cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Some factors influencing mixed complex formation

Abstract The tendency toward mixed complex formation may be expressed quantitatively in two different ways. The most common approach is to compare the stability of the mixed complex with the two pure 2:1 complexes where two like ligands are bound to a single metal ion. It is shown that extraneous factors that enter into formation of the pure 2:1 complexes, such as steric effects, may give a misleading indication of the stability of a mixed complex. Moreover, unless both ligands are of the same charge, there is an appreciable electrostatic contribution to mixed complex formation that is ionic strength dependent. The alternative formulation that relates the stability of the mixed complex to 1:1 complexes provides a better measure of the intrinsic tendency toward mixed complex formation. When one of the ligands is uncharged as is the case with amines, there is no electrostatic contribution in this formulation. For most ligands the visible circular dichroism magnitudes of mixed Cu(II) complexes containing l -alanine or R -1,2-diaminopropane as one ligand are not half that of the 2:1 complex with one of the optically active ligands. This result suggests profound electronic interactions within the tetragonal plane. In addition four aromatic amines, bipyridyl, phenanthroline, bipyridylamine and histamine, when present as the other ligand in a mixed Cu(II) complex invert the sign of the visible CD from that of the 2:1 complex of the optically active ligand. Steric effects are ruled out and transmission of electronic effects through π systems is suggested to account for the inversions. Most Cu(II) complexes with two bidentate ligands are at least five-coordinate in solution, but axially bound water is not specifically considered in mixed complex formation. So-called binary complexes are actually ternary complexes with water as the second ligand. Viewed in this way ratios of the first to second stability constants provide an untapped fund of data on tendencies toward formation of mixed complexes.
Acute effects of a single afternoon melatonin injection on LH, prolactin, and pineal melatonin titers in the Syrian hamster.

Young adult male Syrian hamsters maintained in an LD 14∶10 photoperiod (lights out at 8 p.m.) were given a single injection of 25μg melatonin or ethanolic-saline at 4 p.m. Animals from each group were sacrificed at 5 p.m., 4 a.m., and 10 a.m. following the injections. Pituitary and plasma LH and prolactin as well as pineal melatonin levels were determined in all animals by RIA. Pineal melatonin levels were significantly (p>0.025) reduced at 10 a.m. in the melatonin treated group. Melatonin administration also suppressed pituitary LH levels at 4 a.m. and plasma LH levels at 10 a.m. Plasma prolactin concentrations at 4 a.m. and pituitary prolactin levels at both 5 p.m. and 10 a.m. were significantly elevated in melatonin treated hamsters compared with those given ethanolic-saline. These results indicate that exogenous melatonin has immediate effects on several hormones important in the regulation of reproductive events in this species. This acute injection model may therefore aid in the elucidation of melatonin's mechanism of action in the Syrian hamster.
Coordinate reduction for exploring chemical reaction paths

The potential energy surface for the reaction of a typical molecular system composed of N atoms is defined uniquely by 3N-6 coordinates. These coordinates can be defined by the Cartesian coordinates of the atomic centers (minus overall translation and rotation), or a set of internally defined coordinates such as bond stretches, angle bends, and torsions. By applying principal component analysis to the geometries along a reaction path, a reduced set of coordinates, d ≪ 3N-6, can be obtained. This reduced set of coordinates can reproduce the changes in geometry along the reaction path with chemical accuracy and may help improve the efficiency of reaction path optimization algorithms.
Outlier detection and robust covariance estimation using mathematical programming

The outlier detection problem and the robust covariance estimation problem are often interchangeable. Without outliers, the classical method of maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) can be used to estimate parameters of a known distribution from observational data. When outliers are present, they dominate the log likelihood function causing the MLE estimators to be pulled toward them. Many robust statistical methods have been developed to detect outliers and to produce estimators that are robust against deviation from model assumptions. However, the existing methods suffer either from computational complexity when problem size increases or from giving up desirable properties, such as affine equivariance. An alternative approach is to design a special mathematical programming model to find the optimal weights for all the observations, such that at the optimal solution, outliers are given smaller weights and can be detected. This method produces a covariance estimator that has the following properties: First, it is affine equivariant. Second, it is computationally efficient even for large problem sizes. Third, it easy to incorporate prior beliefs into the estimator by using semi-definite programming. The accuracy of this method is tested for different contamination models, including recently proposed ones. The method is not only faster than the Fast-MCD method for high dimensional data but also has reasonable accuracy for the tested cases.
Development of an integrated wind profile from several sources using a continuity model

An approach based on the Wuertz-Weber continuity model (1989) coupled with a Gaussian smoothing technique developed by the U.S. Army Atmospheric Sciences Laboratory is presented. The approach is aimed at providing an integrated profile of wind from the surface to 20 km mean sea level. The continuity model demonstrated excellent results on the test data.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Carbon deposition and the role of reducing agents in hot-corrosion processes

Sodium sulfate deposits generated by impurities in the fuels can be reduced to more corrosive sulfide in the presence of partially uncombusted hydrocarbons, the reduction temperature depending upon the carbon particle size. Thermogravimetric studies indicate that nickel oxide and oxidized nickel metal are rapidly reduced by methane between 500° and 1000°C with deposition of pyrolytic carbon. The analogy is pointed out between the attack on a Ni-13Al-10Cr alloy by Na2SO4 both in the presence of carbon deposits and in a reducing atmosphere of hydrogen. It appears that carbon deposition by promoting local reducing conditions can play an important role in the occurrence of hot-corrosion in gas turbines.
Premilking Stimulation Effects on Milking Performance and Oxytocin and Prolactin Release in Cows

Abstract For effects on milking performance, 12 Holstein cows were subjected to four stimulation routines: a) no stimulation, b) manual stimulation, c) manual stimulation with delayed milking, and d) intravenous infusion of .75 IU of oxytocin. In an added experiment, effects of the first two treatments on milking performance and release of oxytocin and prolactin were measured. Milk yield, fat, and protein content were not affected by any treatment. Machine-on times were shorter and peak and average milk flow rates higher for manually stimulated and oxytocin infused cows. Concentrations of oxytocin and prolactin in sera at resting were 5.25 μ U/ml and 16.5ng/ml. Differences between mean peak concentrations of oxytocin (16.6 and 16.0 μ U/ml) and prolactin (28.1 and 27.5ng.ml) for stimulated and unstimulated cows were small. Mean oxytocin concentration in stimulated cows peaked at 2min compared with 5min for unstimulated cows. No difference in time of prolactin release was detected. The timing of oxytocin release, rather than maximal concentration, could be the most important factor affecting milking.
DIFFERING USE OF NEUTROPHIL (PMN) RECEPTORS BY IMMUNOGLOBULIN G (IgG) ELICITED IN RESPONSE TO GROUP B STREPTOCOCCAL (GBS) TYPE III POLYSACCHARIDE(III-PS) OR GBS III-PS TETANUS TOXOID (III-TT) CONJUGATE VACCINES.

Previously, we have shown an interactive effect for PMN Fc and complement receptors (CR) in phagocytosis of type III GBS. We proposed that antibodies elicited to GBS III-PS or III-TT vaccines might differ in PMN receptor use. Sera from 10 adults with low preimmunization levels of III GBS-specific antibody (<1.0 μg/ml, IgG ELISA) were collected 1 yr after receipt of III-PS or III-TT vaccines when antibody levels were 7-213 μg/ml. The lowest concentration of purified IgG that would support 90% killing of III GBS in an opsonophagocytic (OP) assay, 0.7 μg/ml of antibody to III GBS, was used in further testing of IgG from each of the individual vaccinees. Blockade of CR3 by the monoclonal antibody (mAb) Leu 15 significantly inhibited OP mediated by IgG from III-PS recipients but not for III-TT recipients (83.3 ± 21.8% vs 35 ± 10.1%, P = 0.009, unpaired t test). Neither showed significant inhibition by mAb CD35, directed against CR1. In contrast, uptake of radiolabeled type III GBS was significantly impaired for IgG from III-TT but not for that from III-PS recipients when FcRII was blocked using Fab fragments of mAb IV.3 (74.0 ± 16.5% vs 16.2 ± 19.0% inhibition, P = 0.002) or when FcRIII was blocked by Fab′2 fragments of mAb 3G8 (45.5± 14.3% vs 7.9 ± 9.4% inhibition, P = 0.003). There was no difference in the IgG subclass responses to type III GBS-PS whether it was conjugated to TT or not; IgG2 predominated for both groups. These results indicate reduced use of CR3 and increased use of FcR for IgG elicited in response to III-TT when compared to IgG from III-PS recipients. Differing use of PMN FcR or CR by IgG elicited in response to III-PS vs III-TT hasimplications important for host defense.
Uptake of calcium by platelet relaxing factor.

IN 1963 Grette1 described a relaxing factor in the 14,000g supernatant obtained after extraction of homogenized platelets in salt solution. In the presence of ATP the apparently membrane-free solution inhibited superprecipitation of the platelet contractile protein, thrombosthenin2, and the inhibitory activity was abolished by addition of excess calcium ions. Grette's findings were identical to results obtained by others on the behaviour of actomyosin in the presence of ATP and relaxing factor from skeletal muscle3. The relaxing factors extracted from muscle and platelets were thought to be soluble components of the respective cells1,3.
Optimal weights for general L2 distance estimators

Abstract Minimum L 2 distance parameter estimators based upon a general nonparametric estimator of a function are defined. Their asymptotic distribution theory is then derived, with special attention given to the development of a technique for determining the optimal weight function.
23 Neonatal physiological status of cloned and control calves.

Health problems and mortality rates of cloned calves are major limitations of cloning technology and represent substantial economic losses as well as justifiable animal health and welfare concerns. The objectives of this study were to compare neonatal viability and physiological status of cloned and control calves. Cloned (Holstein, n = 5; Hereford, n = 3) and control (embryo transfer: Holstein, n = 3; Hereford, n = 3) calves were carried in the same group of Hereford × Angus crossbred recipient dams and were delivered by Cesarean section at term (Days 273–280) following induced labor. Additional calves (Holstein, n = 3; Hereford, n = 2) resulting from AI and delivered vaginally by their natural dams (Days 269–279) following spontaneous initiation of parturition were included as normal controls to evaluate the effects of the induction procedure. Physical evaluations and measurements of blood biochemistry (19 parameters), gases and electrolytes (9 parameters), and complete blood counts (18 parameters) were performed within 10 min of birth and at 1, 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, and 48 h after birth. Cloned calves were observed with increased occurrence of flexural limb deformities (4/8 clones, 0/9 controls; P 3 h; P < 0.05). Cloned calves were more variable than, but not different from, controls for most blood parameters measured. Compared with controls, at birth clones exhibited reduced red blood cell counts (6.8 and 8.6 × 109 cells/mL, clones and controls, respectively; P < 0.01), plasma bicarbonate (23.1 vs. 26.2 mmol/L; P < 0.05), and plasma glucose (39.4 vs. 73.6 mg/dL; P < 0.05). Blood urea nitrogen concentrations in clones tended to be elevated beginning 24 h after birth and were significantly greater than those in controls by 48 h (13.4 vs. 7.4 mg/dL; P < 0.01). Echocardiographic measurements at 24 h of age varied between groups (Table 1) and were indicative of circulatory abnormalities likely originating in utero for clones. The results of this study identified the physiological differences between clones and controls at birth and may be useful in the development of clinical-care protocols to maximize the health and survival of cloned calves. Table 1. Echocardiographic characteristics of cloned and control calves
Lack of effect of specific sodium hunger on learned aversions to sodium and sucrose

Frumkin (1975) reported that sodium-deficient rats fail to learn taste aversions to NaCl. However, those rats were sodium-deficient at the time of testing as well as at the time of training; any learned aversion could have been masked by a strong sodium hunger. Rats were made temporarily sodium-hungry by injections of Formalin or aldosterone. They were then poisoned after drinking both an NaCl and a sucrose solution. Several days later they were tested for learned aversions. Rats trained under the influence of aldosterone did not differ from controls. Rats trained under the influence of Formalin acquired slightly weaker aversions to both NaCl and sucrose. Thus there is no evidence that sodium deficiency alters the associability of NaCl with poison.
How deeply cells feel: methods for thin gels

Tissue cells lack the ability to see or hear but have evolved mechanisms to feel into their surroundings and sense a collective stiffness. A cell can even sense the effective stiffness of rigid objects that are not in direct cellular contact - like the proverbial princess who feels a pea placed beneath soft mattresses. How deeply a cell feels into a matrix can be measured by assessing cell responses on a controlled series of thin and elastic gels that are affixed to a rigid substrate. Gel elasticity E is readily varied with polymer concentrations of now-standard polyacrylamide hydrogels, but to eliminate wrinkling and detachment of thin gels from an underlying glass coverslip, vinyl groups are bonded to the glass before polymerization. Gel thickness is nominally specified using micron-scale beads that act as spacers, but gels swell after polymerization as measured by z-section, confocal microscopy of fluorescent gels. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) is used to measure E at gel surfaces, employing stresses and strains that are typically generated by cells and yielding values for E that span a broad range of tissue microenvironments. To illustrate cell sensitivities to a series of thin-to-thick gels, the adhesive spreading of mesenchymal stem cells was measured on gel mimics of a very soft tissue (eg. brain, E ~ 1 kPa). Initial results show that cells increasingly respond to the rigidity of an underlying 'hidden' surface starting at about 10-20 microm gel thickness with a characteristic tactile length of less than about 5 microm.
Phosphoinositide-3-Kinase Catalytic Subunit Inhibition Does Not Produce Synthetic Lethality in Estrogen Receptor Positive Breast Cancer Cells with Acquired Resistance to Estrogen Deprivation.

Background: Several phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K) catalytic subunit inhibitors are currently in clinical development. However, targeting strategies for PI3K catalytic subunits for treatment in estrogen receptor positive (ER+) disease have not been fully developed. We have recently reported that targeted inhibition of the two major PI3K catalytic subunits, p110α and p110β, using RNA interference (RNAi) induces apoptosis in short term estrogen-deprived ER+ breast cancer cells. Similarly, treatment with BEZ235, a clinical grade p110α/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)-selective inhibitor, also promoted apoptosis in estrogen-deprived ER+ breast cancer cells. Importantly, we found that estradiol significantly suppressed death in ER+ cells induced by inhibition of PI3K catalytic subunits through both RNA interference and BEZ235. In contrast estrogen deprivation or PI3K inhibition individually caused little or no increase in apoptosis, indicating that there is a synthetic lethal interaction with estrogen deprivation/PI3K inhibitor combination treatment in ER+ breast cancer. These data suggest that combining estrogen deprivation with PI3K inhibition may improve clinical outcome by eradicating ER+ cells through increased tumor cell kill. We have extended these studies in order to determine the effect of PI3K catalytic subunit inhibition in long-term estrogen deprived (LTED) cells, a model for acquired resistance to endocrine therapy. Methods: LTED sub-lines of the ER+ MCF7 and T47D breast cancer cell lines were derived by depriving cells of estrogen for 6–9 months in phenol red-free medium containing charcoal-stripped serum after which time cells grow readily without supplemental estrogen. The effects of PI3K inhibition using RNAi and treatment with BEZ235 or BGT226, a p110α-selective inhibitor, were compared in short-term estrogen deprived MCF7 and T47D cells and their LTED derivatives by measuring effects on cell signaling, growth and apoptosis. Cell signaling was evaluated through western blotting, cell growth was measured using resazurin reduction and apoptosis was quantified by flow cytometry using the TUNEL assay. Results: PI3K inhibition using p110α RNAi or treatment with BEZ235 inhibited the growth of MCF7 LTED cells in the absence of supplemental estrogen. However, p110α RNAi or treatment with BEZ235 or the clinical grade p110α-selective inhibitor BGT226 failed to significantly induce apoptosis in MCF7 LTED cells. The effects of PI3K inhibition in T47D LTED cells are under investigation and will be presented. Conclusions: These results suggest that that the efficacy of PI3K inhibitors will be blunted after the onset of acquired resistance to estrogen deprivation through treatment with aromatase inhibitors and that a combined ER/PI3K targeting strategy in ER+ breast cancer treatment should be employed in the endocrine therapy sensitive phase of the disease. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 3131.
Effects of Mean Flow Profiles on the Instability of a Low-Density Gas Jet Injected Into a High-Density Gas

The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of the mean flow profiles on the instability characteristics in the near-injector region of low-density gas jets injected into high-density ambient gas mediums. To achieve this, a linear temporal stability analysis and a spatio-temporal stability analysis of a low-density round gas jet injected vertically upwards into a high-density ambient gas were performed by assuming three different sets of mean velocity and density profiles. The flow was assumed to be isothermal and locally parallel. Viscous and diffusive effects were ignored. The mean flow parameters were represented as the sum of the mean value and a small normal-mode fluctuation. A second order differential equation governing the pressure disturbance amplitude was derived from the basic conservation equations. The first set of mean velocity and density profiles assumed were those used by Monkewitz and Sohn for investigating absolute instability in hot jets. The second set of velocity and density profiles assumed for this study were the ones used by Lawson. And the third set of mean profiles included a parabolic velocity profile and a hyperbolic tangent density profile. The effects of the inhomogeneous shear layer and the Froude number (signifying the effects of gravity) on the temporal and spatio-temporal results for each set of mean profiles were delineated. Additional information is included in the original extended abstract.
Identification of active Zr–WO x clusters on a ZrO 2 support for solid acid catalysts

Tungstated zirconia is a robust solid acid catalyst for light alkane (C4–C8) isomerization. Several structural models for catalytically active sites have been proposed, but the topic remains controversial, partly because of the absence of direct structural imaging information on the various supported WOx species. High-angle annular dark-field imaging of WO3/ZrO2 catalysts in an aberration-corrected analytical electron microscope allows, for the first time, direct imaging of the various species present. Comparison of the relative distribution of these WOx species in materials showing low and high catalytic activities has allowed the deduction of the likely identity of the catalytic active site—namely, subnanometre Zr–WOx clusters. This information has subsequently been used in the design of new catalysts, in which the activity of a poor catalyst has been increased by two orders of magnitude using a synthesis procedure that deliberately increases the number density of catalytically relevant active species. Small alkanes are typically isomerized on tungstated-alumina solid-acid catalysts, but the origin of the activity has been unclear. Now, high-resolution imaging has revealed subnanometre Zr-WOx clusters to be the active sites.
InAlGaN optical emitters: laser diodes with non-epitaxial cladding layers and ultraviolet light-emitting diodes

We describe recent work on InGaN lasers and AlGaN UV LEDs at the Palo Alto Research Center (PARC). The presentation includes results from InGaN laser diodes in which the usual epitaxial upper cladding layer is replaced with an evaporated or sputtered non-epitaxial material, such as indium tin oxide, silver, or a silver-palladium-copper alloy [1, 2]. Non-epitaxial cladding layers offer several advantages to long wavelength InGaN laser diodes, such as eliminating the need to expose vulnerable InGaN active layers to the high temperatures required for growing conventional p-AlGaN cladding layers subsequent to the active layer growth. The presentation also discusses our recent results on AlGaN UV LEDs. UV LEDs with 300 micron square geometries operating at λ = 325 nm exhibit output powers of 13 mW with differential quantum efficiencies of 0.054 W/A measured under wafer-level, unpackaged condition with no heat sink. LEDs operating at λ = 290 nm under similar test conditions display output powers of 1.6 mW for large-area 300 μm X 1 mm devices.
The minimum cost spanning forest game

Abstract We generalize the well-known minimum cost spanning tree game by introducing multiple sources. A forest solution ensues which accounts for competition among the various sources. Using this solution, we show that the core of the induced game is non-empty.
Pain in the rheumatic diseases

The importance of pain in the health status and health behavior of patients with chronic rheumatic disease was evaluated. The Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales were used to estimate physical disability, psychological status, and pain in a large set of rheumatic disease patients. Explanatory regression models were built to explore the contribution of pain in physician and patient assessments of overall health, medication usage, and changes in health status over time. Results confirm that pain makes a highly significant contribution to explaining both physician and patient overall health assessments (P less than 0.001). Pain is also the most important of the 3 health status components in explaining medication usage (P less than 0.001). Finally, using prospective data, it is shown that current pain, rather than current physical or psychological disability, is the best predictor of subsequent pain (P less than 0.001). Current pain also is most associated with subsequent physical disability (P less than 0.05). These findings confirm the importance of pain in determining the health status and health behavior of individuals with chronic rheumatic disease, and suggest that doctors and other health professionals should continue to solicit and address the patient's complaints of pain.
On proving lower bounds for circuit size

A.A. Razborov's (1989) generalized approximation method, which has the potential of giving tight lower bounds for circuit size, is considered. The method is described in a more intuitive fashion, and its analogy with the ultraproduct construction in model theory is made explicit. The method is extended so that it can be used to lower bound nondeterministic circuit size. Using the proposed framework, a new proof for the exponential monotone size lower bound for the clique function is presented. >
Aldosterone Stimulates Matrix Metalloproteinases and Reactive Oxygen Species in Adult Rat Ventricular Cardiomyocytes

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), aldosterone, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) are implicated in myocardial remodeling. Although ROS, cytokines, and neurohormones regulate MMP in cardiac fibrobla...
Posterior compartment resection of the thigh for soft‐tissue sarcomas

Aims: Soft-tissue sarcomas of the anterior thigh present technical problems due to the proximity of the femoral vessels, and the disability caused by a standard anterior compartment resection• Methods: We treated 44 consecutive patients with primary sarcomas in the anterior thigh with wide resection (n = 15), and modified (n=26) or standard (n=3) compartment resection. No patient had amputation as primary treatment. Results: The overall rate of local recurrence was 6/44 (14%). Local recurrence was observed in 1/3 patients with standard anterior compartment resection and 5/41 (12%) of those with wide excision or modified compartment resection. It was noted in I/6 (17%) patients with adjuvant radiation and 5/38 (13%) of those treated with surgery
Transient imposed scaling considerations in advanced narrow-emitter bipolar transistors

This paper presents a detailed two-dimensional numerical simulation study on the switch-on transient of advanced narrow-emitter bipolar transistors. Particular emphasis is placed on the effect of the "link-up" region between the extrinsic and intrinsic bases. It is shown that due to the non-uniform current distribution during the switch-on transient, the encroachment of the extrinsic base into the intrinsic base area causes much more severe degradation in the switching speed of the device than those predicted by DC or quasi-static AC analyses. The design considerations and scaling implications imposed by this transient phenomenon are discussed.
New Directions in Medical Liability Reform

Traditional strategies for medical liability reform have had limited success in controlling malpractice costs and have not improved health care quality. Future directions will be informed by evaluations of approaches aimed at reducing liability costs and improving safety.
Information dynamic spectrum characterizes system instability toward critical transitions

This paper addresses the need of characterizing system instability toward critical transitions in complex systems. We propose a novel information dynamic spectrum framework and a probabilistic light cone method to automate the analysis. Our framework uniquely investigates heterogeneously networked dynamical systems with transient directional influences, which subsumes unidirectional diffusion dynamics. When the observed instability of a system deviates from the prediction, the method automatically indicates the approach of an upcoming critical transition. We provide several demonstrations in engineering, economics, and social systems. The results suggest that early detecting critical transitions of synchronizations, sudden collapse, and exponential growth is possible.
Structural studies of retroviruses: characterization of oligomeric complexes of murine and feline leukemia virus envelope and core components formed upon cross-linking.

Abstract To examine the protein proximity and subunit organization of type C retroviruses, preparations of AKR murine leukemia virus were treated with bifunctional cross-linking reagents and analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). The cross-linked components obtained were characterized by immunoprecipitation with monospecific antisera against purified viral proteins, followed by SDS-PAGE analysis both before and after cleavage of the cross-links. With these procedures, complexes of both viral envelope and core components were identified. The major envelope subunit obtained was a large (apparent molecular weight of 450,000 to 500,000), glycosylated complex, composed of four to six gp70-p15(E) subunits. This complex was detected over a 100-fold range of cross-linker concentration and thus seems to represent a particularly stable viral substructure. The cross-linked complexes of the core proteins consisted of oligomers of p30 dimers, suggesting that the p30 dimer is a basic structural unit of the viral core. When virion preparations, which had previously been disrupted with the nonionic detergent Nonidet P-40, were cross-linked, the envelope complex was still observed, indicating that this structure is stable in the presence of Nonidet P-40. A similar envelope structure was observed for feline leukemia virus, suggesting that such a complex may be a conserved feature of oncornavirus structure.
The Next Era of Palliative Care.

In 1995, the pivotal SUPPORT (Study to Understand Prognoses and Preferences for Outcomes and Risks of Treatment), involving more than 4000 patients, documented “substantial shortcomings in care for seriously ill hospitalized patients” while demonstrating no improvement in outcomes with a nurse-led communication intervention.1 These negative results—published in JAMA and referenced in more than 1000 peer-reviewed publications—galvanized efforts to improve advanced illness care. Champions of these efforts became leaders in palliative care—an emerging field focused on improving quality of life and alleviating physical and psychological symptoms for patients with complex serious illness and their families.
Jobs, Careers, and Callings: People's Relations to Their Work

We present evidence suggesting that most people see their work as either a Job (focus on financial rewards and necessity rather than pleasure or fulfillment; not a major positive part of life), a Career (focus on advancement), or a Calling (focus on enjoyment of fulfilling, socially useful work). Employees at two work sites (n= 196) with a wide range of occupations from clerical to professional were unambiguous in seeing their work primarily in terms of a Job, Career, or Calling. Differences in respondents' relations to their work could not be reduced to demographic or occupational differences; an homogenous subset of 24 college administrative assistants were, like the total sample of respondents, distributed evenly across Job, Career, and Calling.
The older rabbit as an animal model: Implications for Alzheimer's disease

Eyeblink classical conditioning (EBCC) is impared in rabbits and humans during normal aging and severely disrupted in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and older Down's Syndrome patients (called DS/AD). To determine if older rabbit brains developed neuropathological evidence of Alzheimer-like pathology to account for impaired EBCC, the cerebellum and hippocampus of behaviorally tested rabbits aged 3 months to 7 years were probed using immunohistochemical techniques. Significant cell loss and gliosis were observed in some brain regions, but there was little or no deposition of beta-amyloid (A beta) or abnormal tau accumulations in telencephalic neurons, even in rabbits over 7 years of age. Our aims here are to: 1) report the results of our search for Alzheimer-like neuropathology in aged rabbit brains; and 2) highlight similarities in the brain mechanisms for EBCC between rabbits and humans and, hence, the utility of studies of EBCC in rabbits as a model system for testing cognition-enhancing drugs.
Familial testicular germ cell tumor: no associated syndromic pattern identified

Background: Testicular germ cell tumor (TGCT) is the most common malignancy in young men. Familial clustering, epidemiologic evidence of increased risk with family or personal history, and the association of TGCT with genitourinary (GU) tract anomalies have suggested an underlying genetic predisposition. Linkage data have not identified a rare, highly-penetrant, single gene in familial TGCT (FTGCT) cases. Based on its association with congenital GU tract anomalies and suggestions that there is an intrauterine origin to TGCT,we hypothesized the existence of unrecognized dysmorphic features in FTGCT. Methods: We evaluated 38 FTGCT individuals and 41 first-degree relatives from 22 multiple-case families with detailed dysmorphology examinations, physician-based medical history and physical examination, laboratory testing, and genitourinary imaging studies. Results: The prevalence of major abnormalities and minor variants did not significantly differ between either FTGCT individuals or their first-degree relatives when compared with normal population controls, except for tall stature, macrocephaly, flat midface, and retro-/micrognathia. However, these four traits were not manifest as a constellation of features in any one individual or family. We did detect an excess prevalence of the genitourinary anomalies cryptorchidism and congenital inguinal hernia in our population, as previously described in sporadic TGCT, but no congenital renal, retroperitoneal or mediastinal anomalies were detected. Conclusions: Overall, our study did not identify a constellation of dysmorphic features in FTGCT individuals, which is consistent with results of genetic studies suggesting that multiple low-penetrance genes are likely responsible for FTGCT susceptibility.
Structure-activity relationship of non-coplanar polychlorinated biphenyls toward skeletal muscle ryanodine receptors in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Abstract Research addressing the health impacts of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) has primarily focused on the effects of coplanar, or dioxin-like (DL), congeners, which is especially true for research assessing impacts in fish species. Ortho substituted non-coplanar, termed non-dioxin-like (NDL), PCBs have received less attention. In mammals, NDL PCBs enhance the activity of ryanodine receptors (RyR), calcium release channels necessary for engaging excitation–contraction (EC) coupling in striated muscle. We utilized in vitro receptor binding analysis to determine whether NDL PCB congeners detected in aquatic environments alter the activity of RyR isoform 1 (RyR1) found in the skeletal muscle of rainbow trout. Congeners 52, 95, 136, and149 were the most efficacious leading to an increase in receptor activity that was approximately 250% greater than that found under solvent control conditions. Other environmentally relevant congeners, namely PCB 153, 151 and 101, which all contain two or more chlorines in the ortho -position, enhanced receptor activity by greater than 160% of baseline. The mono- ortho congeners or the non- ortho PCB 77 had negligible impact on the RyR1. When combined, in binary or environmentally relevant mixtures, congeners shown to enhance receptor activity appeared to display additivity and when the active PCB 95 was present with the non-active congener PCB 77 the impact on receptor activity was reduced from 250% to 230%. The important role of the RyR and the demonstrated additive nature of NDL congeners toward altering channel function calls for further investigation into the ecological implications of altered RyR function in fish with high PCB burdens.
Resilience in intensive care units: A transactive responsibility model

Intensive care units are high risk settings where reliability of team performance is critical. We interviewed nurses and physicians to understand practices used to achieve resilience in intensive care. A central theme emerged surrounding the concept of transactive responsibility, in contrast to intuitive approaches in organizational design such as clear definition of responsibilities. Through thematic analysis and grounded-theory methodologies we identified precedence of a transactive-responsibility system in a work unit.
Measuring Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs:

Two scales have been proposed to measure Maslow's hierarchy of needs in college students, one by Lester (1990) and one by Strong and Fiebert (1987). In a sample of 51 college students, scores on the corresponding scales for the five needs did not correlate significantly and positively, except for the measures of physiological needs. Furthermore, there was limited support for Maslow's hypothesis that need deprivation would predict psychopathology (specifically, mania and depression).
Polytope Pairs and Their Relationship to Linear Programming.

Abstract : An important development in the theory of (convex) polytopes was the determination by Barnette and McMullen of the minimum and maximum of v(P) (number of vertices of P) as P ranges over all simple d-polytopes with n facets. Their results are here extended to certain pairs consisting of a polytope and one of its facets. Corollaries of our main results are the determination of the minimum and maximum of v(P) as P ranges over all simple d-polyhedra with u unbounded and n - u bounded facets, and of the minimum and maximum of v(P not F)/v(F) as (P,F) ranges over all pairs consisting of a simple d-polytope P with n facets and a facet F intersecting all other facets of P. Such pairs, called Kirkman pairs of class (d,n), are related to several aspects of linear programming, including a recent algorithm of Mattheiss for finding all vertices of a polytope defined by a system of linear inequalities. (Author)
Transient electrical coupling regulates formation of neuronal networks

Electrical synapses are abundant before and during developmental windows of intense chemical synapse formation, and might therefore contribute to the establishment of neuronal networks. Transient electrical coupling develops and is then eliminated between regenerating Helisoma motoneurons 110 and 19 during a period of 48-72 h in vivo and in vitro following nerve injury. An inverse relationship exists between electrical coupling and chemical synaptic transmission at these synapses, such that the decline in electrical coupling is coincident with the emergence of cholinergic synaptic transmission. In this study, we have generated two- and three-cell neuronal networks to test whether predicted synaptogenic capabilities were affected by previous synaptic interactions. Electrophysiological analyses demonstrated that synapses formed in three-cell neuronal networks were not those predicted based on synaptogenic outcomes in two-cell networks. Thus, new electrical and chemical synapse formation within a neuronal network is dependent on existing connectivity of that network. In addition, new contacts formed with established networks have little impact on these existing connections. These results suggest that network-dependent mechanisms, particularly those mediated by gap junctional coupling, regulate synapse formation within simple neural networks.
Dynamics of clusters of charged particulates in electromagnetic fields

SUMMARY The dynamics of rigid clusters of charged particulates is the subject of this work. The work ascertains what properties of the cluster control its dynamic response to an external electromagnetic field. A primary focus is on the role of the distribution of the charges within the cluster and the effects of the Lorentz force on the overall body’s linear and angular momentum. The presentation contains a derivation of the equations governing a charged cluster’s dynamics and development of corresponding numerical methods for the simulation. Numerical examples are presented, along with comparisons to qualitative analytical results, where possible. Copyright 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Received 24 March 2010; Revised 2 June 2010; Accepted 30 June 2010
Black Women's Self-Perceptions of Attractiveness Following Exposure to White Versus Black Beauty Standards: The Moderating Role of Racial Identity and Self-Esteem

This study examined racial identity, self-esteem, and Black versus White beauty standards as moderators of body image perceptions among 60 Black women. In two experimental conditions, subjects evaluated photographs of either three Black models or three White models, all previously determined to be attractive. Control group subjects did not evaluate photographs. All subjects then completed measures of their own body esteem and attractiveness. Results indicated that body esteem was positively related to self-esteem for subjects in the photograph conditions but not for subjects in the control condition. The relative attractiveness ratings of self versus models were dependent on race of the models and subjects' self-esteem, and on race of the models and subjects' racial identity. The first interaction indicated more favorable comparative ratings for subjects with high self-esteem, but only following exposure to White models. The second interaction indicated more favorable comparative ratings for subjects with high African self-consciousness, but only following exposure to White models. Taken together, the results suggest that explicit beauty standards engage a comparison process and, in the case of Black respondents with high self-esteem or with high African self-consciousness, result in self-evaluations that are significantly higher than the attractiveness attributed to White standards of beauty.
Attenuation and space diversity statistics calculated from radar reflectivity data of rain

During the summer of 1973 the rain reflectivity environment in three-dimensional space was routinely recorded on digital tape at Wallops Island, Va. A mode of operation consisted of sampling periodically 60\deg azimuth intervals over regions in which the rain activities were most intense and widespread. A series of plan-position indicator (PPI) sweeps over these intervals were implemented at a sequence of elevation angles starting from 0.5\deg up io an angle above which the reflectivity values were below a designated threshold level. Approximately 500 such raster scans were acquired in which each scan was obtained in less than 4 min and covered a range interval of 10 to 140 km. Using the above data base, reflectivity profiles along representative earth-satellite paths were determined from which attenuation and space diversity statistics were calculated at the frequencies of 13 and 18 GHz. Specifically, the form k = aZ^{b} was used to deduce the total path attenuation, where k is the attenuation coefficient (dB/km), and Z is the reflectivity factor (mm6/m3). The constants a and b were calculated using the raindrop distribution for thunderstorm activity as proposed by Joss. Probabilities that the attenuations exceed given fade depths, diversity gain as a function of fade depths, and diversity gain as a function of site separation distances are characterized and compared at the various frequencies. For the space diversity mode, a site spacing of 15 km is shown to give rise to a near optimum condition for the diversity gain. Furthermore, the diversity gain has been demonstrated to be minimally influenced by the transmitter frequency.
Outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae in a neonatal intensive care unit linked to artificial nails.

Background:From April to June 2001, an outbreak of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)–producing Klebsiella pneumoniae infections was investigated in our neonatal intensive care unit.Methods:Cultures of the gastrointestinal tracts of patients, the hands of healthcare workers (HCWs), and the environment were performed to detect potential reservoirs for ESBL-producing K. pneumoniae. Strains of K. pneumoniae were typed by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis using Xbal. A case–control study was performed to determine risk factors for acquisition of the outbreak clone (clone A); cases were infants infected or colonized with clone A and controls (3 per case) were infants with negative surveillance cultures.Results:During the study period, 19 case-infants, of whom 13 were detected by surveillance cultures, harbored clone A. The overall attack rate for the outbreak strain was 45%; 9 of 19 infants presented with invasive disease (n = 6) or developed invasive disease (n = 3) after colonization was detected. Clone A was found on the hands of 2 HCWs, 1 of whom wore artificial nails, and on the designated stethoscope of a case-infant. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that length of stay per day (odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95% confidence interval [CI95], 1.02 to 1.09) and exposure to the HCW wearing artificial fingernails (OR, 7.87; CI95, 1.75 to 35.36) were associated with infection or colonization with clone A.Conclusion:Short, well-groomed, natural nails should be mandatory for HCWs with direct patient contact.
The stripe-liquid phase in cuprates and nickelates

It is well established that doped 2D antiferromagnets such as layered nickelates and certain cuprates can exhibit an ordered phase in which charge carriers are segregated to periodically-spaced domain walls separating antiferromagnetic domains. An open question concerns the nature of the state that is achieved when a stripe solid melts. Recent neutron scattering experiments on nickelates and cuprates indicate that melting leads to a stripe-liquid state; these results will be presented and discussed. The existence of the stripe-liquid phase in nickelates makes it plausible to interpret the mid-infrared absorption in terms of transitions from valence to mid-gap states associated with the stripes.
Complexation of U(VI) with dipicolinic acid: thermodynamics and coordination modes

Complexation of UO2(2+) with dipicolinic acid (DPA) has been investigated in 0.1 M NaClO4. The stability constants (log β1 and log β2) for two successive complexes, UO2L and UO2L2(2-) where L(2-) stands for the deprotonated dipicolinate anion, were determined to be 10.7 ± 0.1 and 16.3 ± 0.1 by spectrophotometry. The enthalpies of complexation (ΔH1 and ΔH2) were measured to be -(6.9 ± 0.2) and -(28.9 ± 0.5) kJ·mol(-1) by microcalorimetry. The entropies of complexation (ΔS1 and ΔS2) were calculated accordingly to be (181 ± 3) and (215 ± 4) J·K(-1)·mol(-1). The strong complexation of UO2(2+) with DPA is driven by positive entropies as well as exothermic enthalpies. The crystal structure of Na2UO2L2(H2O)8(s) shows that, in the 1:2 UO2(2+)/DPA complex, the U atom sits at a center of inversion and the two DPA ligands symmetrically coordinate to UO2(2+) via its equatorial plane in a tridentate mode. The structural information suggests that, due to the conjugated planar structure of DPA with the donor atoms (the pyridine nitrogen and two carboxylate oxygen atoms) arranged at optimal positions to coordinate with UO2(2+), little energy is required for the preorganization of the ligand, resulting in strong UO2(2+)/DPA complexation.
Web-based Visual Programming for Media Computation Using Blockly (Abstract Only)

Tunely and Pixly are web-based programming environments for media computation built using the Blockly visual programming editor library. These language environments were inspired by Georgia Tech's Media Computation approach and allow images (Pixly) and sounds (Tunely) to be transformed programmatically. Tunely and Pixly provided an approachable environment to students who have little to no experience in programming, and allow younger students to explore programming in a fun way without the challenges and frustration of learning syntax in a textual language. This SRC poster summarizes the design and implementation of these languages. We also briefly introduce initial work on integrating an accessibility tool to allow children with disabilities to explore these opportunities.