cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
THE INFLUENCE OF THE EL NIÑO–SOUTHERN OSCILLATION AND OTHER TELECONNECTIONS ON WINTER STORMS IN THE NORTH AMERICAN NORTHEAST—A CASE STUDY

Ice storms and blizzards are two types of severe weather that periodically strike the North American northeast. The most powerful examples of each can occur under conducive mesoscale and synoptic conditions. Given the inherent variability of both the weather and climate of the region, this study examined the ways in which two storms, the Blizzard of 1996 and the Ice Storm of 1998, evolved within the context of the larger-scale flow. The latter is not static. Instead, there are various modes of natural variability like the El Nino-Southern Oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, Tropical/Northern Hemisphere pattern, and the Pacific North American pattern that influence weather patterns locally and globally. The complexity of the interactions of these modes on blocking patterns, precipitation anomalies, and jet stream modifications were explored in the quest to determine whether certain configurations of oscillations were more conducive to blizzard versus ice storm development over the northeast. [Key word...
Colorectal Neoplasia and Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease is associated with an increased risk of gastrointestinal neoplasia. Ulcerative colitis increases the risk of colorectal cancer, and patients with this condition should undergo routine colonoscopic surveillance to detect neoplasia. Crohn's disease increases the risk of malignancy in inflamed segments of bowel, which may include small bowel, colon, rectum, and anus.
A New Monitoring Method Using Solid Sorbent Media for Evaluation of Airborne Cyclophosphamide and Other Antineoplastic Agents

Cyclophosphamide is a known human carcinogen. In July 1999, in a report at a conference on cytotoxic drugs in Sweden, it was indicated that cyclophosphamide (CP) was not effectively controlled by high efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters. (1) This then raised a concern that the existing air monitoring methods, which utilize polytetrafluoroethylene (a.k.a. PTFE, or Teflon) or glass fiber filters for evaluation of antineoplastics such as CP in air may also be ineffective for collection and quantification of such agents. It was decided that further evaluation of the existing filter method for monitoring antineoplastics in air be conducted. This evaluation determined that the filter method of monitoring was minimally effective for some antineoplastic agents, and that an alternate method of monitoring should be sought. The method subsequently developed utilizes a solid sorbent tube, Anasorb 708, a methacrylic acid polymer. Evaluation of this sorbent tube for adsorption and desorption properties found it h...
MEASURING THE IMPLICIT CURRICULUM: INITIAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESULTS OF AN MSW SURVEY

This study presents pilot data using an instrument called the Implicit Factors Survey (IFS) that is designed to measure factors within the implicit curriculum, or the educational environment in which the explicit curriculum is delivered. The implicit factors explored included community, diversity, faculty advising, and support services. Also included in the IFS were field and academic experiences. Sixty-four graduating MSW students completed the survey, and descriptive data and qualitative data were collected for each of the measured areas. Several important findings emerged from the data, including the variability in the quality of classroom instruction that students received and the comfort level that students felt in expressing their political or religious views. Implications for social work education and research are discussed.
Water-column stability, residence times, and anoxia in the Cretaceous North American seaway

Output from a one-dimensional, mixed-layer ocean model and a general circulation model suggests a consistent relation between surface-water residence times, large vertical salinity gradients, and anoxic bottom water during transgressive periods in the Cretaceous North American seaway. Model results show that severe storms over the seaway were not effective in mixing oxygen to the sediment-water interface when vertical salinity gradients exceeded 1‰-2‰ and depths were >300 m. At precipitation - evaporation + river runoff ( P - E + R ) rates calculated from the general circulation model (up to 300 cm/yr), conditions favorable to the maintenance of anoxic bottom water would be established within a matter of months. Large vertical salinity gradients at these P - E + R values would form in time periods as short as 1-2 yr. This is considerably shorter than seaway residence times calculated from the Sverdrup relation and from wind-stress curl calculations of atmospheric general circulation models.
Looking Toward DSM–V: Should Factitious Disorder Become a Subtype of Somatoform Disorder?

Background Factitious and somatoform-disorder patients are alike in that they both organize their lives around seeking medical services in spite of having primarily a psychiatric condition. In DSM–IV, the key difference is that factitious-disorder patients feign illness, and somatoformdisorder patients actually believe they are ill. Although patients may not be conscious of their motivation or even their behaviors, deliberately embellishing history or inducing symptoms exemplifies behaviors designed to enhance a self-concept of being ill. Conclusion For DSM–V, we propose reclassifying factitious disorder as a subtype within the somatoform-spectrum disorders or the proposed physical-symptom disorder, premised on our belief that deliberate deceptions serve primarily to portray to treaters the sense of being ill.
Using Imaging Biomarkers to Accelerate Drug Development and Clinical Trials

There is increasing evidence that human medical imaging can help answer key questions that arise during the drug development process. Imaging modalities such as magnetic resonance imaging, computed tomography and positron emission tomography can offer significant insights into the bioactivity, pharmacokinetics and dosing of drugs, in addition to supporting registration applications. In this review, examples from oncology, neurology, psychiatry, infectious diseases and inflammatory diseases are used to illustrate the role imaging can play. We conclude with some remarks concerning new developments that will be required to significantly advance the field of pharmaco-imaging.
Helical proteins initiate replication of DNA helices.

Replication initiators in both bacteria and eukaryotes are AAA+ proteins that bind and remodel origin DNA sequences, preparing them for chromosome duplication. Two new reports show that the bacterial DnaA and eukaryotic ORC initiators form protein helical filaments. Wrapping of origin DNA around these filaments may promote DNA unwinding and subsequent assembly of replication forks.
Antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of rofecoxib on esophageal cancer in vitro1

Abstract Background The incidence of Barrett’s adenocarcinoma has increased dramatically in the United States, whereas squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus remains a worldwide problem. Cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 may play an important role in gastrointestinal carcinogenesis and is overexpressed in both Barrett’s metaplasia and adenocarcinoma. We hypothesized that a selective and commercially available COX-2 inhibitor, rofecoxib (Vioxx), would inhibit growth of Barrett’s adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus by apoptotic pathways. Additional comparison studies were performed with commercially available COX-2 and COX-1 inhibitors. Materials and methods Two esophageal adenocarcinoma cell lines (SEG-1 and BIC) and two esophageal squamous cell cancer lines (KYSE 150 and KYSE 410) were treated with rofecoxib at doses ranging from 8.0 to 125 μg/well. NS-398 (a COX-2 antagonist) and Catechin (a COX-1 antagonist) were also used at doses of 50 and 100 μM. Esophageal cell viability was measured by MTT at 24 and 72 h. Apoptosis was evaluated after 18 h of incubation with rofecoxib, NS398, and Catechin by flow cytometry via annexin V assay. Results Rofecoxib, NS-398, and Catechin treatments all resulted in significant antiproliferative effects in both adenocarcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus in vitro. Substantial increases in apoptotic activity were also found in all cell lines. Conclusions Our findings suggest that COX-2 and COX-1 inhibition has potential to become an effective treatment for both histological variants of esophageal cancer. Further in vivo and human studies are warranted to evaluate the safety and clinical utility of these agents in patients with all cancers of the esophagus.
Abnormal cervical cytology in the diagnosis of uterine papillary serous carcinoma: earlier detection of a poor prognostic cancer subtype?

Objective: Early detection of uterine papillary serous (UPSC), clear cell (CCC), and grade 3 endometrioid carcinomas (G3EC) – all poor prognostic variants of endometrial carcinoma (
Electronic and chemical properties of mixed-metal oxides: basic principles for the design of DeNOx and DeSOx catalysts

Abstract Correlations between the electronic and chemical properties of perovskites, molybdates, and metal-doped MgO or CeO 2 are examined. Simple models based on band-orbital mixing can explain trends found for the interaction of these catalytic materials with adsorbates: the less stable the occupied levels of a mixed-metal oxide, the higher its chemical reactivity. Metal↔oxygen↔metal interactions are common in mixed-metal oxides and can lead to substantial changes in the electronic and chemical properties of the cations. This is particularly true in the case of ABO 3 perovskites (A=Pb, Ca, Sr, Li, K, Na; B=Ti, Zr, Nb), and it is an important phenomenon that has to be considered when mixing AO and BO 2 oxides for catalytic applications. In systems like Ce 1− x Zr x O 2 and Ce 1− x Ca x O 2 , the structural stress induced by the dopant (Zr or Ca) leads to perturbations in the electronic properties of the Ce cations. The trends in the behavior of metal-doped MgO illustrate a basic principle in the design of mixed-metal oxide catalysts for DeNO x and DeSO x operations. The general idea is to find metal dopants that upon hybridization within an oxide matrix remain in a relatively low oxidation state and at the same time induce occupied electronic states located well above the valence band of the host oxide. Electronic effects should not be neglected a priori when explaining the behavior or dealing with the design of mixed-metal oxide catalysts.
The Goldmeier effect in adults and children: environmental, retinal, and phenomenal influences on judgments of visual symmetry.

Adults judge that patterns symmetrical about the vertical axis are more similar to standard patterns symmetrical about both major orthogonal axes than are patterns which are symmetrical only about the horizontal axis (the Goldmeier effect). Thus, symmetry about the vertical axis is more salient for adults than symmetry about the horizontal axis. Two experiments are reported in which subjects from three age groups (preschool, 8 years old, and adult) were given Goldmeier problems under different conditions. In experiment 1 three head-tilt conditions were used (0°, 45°, 90°); in experiment 2 there were four conditions defined by head orientation (0°, 90°) and phenomenal instructions (top of figure at 0° or at 90°). In both experiments, increasing head tilt from 0° decreased the consistency with which the environmentally vertical pattern was chosen. Noncorrespondence between the three spatial frameworks (environmental, retinal, and phenomenal) failed to produce biases in favor of either retinal-egocentric or ...
Low Temperature Growth of Type E Clostridium botulinum Spores. 1. Effects of Sodium Chloride, Sodium Nitrite and pH

SUMMARY— The effects of pH and the addition of sodium chloride (NaCl) or sodium nitrite (NaNO2) to trypticase-peptone-glucose (TPGI and trypticase-peptone-sucrose-yeast extract (TPSY) media upon spore outgrowth were investigated using seven Type E Clostridium botulinum strains. An inoculum of 1.0 × 105 spores/ml was used and the pH was adjusted with hydrochloric acid to cover the range of 5.2 to 6.6. To define salt tolerance, NaCl was added to the media at intervals of 0.5% in the range of 2.0 to 5.0% and at 0.1% intervals in the 4.5 to 5.0% range. The effect of NaNO2 was investigated with the addition of 100 and 200 ppm NaNO2 to the media. Samples were incubated at 30, 15.6, 10, 7.2, 5.0 and 3.4°C. Outgrowth of all strains tested was inhibited at pH 5.2 at 15.6°C. Inhibition occurred at higher pH at lower temperatures. None of the strains showed outgrowth with 4.87% NaCl in the media at any of the incubation temperatures used. Addition of 100 and 200 ppm NaNO2 to the media inhibited the outgrowth of the Minneapolis, 517, 26080 and A6247 strains but not the Kalamazoo and Seattle Forks strains.
A pseudo-TEP repair of an incarcerated obturator hernia.

Introduction Obturator hernia (OH) is a rare condition and difficult to diagnose. While they account for as few as 0.073% of all hernias, mortality can be as high as 70%. The typical clinical presentation for OH is small bowel obstruction. Computed tomography is the diagnostic tool of choice. Surgical repair is mandatory in virtually all cases of OH and traditionally consists of performing an exploratory laparotomy.
Channel Sequence Development in Aggradational Streams with Example from South Canadian River, Texas: ABSTRACT

At least 8 channel sequences of varying relative age have been observed in the floodplain of the South Canadian River. These sequences initially identified by vegetational differences on aerial photographs probably represent deposition during major flood events. Surface features on the most recent channel sequences include longitudinal bars, elongate scour marks, and extensive ripple-marked areas near bars. Within an individual sequence the only sedimentary structure types observed are plane bed, trough cross-stratification, and ripple cross-stratification. Channel sequences, or small divisions within them, are punctuated by mud or silt-mud layers. These layers or clay drapes are deposited as the result of the settling out of fine sediment during waning flood conditions. Channel sequences older than the most recent 2 or 3 flood events are heavily vegetated and commonly discontinuous downstream. Moving correlation coefficient (r) analysis indicates that the sinuosity and position within the floodplain of channel sequences or remnants of all ages are controlled by the confinement of the South Canadian River valley and location within the valley of earlier sequences. This shows that major floods with a strong aggradational effect are probably a valley-wide phenomenon within this depositional system. Daily discharge data show that floods, with a discharge of greater than 10,000 cu ft/sec, occur less than 1% of the time in the South Canadian River. These floods are catastrophic events which cause major changes in the configuration of the river floodplain. End_of_Article - Last_Page 632------------
Magnetization upper bound for quenched Ising models with random ferromagnetic interactions

For the quenched spin-1/2 Ising model in a uniform magnetic field and having only nearest-neighbor interactions which are statistically independent non-negative (ferromagnetic) identically distributed random variables, an exact upper bound is obtained for the magnetization. The bound can be identified with the value computed from a generalized Bethe approximation and thereby provides an extension to random interactions of some recent work of Krinsky.
Effect of Leukocyte Concentration on the Efficacy of Platelet-Rich Plasma in the Treatment of Knee Osteoarthritis

Background:Leukocyte-poor platelet-rich plasma (LP-PRP) is hypothesized to be more suitable for intra-articular injection than leukocyte-rich PRP (LR-PRP) in the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.Purpose:To compare clinical outcomes and rates of adverse reactions between LP-PRP and LR-PRP for this application.Study Design:Meta-analysis.Methods:The MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases were reviewed. The primary outcome was the incidence of local adverse reactions. Secondary outcomes were the changes in International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) subjective score and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) score between baseline and final follow-up measurements. A Bayesian network meta-analysis was performed, with a post hoc meta-regression to correct for baseline differences in WOMAC scores. Treatment rankings were based on surface under the cumulative ranking (SUCRA) probabilities.Results:Included in the analysis were 6 randomized controlled trials (evidence level 1)...
Assessing sediments from Upper Mississippi River navigational pools using a benthic invertebrate community evaluation and the sediment quality triad approach

Benthic invertebrate samples were collected from 23 pools in the Upper Mississippi River (UMR) and from one station in the Saint Croix River (SCR) as part of a study to assess the effects of the extensive flooding of 1993 on sediment contamination in the UMR system. Sediment contaminants of concern included both organic and inorganic compounds. Oligochaetes and chironomids constituted over 80% of the total abundance in samples from 14 of 23 pools in the UMR and SCR samples. Fingernail clams comprised a large portion of the community in three of 23 UMR pools and exceeded abundances of 1,000/m2 in five of 23 pools. Total abundance ranged from 250/m* in samples from pool 1 to 22,389/m* in samples from pool 19. Abundance values are comparable with levels previ­ ously reported in the literature for the UMR. Overall frequency of chironomid mouthpart deformities was 3% (range O-13%), which is comparable to reported incidence of deformities in uncontaminated sediments previously evaluated. Sediment con­ tamination was generally low in the UMR pools and the SCR site. Correlations between benthic measures and sediment chemistry and other abiotic parameters exhibited few signifi­ cant or strong correlations. The sediment quality triad (Triad) approach was used to evaluate data from laboratory toxicity tests, sediment chemistry, and benthic community analyses; it showed that 88% of the samples were not scored as impacted based on sediment toxicity, chemistry, and benthic measures. Benthic invertebrate distributions and community structure within the UMR in the samples evaluated in the present study were most likely controlled by factors independent of contami­ nant concentrations in the sediments.
T-Cell Receptor ζ-Chain Expression on Tumor-infiltrating Lymphocytes from Renal Cell Carcinoma

Loss of the T-cell receptor-associated ζ chain in tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs) has been proposed as one mechanism of acquired immunosuppression in cancer patients. Recent reports suggest that ζ-chain loss may be related to contaminating monocyte/macrophage protease activity. Using flow cytometry and Western blot analysis, we have confirmed the expression of ζ chain in matched peripheral blood mononuclear cells and TILs from eight patients with primary renal cell carcinoma, when the cells were exposed to sufficient quantity of protease inhibitors. A small decrease in ζ-chain expression was found in three TIL samples. The loss of ζ-chain expression that was noted by others may be related to differences in laboratory method, and the small changes we have noted are unlikely to be sufficient in explaining the immunosuppression of TILs.
Pretest and Posttest Confidence Ratings in Test Performance by Low-, Medium-, and High-Scoring Students:

Before and after taking 12 successive tests, 90 introductory psychology students rated their level of confidence in passing each test. Students were divided into high, medium, and low groups based on their semester test scores. Students in the high group had higher ratings and were better able to predict their average performance than students in the low and medium groups. Ratings for all students averaged across the 12 tests correlated significantly with average test scores, but students were unable to evaluate their readiness for taking individual tests. Results suggest that ratings were based primarily on students' assessments of the relative difficulty of the test material and on their general ability in the course, rather than on the effectiveness of their study.
Ownership is theft: experiences building an embedded OS in rust

Rust, a new systems programming language, provides compile-time memory safety checks to help eliminate runtime bugs that manifest from improper memory management. This feature is advantageous for operating system development, and especially for embedded OS development, where recovery and debugging are particularly challenging. However, embedded platforms are highly event-based, and Rust's memory safety mechanisms largely presume threads. In our experience developing an operating system for embedded systems in Rust, we have found that Rust's ownership model prevents otherwise safe resource sharing common in the embedded domain, conflicts with the reality of hardware resources, and hinders using closures for programming asynchronously. We describe these experiences and how they relate to memory safety as well as illustrate our workarounds that preserve the safety guarantees to the largest extent possible. In addition, we draw from our experience to propose a new language extension to Rust that would enable it to provide better memory safety tools for event-driven platforms.
Sentenced to Science: One Black Man's Story of Imprisonment in America – By Allen M. Hornblum

Mixing first‐hand testimony provided by former prison inmate Edward Anthony with historical contextualization and analysis, the author of this book provides a disturbing but valuable account of the...
Pharmacological and immunological characterization of the Leu5 analogue of human beta-endorphin.

Abstract The potencies of β h-endorphin, Met (O) 5 - β h-endorphin , and syntheticLeu 5 - β h-endorphin have been compared in three bioassays of opioid activity, and in two radioimmunoassays. In all assays, a peptide isolated from hemodialysates from a psychotic patient behaved likeLeu 5 - β h-endorphin ; it has been distinguished unambiguously from β h-endorphin and Met(O) 5 - β h-endorphin .Leu 5 - β h-endorphin was one-fifth as potent as β h-endorphin in guinea pig ileum myenteric plexus, but was only slightly less active in mouse vas deferens and in guinea pig brain opiate receptor binding assay. The low cross-reactivity ofLeu 5 - β h-endorphin relative to β h-endorphin with an antiserum raised to β-endorphin suggests that the preferred solution conformations of these peptides are different. In all bioassays β h-endorphin was 2- to 3-fold less potent than β c-endorphin .
Reduction of the dirichlet problem to an initial value problem

Although the derivation is concerned with solutions for plane regions with prescribed boundary values, the approach presented could by easily generalized to higher dimensions. The initial-value method is derived by a combination of invariant imbedding techniques and the Fredholm integral equation method of representation of the potential as a function of a dilayer distribution on the boundary of the region in question.
Cellular interactions in the development of the shell gland of the gastropod, Ilyanassa.

To determine the cell lineage of the shell gland in Ilyanassa, the 2d and 2c micromeres were marked with carbon granules. The 2d micromere derivatives form the shell gland, but 2c derivatives are later incorporated into the mantle. Deletion of 2d causes shell abnormalities but, in about 10% of the cases, the shell appears normal although somewhat small. Deletion of 2c also causes characteristic shell abnormalities. After deletion of both 2d and 2c, no shell forms. When 2c is marked and 2d deleted, the shell gland is marked. Any one-quarter embryo can form internal shell masses. In 1013 isolated ectoblasts (−3A, −3B, −3C, −3D), no shell material formed. Ectoblast with any single macromere formed shell with good morphogenesis, as did ectoblast plus 4d. Posterior ectoblast plus 4d, equivalent in size to isolated whole ectoblast, formed external shell. Properly oriented ectoblast, grown in contact with a polar lobe, formed shell in up to 70% of the cases; in one-half of these, the shell was external. Deletion of the macromere from an ectoblast plus 3C series of embryos at intervals through the first day resulted in embryos which did not form shell. Ectoblast in contact with polarlobe for six days, then separated, developed shell on the seventh or eighth day. (1) Neither ectoderm nor endoderm in isolation will form shell but any ectoderm-endoderm combination has the histogenetic ability to form shell material; (2) the endoderm exerts its influence between the second and sixth days of development; (3) only those combinations including or in contat with polar lobe cytoplasm through the third quartet stage undergo normal morphogenesis; (4) transplanted polar lobes can induce ectoderm to form shell; (5) the histogenetic ability to form shell is suppressed or unactivated when polar lobe cytoplasm is present, except in the D quadrant; (6) specialization of the D quadrant is one of the major evolutionary trends in spiralians.
Effect of different wheat production systems on the presence of two parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae; Braconidae) of the Russian wheat aphid in the North American Great Plains

Abstract Diuraphis noxia (the Russian wheat aphid) severely damages winter wheat, which is typically grown in alternating 30–70 m wide strips of wheat and fallow ground (traditional rotation) in the western region of the North American Great Plains. Diversification of this production system occurs by adding a spring sown plant such as sunflower into the strip rotation (diversified rotation). Converting idle wheat land to grassland adds to plant diversity. Wheat production in the North American Great Plains is of an impressive scale (for each field, possibly 10 or more strips of several kilometers in length), but plant diversity occurs, particularly in the western region where diversified rotations and idle wheat land conversion to grassland are becoming more common. The ‘Enemies Hypothesis’ predicts a greater number of polyphagous natural enemies of insects in areas of high plant diversity. This hypothesis appeared to be valid for the ‘specialist’ aphid parasitoids Diaeretiella rapae and Aphelinus albipodus that were released to control D. noxia. A. albipodus was often more abundant along edges of wheat and sunflower strips of the diversified rotation than along edges of wheat of the traditional rotation. D. rapae was less abundant and principally found on sunflower and wheat of the diversified rotation. Parasitoids were often found in grassland adjacent to wheat at levels similar to those of the diversified rotation. The abundance of five aphid species on wheat was low in both rotations, and aphids on sunflower did not pose a threat to wheat health.
The heterogeneity of leukemic reticuloendotheliosis, “hairy cell leukemia”. Evidence for its monocytic origin

The presence of B, T, and monocyte markers were studied on the spleen and peripheral blood mononuclear cells from two patients with leukemic reticuloendotheliosis. A high proportion of cells from both patients bore a receptor for cytophilic antibody, both in suspension and frozen tissue section. Cells in suspension lacked surface immunoglobulins or a receptor for sheep red blood cells. These results favor the evidence that "hairy cells" are monocytic in origin.
Characteristic and Uncharacteristic Earthquakes as Possible Artifacts: Applications to the New Madrid and Wabash Seismic Zones

We thank Emile A. Okal and William H. Bakun for questioning the New Madrid seismic zone (NMSZ) earthquake history shown in Figure 10 (top) in our paper …
LAPAROSCOPIC RADICAL CYSTECTOMY IN THE FEMALE

ABSTRACTPurpose:: We detail the technique of completely intracorporeal laparoscopic radical cystectomy in the female patient, which has previously not been well described in the literature. Additionally, perioperative and short-term oncological outcome data are presented.Materials and Methods:: Since 2000, 11 female patients underwent laparoscopic radical cystectomy for bladder carcinoma. Data were collected with respect to patient demographics, perioperative outcomes and short-term oncological followup.Results:: Mean patient age was 66 years (range 42 to 80) and the mean body mass index was 25 (range 17 to 34). Mean total operative time was 8.5 hours (range 6.5 to 10.5), including an average radical cystectomy time of 2 to 2.5 hours. Estimated blood loss was 489 cc (range 150 to 1,000). Reconstructive procedures were an ileal conduit in 8 patients, Studer orthotopic neobladder in 2 and continent Indiana pouch in 1. Mean hospital stay was 6 days (range 5 to 12). No case was converted to open surgery. Comp...
Complexation of copper ion and nucleotides and catalytic hydrolysis of ATP by an octaaza macrocyclic ligand 3,6,9,17,20,23,29,30-octaazatricyclo[23,3,1,111,15] triaconta-1(29),11,13,15,25,27-hexaene

Abstract The complexation of copper(II) ion and nucleotides by an octaaza macrocyclic ligand 3,6,9,17,20,23,29,30-octaazatricyclo[23,3,1,111,15]triaconta-1(29),11,13,15,25,27-hexaene (BPBD) has been studied by potentiometric titration. Catalytic hydrolysis of ATP promoted by protonated BPBD has been investigated and the influence of pH on rate enhancements have been determined by HPLC. In addition, the crystal structure of a dinuclear Cu(II) complex [BPBDCu2](ClO4)4·4DMF (1) and the preliminary structure of a binary complex HxBPBD-Tp (2) are reported. Complex 1 crystallizes in the triclinic system, space group P 1 , with a=11.908(8), b=12.851(1), c=9.209(7) A, α=107.20(6), β=101.85(6), γ=68.84(6)°, and Z=2. Each copper(II) ion is coordinated by one pyridine nitrogen and three amino nitrogens, forming a square planar geometry.
A benchmark for best view selection of 3D objects

The best view selection corresponds to the task of automatically selecting the most representative view of a 3D model. In this paper, we describe a benchmark for evaluation of best view selection algorithms. The benchmark consists of the preferred views of 68 3D models provided by 26 human subjects. The data was collected using a web-based subjective experiment where the users were asked to select the most informative view of a 3D model. We provided a quantitative evaluation measure based on this ground truth data, and compared the performances of seven best view selection algorithms.
FIRAS Wire Grid Characterization Techniques

Characterization techniques used to verify the quality and spectral performance of the large freestanding wire grid polarizing beamsplitters and input/output polarizers used in the Far Infrared Absolute Spectrophotometer (FIRAS) are presented. The clear aperture of these grids is lined with 20.8 micron diameter gold coated tungsten wire, spaced 33 microns apart. The grid characteristics measured throughout fabrication and space flight qualification are the center to center wire spacing and wire plane flatness. Ideally, the wire grids should produce coherent wavefronts with equal reflectance and transmittance properties. When the spacing is inconsistent, these wavefront intensities are unequal, thus decreasing the efficiency of the grids and reducing the output signal of the FIRAS. The magnitude of the output interferogram is also reduced by incoherence in the interfering wave fronts caused by uneven flatness.
Positive Alcohol Expectancies Mediate the Influence of the Behavioral Activation System on Alcohol Use: A Prospective Path Analysis

Gray's (1975, 1987) behavioral activation (BAS) and behavioral inhibition systems (BIS) are thought to underlie sensitivity to reinforcement and punishment, respectively. Consistent with Gray's theory and the Acquired Preparedness model, BAS may facilitate the learning of positive alcohol expectancies (PAEs) over time, leading to increases in drinking. Yet, no prospective tests of this pathway have been reported. The present study investigated whether BAS prospectively predicted PAEs and whether PAEs mediated the association between BAS and subsequent alcohol use. We hypothesized that BAS would influence drinking specifically via enhancement-related PAEs. We also explored the role of BIS in PAEs and drinking. College students (N=557) completed online BAS, PAE, and alcohol use measures in September of their first (T1), second (T2), and third (T3) years of college. We conducted autoregressive path analyses with three BAS subscales and BIS (T1) as predictors, four PAE types (T2) as mediators, and quantity and frequency of drinking (T3) as outcomes. The BAS Fun-Seeking scale was prospectively associated with PAEs, and there was a significant indirect path from Fun-Seeking to alcohol use mediated specifically through activity enhancement PAEs. BIS was positively associated with some PAE types, but did not have indirect effects on drinking. Findings are consistent with both the theory of the BAS and the Acquired Preparedness model, as individuals high on BAS Fun-Seeking may find the rewarding properties of alcohol more reinforcing, leading to stronger enhancement PAEs and increased drinking over time. The prospective design helps establish the temporal association between BAS and alcohol-related learning, and points to the need for prevention efforts that target these at-risk students.
Neuraminidase-like Enzyme present in Mycoplasma gallisepticum

Mycoplasma gallisepticum is the agent responsible for chronic respiratory disease in chickens. It will agglutinate mammalian and avian erythrocytes, and this phenomenon has been used to detect M. gallisepticum haemagglutinating inhibition antibodies. Two antigens have been used in the haemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test. The first will here be referred to as the “prepared antigen”. This was obtained by growing the organism in broth, centrifuging and resuspending the organism in equal parts of glycerol and phosphate buffered saline (pH 7.0), freezing and storing until required for use, when it is further diluted in phosphate buffered saline. The other antigen is a rapidly growing 24 h broth culture grown in PPLO broth, 10 per cent horse serum, 1 per cent yeast autolysate, and 0.1 per cent dextrose, with the pH. adjusted to 7.8 (ref. 1).
Mitigating effects of ICRF-159 (razoxane) on a daunomycin-induced cardiomyopathy in mice.

ABSTRACTIn an attempt to induce in mice the cardiomyopathy associated with daunomycin treatment and to ameliorate this disorder by a protective pretreatment -with ICRF-159 (razoxane), young male BDF mice were injected with daunomycin, 6 mg/kg, in multiple doses. A second group of mice were pretreated by injection with razoxane, 200 mg/kg, 24 hours before each daunomycin administration.Within three weeks of the third daunomycin injection one half of the unprotected mice were moribund and were sacrificed. Wce pretreated with razoxane survived the length of the experiment without exhibiting any disabilities. Myocardial tissue of all mice was processed for light and electron microscopic examination.The myocardial ultrastructure of daunomycin-toxic mice showed foci of incipient changes, characterized hy sarcoplasmic translucency, vacuolation of membrane-limited components, degeneration of mitochondria and lysosomal aggregates.Evaluation of mice pretreated with razoxane either failed to reveal ultrastructural a...
APM project-management body of knowledge: the European view

Abstract An outline of the substance, form and attributes of the UK Association of Project Manager's body of knowledge is reviewed. It is maintained that a body of knowledge is necessary as a focal point to collate the knowledge and experiences of those involved in project management and to establish standards by which the profession may be advanced. To this end the APM body of knowledge facilitates the APM certification of project managers, the accreditation of training courses and modules, and the continuing professional development of project managers. The paper concludes with a few ideas about the multinational dimension of a developing body of knowledge.
Fluorescence Fluctuation Spectroscopy of mCherry in Living Cells

The red fluorescent protein mCherry is of considerable interest for fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS), because the wide separation in color between mCherry and green fluorescent protein provides excellent conditions for identifying protein interactions inside cells. This two-photon study reveals that mCherry exists in more than a single brightness state. Unbiased analysis of the data needs to account for the presence of multiple states. We introduce a two-state model that successfully describes the brightness and fluctuation amplitude of mCherry. The properties of the two states are characterized by FFS and fluorescence lifetime experiments. No interconversion between the two states was observed over the experimentally probed timescales. The effect of fluorescence resonance energy transfer between enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) and mCherry is incorporated into the two-state model to describe protein hetero-oligomerization. The model is verified by comparing the predicted and measured brightness and fluctuation amplitude of several fusion proteins that contain mCherry and EGFP. In addition, hetero-fluorescence resonance energy transfer between mCherry molecules in different states is detected, but its influence on FFS parameters is small enough to be negligible. Finally, the two-state model is applied to study protein oligomerization in living cells. We demonstrate that the model successfully describes the homodimerization of nuclear receptors. In addition, we resolved a mixture of interacting and noninteracting proteins labeled with EGFP and mCherry. These results provide the foundation for quantitative applications of mCherry in FFS studies.
Punjab’s Water Woes and India’s Food Security

Ground water tables in Punjab are declining at alarming rates in most districts of Punjab. One of the major causes of declining water tables is the increased cropping intensity. Whereas cropping intensity in Punjab was only 120% until about 50 years ago, it is now 190%. With one crop per year, a balance was maintained between water extraction and aquifer recharge. With two crops per year, this balance has been altered. Homogenization of crops in the state has also exacerbated the problem. Even more serious threat to nation’s agriculture is climate change. Himalayan glaciers, which are water towers for our rivers, are retreating. This will reduce the water flow in our rivers. While the climate-change impact on our water availability is several years away, we must address immediate problem of declining water tables in the state. Suggested interventions include crop diversification, precision agriculture, including water saving technologies, and developing crop varieties with improved water-use efficiency.
Femtosecond dynamics of short-range protein electron transfer in flavodoxin.

Intraprotein electron transfer (ET) in flavoproteins is important for understanding the correlation of their redox, configuration, and reactivity at the active site. Here, we used oxidized flavodoxin as a model system and report our complete characterization of a photoinduced redox cycle from the initial charge separation in 135–340 fs to subsequent charge recombination in 0.95–1.6 ps and to the final cooling relaxation of the product(s) in 2.5–4.3 ps. With 11 mutations at the active site, we observed that these ultrafast ET dynamics, much faster than active-site relaxation, mainly depend on the reduction potentials of the electron donors with minor changes caused by mutations, reflecting a highly localized ET reaction between the stacked donor and acceptor at a van der Waals distance and leading to a gas-phase type of bimolecular ET reaction confined in the active-site nanospace. Significantly, these ultrafast ET reactions ensure our direct observation of vibrationally excited reaction product(s), sugges...
Differentiation of histospecific ultrastructural features in cells of cleavage-arrested early ascidian embryos.

Ultrastructural features of histospecific differentiation were found in early cleavage stage ascidian embryos treated with cytochalasin B and held thereby in cleavagearrest until hatching time. Markers characteristic of tissue differentiation during normal embryonic and larval stages ofCiona intestinalis were expressed in muscle and two brain cell lineages of cleavage-arrested whole embryos and in epidermal and notochordal cell lineages of cleavage-arrested partial embryos. These features were muscle myofilaments and myofibrils, melanosomes of the brain pigment cells, cilium-derived structures present in a “proprioceptive” brain cell, extracellular test material of epidermal cell origin, and the sheath filaments, membrane leaflets, and vacuolar colloid associated with notochord cells. All of these ultrastructural markers of differentiation were blocked in their development by treatment of gastrula stage embryos with actinomycin D, an inhibitor of RNA synthesis, and presumably result from the expression of new gene activity. At the time of cleavage-arrest the five cell lineages studies still contained two or more unsegregated lineage pathways. Subsequent developmental autonomy within the lineages is consistent with the hypothesis of segregation during early development of functionally independent gene regulatory factors.
Transformational Leadership in the Classroom: The Development and Validation of the Student Intellectual Stimulation Scale

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a measure of intellectual stimulation in the college classroom. Based on the notion of transformational leadership articulated by Bass (1985) and the operationalization of teacher behaviors reported by Bolkan and Goodboy (in press), we created a quantitative measure for which no alternative existed. Results suggest that the Student Intellectual Stimulation Scale (SISS) has a stable factor structure, high internal reliability, and convergent and concurrent validity. Findings are discussed in relation to students' expectations of class workloads, demanding courses, and the culture of “college lite.”
Errors for calculations of strong shocks using an artificial viscosity and artificial heat flux

The artificial viscosity (Q) method of von Neumann and Richtmyer is a tremendously useful numerical technique for following shocks wherever and whenever they appear in the flow. We show that it must be used with some caution, however, as serious Q-induced errors (on the order of 100%) can occur in some strong shock calculations. We investigate three types of Q errors: 1. Excess Q heating, of which there are two types: (a) excess wall heating on shock formation and (b) shockless Q heating; 2. Q errors when shocks are propagated over a nonuniform mesh; and 3. Q errors in propagating shocks in spherical geometry. As a basis of comparison, we use as our standard the Lagrangian formulation with Q = C/sup 2//sub 0/rhol/sup 2/(u/sub x/)/sup 2/. This standard Q is compared with Noh's (Q and H) shock-following method, which employs an artificial heat flux (H) in addition to Q, and with the (non-Q) piecewise-parabolic method (PPM) of Colella and Woodward. Both the (Q and H) method and PPM (particularly when used with an adaptive shock-tracking mesh) give superior results for our test problems. In spherical geometry, Schulz's and Walen's tensor Q formulations of the hydrodynamic equations prove to be moremore » accurate than the standard Q formulation, and when Schulz's formulation is combined with Noh's (Q and H) method, superior results are achieved. Copyright 1987 Academic Press, Inc.« less
FAULT DETECTION FILTER APPLIED TO STRUCTURAL HEALTH MONITORING: EXPERIMENTAL RESULTS

Abstract A model based fault detection filter is developed for structural health monitoring of a simply supported beam. The structural damage represented in the plant model is decomposed and is shown to reduce to a fault direction vector maintaining a fixed direction. According to detection filter theory, this fault detection vector under certain circumstances can be uniquely detected and identified through an invariance in the direction imposed on the fault detection filter residuals. The design algorithm uses a left eigenstructure assignment approach. The filter is applied to data from an aluminum simply supported beam with 4 piezoelectric sensors and 1 piezoelectric actuator. By exciting the structure at the first natural frequency a 5 mm saw cut made to one side of the beam, is detected and localized.
Protein turnover in cardiac cell growth and survival

Protein turnover represents the balance between protein synthesis and degradation. It can be controlled quantitatively, for instance by an activation of protein synthesis during cardiac hypertrophy or by activating protein degradation during ventricular unloading. It can also be regulated qualitatively by changing the steady state concentration of specific proteins and enzymes. The recent literature points to an emerging role for the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) and for the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) in this process, and both pathways interact in the regulation of cell growth and survival. We highlight the critical role played by such interaction in different cellular functions, including insulin signaling, stress response to hypoxia, adaptation to variations in workload, regulation of protein phosphatase activity, apoptosis and post-ischemic recovery. A deregulation of these pathways participates in the mechanisms of cardiac ischemia, hypertrophy and failure, and controlling their activity represents an opportunity for novel therapeutic avenues.
Like-charge attraction: A combined electrostatic-hydrodynamic approach

Abstract This article discusses the like‐charge attraction of colloidal spheres close to a charged plate and compares results produced by an electrostatic and a hydrodynamic model with experimental data. Hydrodynamic coupling is shown to be the dominating effect, while the electrostatic influence may often be neglected. Some observations, however, can be explained only by means of a combined electrostatic–hydrodynamic model, which is derived in this work. The combined model is able to predict not only the attractive force between particles of similar charge close to a charged plate but also the change to a purely repulsive force once the sphere‐plate distance is further reduced. This prediction matches qualitatively results of experiments reported in the literature.
On the control of elastic vehicles - Model simplification and stability robustness

Quantitative criteria are presented for model simplification, or order reduction, such that the reduced order model may be used to synthesize and evaluate a control law, and the stability and stability robustness obtained using the reduced-order model will be preserved when controlling the full-order system. The error introduced due to model simplification is treated as modeling uncertainty, and some of the results from multivariable robustness theory are brought to bear on the model simplification problem. A numerical procedure developed previously is shown to lead to results that meet the necessary criteria. The procedure is applied to reduce the model of a flexible aircraft. Also, the importance of the control law itself, in meeting the modeling criteria, is underscored. An example is included that demonstrates that an apparently robust control law actually amplifies modest modeling errors in the critical frequency region, and leads to undesirable results. The cause of this problem is identified to be associated with the canceling of lightly-damped transmission zeroes in the plant.
Part-Elliptical Cracks Emanating From Open and Loaded Holes in Plates

A linear elastic analysis using the finite element-alternating method is conducted for problems of single semi-elliptical and double quarter-elliptical cracks near fastener holes. Mode-one stress intensity factors are presented along the crack periphery for cases of open and loaded holes and crack opening displacements are calculated. Results are shown for a variety of crack geometries and loading conditions and for two ratios of hole diameter to plate thickness.