cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High School Students' Intuitive Understandings of Geometric Transformations.

207 BEFORE DESIGNING, SELECTING, OR IMPLEMENTING a lesson, understanding the knowledge that your students already have (or do not have) is helpful, regardless of the topic that you are teaching. When I began to teach geometric transformations to a class of tenth-grade honors geometry students, I attempted to assess their knowledge. What I learned about these students’ initial understandings of geometric transformations was surprising, as well as extremely useful for planning instruction. Knowing in advance the difficulties that students may experience when learning new mathematical concepts and skills can help prepare teachers for the classroom. As part of a research study that has been reported elsewhere (Flanagan 2001; Hollebrands 2002, 2003), I conducted task-based interviews with six tenth-grade students who were selected from a class of seventeen students; these interviews took place before, during, and at the end of a seven-week instructional unit on geometric transformations. The students had taken algebra 1 in eighth grade and algebra 2 in ninth grade, and they had not studied transformations in middle or elementary school. They were selected to reflect the range of mathematical abilities that were present in the class. The purpose of the initial interview was to gain insights into students’ prior understandings of the four transformations that were going to be taught: translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations. I had carefully analyzed and planned what I wanted students to learn about each of these transformations during the instructional unit. However, the initial interview enabled me to determine students’ knowledge of these transformations, and I used this information to refine the existing instructional unit and design or select new tasks to meet my objectives. This article focuses on analyzing students’ work on tasks related to the translations, reflections, and rotations. One type of task asked students to draw the image of a polygon under a reflection, rotation, or translation. If students were unsure about the meaning of these words, I used the terms flip, turn, or slide instead, assuming that those words might be more familiar to students. Protractors, compasses, rulers, and graph paper were available for students to use. I presented the task to students on paper, and it included a picture of the polygon and parameter (line of reflection, center of dilation or rotation, translating vector). The parameters were included to provide information about how students Karen F. Hollebrands
Narcolefsia e apnéia do sono concomitantes: registro de caso

Relata-se um caso de concomitância de narcolepsia e apneia do sono tipo obstrutiva documentado clinicamente e em tracados polissonograficos em laboratorio de sono. Apos correcao cirurgica da apneia do sono, com traqueostomia, houve manutencao da sintomatologia narcoleptica e de seu registro caracteristico. Este estudo apoia a necessidade de emprego sistematico da polissonografia de noite inteira e do teste de latencia multipla do sono na avaliacao de pacientes com sonolencia excessiva diurna.
The Genetic Basis of Fanconi Anemia

eventy-five years ago, Dr. Guido Fanconi reported three siblings who exhibited both congenital defects and aplastic anemia. Since then, we have learned that Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare multigenic disorder (a prevalence of 1-5 per million"^), that predisposes children and adults to life-threatening bone marrow failure, myelodysplasia,^ acute nonlymphocytic leukemia (AML), and certain epithelial malignancies. '^ So far, the sine qua non of this disease is cytogenetic instability in vitro after exposure of FA cells to biftinctional alkylating agents. ' Indeed, the current diagnostic test for Fanconi anemia, quantification of chromosomal breakage responses to alkylating agents, is based on this feature (reviewed in ref. 10). Classic clinical features such as growth retardation, small head size, cafi-au-lait spotSy and radial ray defects can be strong diagnostic clues, but FA can occur in patients without con­genital defects and can be clinically ascertained in adulthood. In fact, some patients with very minimal blood count abnormalities have been identified only because they were siblings of known FA patients and were tested for that reason. Consequendy, there is substantial pheno-typic heterogeneity in FA and while some of it can be explained by genetic heterogeneity, certain of the clinical consequences are the result of gene-environment interactions.
Of Beaches, Boundaries and SOBs

As sandy beach property has become more scarce and more expensive, the controversies between upland owners and public users of the beach have increased. The public has an absolute right under the public trust doctrine to use the beach below the mean high water line (MHWL) boundary that defines the limits of state lands and littoral ownership, but “knowing” where that ambulating line is at any given time is virtually impossible. This uncertainty exacerbates the tensions that in Florida are leading to clashes between private land owners and the public. Setting a fixed boundary would lead to more certainty and consequently less controversy, but both legal and policy issue arise concerning this approach. In once instance, however – setting a fixed boundary between upland owners and submerged, public trust lands for purposes of government restoration of critically eroding beaches – a fixed boundary with appropriate protections for littoral owners seems to address problems of certainty, as well as legal and policy concerns. The Florida Beach and Shore Preservation Act’s (BSPA) use of this approach has been challenged in the Florida Supreme Court and subsequently in the U.S. Supreme Court in Stop the Beach Renourishment, Inc. v. Fla. Dep't of Envtl. Protection. This article explores public and private interests in beaches and shores, and how the complexities of coastal boundaries contribute to controversies about the use of beaches. The article then looks at how the BSPA attempts to protect both the private and public interests in the coast through, among other provisions, establishing a fixed boundary for restored beaches. Finally, the challenges confronting Florida’s beach management that have arisen as a result of suits in the Florida Supreme Court and now in the U.S. Supreme Court are analyzed.
Using the waveguide invariant to analyze Lofargrams

Brekhovskikhi and Lysanov introduced the concept of a "waveguide invariant" to a broader audience. Assuming a horizontal array and incoherent processing, they showed how the measured acoustic intensity produced by a distant source would exhibit striations when plotted versus range and frequency. The striations are a consequence of interference between the propagating acoustic modes. A similar interference effect can also be observed when the measured data are processed coherently as with a beamformer. In practice, a passive sonar system often displays its beamformed output as a spectrum evolving in time. These plots, called LOFARgrams, are typically generated in multiple look-directions of the beamformer. In the present work, the striations observed in LOFARgrams are related to those observed with incoherent processing. Equations are derived for the trajectories of the striations. Numerical examples are presented. Sources located both above and below a thermocline are considered.
Testing the utility of simple multi-date Thematic Mapper calibration algorithms for monitoring turbid inland waters

Abstract This study reports on an investigation of multi-date water-quality calibration algorithms under turbid inland water conditions using Landsat Thematic Mapper (TM) multispectral digital data. TM data and water-quality observations were obtained near-simultaneously in Green Bay, an embayment of Lake Michigan, and related using linear regression techniques. The high concentrations of terrestrially-derived suspended solids appear to be controlling the water volume reflectance. A simple exponential model using the band 3/band 1 (0-660μm/0-485μm) ratio was found to be a useful index for estimating total suspended solids and water transparency (i.e. Secchi disk depth) with an accuracy of ± 25 per cent over the calibration data range.
Embedding Specialized Online Learning Modules in Courses

In recent years, online learning modules and interactive tools have been developed for integrating synergistic computational and experimental activities into several courses in the mechanical and manufacturing engineering curriculum. These modules may complement existing labs, introduce experiments to lecture-based courses, or help reinforce the understanding of concepts within a course through case studies, computational modeling and its validation through experimental data analysis. Within a given undergraduate course in engineering, the traditional approach is to cover the fundamental concepts and their applications in problem solving and design. However, often some advanced concepts pertinent to the course material cannot be included in great details due to the restrictions on total number of credit/teaching hours. The exposure to such advanced material is considered very important for establishing a broader appreciation of the relevance of the course material and potentially instilling an interest in successive classes and, most importantly, research projects.The project described in this paper has focused in the development of learning modules which can be used in various courses to introduce advanced topics, analyses and applications related to the fundamental course content. In this paper the development, implementation and assessment of two modules which feature enhanced content is presented. One module has been designed to be used as a tutorial on rotor dynamics and has been embedded in an introductory course on mechanical vibrations. The second is a module being developed for introducing the static and dynamic characterization of viscoelastic polymers. This module will be associated with an advanced mechanics of materials course, as well as the course on vibrations. These two separate concepts/topics are not formally a part of the undergraduate level courses but the underlying concepts can be easily related to the associated course learning outcomes. Such modules can, furthermore, be modified and used with various other courses as assignments and/or as a pre-requisite to a given case study. These modules can also be used for training and support of undergraduate researchers.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Benzyl Chloromethyl Ether

[3587-60-8] C8H9ClO (MW 156.61) InChI = 1S/C8H9ClO/c9-7-10-6-8-4-2-1-3-5-8/h1-5H,6-7H2 InChIKey = LADPCMZCENPFGV-UHFFFAOYSA-N (protecting group for alcohols2 and amines;3 electrophile in alkylation of carbanions;4 and source of nucleophilic benzyloxymethyl anion5) Physical Data: bp 53–56 °C/1.5 mmHg; 96–99 °C/11 mmHg; d 1.13 g cm−3; nD20 1.5268–1.5279. Solubility: sol THF, ether, dioxane, dichloromethane, chloroform, benzene, toluene, DMF, DMSO, and acetonitrile. Form Supplied in: liquid. Analysis of Reagent Purity: NMR, GC. Preparative Methods: benzyl alcohol plus aqueous formaldehyde and hydrogen chloride gas;1, 6, 7 reaction of benzyl methyl ether with boron trichloride;8 cleavage of benzyloxymethyl methyl sulfide with sulfuryl chloride.9 Purification: distillation. Handling, Storage, and Precautions: stable indefinitely when kept dry but destroyed by water and other nucleophilic reagents.
Effects of exercise and environmental complexity on deficits in trace and contextual fear conditioning produced by neonatal alcohol exposure in rats.

In rodents, voluntary exercise and environmental complexity increases hippocampal neurogenesis and reverses spatial learning and long-term potentiation deficits in animals prenatally exposed to alcohol. The present experiment extended these findings to neonatal alcohol exposure and to delay, trace, and contextual fear conditioning. Rats were administered either 5.25 g/kg/day alcohol via gastric intubation or received sham-intubations (SI) between Postnatal Day (PD) 4 and 9 followed by either free access to a running wheel on PD 30–41 and housing in a complex environment on PD 42–72 (wheel-running plus environmental complexity; WREC) or conventional social housing (SHSH) from PD 30 to 72. Adult rats (PD 80 ± 5) received 5 trials/day of a 10-s flashing-light conditioned stimulus (CS) paired with .8 mA footshock either immediately (delay conditioning) or after a 10-s trace interval (trace conditioning) for 2 days. Neonatal alcohol exposure impaired context and trace conditioning, but not short-delay conditioning. The WREC intervention did not reverse these deficits, despite increasing context-related freezing in ethanol-exposed and SI animals.
Expression of Human Decay-Accelerating Factor on Intestinal Epithelium of Transgenic Mice Does Not Facilitate Infection by the Enteral Route

In vitro, infection of polarized human intestinal epithelial cells by coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) depends on virus interaction with decay-accelerating factor (DAF), a receptor expressed on the apical cell surface. Although mice are highly susceptible to CVB3 infection when virus is delivered by intraperitoneal injection, infection by the enteral route is very inefficient. Murine DAF, unlike human DAF, does not bind virus, and we hypothesized that the absence of an accessible receptor on the intestinal surface is an important barrier to infection by the oral route. We generated transgenic mice that express human DAF specifically on intestinal epithelium and measured their susceptibility to infection by a DAF-binding CVB3 isolate. Human DAF permitted CVB3 to bind to the intestinal surface ex vivo and to infect polarized monolayers of small-intestinal epithelial cells derived from DAF transgenic mice. However, expression of human DAF did not facilitate infection by the enteral route either in immunocompetent animals or in animals deficient in the interferon alpha/beta receptor. These results indicate that the absence of an apical receptor on intestinal epithelium is not the major barrier to infection of mice by the oral route. IMPORTANCE CVB3 infection of human intestinal epithelial cells depends on DAF at the apical cell surface, and expression of human DAF on murine intestinal epithelial cells permits their infection in vitro. However, expression of human DAF on the intestinal surface of transgenic mice did not facilitate infection by the oral route. Although the role of intestinal DAF in human infection has not been directly examined, these results suggest that DAF is not the critical factor in mice.
SU-C-BRF-01: Correlation of DIBH Breath Hold Amplitude with Dosimetric Sparing of Heart and Left Anterior Descending Artery in Left Breast Radiotherapy

Purpose: A 7.4% increase in major coronary events per 1 Gy increase in mean heart dose has been reported from the population-based analysis of radiation-induced cardiac toxicity following treatment of left sided breast cancer. Deep inhalation breath-hold (DIBH) is clinically utilized to reduce radiation dose to heart and left anterior descending artery (LAD). We investigated the correlation of dose sparing in heart and LAD with internal DIBH amplitude to develop a quantitative predictive model for expected dose to heart and LAD based on internal breath hold amplitude. Methods: A treatment planning study (Prescription Dose = 50 Gy) was performed on 50 left breast cancer patients underwent DIBH whole breast radiotherapy. Two CT datasets, free breathing (FB) and DIBH, were utilized for treatment planning and for determination of the internal anatomy DIBH amplitude (difference between sternum position at FB and DIBH). The heart and LAD dose between FB and DIBH plans was compared and dose to the heart and LAD as a function of breath hold amplitude was determined. Results: Average DIBH amplitude using internal anatomy was 13.9±4.2 mm. The DIBH amplitude-mean dose reduction correlation is 20%/5mm (0.3 Gy/5mm) for the heart and 18%/5mm (1.1 Gy/5mm) for LAD. The correlation with max dose reduction is 12%/5mm (3.8 Gy/5mm) for the heart and 16%/5mm (3.2 Gy/5mm) for LAD. We found that average dose reductions to LAD from 6.0±6.5 Gy to 2.0±1.6 Gy with DIBH (4.0 Gy reduction: -67%, p < 0.001) and average dose reduction to the heart from 1.3±0.7 Gy to 0.7±0.2 Gy with DIBH (0.6 Gy reduction: -46%, p < 0.001). That suggests using DIBH may reduce the risk of the major coronary event for left sided breast cancer patients. Conclusion: The correlation between breath hold amplitude and dosimetric sparing suggests that dose sparing linearly increases with internal DIBH amplitude.
Mission support for emergency operators

Nowadays the high availability of more powerful portable devices paves the way to a new set of applications for a wide range of human activities. One important area of applications is related to road safety services, where human life is at stake. This paper describes an automated mobile system for the support of rescue and safety services personnel, as ambulance crew, fire brigades, and so on. The system is designed to accomplish several goals: to facilitate the rescue mission, to give update to a mission control center, to communicate additional information to rescue crew, to automate mission management. The work described in this paper has been accomplished in the framework of the European project GST.
Characterization of the role of Sp1 and NF-Y in differential regulation of PTTG/securin expression in tumor cells.

Abstract Pituitary tumor transforming gene ( PTTG ), also known as securin, is a regulator of cell division that is overexpressed in many tumors. Its expression is cell cycle regulated, although its transcriptional regulation is yet to be determined. The 5′ RACE analysis of the human testis mRNA revealed the existence of a previously unreported transcription start site at 317 bp upstream of the translation start site (ATG). This gene is known to be composed of five exons and four introns, which is now changed to six exons and five introns. To map the promoter region, and to understand its regulation, we designed several fusion constructs of the 5′ flanking region of PTTG including the sequence from nucleotide −1373 to −3 (relative to the translation start site) to a luciferase reporter gene. Transient transfection of these constructs in prostate cancer cell line (PC-3) and fibroblast cell line (HS27) confirmed the existence of promoter for PTTG between nucleotides −161 and −3 (in relation to translation start site). The 5′ and 3′ deletion analysis of the PTTG flanking region and electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed binding of Sp1 and NF-Y transcription factors within nucleotides −540 to −500. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assays of the HS27 and PC-3 cells revealed the binding of Sp1 protein to PTTG promoter sequence in vivo. Site-directed mutagenesis of the Sp1 consensus sequence resulted in ∼70% reduction of the overall transcriptional activation of the PTTG promoter, whereas mutation of the NF-Y sequence resulted in ∼25% reduction. Deletion of both Sp1 and NF-Y consensus sequences resulted in 90% loss of PTTG promoter activity. It was further observed, by Western blot analysis, that the levels of Sp1 protein are higher in PC-3 cells when compared to levels in HS27 cells, possibly contributing to a tissue-specific effect. Our studies indicate an important role of Sp1 in transcription regulation of PTTG expression in tumors.
High-sensitivity optical pulse characterization using Sagnac electro-optic spectral shearing interferometry

An electro-optic spectral shearing interferometer for high-sensitivity optical pulse characterization is described. Two replicas of the test pulse counterpropagate in a Sagnac interferometer with orthogonal polarization states, resulting in two relatively sheared copolarized replicas after temporal phase modulation. The polarization interferometer is intrinsically stable, and its birefringence sets the delay between interfering replicas to reduce the spectrometer resolution requirement. Experimental implementations demonstrate real-time pulse characterization at average powers as low as 1 nW with spectral shears as high as 280 GHz.
Social Indicators of Youth Development and Educational Performance: A Programmatic Statement.

This paper argues for the use of social indicators, in conjunction with the traditional norm-referenced and criterion-referenced tests, to assess the effects of local educational systems. A conceptual framework for the study of educational performance is presented, interrelating (1) personal resources invested by youth, (2) opportunities for development, (3) developmental behaviors, (4) educational system impacts, and (5) other contextual variables, which together affect (6) progress toward adulthood. Four types of variables and 15 content areas that should be monitored are described, with examples of social indicators for each. Procedures are presented for selecting variables, collecting time-series data, and analyzing and reporting the indicators, relying entirely on existing data sources. Appendices include a data base screening form, a statistic screening form, and a list of United States national, state, county, and city sources of time-series data relevant to youth development and educational performance.
Association of tattooing and hepatitis C virus infection: a multicenter case-control study.

Although injection drug use (IDU) and blood transfusions prior to 1992 are well-accepted risk factors for hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, many studies that evaluated tattooing as a risk factor for HCV infection did not control for a history of IDU or transfusion prior to 1992. In this large, multicenter, case-control study, we analyzed demographic and HCV risk factor exposure history data from 3,871 patients, including 1,930 with chronic HCV infection (HCV RNA–positive) and 1,941 HCV-negative (HCV antibody–negative) controls. Crude and fully adjusted odds ratios (ORs) of tattoo exposure by multivariate logistic regression in HCV-infected versus controls were determined. As expected, IDU (65.9% versus 17.8%; P < 0.001), blood transfusion prior to 1992 (22.3% versus 11.1%; P < 0.001), and history of having one or more tattoos (OR, 3.81; 95% CI, 3.23-4.49; P < 0.001) were more common in HCV-infected patients than in control subjects. After excluding all patients with a history of ever injecting drugs and those who had a blood transfusion prior to 1992, a total of 1,886 subjects remained for analysis (465 HCV-positive patients and 1,421 controls). Among these individuals without traditional risk factors, HCV-positive patients remained significantly more likely to have a history of one or more tattoos after adjustment for age, sex, and race/ethnicity (OR, 5.17; 95% CI, 3.75-7.11; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Tattooing is associated with HCV infection, even among those without traditional HCV risk factors such as IDU and blood transfusion prior to 1992. (HEPATOLOGY 2013;57:2117–2123)
Magnetic anisotropy in spin density wave antiferromagnets

Abstract A theory of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy due to the spin-orbit and dipole-dipole interactions in an incommensurate spin density wave antiferromagnet like chromium has been constructed for a simplified band model. The temperature dependence of the anisotropy from both mechanisms is that of the antiferromagnetic gap squared, and therefore, will not explain the occurence of the spin-flip transition in chromium. This indicates that either the detailed band structure must be taken into account, or an additional mechanism is operative.
Computation of the local generalized H-Lefschetz number

Abstract Let X be a connected, locally finite polyhedron. For U a compact, connected subpolyhedron of X, let f: U → X be a map with Fix(f) ∩ ∂U = O. The local H-Nielsen number N(f) is a lower bound for the number of fixed points of any map in a restricted homotopy class of f. We prove that the local generalized H-Lefschetz number L H (f; f , \ gi) can, in certain cases, be expressed in terms of the isotropy subgroups of the local Reidemeister action and the local Lefschetz numbers of the lifts of f. From L H (f; f , \ gi) we determine N(f). We consider applications to lens spaces and to a spherical space form.
Breaking the stalemate in Western Sahara

The stalemate in Western Sahara was a casualty of a chronic disability of conventional UN peacekeeping, now particularly symptomatic of more complex transitional operations. A link has been missing between the consent of warring parties to negotiated settlements and their behaviour on the ground, and between the political decisions of the Security Council and operational instructions in the field. The UN has not developed coherent and comprehensive diplomatic, military and political strategies that are both legitimate and effective. Nor has it managed to generate genuine political will throughout the course of a peace process. To do so requires something of a joint monitoring cell attached to operations and composed of the parties, the UN and regional organizations, and a contact group of UN member states that can provide confidence and leverage. Bridging the missing link in the Western Sahara at this late stage will be a vital experiment for the next phase of UN operations generally.
Landscape‐scale effects of herbivores on treefall in African savannas

Herbivores cause treefalls in African savannas, but rates are unknown at large scales required to forecast changes in biodiversity and ecosystem processes. We combined landscape-scale herbivore exclosures with repeat airborne Light Detection and Ranging of 58 429 trees in Kruger National Park, South Africa, to assess sources of savanna treefall across nested gradients of climate, topography, and soil fertility. Elephants were revealed as the primary agent of treefall across widely varying savanna conditions, and a large-scale 'elephant trap' predominantly removes maturing savanna trees in the 5-9 m height range. Treefall rates averaged 6 times higher in areas accessible to elephants, but proportionally more treefall occurred on high-nutrient basalts and in lowland catena areas. These patterns were superimposed on a climate-mediated regime of increasing treefall with precipitation in the absence of herbivores. These landscape-scale patterns reveal environmental controls underpinning herbivore-mediated tree turnover, highlighting the need for context-dependent science and management.
Inactivation of ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase from spinach with the affinity label N-bromoacetylethanolamine phosphate

Summary N -Bromoacetylethanolamine phosphate irreversibly inactivates both activities of spinach ribulosebisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase. Loss of enzymic activity follows pseudo first-order kinetics, shows rate saturation, and can be prevented by saturating levels of ribulosebisphosphate. The catalytically essential cofactor Mg 2+ stimulates the rate of inactivation but decreases the enzyme's affinity for reagent. Mg 2+ appears to change the specificity of the reagent from cysteinyl to lysyl residues. Inactivation correlates with modification of 1.6 residues (predominantly cystelnyl) per protomer in the absence of Mg 2+ , and 1.1 residues (predominantly lysyl) in the presence of Mg 2+ .
Accountability and values in radically collaborative research.

Abstract This paper discusses a crisis of accountability that arises when scientific collaborations are massively epistemically distributed. We argue that social models of epistemic collaboration, which are social analogs to what Patrick Suppes called a “model of the experiment,” must play a role in creating accountability in these contexts. We also argue that these social models must accommodate the fact that the various agents in a collaborative project often have ineliminable, messy, and conflicting interests and values; any story about accountability in a massively distributed collaboration must therefore involve models of such interests and values and their methodological and epistemic effects.
Genotyping complex short tandem repeats using electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance multistage mass spectrometry

Electrospray ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance (ESI-FTICR) mass spectrometry is a rapidly emerging, universal platform with the ability to provide detailed information regarding genetic variation and the up- and down regulation of their cognate gene products. Herein, we report our progress towards the development of ESI-FTICR mass spectrometry for the characterization of genomic regions which contain both a length and sequence polymorphism (i.e., complex short tandem repeats). Specifically, it is demonstrated for the first time that a high-quality ESI-FTICR mass spectrum of a 82-bp double-stranded PCR product derived from a single, 50 pL PCR reaction with less than 10 x 10 -15 moles injected into the mass spectrometer can be routinely obtained. It is important to note that each measurement, which translates to an accurate genotype, is completed on the timescale of seconds. Progress towards the implementation of flow-injection analysis methodology to increase the throughput is also presented using an alternating injection of a 15-mer and 16-mer oligonucleotide. It is estimated that under our current configuration, which is very preliminary, about 250 genotypes could be generated per 24-hour time period. Furthermore, the gas-phase decomposition of large PCR products will clearly result in poor sensitivity due to the distribution of the molecular ion signal over numerous product-ions; many of which are not useful for detecting microheterogeneity within the repeating sequence (e.g., depurination). In an effort to channel the fragmentation of DNA sequences with a repeating motif into fewer product ions, 7-deaza adenosine was incorporated into a 16-mer oligonucleotide and dissociated using sustained off-resonance irradiation collision-induced dissociation. Comparison of the control sequence with the modified sequence clearly indicates that this is a highly effective strategy with current efforts directed at the dissociation of PCR products with 7-deaza purines incorporated.
Cyclic GMP and mechanisms of vasodilation

This review is the result of a widening interest in the role of cGMP in vascular smooth muscle function. Smooth muscle physiologists, pharmacologists, and biochemists now appreciate the fact that cGMP plays a key role in regulating vascular, and probably non-vascular, smooth muscle contractile activity
On the distribution of algebraic primes in small regions

Assuming a uniform version of Gross and Smith’s generalized k-tuple conjecture, we prove that the prime elements in a ring of algebraic integers have Poisson distribution in small regions, by considering the sum of the corresponding singular series.
Modeling Organic Contaminant Partitioning in Ground-Water Systems

Effective management of a ground-water system requires description and prediction of the transport and fate of contaminants in that system. This can be facilitated by using mathematical models which accurately represent the physical phenomena operative in the system. One of the most significant phenomena impacting the transport of many organic pollutants is partitioning between the solid (soil) and aqueous (ground-water) phases. The tendency of a contaminant to partition may be roughly approximated from measurements of such constitutive properties as the octanol: water partition coefficient of the contaminant and organic carbon content of the soil. Such rough approximations provide a basis for cursory appraisal, but are inadequate for quantitative system descriptions, particularly where nonlinear equilibrium sorption, kinetically dependent partitioning, or irreversible and/or hysteretic phase distribution phenomena are operative. Accurate simulation of solute transport frequently requires the incorporation of kinetic parameters and/or a nonlinear isotherm relationship to define transport phenomena in the fundamental equations governing mass transport. Laboratory measurements may be utilized to assess sorptive factors of importance, kinetic properties of an organic solute and a soil system, and equilibrium partitioning relationships. Such measurements can be utilized to provide more accurate modeling of contaminant transport.
Possible biochemical model for phenylketonuria.

SINCE the demonstration of the primary enzymatic defect in phenylketonuria (PKU) several models have been suggested for this metabolic disorder. No hypothesis, however, has unified the biochemical and clinical characteristics2.
Comparison of the topside ionosphere during magnetic storms of various types

Abstract During the initial phase of magnetic storms with steep onset, the topside ionosphere shows enhancement of ionization above and depletion below a zone of unchanged ionization. During storms with a smoothly initiated disturbance, no enhancement of ionization is observed and depletion takes place at all altitudes.
Using technology to serve patients and practitioners: A comprehensive tobacco-cessation program for cancer patients

The infusion of technology into clinical practice has increased in recent years. Tobacco use has been reported to be the most preventable cause of illness and death in our society. The following article details the use of technology in the development of a comprehensive, institution-wide, tobacco-cessation program at a large cancer centre. Technologies, including Internet-based data collection, electronic database systems, asynchronous-email communication, and telephone counselling, were utilized to support the program's infrastructure, to coordinate the patient's care within the institution, and to deliver therapeutic services. Preliminary data from the clinical program are presented. A discussion about incorporating technology into clinical practice is presented, including suggestions for practitioners who may be interested in expanding or extending their services with new technologies.
WNTs: Multiple Genes, Multiple Functions

The development of ectodermal appendages such as hair, feathers and teeth has long fascinated biologists, who have attempted to understand how cells of different types interact with each other to induce the coordinated changes in cell shape, proliferation, adhesion and movement required for the formation of these intricate three-dimensional structures. Classical experiments involving recombination of ectodermal and mesenchymal cells from different sources revealed that, for each of these types of appendage, reciprocal communication between the epithelium and mesenchyme is essential at each stage of development (Hardy, 1992;Jernvall and Thesleff, 2000). More recent molecular studies have identified some of the secreted signaling molecules involved in these processes, and have revealed that members of the same families of secreted factors regulate the initial stages of formation of all of these appendages (Jernvall and Thesleff, 2000;Millar, 2002). It is tempting to assume that these secreted factors play identical roles in the initiation of all appendage types. However, it seems more likely that subtle differences in the timing and location of signaling factor expression, and differences in the signaling family members utilized for different appendages, lay the groundwork for subsequent variations in development that ultimately lead to the obvious differences that we observe between feathers, teeth and hair, and even between different types of hair (for instance scalp, adnexal and body hair in humans).
Chaotic Quivering of Micron-Scaled On-Chip Resonators Excited by Centrifugal Optical Pressure

Opto-mechanical chaotic oscillation of an on-chip resonator is excited by the radiation-pressure nonlinearity. Continuous optical input, with no external feedback or modulation, excites chaotic vibrations in very different geometries of the cavity (both tori and spheres) and shows that opto-mechanical chaotic oscillations are an intrinsic property of optical microcavities. Measured phenomena include period doubling, a spectral continuum, aperiodic oscillations, and complex trajectories. The rate of exponential divergence from a perturbed initial condition (Lyapunov exponent) is calculated. Continuous improvements in cavities mean that such chaotic oscillations can be expected in the future with many other platforms, geometries, and frequency spans.
How Social Factors Improve Health

Now that social epidemiologists have established a broad range of correlations between measures of health and social variables, the question of how such factors affect the human body has become more pressing than ever. Strengthened host resistance and health practices are the two most plausible intervening processes for explaining the ‘sociobiological translation.’ A range of social determinants link to both of these to predict health. Variations on these two causal sequences, especially interactions with stress, are noted, and a typology that codifies the major features of the intervening mechanisms is presented. The principal outcome of this conceptual analysis is the identification of two parallel causal sequences, one that begins with informal affiliations to extend the classical host resistance-proximate determinants model of wellness, in the sense of absence of disease, and the other that moves from socioeconomic status to health practices and thence to positive health, defined as abundant energy and mental alertness. The possibility of cross-links between the two sequences is examined.
Confirmation of immobilizing IgG on different surfaces with AFM and impedance investigations of a Pt electrode during the immobilization

Abstract Immobilization of anti-SEB on SiO2, Pt and Au thin films have been carried out by using a conventional covalent bonding technique. AFM investigation showed that after the immobilization, a monolayer of the antibody molecules was formed on the SiO2 film. By reacting the immobilized anti-SEB with gold colloid conjugated anti-IgG, gold particles were observed on the antibody immobilized film surface by AFM. Pt films showed the highest coverage of anti-SEB after immobilization. Impedance change of a Pt electrode in PBS solution was also investigated before and after the immobilization of anti-SEB.
An Approach for Services Design by Understanding Value Requirements, Identifying Value Carriers, Developing Value Proposition, and Subsequently Realizing Value

A service is a time-perishable, intangible experience performed for a customer acting in the role of a co producer. It involves application of specialized competences (knowledge and skills) through deeds, processes, and performances for the benefit of another entity or the entity itself in real world. In economics, service is an intangible and insubstantial commodity and the value of service is expected to be self-evident. We can see that as providers of services, there is difficulty in understanding value experienced by consumers and as consumers of services we need to bank on our experience, use trial and errors to find a high quality service provider. There is even lesser clarity on service delivery process that assures value and various aspects of service that creates value to users. We propose a value understanding, value proposition and value realization based approach for services design based on the value co-creation system that exists in service production and its subsequent consumption. We also discuss about a related theoretical framework for service design in this paper. This theoretical framework is based on insights arrived at by asking four questions that needs to be answered for the service to succeed economically. These four questions are: a) What are the benefits and how to discover, diagnose and understand these benefits? b) What are the carriers for achieving these benefits? How can one derive these carriers of value? c) What are the cumulative net benefits that should be delivered by the service? d) How does one compose and deliver a service so as to realize these benefits? The basis of the framework is the "values viewpoint" for creating and describing services.
Effect of filler level and particle size on dental caries-inhibiting Ca-PO 4 composite

Secondary caries and restoration fracture are common problems in restorative dentistry. The aim of this study was to develop Ca-PO(4) nanocomposite having improved stress-bearing properties and Ca and PO(4) ion release to inhibit caries, and to determine the effects of filler level. Nanoparticles of dicalcium phosphate anhydrous (DCPA), two larger DCPA powders, and reinforcing whiskers were incorporated into a resin. A 6 x 3 design was tested with six filler mass fractions (0, 30, 50, 65, 70, and 75%) and three DCPA particle sizes (112 nm, 0.88 mum, 12.0 mum). The DCPA nanocomposite at 75% fillers had a flexural strength (mean +/- SD; n = 6) of 114 +/- 23 MPa, matching the 112 +/- 22 MPa of a commercial non-releasing, hybrid composite (P > 0.1). This was 2-fold of the 60 +/- 6 MPa of a commercial releasing control. Decreasing the particle size increased the ion release. Increasing the filler level increased the ion release at a rate faster than being linear. The amount of ion release from the nanocomposite matched or exceeded those of previous composites that released supersaturating levels of Ca and PO(4) and remineralized tooth lesions. This suggests that the much stronger nanocomposite may also be effective in remineralizing tooth lesion and inhibiting caries. In summary, combining calcium phosphate nanoparticles with reinforcing co-fillers in the composite provided a way to achieving both caries-inhibiting and stress-bearing capabilities. Filler level and particle size can be tailored to achieve optimal composite properties.
Social Psychological Perspectives on the Physician's Feelings and Behavior

We advocate developing a psychology of the physician and illustrate with two examples. Two functions the physician performs are making judgments and communicating to the pa- tient. One line of research has identified systematic errors in making judgments. Another has explored reluctance to com- municate bad news. Both these lines illustrate how social psy- chological perspectives can illuminate the feelings and behavior of the physician.
High-Temperature Turbine Technology Readiness

Final component and technology verification tests have been completed for application to a 2600°F rotor inlet temperature gas turbine. These tests have proven the capability of combustor, turbine hot section, and IGCC fuel systems and controls to operate in a combined cycle plant burning a coal-derived gas fuel at elevated gas turbine inlet temperatures (2600–3000°F). This paper presents recent test results and summarizes the overall progress made during the DOE-HTTT Phase II program.Copyright © 1982 by ASME
Nonnegative perturbations of selfadjoint operators

Abstract Let 4 be a selfadjoint operator on a Hilbert space H . The results in this paper provide necessary and sufficient conditions on A in order that there exist a nontrivial nonnegative operator D and a unitary operator U with UA = ( A − D ) U . In one case considered, it is required that the least subspace reducing A , U and containing the range of D is the full Hilbert space. In this case the operators U , D exist if and only if the operator A is not a scalar multiple of the identity and the maximum and minimum of the spectrum of A are not eigenvalues of finite multip icity. This result is used to complete a characterization of the absolute value of a completely nonnormal hyponormal operator.
Renewable resource management in developing country agriculture: discussion

This discussion argues that the centralization of control over renewable resources in name but not in fact has been counterproductive in the management of these resources and a new interdisciplinary approach making greater use of traditional or experimental farmer knowledge is needed. 4 references.
Performance measurement systems, incentives, and the optimal allocation of responsibilities

Abstract I study the joint choice of responsibility assignment, performance measures, and rewards for a two-stage process where the quality of the initial stage work affects the required final stage effort. By assigning responsibilities to give the initial stage agent an incentive to sabotage the final stage, output is made informative about this agent's attention to quality. I find conditions under which it is cost-effective to create and to contractually use such information. This analysis makes formal that the value of a performance measure is determined not simply by its congruity and precision but by its influence on the optimal organisational design.
DNA lesions, inducible DNA repair, and cell division: Three key factors in mutagenesis and carcinogenesis

DNA lesions that escape repair have a certain probability of giving rise to mutations when the cell divides. Endogenous DNA damage is high: 10(6) oxidative lesions are present per rat cell. An exogenous mutagen produces an increment in lesions over the background rate of endogenous lesions. The effectiveness of a particular lesion depends on whether it is excised by a DNA repair system and the probability that it gives rise to a mutation when the cell divides. When the cell divides, an unrepaired DNA lesion has a certain probability of giving rise to a mutation. Thus, an important factor in the mutagenic effect of an exogenous agent whether it is genotoxic or non-genotoxic, is the increment it causes over the background cell division rate (mitogenesis) in cells that appear to matter most in cancer, the stem cells, which are not on their way to being discarded. Increasing their cell division rate increases mutation and therefore cancer. There is little cancer from nondividing cells. Endogenous cell division rates can be influenced by hormone levels, decreased by calorie restriction, or increased by high doses of chemicals. If both the rate of DNA lesions and cell division are increased, then there will be a multiplicative effect on mutagenesis (and carcinogenesis), for example, by high doses of a mutagen that also increases mitogenesis through cell killing. The defense system against reactive electrophilic mutagens, such as the glutathione transferases, are also almost all inducible and buffer cells against increments in active forms of chemicals that can cause DNA lesions. A variety of DNA repair defense systems, almost all inducible, buffer the cell against any increment in DNA lesions. Therefore, the effect of a particular chemical insult depends on the level of each defense, which in turn depends on the past history of exposure. Exogenous agents can influence the induction and effectiveness of these defenses. Defenses can be partially disabled by lack of particular micronutrients in the diet (e.g., antioxidants).
MEASUREMENT METHODS FOR PRODUCT EVALUATION

Among the many tasks designers must perform, evaluation of product options based on performance criteria is fundamental. Yet I have found that the methods commonly used remain controversial and uncertain among those who apply them. In this paper, I apply mathematical measurement theory to analyze and clarify common design methods. The methods can be analyzed to determine the level of information required and the quality of the answer provided. Most simple, a method using an ordinal scale only arranges options based on a performance objective. More complex, an interval scale also indicates the difference in performance provided. To construct an interval scale, the designer must provide two basic a priori items of information. First, a base-pointdesign is required from which the remaining designs are relatively measured. Second, the deviation of each remaining design is compared from the base point design using a metricdatum design. Given these two datums, any other design can be evaluated numerically. I show that concept selection charts operate with interval scales. After an interval scale, the next more complex scale is a ratio scale, where the objective has a well-defined zero value. I show that QFD methods operate with ratio scales. Of all measurement scales, the most complex are extensively measurable scales. Extensively measurable scales have a well defined base value, metric value and a concatenation operation for adding values. I show that standard optimization methods operate with extensively measurable scales. Finally, it is also possible to make evaluations with non-numeric scales. These may be more convenient, but are no more general.