in the lead in some cases, a finding of abnormal function of the lead is far from universal, and so the management of these patients is a developing challenge. The etiology of the inside-out abrasion, while unknown, appears to be related to chronic mechanical stress on the lead from the beating heart and the relatively soft silicone rubber insulation. Most of the cases reported have been in patients whose leads have been in place for at least 5 years. This is not a problem that manifests early. Thus, while these leads were taken off the market in late 2010, we do not currently know whether we are seeing the leading edge of the problem or whether it has crested.
A new set of passive routing attacks in mobile ad hoc networks

In hostile environments, adversaries can launch passive attacks against interceptable routing information embedded in routing messages and data packets. Allowing adversaries to trace network routes and infer the motion pattern of nodes at the end of those routes may pose a serious threat to covert operations. In this paper we propose a feasible adversary model of such attacks, then present several instantiations and study the principles of designing corresponding countermeasures. We demonstrate that existing ad hoc routing protocols are vulnerable to passive attacks: in the feasible adversary model, (a) the location and motion patterns of mobile nodes can be traced, while (b) proactive and reactive/on-demand ad hoc routes across multiple mobile nodes can be visualized by the adversary. We conclude that ad hoc networks deployed in hostile environments need new countermeasures to resist such passive attacks.