cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Failure of Education Reform & the Promise of Integration

This book review sings the praises of Professor James E. Ryan’s important book, Five Miles Away, A World Apart: One City, Two Schools, and the Story of Educational Opportunity in Modern America. Ryan carefully reviews the past fifty years of educational reform to reveal that our educational system fails in too many ways because we continue to separate our students by both race and class. He coins the phrase “Save the Cities, Spare the Suburbs” to describe the ill-fated approach of school desegregation efforts, school finance litigation, school choice methods, and recent testing and accountability measures. Through all these reforms, beginning in the mid-1970s and continuing today, educational efforts have promised city school systems improvement through reforms that completely excuse the involvement and investment of suburban schools. This has doomed us to continued segregation and the failures too often attending high-poverty, high-minority schools. Ryan is correct that we need to revive our quest for school integration, both racial and economic. For that reason alone, anyone interested in improving American schooling should read his book. Ryan’s proposal on how to achieve the much needed integration – expanded school choice – proves, however, less convincing. Integration is good, but enhancing school choice, unfortunately, will not get us there – at least not yet.
Development and Validation of Feedback Routines for Instructing Students with Learning Disabilities

This investigation focused on validating two feedback routines for use by special education teachers to enhance the performance of students with learn- ing disabilities. One routine (the Feedback Routine) involved teacher-delivered elaborated feedback, the other (the Feedback-Plus-Assistance Routine) consisted of elaborated feedback plus a student-acceptance routine, which included setting goals for the next practice trial. Two experimental designs were employed: one to determine whether teachers could learn the routines, the other to determine the ef- fects on student learning. Dependent measures were (a) teacher and student per- formance of the routines, (b) student trials to mastery, and (c) student errors across trials. Measures of teacher and student satisfaction and teacher mainte- nance were also gathered. Results indicated that the special education teachers ef- fectively integrated the routines into their teaching repertoires. Further, the rou- tines significantly reduced the number of student trials to mastery and the number of student errors in practice attempts following feedback sessions. The two rou- tines appeared equally powerful in terms of teacher and student learning; however, the teachers continued to maintain the routine requiring student involvement in goal setting for a longer period.
Effect of Antibiotic Class on Stroke Outcome

Background and Purpose— Infections are common after stroke and associated with worse outcome. Clinical trials evaluating the benefit of prophylactic antibiotics have produced mixed results. This study explores the possibility that antibiotics of different classes may differentially affect stroke outcome. Methods— Lewis rats were subjected to transient cerebral ischemia (2 hours) and survived for 1 month. The day after stroke they were randomized to therapy with ceftiofur (a β-lactam antibiotic), enrofloxacin (a fluoroquinolone antibiotic), or vehicle (as controls) and underwent the equivalent of 7 days of treatment. Behavioral tests were performed weekly until euthanization. In a subset of animals, histology was done. Results— There were no differences in outcomes at 24 hours or 1 week after stroke among the different groups. At 1 month after stroke, however, performance on the rotarod was worse in enrofloxacin-treated animals when compared with control animals. Conclusions— Independent of infection, the antibiotic enrofloxacin was associated with worse stroke outcome. These data echo the clinical observations to date and suggest that the secondary effects of antibiotics on stroke outcome should be considered when treating infection in subjects with stroke. The mechanism by which this antibiotic affects outcome needs to be elucidated.
Evaluation of recombinant vaccinia virus--measles vaccines in infant rhesus macaques with preexisting measles antibody.

Immunization of newborn infants with standard measles vaccines is not effective because of the presence of maternal antibody. In this study, newborn rhesus macaques were immunized with recombinant vaccinia viruses expressing measles virus hemagglutinin (H) and fusion (F) proteins, using the replication-competent WR strain of vaccinia virus or the replication-defective MVA strain. The infants were boosted at 2 months and then challenged intranasally with measles virus at 5 months of age. Some of the newborn monkeys received measles immune globulin (MIG) prior to the first immunization, and these infants were compared to additional infants that had maternal measles-neutralizing antibody. In the absence of measles antibody, vaccination with either vector induced neutralizing antibody, cytotoxic T cell (CTL) responses to measles virus and protection from systemic measles infection and skin rash. The infants vaccinated with the MVA vector developed lower measles-neutralizing antibody titers than those vaccinated with the WR vector, and they sustained a transient measles viremia upon challenge. Either maternal antibody or passively transferred MIG blocked the humoral response to vaccination with both WR and MVA, and the frequency of positive CTL responses was reduced. Despite this inhibition of vaccine-induced immunity, there was a reduction in peak viral loads and skin rash after measles virus challenge in many of the infants with preexisting measles antibody. Therefore, vaccination using recombinant vectors such as poxviruses may be able to prevent the severe disease that often accompanies measles in infants.
High harmonic generation and attosecond pulses

This talk will be a tutorial on the physics of high harmonic generation in strong laser fields. The focus will be on the application of harmonics in the generation of attosecond pulses.
RECURRENCE PROPERTIES OF AUTOREGRESSIVE PROCESSES WITH SUPER-HEAVY-TAILED INNOVATIONS

This paper studies recurrence properties of autoregressive (AR) processes with ‘superheavy-tailed’ innovations. Specifically, we study the case where the innovations are distributed, roughly speaking, as log-Pareto random variables (i.e. the tail decay is essentially a logarithm raised to some power). We show that these processes exhibit interesting and somewhat surprising behaviour. In particular, we show that AR(1) processes, with the usual root assumption that is necessary for stability, can exhibit null-recurrent as well as transient dynamics when the innovations follow a log-Cauchytype distribution. In this regime, the recurrence classification of the process depends, somewhat surprisingly, on the value of the constant pre-multiplier of this distribution. More generally, for log-Pareto innovations, we provide a positive-recurrence/nullrecurrence/transience classification of the corresponding AR processes.
Realtime Video Transmission over a Fast Packet-Switched Network

Realtime transmission of packetized video is a relatively new but important area of research since tomorrow's networks will likely be based on a common fast packet-switching technology, replacing today's heterogeneous networks which are mixtures of circuit-switched and packet-switched networks dedicated for synchronous and asynchronous applications respectively. Unlike fixed bandwidth transmission channels, packet-switched networks can accommodate the bursty and highly variable rate of compressed motion video yet keep a constant level of image quality. Potential applications include motion video databases, video teleconferencing, and broadcasting over private networks. Unfortunately, traditional video-compression techniques which are applicable to synchronous, fixed bandwidth channels--cannot be applied in this new environment without substantial revisions that take into account the statistical nature of packet data transmission. Independent of their topology, fast packet-switched networks present unique challenges to the coding of motion video; one cannot simply divorce the coding of the source from the characteristics of the channel. The potential for loss of data integrity due to packet losses and transmission errors must be taken into account. The problem of re-synchronization must also be addressed since packet-switched networks are asynchronous by nature. In this paper, we evaluate image coding techniques for motion video in view of the constraints imposed by the packetized medium.
Transduction of human GAD67 cDNA into immortalized striatal cell lines using an Epstein-Barr virus-based plasmid vector increases GABA content.

The M213-20 and M213-1L cell lines were immortalized from rat striatum using the tsA58 allele of the SV40 large T antigen, contain the GAD enzyme, and produce GABA (Giordano et al., 1994, Exp. Neurol. 124:395-400). Cell lines that produce large amounts of GABA may be useful for transplantation into the brain in conditions such as Huntington's disease or epilepsy, where localized application of GABA may be of therapeutic value. We have explored the potential use of the pREP10 plasmid vector, which replicates episomally, to increase GAD expression and GABA production in M213-20 and M213-1L cells. Human GAD(67) cDNA was transfected into M213-20 and M213-1L, and subclones were isolated with hygromycin selection. Immunochemical studies showed increased GAD(67) expression compared to the parent M213-20 and M213-1L cell lines. Staining for the EBNA antigen and Southern blots demonstrated that the pREP10 plasmid was stably maintained in the cells for at least 12-15 months in culture. Several clones were isolated in which GABA concentrations were increased by as much as 4-fold (M213-1L) or 44-fold (M213-20) compared to the parent cell lines or 12-fold (M213-1L) and 94-fold (M213-20) greater than rat striatal tissue (1.678 +/- 0.4 micromol/g prot). The ability of these cells to continue to produce large amounts of GABA while being maintained in culture for extended periods suggests that similar methods might be used with human cell lines to produce cells that can be transplanted into the brain to deliver GABA for therapeutic purposes.
De Novo VOC From Regenerative Thermal Oxidizers

Regenerative thermal oxidizers are used extensively for the abatement of volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions from process vent streams. Due to the unique heat storage and convection properties of the ceramic packing utilized, they are especially well suited for applications with high flows and dilute concentrations of organic vapors. However, packed-bed devices such as these are known to be vulnerable to interstitial plugging when processing vent streams that contain particulate matter in addition to the VOC. In this paper, the authors postulate a new failure mode that involves relatively small concentrations of organic solids in the vent stream, and that may lead to serious performance deficiencies long before interstitial plugging becomes problematic. Specifically, we assert that “De Novo VOC” can be generated from organic particulate matter that adheres temporarily to the bed and is revaporized when the flow is reversed, causing a significant decrease in the apparent destruction efficiency of the abatement device. In this theoretical treatment, the spatial and temporal response of a hypothetical thermal bed is compared against the phase-change and combustion characteristics of a common organic solid, in order to estimate particle loading levels that may pose immediate compliance problems for users of these systems. Although experimental data are not available to corroborate the conclusions reached herein, the authors contend that routine carryover of small amounts of organic particles from a collection device (e.g., baghouse) to the thermal destruction system can create high exhaust VOC levels, and may eventually lead to hostile fires in the beds. As a means of mitigating against such failures, the authors recommend that an inlet particulate loading limit be implemented for all regenerative thermal oxidizer installations.© 2003 ASME
Putting the Textbook in its Place—Your Students' Hands

If you answered yes to any of the above questions, or if you teach disabled readers at the intermediate or middle school level, chances are the content area textbook is underused and undervalued. This is not surprising given the prevalence of "inconsiderate" text, a term used by Bonnie Armbruster and Tom Anderson to describe the product of an author's inattention to four necessary text characteristics: structure, coherence, unity, and audience appropriateness (1981). Because inconsiderate text only aggravates the disabled learner's reading problems, the teacher often chooses to work around the subject area textbook rather than work with it.
The trigeminal depressor response: a cardiovascular reflex originating from the trigeminal system.

In a recent exploration of the brain stem of the rabbit for areas f rom which microelectrical stimulation could evoke cardiovascular responses, we observed that stimulation within the spinal trigeminal tract and its nucleus** evoked a profound fall of arterial pressure and slowing of the heart rate. This response, which we have called the trigeminal depressor response (TDR), has, to our knowledge, never been previously described from stimulation of the spinal trigeminal complex. Moreover, its pattern differs substantially f rom other autonomic reflexes evoked f rom the trigeminal nerve including the diving reflex 1 and the response to noxious stimulation of the olfactory mucosa 5, both of which are characterized by bradycardia in association with a sympathetically mediated peripheral vasoconstriction, and also the oculocardiac response 2 characterized by a vagal bradycardia without hypotension. In the present communication we shall describe some of the characteristics of the T D R and indicate its similarity to arterial baroreceptor reflexes. These studies were performed on adult New Zealand rabbits of both sexes weighing 3.5-4.5 kg, anesthetized with ethyl carbamate (urethane, 1.25 g/kg i.v.), chloralose (50 mg/kg i.v.) or decerebrated at the midcollicular level while anesthetized with halothane (2 ~ in 100 ~o 02). The trachea was cannulated and a polyethylene catheter was placed in the abdominal aorta via the femoral artery. The arterial catheter was connected via a strain gauge transducer to channels of a polygraph for display of arterial pressures and heart rate computed on-line f rom the pressure wave. In most experiments the animals were paralyzed with gallamine triethiodide (Flaxedll, 20 mg/kg i.p.) and ventilated with a gas mixture of 50 ~ 02-50 ~ N~. Body temperature was maintained between 37-38 °C by a heating pad controlled by a thermoregulatory unit. The animals were placed in a stereotaxic frame with the head tilted to 45 °.
The methyl xanthines--a new class of goitrogens.

Rats chronically fed methyl xanthines in a low iodine diet developed goiters. The potency of the compounds tested was in the order: theophylline =aminophylline> caffeine > theobromine. Goitrogenesis was reduced on high iodine diets and absent in hypophysectomized rats. Theophylline caused marked, synergistic enhancement of the goitrogenic effect of small doses of propylthiouracil. Aminophylline and theophylline lowered the PBI but at theophylline concentrations prevailing in these sera little antithyroid activity could be demonstrated in rat thyroid segments in vitro. It is concluded that the methyl xanthines are mildly antithyroid and strongly goitrogenic compounds. The possibility that this dissociation between the antithyroid and goitrogenic response involves mediation by 3′,5′-AMP is discussed. (Endocrinology 85: 410,1969)
Genebanks in the post-genomic age: Emerging roles and anticipated uses

Abstract Genebanks assemble, preserve and distribute genetic resources that are critical for research on biological diversity in a changing world. Traditional users of genebanks for crop improvement and rare specimen preservation are now joined by scientists from increasingly diverse disciplines who need access to broad collections of quality-assured materials with good physical integrity plus accurate phenotypic, genotypic, ecological and provenance data. The changing role of genebanks requires a critical evaluation of the genebanking process to ensure that different conservation targets (ranging from biological communities to transcription elements) are adequately captured and maintained ex situ and made available in a useful form. To meet the needs of diverse users, genebanks require better methods to preserve viability, greater emphasis on wild-collected germplasm and enhanced interoperability of databases among various collections-based institutions. The impact of genebanks is contingent on our abili...
Temporal load balancing for distributed backup scheduling

The costs for building and using a data network typically depend on the carried load, and one of the primary challenges in managing such networks is the need to reduce peak traffic and achieve temporal load balancing. In this paper we focus on the portion of network traffic generated by the users’ backups, and we address the problem of shifting backup traffic to off-peak hours within the constraints imposed by user connectivity and the distributed nature of the backup protocol. Consider a group of users who need to regularly back up data to a central server. Users can only do a backup when connected to the network, and user connectivity may vary over time. The connectivity is typically correlated to the overall load, which creates a tradeoff between reducing peak load and ensuring regular backups. Backup attempts are initiated locally, without knowledge on the status of other users or the overall network load. The backup activity of connected users is governed by a probabilistic algorithm, characterized by backup probabilities that depend on the hour of the day and the time since the previous backup. This work is part of a joint project between IBM research and the IBM divisions Europe Innovations Team and Integrated Technology Delivery, and aims to design the backup probabilities that minimize the networking costs, while ensuring that the time between successive backups remains small. We have not found any study in the literature on temporal load balancing for distributed backup scheduling. The term load balancing often refers to the practice of distributing workload evenly across multiple workstations or servers to achieve optimal resource utilization. The most relevant study that we are aware of is by Sandnes and Huang [2], in which a temporal load balancing strategy for distributed web applications is proposed and analyzed. The problem of temporal load-balancing is also related to incentivizing commuters to travel at less congested times [1] and peak-shaving in power systems [3]. However, the distributed nature and high delay-tolerance of our setting create unique challenges. The remainder of this extended abstract is structured as follows. In Section 2 we present the model, and we describe our algorithm for deriving the optimal backup probabilities in Section 3. In Section 4 this approach is applied to balance traffic of the data network of an IBM location. We conclude by discussing future research directions in Section 5.
Conformational reactions of D2-symmetric twisted acenes

Abstract Computational analyses of the longitudinally twisted polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons 9,18-diphenyltetrabenz[a,c,h,j]anthracene (1), 9,10,19,20-tetraphenyltetrabenzo[a,c,j,l]naphthacene (2), and 9,10,11,20,21,22-hexaphenyltetrabenzo[a,c,l,n]pentacene (3) were performed at the B3LYP/6-31G(d) level of theory. Ground state and transition state structures were located for two classes of conformational reactions in these molecules: twist inversions (enantiomerization or racemization reactions) and phenyl rotations, and the free energies of activation for these processes were calculated. Where possible, the computational results were compared with both new and existing experimental data for the rates of these conformational reactions. Multiple pathways were identified for some processes, but the low-energy transition states were often quite different from those that common chemical intuition might suggest.
Zonal chromatographic analysis of the interaction of alcohol dehydrogenase with blue-sepharose.

The interaction between horse liver alcohol dehydrogenase and Reactive blue 2 immobilized on Sepharose CL-6B was measured by zonal chromatography. Each protein molecule was retained by a single immobilized dye using a Blue-Sepharose column containing a total of 1.38 mM dye. However, the protein was predominately retained by two immobilized dye molecules using a darker Blue-Sepharose column containing a total of 11.6 mM dye. The dissociation constant measured for the alcohol dehydrogenase-immobilized dye complex on each column is identical to the inhibition constant for the alcohol dehydrogenase-free Reactive blue 2 complex: 4.5 ± 0.8 μM.
A Family of Multipoint Flux Mixed Finite Element Methods for Elliptic Problems on General Grids

Abstract In this paper, we discuss a family of multipoint flux mixed finite element (MFMFE) methods on simplicial, quadrilateral, hexahedral, and triangular-prismatic grids. The MFMFE methods are locally conservative with continuous normal fluxes, since they are developed within a variational framework as mixed finite element methods with special approximating spaces and quadrature rules. The latter allows for local flux elimination giving a cell-centered system for the scalar variable. We study two versions of the method: with a symmetric quadrature rule on smooth grids and a non-symmetric quadrature rule on rough grids. Theoretical and numerical results demonstrate first order convergence for problems with full-tensor coeffcients. Second order superconvergence is observed on smooth grids.
UNDERSTANDING THE INFLUENCE OF VICTIM GENDER IN DEATH PENALTY CASES: THE IMPORTANCE OF VICTIM RACE, SEX‐RELATED VICTIMIZATION, AND JURY DECISION MAKING*

Using data from the Baldus, Woodworth, and Pulaski (1990) study of Georgia's death penalty system, we examine the influence of victim gender in death penalty cases. Furthermore, to improve our understanding of the meaning of victim gender, we consider 1) the joint effects of victim gender and victim race, 2) victimization characteristics that might explain victim gender effects, and 3) the impact of victim gender at different decision-making stages in the death penalty case process. We find that both victim gender and race are associated with death sentencing outcomes and that an examination of the joint effects of victim gender and race reveals considerable differences in the likelihood of receiving a death sentence between the most disparate victim race–gender groups. In particular, it seems that black male victim cases are set apart from all others in terms of leniency afforded to defendants. We also show that the effect of victim gender is explained largely by gender differences in the sexual nature of some homicides. An examination of prosecutorial and jury decision making reveals that although victim gender has little impact on prosecutorial decisions, it has a meaningful impact on jury decisions.
Observations in the flat lapping of stainless steel and bronze

Abstract Lapping is a finishing process, in which material removal takes place due to relative motion between the workpiece, loose abrasive grains, and the lapping plate. This process is used in achieving finer surfaces and closer fits, correction of minor imperfections, and maintaining close tolerances. Although a significant underlying science-base exists with regards to the physics, mechanics, dynamics, and thermal effects, lapping has been considered an art, rather than a science. Exploring lapping at a fundamental level will help improve its application. This study discusses the effects of using various abrasive materials on surface topography via flat lapping. Stainless steel and bronze specimens were lapped using a set of different abrasives. Topography of the surfaces generated by lapping is investigated using a scanning electron microscope. The surface generated as a result of abrasive particles has been characterized based on concepts in tribology. The goal of this research was to quantify the influence of abrasives material properties in flat lapping with an application in reconditioning valve seats. The lapping process using different abrasives as applied in this study showed no significant material removal rates. However, the surface roughness and the surface topography are seen to be readily affected by the use of different abrasives. The results on MRR obtained by lapping stainless steel and bronze with garnet, alundum, and crystolon indicate that, even though crystolon is harder than alundum, alundum abrasive was more efficient in removing material than crystolon. In general, the surface finish and flatness was observed to improve with the hardness of the abrasive grit.
Integrating constraints and direct manipulation

In this paper, we present techniques for integrating constraint and direct manipulation approaches to geometric modeling. Direct manipulation positioning techniques are augmented to provide the option of making the relationships they establish persistent. Differential constraint techniques are used to maintain these relationships during subsequent editing. Issues in displaying and editing constraints are also addressed. By integrating constraints with direct manipulation, it is possible to build systems that provide the power of explicit representation of geometric relationships and the properties which make direct manipulation so attractive.
On the structure and properties of linear multilevel programming problem

Many decision-making situations involve multiple planners with different, and sometimes conflicting, objective functions. One type of model that has been suggested to represent such situations is the linear multilevel programming problem. However, it appears that theoretical and algorithmic results for linear multilevel programming have been limited, to date, to the bounded case or the case of when only two levels exist. In this paper, we investigate the structure and properties of a linear multilevel programming problem that may be unbounded. We study the geometry of the problem and its feasible region. We also give necessary and sufficient conditions for the problem to be unbounded, and we show how the problem is related to a certain parametric concave minimization problem. The algorithmic implications of the results are also discussed.
Comorbid Personality Disorders and Violent Behavior in Psychotic Patients

Schizophrenia without any comorbidity confers a modest, but statistically significant elevation of the risk for violence. That risk is considerably increased by comorbid antisocial personality disorder or psychopathy as well as by comorbid substance use disorders. These comorbidities are frequent. Conduct disorder and conduct disorder symptoms elevate the risk for aggressive behavior in patients with schizophrenia. Violence among adults with schizophrenia may follow at least two distinct pathways-one associated with premorbid conditions, including antisocial conduct, and another associated with the acute psychopathology of schizophrenia. Aggressive behavior in bipolar disorder occurs mainly during manic episodes, but it remains elevated in euthymic patients in comparison with controls. The risk of violent behavior is increased by comorbidity with borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, and substance use disorders. These comorbidities are frequent. Borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder are related in their phenomenology and response to medication. These two disorders share a tendency to impulsiveness, and impulsive behavior, including impulsive aggression, is particularly expressed when they co-occur.
Mental health after sexual violence: The role of behavioral and demographic risk factors

BACKGROUND: Sequelae of sexual violence include a range of physical and emotional problems, and negative mental health outcomes are particularly severe and long lasting. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate associations among sociodemographic and behavioral factors and mental health after exposure to sexual violence. METHODS: Participants were 780 men and women who experienced sexual violence who participated in the 2005 South Carolina Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey. The factors analyzed were gender, age, race, income, and education; having health insurance, an identified healthcare provider, and adequate emotional support; and diet, exercise, smoking, and alcohol use. Poor mental health was defined as 5 or more poor mental health days in the past 30 days. Data were analyzed using the SAS Procedures for Analysis of Sample Survey Data. RESULTS: Victims of sexual violence were at greater risk of experiencing 5 or more poor mental health days than those who did not (95% confidence interval for odds ratio = 2.05-3.07, p < .0001). Poor mental health among those who experienced sexual violence was associated with younger age (p = .005), lower income (p = .02), lower educational attainment (p = .0007), lack of emotional support (p = .0001), and lack of health insurance (p = .03). Gender, race, and having an identified healthcare provider were not associated significantly with mental health. Behavioral factors significantly associated with better mental health (after controlling for socio-economic status) were healthy diet (p = .05), exercise (p = .02), and not smoking (p = .0001). Alcohol use was not associated with mental health. DISCUSSION: Treatment after sexual violence should include attention to risk factors including low income, low educational attainment, and lack of emotional support and to the protective influence of behavioral factors including a healthy diet, exercise, and not smoking. Comprehensive integrated models of care addressing mental, physical, and social sequelae of sexual violence are needed. Language: en
Rapid, preparative, density-gradient electrophoresis.

Abstract A density-gradient electrophoresis apparatus is described, which has a fractionator that can cut the liquid column of the apparatus into small segments. This permits the clean separation of electrophoretic components without the use of a solid supporting medium. A sample run is presented showing the efficiency of the fractionator and showing that high recoveries are possible even when the electrophoresis is conducted at room temperature. It is felt that the method will be most useful for separating large colloidal particles (molecular weight over 100,000) and unstable ones which require fast separation.
Templated growth of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) nanowires using pulsed-potentials in hot non-aqueous solution

Abstract A single step non-aqueous electrodeposition of cadmium zinc telluride (CZT) nanowires on nanoporous TiO 2 substrate was investigated under pulsed-potential conditions. Propylene carbonate was used as the non-aqueous medium. Cyclic voltammogram studies were carried out to understand the growth mechanism of CZT. EDAX and XRD measurements indicated formation of a compound semiconductor with a stoichiometry of Cd 1− x Zn x Te, where x varied between 0.04 and 0.2. Variation of the pulsed-cathodic potentials could modulate the composition of the CZT. More negative cathodic potentials resulted in increased Zn content. The nanowires showed an electronic band gap of about 1.6 eV. Mott-Schottky analyses indicated p-type semiconductor properties of both as-deposited and annealed CZT materials. Increase in Zn content increased the charge carrier density. Annealing of the deposits resulted in lower charge carrier densities, in the order of 10 15 cm −3 .
Hierarchical Self-Assembly of a Coiled-Coil Peptide into Fractal Structure

Here we report the hierarchical self-assembly of a cross-linkable coiled-coil peptide containing an internal cysteine. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) experiments revealed the fractal structure of the assemblies, and molecular simulations showed that the peptides cross-linked to form clusters of coiled-coils, which further assembled to form globules of tens of nanometers in diameter. Such hierarchical organization was modulated by pH or thiol-reducing agent. Exploitation of the fractal structures through chemical methods may be valuable for the fabrication of materials spanning multiple length scales.
Effect of Prevention Strategies on Survival and Quality-Adjusted Survival of Women With BRCA1/2 Mutations: An Updated Decision Analysis

PURPOSE: This study updates findings regarding the effects of prophylactic surgery, chemoprevention, and surveillance on the survival and quality-adjusted survival of women who test positive for BRCA1/2 mutations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Markov modeling of outcomes was performed in a simulated cohort of 30-year-old women who tested positive for BRCA1/2 mutations. The model incorporated breast and ovarian cancer incidence rates from the literature and mortality rates from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program. Quality adjustment of survival estimates were obtained from a survey of women aged 33 to 50 years. Sensitivity analyses were performed of varied assumptions regarding timing and effects of preventive measures on cancer incidence and adverse effects. RESULTS: A 30-year-old woman could prolong her survival beyond that associated with surveillance alone by use of preventive measures: 1.8 years with tamoxifen, 2.6 years with prophylactic oophorectomy, 4.6 years with both tamoxifen and pr...
The Influence of Zirconium and Boron on Low Carbon Steel Weld Metal Microstructure

By substituting zirconium-boron additions for titanium-boron additions in the weld deposit, further understanding of the role of specific microalloying additions on the suppression of grain boundary ferrite and the promotion of the intragranular formation of acicular ferrite in low carbon steel weld metal is achieved.
Membrane-Bound ATPases in Arthropod Ion-Transporting Tissues

Since Na$$K$-activated ATPase was first described, using arthropod tissues, it has become well-recognized as the enzymatic equivalent of the sodium pump. Occurring in the basolateral plasma membranes of epithelial ion-transporting cells, it is responsible for the transport of Na$ out of cells in exchange for the cytosol-directed movement of a counterion (K$ or NH4$). Its kinetic and dynamic properties suggest that it serves as a major limiting factor in whole-body Na$ regulation by aquatic arthropods. Its contribution to NH4$ excretion awaits isolation of Na$ $ K$-ATPase-enriched membrane fractions and determination of their transport properties. The role of Na$$K$-ATPase in insect epitheha is made uncertain by the apparent inaccessibility of the ATPase to the inhibitor ouabain. Two other membrane-bound ATPases, K$-stimulated ATPase and anion-dependent ATPase, have been described in arthropod tissues, but their physiological roles are not clear.
Current Viewpoints concerning the Algebraic Approach to Nuclear Collective Motion

A brief survey is given of some of the salient ideas developed over the past two decades in the program on nuclear collective motion based on the equations of motion, culminating in recent work involving the direct application of a variational method and parametrization by boson mappings. The multi­ level pairing model is used throughout for illustration.
LOCALITY AND REALITY

Einstein's principle that no signal travels faster than light suggests that observations in one spacetime region should not depend on whether or not a radioactive decay is detected in a spacelike-separated region. This locality property is incompatible with the predictions of quantum theory, and this incompatibility holds independently of the questions of realism, objective reality, and hidden variables. It holds both in the pragmatic quantum theory of Bohr and in realistic frameworks. It is shown here to hold in a completed realistic quantum theory that reconciles Einstein's demand for a description of reality itself with Bohr's contention that quantum theory is complete. This completed realistic quantum theory has no hidden variables, and no objective reality in which observable attributes can become definite independently of observers. The theory is described in some detail, with particular attention to those aspects related to the question of locality. This completed realistic quantum theory is in principle more comprehensive than Bohn's pragmatic quantum theory because it is not limited in principle by the requirement that the observed system be physically separated from the observing one. Applications are discussed.
Different Classes of Anticoagulant Drugs in Clinical Use. Is there a Class Effect

Hippocrates first proposed ‘Blood thinners’ in ancient Greek medicine. Historically, extracts from many plants, bloodletting, leech bleeding, acid fruits and clear wines were considered as anticoagulants. Although, Haycraft in 1884 identified the anticoagulant in the saliva of European medicinal leech, later named hirudin, the extract was found to be too toxic. Following Jay McLean’s discovery of an anticoagulant in 1916, and naming of this anticoagulant as ‘heparin’ by Howel and Holt in 1918 and Howel’s purification of this compound in 1925, it was only in 1930s that the effective anticoagulant treatment started. Soon after the discovery of the first oral anticoagulant, dicoumarin in 1935, the purified injectable preparations of heparin were used. Later, other types of antithrombotic and anticoagulant treatment, including antiplatelet drugs, snake venoms, direct and indirect thrombin inhibitors, activated protein C, direct Factor Xa inhibitors and recombinant hirudins have since been introduced [1]. Warfarin, a conventionally used oral anticoagulant, despite its limitations of drugfood, drug-drug interactions, need for frequent PT/INR monitoring, adverse drug reactions, bleeding, warfarin-induced skin necrosis, frequent need for dosage adjustments because of changes in the dietary patterns, effects due to VKORC polymorphism, has stood the test of time and still continues to be used in clinical practice. Recently the New Oral Anticoagulant drugs, direct Factor Xa such as Rivaroxaban, Apixaban and Edoxaban and direct thrombin inhibitors such as Dabigatran were approved by the USFDA. There are several limitations in the use of NOACs such as the lack of an effective test to monitor their anticoagulant activities, the lack of an effective antidote, and dose adjustments in patients with renal impairment [2]. Thus, a bewildering wide array of anticoagulant drugs are now available for use and it is interesting to see whether or not these drugs representing different classes of anticoagulant drugs, especially direct thrombin and direct Factor Xa inhibitors have any class effects in terms of differences in their clinical outcomes.
Cigarette smoke exposure reveals a novel role for the MEK/ERK1/2 MAPK pathway in regulation of CFTR

Abstract Background Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator plays a key role in maintenance of lung fluid homeostasis. Cigarette smoke decreases CFTR expression in the lung but neither the mechanisms leading to CFTR loss, nor potential ways to prevent its loss have been identified to date. Methods The molecular mechanisms leading to down-regulation of CFTR by cigarette smoke were determined using pharmacologic inhibitors and silencing ribonucleic acids (RNAs). Results Using human bronchial epithelial cells, here we show that cigarette smoke induces degradation of CFTR that is attenuated by lysosomal inhibitors, but not proteasome inhibitors. Cigarette smoke can activate multiple signaling pathways in airway epithelial cells, including the MEK/Erk1/2 MAPK (MEK: mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK kinase Erk1/2: extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 MAPK: Mitogen-activated protein kinase) pathway regulating cell survival. Interestingly, pharmacological inhibition of the MEK/Erk1/2 MAPK pathway prevented the loss of plasma membrane CFTR upon cigarette smoke exposure. Similarly, decreased expression of Erk1/2 using silencing RNAs prevented the suppression of CFTR protein by cigarette smoke. Conversely, specific inhibitors of the c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) or p38 MAPK pathways had no effect on CFTR decrease after cigarette smoke exposure. In addition, inhibition of the MEK/Erk1/2 MAPK pathway prevented the reduction of the airway surface liquid observed upon cigarette smoke exposure of primary human airway epithelial cells. Finally, addition of the antioxidant N-acetylcysteine inhibited activation of Erk1/2 by cigarette smoke and precluded the cigarette smoke-induced decrease of CFTR. Conclusions These results show that the MEK/Erk1/2 MAPK pathway regulates plasma membrane CFTR in human airway cells. General significance The MEK/Erk1/2 MAPK pathway should be considered as a target for strategies to maintain/restore CFTR expression in the lung of smokers.
Preparation and Third-Order Nonlinear Optical Properties of Host-Guest Molecular Composites

Host-guest molecular composites of conjugated rigid-rod polymers in the matrix of flexible-chain polymers were prepared from blend solutions of the Lewis acid complexes of the component polymers. Molecular composites of poly(p-phenylene benzobisthiazole) (PBZT) with the polyamides Nylon 66 and PTMHT were prepared and their linear and nonlinear optical properties were investigated by optical absorption and third harmonic generation spectroscopy, respectively. Dispersion of PBZT in a polyamide matrix was found to result in reduced π-electron interactions as evidenced by the narrowing of the main absorption band. The χ(3) spectra of composites were measured in the wavelength range 0.8–2.4μm which spans the resonant and nonresonant regions. Nonresonant χ(3) at 1.9μtm was studied as a function of composite composition and linear and nonlinear dependences of χ(3) with mole fraction of PBZT were observed for nylon 66 and PTMHT composites respectively. Our findings that both χ(3) and χ(3)/α can be enhanced in molecular composites suggest that this is an important approach to optimize materials for nonlinear optics. Preliminary results of our studies of other new molecular composites of rigid-rod and ladder polymers are also discussed.
Adduct Formation with Metal Chelates Involved in Liquid-Liquid Extraction

Abstract The factors that influence the formation of metal chelate adducts which are of importance in liquid-liquid extraction are evaluated and correlations between the structures and properties of these adducts discussed. A scheme for the classification of metal chelate adducts is suggested on the basis of available experimental data.
The carbon-13 and nitrogen-15 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra of uroporphyrinogens I and III

Abstract Due to their sensitivity to light and air, porphyrinogens are not normally isolated, but are routinely analyzed by oxidation to the corresponding porphyrin. We report herein the 13 C- and 15 N-NMR spectra of uroporphyrinogens I and III in their “native state”, multiply labelled with 13 C and 15 N, and at natural abundance ( 13 C only).
Effect of surfactants on film flow down a periodic wall

The effect of an insoluble surfactant on the gravity-driven flow of a liquid film down an inclined wall with periodic undulations or indentations is investigated in the limit of vanishing Reynolds number. A perturbation analysis for walls with small-amplitude sinusoidal corrugations reveals that the surfactant amplifies the deformation of the film surface, though it also renders the film thickness more uniform over the inclined surface. The effect of the surfactant is most significant when the film thickness is less than half the wall period. To explain the deforming influence of the surfactant, a linear stability analysis of film flow down an inclined plane is undertaken for two-dimensional perturbations. The results reveal the occurrence of a Marangoni normal mode whose rate of decay is lower than that of the single mode occurring in the absence of surfactants. Numerical methods based on a combined boundary-element/finite-volume method are implemented to compute flow down a periodic wall with large-amplitude corrugations or semi-circular depressions. In the case of a wavy wall, it is found that the shape of the film surface is described well by the linear perturbation expansion for small and moderate wave amplitudes. Streamline patterns reveal that, although the effect of the surfactant on the shape of the film surface is generally small, Marangoni tractions may have a profound influence on the kinematics by causing the onset of regions of recirculating flow.
Ectopic vas deferens communicating with lower ureter.

Abstract Careful review of the literature showed 4 previously reported cases of ectopic vas terminating into a normally located single ureter, all were reported in children. We add a case in an adult patient with an ectopic vas terminating into a normally located single ureter.
Interface analysis with the three‐dimensional atom probe

The application of the technique of atom probe tomography to the atomic scale characterization of interfaces and surface films is described. The three-dimensional atom probe determines the coordinates and elemental identities of the atoms in a small volume of a sample with near-atomic precision. The types of analyses that may be performed on interfaces are demonstrated by examples taken from a variety of materials, including neutron-irradiated pressure-vessel steel welds, superalloys, surface films and model alloys. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Amorphization, morphological instability and crystallization of Krypton ion irradiated germanium

Abstract Krypton ion irradiation of crystalline Ge and subsequent thermal annealing were both carried out with in situ transmission electron microscopy observations. The temperature dependence of the amorphization dose, effect of foil thickness, morphological changes during continuous irradiation of the amorphous state as well as the effect of implanted gas have been determined. The dose of 1.5 MeV Kr required for amorphization increases with increasing temperature. At a fixed temperature, the amorphization dose is higher for thicker regions of the specimen. Continuous irradiation of amorphous Ge at room temperature results in a high density of small cavities which grow with increasing dose. Cavities do not coalesce during growth but develop into irregular-shaped holes that eventually transform the amorphous Ge into a sponge-like material. Formation of the spongy structure is independent of Kr implantation. The crystallization temperature and the morphology of recrystallized Ge depend on the Kr+ dose. Voi...
New Results in Quasi-Optimum Control

A technique of quasi-optimum control, developed by the author in 1966, has as its goal to permit one to use the apparatus of optimum control theory without having to solve the two-point boundary value problem for the actual problem. This is achieved by assuming the actual problem is "near" a simplified problem the solution of which was known. In this case, the control law adds a linear correction to the costate of the simplified problem. The linear correction is obtained as the solution of a matrix Riccati equation. After a review of the theory, several new applications of the technique are provided. These include mildly nonlinear processes, processes with bounded-control, and processes with state-variable constraints.