cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Si:Al ratio on the microstructural and mechanical properties of a fine-limestone aggregate alkali-activated slag concrete

Three series of fine limestone aggregate, alkali-activated blast furnace slag (AAS) concretes were fabricated and tested; two through activation with waterglass/NaOH solution, of which one included NaCl as a retarding agent, and one activated by Na2CO3. Each of these series was made up of three formulae containing different amounts of Al2O3. The compressive strengths of the series activated by waterglass/NaOH after 28 days were ≈65 ± 5.3 MPa, a 22% increase compared to previously reported formulae containing no additional Al2O3. Increasing the amount of Al2O3 did not further increase strength, however. The Na2CO3-activated formulae had strengths of ≈35 ± 3 MPa after 28 days, representing no increase in strength over formulae not containing Al2O3 previously reported. X-ray diffraction showed the main binding phase to be calcium silicate hydrate (C–S–H) gel, as is commonly found in ordinary Portland cement (OPC). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy showed little difference from the previously reported results for formulae not containing Al2O3 and strongly resemble the spectra reported elsewhere for C–S–H. Electron microscopy, coupled with energy dispersive spectroscopy, showed the cementing phase to be a single homogenous phase—not a mixed system of geopolymer and C–S–H gel—with a lower volume fraction of unreacted slag than formulae without Al2O3. The reason for the increase in strength of Al2O3-containing formulae is unclear, but is unlikely to be ascribed to the formation of large amounts of ‘geopolymers’ and may be related to a possible increase in reaction temperature of between 2 and 5°C, depending on amount of additive.
A New Cryptic Species of Carditid Bivalve from the Gulf of California (Mollusca, Bivalvia, Archiheterodonta, Carditidae)

ABSTRACT Carditamera bajaensis , new species, is described from semi-infaunal specimens collected in the intertidal zone in the Golfo de California, Baja California Sur, Mexico. The new species resembles Carditamera affinis (G. B. Sowerby I, 1833), the only valid Carditamera species known from within the Golfo de California, with which it has been mistaken, but it differs in shell structure and most conspicuously in life mode — semi-infaunal for C. bajaensis versus byssally attached to hard substrata for C. affinis. Haplotype networks constructed from two mitochondrial genes (16S rRNA and cytochrome b) and one nuclear gene (internal transcribed spacer 2) indicate a clear genetic break between C. affinis and C. bajaensis , as suspected initially due to their different modes of life and shell morphology. This pair of species, C. affinis and C. bajaensis , overlapping in distribution yet genetically distinct, possibly indicate ecological speciation.
Upregulation of Estradiol C16α-hydroxylation in Human Breast Tissue: a Potential Biomarker of Breast Cancer Risk

BACKGROUND The biotransformation of the natural estrogen 17 beta-estradiol (E2) via the C16 alpha-hydroxylation pathway is elevated in patients with breast cancer, in subjects at increased risk for developing breast cancer, and in c-Ha-ras-initiated mouse mammary epithelial cells. PURPOSE To determine whether differences in the extent of E2 C16 alpha-hydroxylation are related to the risk of developing breast cancer, we examined the extent of biotransformation of E2 via the C16 alpha-hydroxylation pathway in the mammary terminal duct lobular units (TDLUs), epithelial organoids that are a presumptive target site of human breast carcinogenesis, and in nontarget component mammary fat tissue. METHODS Noninvolved mammary tissue was obtained from four patients undergoing reduction mammoplasty and from four undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer. A radiometric assay that measures 3H2O formation caused by stoichiometric 3H exchange from [C16 alpha-3H]E2 was utilized to compare the relative extent of C16 alpha-hydroxylation in explant cultures of TDLUs and mammary fat. RESULTS The extent of E2 C16 alpha-hydroxylation was 1.83-fold higher (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.71-1.97) in the TDLUs from reduction mammoplasty (i.e., "low-risk") patients and 7.96-fold higher (95% CI = 6.38-10.55) in the TDLUs from mastectomy (i.e., "high-risk") patients than in the corresponding values observed in the mammary fat. In the TDLUs obtained from the patients undergoing mastectomy for cancer, the extent of this metabolism was 4.56-fold higher (95% CI = 3.97-5.33) than that observed in TDLUs obtained from reduction mammoplasty patients who did not have cancer. CONCLUSION The increase in the extent of C16 alpha-hydroxylation of E2 in the epithelial organoids of the human breast, TDLUs in particular, may be an important factor for breast cancer induction. This upregulation may represent an endocrine biomarker for the risk of developing breast cancer. IMPLICATION A larger prospective study is required to confirm the clinical significance of this endocrine biomarker.
Comparison of Negative eWOM Intention: An Exploratory Study

A growing body of hospitality literature has examined eWOM (electronic word-of-mouth), but there has been a lack of empirical studies employing a comparative approach in a restaurant setting regarding negative eWOM. This study examined the antecedents of negative eWOM intention from customers who visit a restaurant for a variety of different primary purposes. The conceptual model investigated the factors that affect negative eWOM intention and any differences that may exist between event and non-event groups. Findings from a cross-sectional sample of 482 consumers showed that prior eWOM experience and preference for e-mail communication exerted a direct influence on negative eWOM intention for both groups.
Antineoplastic agents 370. Isolation and structure of dolastatin 18

Abstract Bioassay-guided separation of cancer cell growth inhibitory fractions derived from the sea hare Dolabella auricularia obtained in Papua New Guinea led to isolation (1.51 × 10 −7 % yield) of the new thiazole-containing peptide, dolastatin 18 (4). Structural determination was completed by employmentment of results from high-field (500 MHz) 2-D NMR experiments and tandem MS/MS mass spectral sequence analyses. Dolastatin 18 (4) was found to inhibit a selection of cancer cell lines among which GI 50 0.39 μg/mL was found for the nonsmall cell lung cancer NCI-H460.
Effects of Summer Instruction on Reading Achievement Regression of Learning Disabled Students

Ten planned comparisons of pretest and posttest scores on the Slosson Oral Reading Test support the position that LD students (n = 60) regress in their reading skills when they experience extended breaks in their educational programs during the summer months. Also, a five-week summer reading program during either the first or last half of the summer can prevent this regression.
Bifurcation of an attracting invariant circle: a Denjoy attractor

We construct an example of a C∞ diffeomorphism of an annulus into itself which has an attracting invariant circle such that the map restricted to this circle has no periodic points and no dense orbits. By studying two parameter families of maps of the plane which undergo Hopf bifurcation, particularly the set of parameter values for which the rotation number is irrational, we see that the above example can be considered as a ‘worst case’ of the loss of smoothness of an attracting invariant circle without periodic orbits.
Nanoimprinted Polyethyleneimine: A Multimodal Template for Nanoparticle Assembly and Immobilization

Polyethyleneimine (PEI) is used as a scaffold for integrated top-down/bottom-up fabrication. In this synergistic strategy, patterned PEI surfaces are created using thermal nanoimprint lithography (NIL) using a sacrificial polystyrene (PS) overlayer. These imprinted surfaces act as versatile templates for assembling nanoparticles and dyes, with the amine groups of the PEI enabling electrostatic assembly, carbodiimide coupling, and dithiocarbamate attachment to the nanoimprinted features. The efficient assembly of particles and dyes is confirmed through fluorescence and atomic force microscopy. In these studies the PS overlayer serves two roles. First, the PS layer protects the PEI surface during the plasma-etch removal of the residual layer of the NIL process. Second, the PS overlayer serves as a mask, enabling sequential functionalization of the sides and the tops of the PEI features.
Constructing meaning about literacy difficulties: Preservice teachers beginning to think about pedagogy

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the meanings preservice teachers constructed about students with reading difficulties. Qualitative techniques were employed to develop six case studies to understand better how preservice teachers framed their meanings. Cross-case analysis revealed that each preservice teacher's stance on meaning, while idiosyncratically based on experience, was tied to pedagogy in two distinct ways: (a) most of the participants placed an increasingly important role on the supervising teacher when considering reading difficulties and (b) they situated themselves as a teacher within that context. The findings suggest the importance of designing preservice education course work that is inquiry-oriented and offers opportunities for students to explore systematically their developing stances and self-constructed meanings about reading.
On the narratives of science: The critique of modernity in Husserl and Heidegger*

Throughout both Husserl's late writings and Heidegger's contemporary criticism of the technological age,1 runs a sustained invective intention, an intellectual motiv that not only restages philosophy's age-old indictment of science, but also calls into question the project of European modernity. In this last incarnation, however, philosophy seems to have abandoned the (ethical) case against Promethean hybris. Rather than a normative, metaphysical, or transcendental, critique of science, the texts at issue appear to me as episodes of a different kind in the history of knowledge/discourse: one where philosophy seems to initially acknowledge its own exteriority in order to question, not science, but the historical conditions that made its rise possible.
EIT and SXT Observations of a Quiet Region Filament Ejection: First Eruption, Then Reconnection

We observe a slow-onset quiet-region filament eruption with the Extreme Ultraviolet Imaging Telescope (EIT) on the Solar Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO) and the Soft X-ray Telescope (SXT) on Yohkoh. This event occurred on 1999 April 18 and was likely the origin of a coronal mass ejection detected by SOHO at 08:30 UT on that day. In the EIT observation, one-half of the filament shows two stages of evolution: stage 1 is a slow, roughly constant upward movement at approximately 1 km/s lasting approximately 0.5 hr, and stage 2 is a rapid upward eruption at approximately 16 km/s occurring just before the filament disappears into interplanetary space. The other half of the filament shows little motion along the line of sight during the time of stage 1 but erupts along with the rest of the filament during stage 2. There is no obvious emission from the filament in the SXT observation until stage 2; at that time, an arcade of EUV and soft X-ray loops forms first at the central location of the filament and then expands outward along the length of the filament channel. A plot of EUV intensity versus time of the central portion of the filament (where the postflare loops initially form) shows a flat profile during stage 1 and a rapid upturn after the start of stage 2. This light curve is delayed from what would be expected if 'tether-cutting' reconnection in the core of the erupting region were responsible for the initiation of the eruption. Rather, these observations suggest that a loss of stability of the magnetic field holding the filament initiates the eruption, with reconnection in the core region occurring only as a by-product.
A 190 nA Bias Current 10 mV Input Multistage Boost Regulator With Intermediate-Node Control to Supply RF Blocks in Self-Powered Wireless Sensors

Self-powered wireless sensors require power delivery systems capable of harvesting from very low input voltage while consuming minimal bias current. This paper presents a multistage boost regulator capable of generating 3 V to supply RF blocks in self-powered wireless sensors from 10 mV input voltage. The bias power consumption is minimized using automated bias gating. The efficiency of the multistage conversion at a high conversion ratio is enhanced through the regulation and control of the intermediate-node voltage. A test chip, fabricated in 130 nm CMOS, demonstrates functional operation from as low as 10 mV input and consumes 190 nA bias current. Single-stage boost regulator demonstrates Peak efficiency of 89%, while the cascaded two stage peaks at 72%. In the cascaded system, the variable intermediate-node voltage operation shows up to 9% efficiency improvement over fixed intermediate-node voltage when operating at high conversion ratio.
Hypofractionated radiotherapy with concurrent temozolomide chemotherapy in patients with newly diagnosed RPA class V glioblastoma multiforme: promising early results

Objective This study reports the initial results of hypofractionated radiation therapy (HFRT) with concurrent/adjuvant temozolomide (TMZ) for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) patients with especially poor prognoses.
Unique features of the insulin receptor in rat brain

We examined the structure of the affinity-labeled insulin receptors in rat brain, rat liver, and human IM-9 lymphocytes using sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. In gels run under reducing conditions, the alpha-subunit of the insulin receptor in brain had an apparent Mr of 127,000 distinctly lower than that seen in both rat liver and human lymphocytes (apparent Mr = 136,000). Exposure to neuraminidase increased the electrophoretic mobility of the liver receptor, but had no effect on the insulin receptor in brain. The carbohydrate moieties of the insulin receptors in rat brain and liver were further examined by chromatography on wheat-germ agglutinin agarose. The receptors in both tissues adsorbed to the wheat-germ agglutinin; elution with 0.3 M N-acetyl glucosamine resulted in slightly better recovery of the brain than of the liver receptor. Exposure to neuraminidase virtually abolished the interaction of the liver receptor with the lectin, whereas adsorption of the brain receptor was unaffected by neuraminidase. These results indicate that the insulin receptor in brain is distinguished from those in peripheral tissues by structural alterations, including changes in the carbohydrate moiety of the receptor. Such alterations contrast sharply with the previously observed similarities in insulin binding properties between insulin receptors in brain and other tissues. The implications of such structural alterations for the program of insulin action expressed by the receptors in brain remain to be explored.
Time discrimination training of laboratory animals using a PDP-8 computer

The purpose of this paper Is to describe the use of a small, general-purpose digital computer system in the training of laboratory animals to discriminate stimuli on the basis of their duration. The computer hardware and software required for such training, together with some illustrative results from two recent studies, will be described.
Optimizing dosage and preventing leaching of imidacloprid for management of hemlock woolly adelgid in forests.

Abstract Hemlock woolly adelgid (Adelges tsugae Annand) threatens native hemlock (Tsuga canadensis and T. caroliniana) in the eastern United States. Imidacloprid used as a soil-applied systemic insecticide is effective against A. tsugae in natural forests and in landscapes. Non-target impacts are a special concern because hemlock is ecologically important; often growing next to streams which contain aquatic species that are sensitive to imidacloprid, some of which are protected or endangered fauna. Environmental risk can be mitigated by determining the minimum effective dosage in forests. Adelgid populations responded to imidacloprid dosage with approximately a linear relationship between the percent population reduction (probability scale) vs. log of dosage; 50% reduction in populations could be achieved with 0.15 g per 2.5 cm of trunk diameter at breast height (dbh), or 10% of the maximum labeled dosage. However, effectiveness was found to vary based on dbh; the dosage predicted to give ∼90% reductions in adelgid populations is given by the equation log(dosage) = 0.0153 × dbh − 1.074, where the dosage is g imidacloprid per 2.5 cm of trunk dbh, and dbh is measured as cm. For trees less than 82 cm dbh, these dosages are less than the typical 1.5 g imidacloprid per 2.5 cm dbh currently used. Formulation into tablets rather than as a wettable powder reduced the maximum imidacloprid concentration in soil solution at 5 cm depth from 80 to 1.6 ppm in columns constructed with the organic soil found beneath forest hemlocks. A combination of optimum dosing of trees and adoption of the tablet formulation when treating trees in sensitive habitats should minimize the risk of contaminating aquatic resources with imidacloprid.
27 Spatiotemporal distribution of abundance and density of calcareous green macroalgae along the florida keys: a synchrony study

Discerning patterns of spatiotemporal variation in wide areas is a basic step in understanding changes on coastal communities. Spatial autocorrelation or spatial synchrony (i.e. how populations covary in abundance over time) provides helpful information from population dynamics that allow us to detect common trends of variation at different spatial scales. In this study we describe the spatial and temporal variation of five calcareous green macroalgae, and analyze the synchrony of abundance and density of the five genera separately and as a functional-group along the Florida Keys. For this study we are using data from thirty sites that have been quarterly monitored since 1996. Abundance and density of seagrass and macroalgae have been recorded using a Braun-Blanquet methodology for the Seagrass monitoring program. We found that each genus has a distinct spatiotemporal distribution, different to the group distribution. We evaluated synchronous changes in abundance and density over time at different space scales; we found that synchrony was high between patches and lower between distinct geographical areas; and each genus showed its own synchrony pattern which was obscured when analyzed as a group. We compared the results from functional-group to individual genus analyzing the validity of the use of functional-groups for monitoring programs. We discuss the role of synchrony in the selection of genera for a functional-group.
Apoptosis in Parkinson's disease: Signals for neuronal degradation

Controversy has surrounded a role for apoptosis in the loss of neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although a variety of evidence has supported an apoptotic contribution to PD neuronal loss particularly in the nigra, two factors have weighed against general acceptance: (1) limitations in the use of in situ 3' end labeling techniques to demonstrate nuclear DNA cleavage; and (2) the insistence that a specific set of nuclear morphological features be present before apoptotic death could be declared. We first review the molecular events that underlie apoptotic nuclear degradation and the literature regarding the unreliability of 3' DNA end labeling as a marker of apoptotic nuclear degradation. Recent findings regarding the multiple caspase-dependent or caspase-independent signaling pathways that mediate apoptotic nuclear degradation and determine the morphological features of apoptotic nuclear degradation are presented. The evidence shows that a single nuclear morphology is not sufficient to identify apoptosis and that a cytochrome c, pro-caspase 9, and caspase 3 pathways is operative in PD nigral apoptosis. BAX-dependent increases in mitochondrial membrane permeability are responsible for the release of mitochondrial factors that signal for apoptotic degradation, and increased BAX levels have been found in a subset of PD nigral neurons. Studies using immunocytochemistry in PD postmortem nigra have begun to define the premitochondrial apoptosis signaling pathways in the disease. Two, possibly interdependent, pathways have been uncovered: (1) a p53-glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH)-BAX pathway; and (2) FAS receptor-FADD-caspase 8-BAX pathway. Based on the above, it seems unlikely that apoptosis does not contribute to PD neuronal loss, and the definition of the premitochondrial signaling pathways may allow for the development and testing of an apoptosis-based PD therapy.
NMR structure of the amino-terminal domain from the Tfb1 subunit of TFIIH and characterization of its phosphoinositide and VP16 binding sites.

General transcription factor IIH (TFIIH) is recruited to the preinitiation complex (PIC) through direct interactions between its p62 (Tfbl) subunit and the carboxyl-terminal domain of TFIIEa. TFIIH has also been shown to interact with a number of transcriptional activator proteins through interactions with the same p62 (Tfbl) subunit. We have determined the NMR solution structure of the amino-terminal domain from the Tfbl subunit of yeast TFIIH (Tfbl 1 - 1 1 5 ). Like the corresponding domain from the human p62 protein, Tfb1 1 - 1 1 5 contains a PH domain fold despite a low level of sequence identity between the two functionally homologous proteins. In addition, we have performed in vitro binding studies that demonstrate that the PH domains of Tfbl and p62 specifically bind to monophosphorylated inositides [PtdIns(5)P and PtdIns(3)P]. NMR chemical shift mapping demonstrated that the PtdIns(5)P binding site on Tfbl (p62) is located in the basic pocket formed by β-strands β5-β7 of the PH domain fold. Interestingly, the structural composition of the PtdIns(5)P binding site is different from the composition of the binding sites for phosphoinositides on prototypic PH domains. We have also determined that the PH domains from Tfbl and p62 are sufficient for binding to the activation domain of VP16. NMR chemical shift mapping demonstrated that the VP16 binding site within the PH domain of Tfbl (p62) overlaps with the PtdIns(5)P binding site on Tfbl (p62). These results provide new information about the recognition of phosphoinositides by PH domains, and point to a potential role for phosphoinositides in VP16 regulation.
Comments on the distribution of Basidiobolus ranarum.

(1970). Comments on the Distribution of Basidiobolus Ranarum. Mycologia: Vol. 62, No. 3, pp. 585-587.
Commitment and agency in social movements

Any movement that hopes to sustain commitment over a period of time must make the construction of a collective identity one of its most central tasks. Social relationships that embody values of participation and community in their concrete practices contribute to empowering people. But such arguments need additional specification before their theoretical potential can be realized. I have taken the coincidence of this talk with the anniversary of the first teach-in against the war in Vietnam and the assassination of Archbishop Romero in El Salvador as a directive for examining these two cases—with an eye toward learning more about how identity building and social relationships in social movement practice foster long-term commitment and agency.
Collusive Dominant-Strategy Truthfulness

Abstract We show that collusion and wrong beliefs may cause a dramatic efficiency loss in the Vickrey mechanism for auctioning a single good in limited supply. We thus put forward a new mechanism guaranteeing efficiency in a very adversarial collusion model, where the players can partition themselves into arbitrarily many coalitions, exchange money with each other, and perfectly coordinate their actions. Our mechanism bypasses classic impossibility results (such as those of Green and Laffont, and of Schummer) by providing the players with a richer set of strategies, making it dominant for every coalition C to instruct each of its members to report truthfully not only his own valuation, but also his belonging to C. Our mechanism is coalitionally rational, which implies being individually rational for independent players.
Estimating innovative technology costs for the SITE program

Among the objectives of the EPA’s Superfund Innovative Technology Evaluation (SITE) Program are two which pertain to the issue of economics: 1. That the program will provide a projected cost for each treatment technology demonstrated. 2. That the program will attempt to identify and remove impediments to the development and commercial use of alternative technologies.1 The SITE Program has fostered a special relationship between elements of the public and private sector. In turn, this has created a unique set of problems. These problems are most apparent where objectives of the public and private sector conflict, as in the area of cost economics. One concern of the SITE Program is to provide the public with an impartial analysis of each technology’s cost. Just as important is the need to be sensitive to the demands of the competitive economic environment which face every firm selling innovative technology (especially when the goal is to promote the commercial use of new technologies). An early concern of t...
Aggregations among juvenile king crabs (Paralithodes camtschatica, Tilesius) Kodiak, Alaska.

Abstract 1. Juvenile king crabs were studied by biologists diving with the aid of SCUBA equipment. 2. The first record of an observation of a pod of king crabs was made in 1957. Since that time approximately 25 additional pods have been recorded. 3. One-year-old king crabs, 3 to 12 millimetres in carapace length, are found solitarily in the protective niches of the littoral zone especially beneath large rocks and among bottom vegetation. 4. Crabs 9 to 19 millimetres in carapace length are common on barnacle encrusted dock pilings. 5. The smallest and largest crabs found in any pod are 24 and 69 millimetres in carapace length, respectively. Pods therefore form during the latter part of the second year, exist throughout the third year, and continue a short time into the fourth. When the density of crabs approaches 6,000, pod structures transforms into elongate piles. Dome shaped piles do not commonly occur until the fourth year when crabs are 60 to 97 millimetres. 6. Intermingling among the first, second, and third age classes has not been observed, probably because they occupy biological niches. Fourand five-year-olds intermingle, and are often observed by divers at a depth of 60 to 100 feet, more often disbanded and moving, rather than aggregated and quiet.
Arteriovenous aneurysm of hand

Abstract A case of arteriovenous aneurysm of the hand is presented. Early recognition and adequate surgical removal is essential for the cure of this condition.
The use of psychological tests to identify malingered symptoms of mental disorder

Abstract The differentiation between malingered and genuine mental disorders presents difficult problems to various medical and legal settings. This review describes the research designs that have characterized empirical studies of faking on psychological tests. Specific detection strategies for intelligence tests and three personality tests (Rorschach, MMPI, and Bender-Gestalt) are described. Where possible, the accuracy with which each test can detect three, frequently malingered conditions (mental deficiency, psychosis, and neurologic impairment) is described. The majority of studies show that psychological tests can accurately detect faking. Test batteries yield more accurate predictions than single tests, and simulated mental deficiency appears to be the most easily detected condition. The findings suggest that, until research validates use of the diagnostic interview for this purpose, it is probably indefensible to render expert testimony regarding the likelihood of malingering without psychological test data bearing on this question.
Do Students of Noncollege-Educated Parents Achieve Less Academically Than Students of College-Educated Parents?:

The ethnicity, grade point average (GPA), and retention characteristics of 202 students whose parents never attended college, 244 students whose parents had some college experience, and 394 students whose parents graduated from college were examined. Analysis showed that a significantly higher percentage of minority students were first-generation students. No significant differences were found between the GPA and retention rates of first-generation students and those of the other two.
Male reunion displays in tufted capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

When males in captive tufted capuchin monkey (Cebus apella) groups separate and come together within their group, they have been observed to embrace and vocalize upon reunion. This display has not been observed in any other age/sex class. To investigate this, we deliberately separated six animals, including the only two adult males, from each of two social groups. We hypothesized that only the adult males would embrace upon reintroduction. When two males were consecutively reintroduced to their group, they typically ran to each other and came together in a frontal embrace, emitting stereotyped vocalizations. No other combination of animals showed this “reunion display.” Though dramatic, this behavior was in no way associated with incidents of aggression. We argue affiliative bonds may exist in these tufted capuchin male dyads. © 1996 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
An Exact Solution of Mie Type for Scattering by a Multilayer Anisotropic Sphere

The purpose of this paper is to describe methods of resolving discrepancies between experimental observations of scattering by crystalline particles and attempts to explain these observations assuming that the electrical properties of these particles can be described by the use of scalar valued functions for the permittivity, conductivity, and permeability. We can develop coupled integral equations describing the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with a heterogeneous, penetrable, dispersive, anisotropic scatterer and can use several methods of solving these integral equations. The solution of the problem of describing scattering by an anisotropic sphere can be substituted into the integral equation to check the integral equation formulation of the problem. Conditions are given for the uniqueness of the solution of the associated transmission problem. Because of the multiple propagation constants in an anisotropic material, the trivial uniqueness arguments valid for isotropic scatterers do not have ...
Side-chain accessibilities in the pore of a K+ channel probed by sulfhydryl-specific reagents after cysteine-scanning mutagenesis

To gain insight into the secondary structure of the ion conduction pathway of a voltage-gated K+ channel, we used sulfhydryl-specific reagents of different diameters to probe amino acid side-chain accessibilities in the pore of the channel after cysteine-substitution mutagenesis. We identified five positions at which modified amino acid side chains are accessible from the aqueous lumen of the external channel vestibule. Covalent coupling of the 2-trimethylammonium-thioethyl group to cysteine thiols leads to position-dependent current reduction, suggesting a gradual narrowing of the pore. The fact that the modified side chains of two adjacent amino acids are reactive is not compatible with the ion conduction pathway forming a regular beta-pleated sheet at these positions. The smaller thiol reagent Cd2+ reacts with modified side chains that are also accessible to the larger (2-trimethylammoniumethyl)methanethiosulfate (MTSET) [corrected]. Our results imply that the outer vestibule of a potassium-selective ion channel narrows over a short distance of three amino acids near a position where a regular beta-structure is unlikely.
The effect of temperature on the fracture mechanism in 2014A1/15vol.%Al2O3 composite

Abstract The tensile fracture strain, stress and fracture mode for a discontinuously reinforced aluminum matrix composite, 2014Al/15vol.%Al 2 O 3 , were determined and compared with those of the unreinforced matrix material, 2014A1, at various temperatures. Tests were conducted under uniaxial tension at elevated temperatures with a strain rate of 0.1 s − . It was found that the tensile fracture strain as well as fracture stress of the composite were lower than those of the matrix material. The tensile fracture mode changed from transgranular fracture to intergranular fracture between 400 °C and 500 °C for both materials. For the composite, at temperatures below 400 °C the growth and coalescence of voids occurred via a dislocation creep process primarily along the AlAl 2 O 3 interface. Above 400 °C voids initiated and grew at the AlAl 2 O 3 interface and grain boundaries via a diffusion creep process. The void growth was found not along the tensile direction but along the AlAl 2 O 3 interface and grain boundaries, and this resulted in a low fracture strain. A method for determining quantitatively the characteristics of the void initiation and growth is discussed.
Thin YSZ Electrolyte Film Depositions on Dense and Porous Substrates

Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) thin films have been processed on polished silicon and porous strontium-doped lanthanum manganite (LSM) substrates by liquid fuel combustion chemical vapor deposition from combustion of an aerosol jet. The aerosol jet consists of Y- and Zr- containing metalorganics dissolved in toluene and high-purity oxygen. The morphology and thickness of the deposited films have been analyzed with scanning electron microscope. On the polished silicon substrates, thin and uniform films have been obtained. The grain growth rate is of the first order of the deposition time. The film growth rate was greatly enhanced by utilizing higher precursor concentrations, proper substrate temperature and the effect of thermophoresis. However, when the porous substrate is being coated, a more complex deposition process takes place. The initial deposition seems to be favored on the surface protrusions. Therefore, the covered areas serve as nucleation sites and the grains start to grow, giving rise to larger particles and rougher surface than the films on polished silicon. To enhance the pore-sealing rate, some pre-treatments and post-treatment have been used. Moreover, deposition parameters towards fast pore sealing have been investigated. Thin and continuous films with the film thickness less than 3 μm have been obtained.© 2003 ASME
An electrically pumped hybrid silicon evanescent amplifier

A hybrid silicon evanescent amplifier utilizing a wafer bonded structure of a silicon waveguide and AlGalnAs quantum wells is demonstrated. Maximum chip gain obtained is 13 dB with a 3 dB output saturation power of 11 dBm.
Message Passing Clustering (MPC): a knowledge-based framework for clustering under biological constraints

A new clustering algorithm, Message Passing Clustering (MPC), is proposed. MPC employs the concept of message passing to describe parallel and spontaneous clustering process by allowing data objects to communicate with each other. MPC also provides an extensible framework to accommodate additional features into clustering, such as adaptive feature weights scaling, stochastic cluster merging, and semi-supervised constraints guiding. Extensive experiments were performed using both simulation and real microarray gene expression and phylogenetic data. The results showed that MPC performed favourably to other popular clustering algorithms and MPC with the integration of additional features gave even higher accuracy rate than MPC.
Measurement of Conditional Squeezing for Non-Gaussian Fields

A scheme based on homodyne detection for measuring conditional quadrature fluctuations for non-Gaussian fields is proposed. Results for light from parametric oscillators and fluorescence from an atom in a high-Q cavity are discussed.
Nootkatene from Citrus sinensis

Abstract The sesquiterpene hydrocarbon nootkatene and an unidentified sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, MW 204, have been isolated from Valencia orange peel.
Linear lattice architectures that utilize the central limit for image analysis, Gaussian operators, sine, cosine, Fourier, and Gabor transforms

A set of neural lattices that are based on the central limit theorem is described. These lattices, generate in parallel, a set of multiple scale Gaussian smoothing of their input arrays. As the number of layers is increased, the generated kernels converge to ideal Gaussians with infinitely small error. In addition, the lattices can generate in parallel, a variety of multiple scale image operators such as: Canny's edge detectors, Laplacians of Gaussians, and Sine, Cosine, Fourier and Gabor transforms. It is also proved that any bounded signal, including sinusoidal kernels, can be approximated by a finite number of Gaussians with arbitrarily small error.
Evaluation of the phytosociological data as a tool for indicating coastal dune degradation

The flora of the sand dunes on the coast of Cukurova in Turkey is summarized and conclusions are based on field observations from the last decade. Vegetation characteristics were utilized as bio-indicators to determine the degradation of coastal dune. The vegetation was classified into two groups--natural dune vegetation and synanthropic vegetation. During the phytosociological investigations 111 taxa were identified in the area between the estuary of Berdan River and Yumurtalik. Fifty-one percent of the taxa represent natural dune vegetation. The other species were synanthropic species that occur in man-made habitats. The impacts of the major land use types have been determined using species richness and vegetation cover (as a percentage of the vascular plant species). Detrended Correspondence Analysis was used to obtain an effective description of vegetation change on the sand dunes and its relation along the land use gradient from undisturbed to disturbed dunes. The results of the ordination suggest th...
Rheology of concentrated, heterogeneous slurries containing > 1M electrolyte — a case study in nuclear waste suspensions

Abstract Neutralized current acid waste (NCAW) simulant was produced to chemically simulate the properties of the washed solids of a high-level waste stream generated from the reprocessing of irradiated nuclear fuel. The NCAW simulant was evaluated by viscosity, yield stress, solid loading, particle size, and anion and cation solubility. For similar solid loadings and pH, the NCAW stimulant had higher yield stresses and viscosities than NCAW. The differences in the rheological behavior between NCAW and the simulant were attributed to differences in the suspension microstructure. The effects of formic and nitric acid additions to the NCAW simulant on yield stress and viscosity were measured as a function of solids loading and pH for both acids. In addition, anion and cation solubilities were evaluated. Viscosity and yield stress decreased as pH was lowered. The change in theological properties was attributed to floc breakdown and particle dissolution, which were initiated by the solubilization of the waste constituents. These results show that the effectiveness of the simulant studied here is unproven rheologically.
Some puzzling findings in multiple object tracking: I. Tracking without keeping track of object identities

The task of tracking a small number (about four or five) visual targets within a larger set of identical items, each of which moves randomly and independently, has been used extensively to study object‐based attention. Analysis of this multiple object tracking (MOT) task shows that it logically entails solving the correspondence problem for each target over time, and thus that the individuality of each of the targets must be tracked. This suggests that when successfully tracking objects, observers must also keep track of them as unique individuals. Yet in the present studies we show that observers are poor at recalling the identity of successfully tracked objects (as specified by a unique identifier associated with each target, such as a number or starting location). Studies also show that the identity of targets tends to be lost when they come close together and that this tendency is greater between pairs of targets than between targets and nontargets. The significance of this finding in relation to the ...
An analysis by electron microscopy of early simian virus 40 RNA from a tsA mutant.

Abstract A new electron microscopic technique, developed by J. Ferguson and R. W. Davis (manuscript in preparation), has been used to investigate the pattern of early transcription in cells infected with simian virus 40 (SV40). DNA binding protein from E. coli and antibody to this protein increase the apparent thickness of single-stranded DNA. Thus the positions of termini and the sizes of individual molecules of RNA can be determined after hybridization to a defined single strand of DNA. Since the concentration of early RNA is very low in cells infected by wild-type SV40, the RNA was prepared from cells infected with the temperature-sensitive mutant tsA 58, where early RNA is greatly over-produced after a shift from permissive to restrictive temperature late in infection. Nuclear or cytoplasmic RNA was hybridized to full-length linear early strands of SV40 DNA. Using the known end points generated by the restriction endonuclease (Eco RI) and an internal marker to define orientation of the strand, the positions of the 5′ and 3′ termini of individual RNA molecules were determined. Most molecules of cytoplasmic early RNA have a 5′ terminus at 0.67 SV40 fractional length, and the majority of the 3′ termini extend well into the late region, at least as far as the Eco RI restriction site at map position 0. The mean 5′ terminus of nuclear early RNA molecules was at 0.68 SV40 fractional length. Many of these molecules are small (0.01–0.20 fractional length), but some extend to the Eco RI restriction site or possibly beyond, as found for the cytoplasmic early RNA. The effects on the composition and size of early RNA pools of the tsA mutation or of exposure to high temperature are unknown.
The Intestinal Flora Is Required to Support Antibody Responses to Systemic Immunization in Infant and Germ Free Mice

The presence of a complex and diverse intestinal flora is functionally important for regulating intestinal mucosal immune responses. However, the extent to which a balanced intestinal flora regulates systemic immune responses is still being defined. In order to specifically examine whether the acquisition of a less complex flora influences responses to immunization in the pre-weaning stages of life, we utilize a model in which infant mice acquire an intestinal flora from their mothers that has been altered by broad-spectrum antibiotics. In this model, pregnant dams are treated with a cocktail of antibiotics that alters both the density and microbial diversity of the intestinal flora. After challenge with a subcutaneous immunization, the antibiotic altered flora infant mice have lower antigen specific antibody titers compared to control age-matched mice. In a second model, we examined germ free (GF) mice to analyze how the complete lack of flora influences the ability to mount normal antibody responses following subcutaneous immunization. GF mice do not respond well to immunization and introduction of a normal flora into GF mice restores the capacity of these mice to respond. These results indicate that a gastrointestinal flora reduced in density and complexity at critical time points during development adversely impacts immune responses to systemic antigens.
The Nuclear Trafficking of Extracellular Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF)-1 Correlates with the Perinuclear Association of the FGF Receptor-1α Isoforms but Not the FGF Receptor-1β Isoforms

The alternatively spliced fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGFR)-1 isoforms, FGFR-1alpha and FGFR-1beta, are characterized by the presence of either three or two Ig-like loops in the extracellular domain and are differentially expressed during embryonic development and tumor progression. We have previously shown that in cells irreversibly committed to DNA synthesis by FGF-1, approximately 15% of cell surface FGFR-1 traffics to a perinuclear locale as a structurally intact and functional tyrosine kinase (Prudovsky, I., Savion, N., Zhan, X., Friesel, R., Xu, J., Hou, J., McKeehan, W. L., and Maciag, T. (1994) J. Biol. Chem. 269, 31720-31724). In order to define the structural requirement for association of FGFR-1 with the nucleus, the expression and trafficking of FGFR-1 in FGFR-1alpha and FGFR-1beta L6 myoblast transfectants was studied. Although FGFR-1alpha was expressed as p145 and p125 forms, FGFR-1beta was expressed as p120 and p100 forms in the L6 myoblast transfectants. Tunicamycin and N-glyconase experiments suggest that these forms of FGFR-1alpha and FGFR-1beta are the result of differential glycosylation. However, only the p145 form of FGFR-1alpha and the p120 form of FGFR-1beta were able to bind FGF-1 and activate tyrosine phosphorylation. Pulse-chase analysis of FGFR-1 biosynthesis suggests that the p125 and p100 proteins are the precursor forms of p145 FGFR-1alpha and p120 FGFR-1beta, respectively. Because ligand-chase analysis demonstrated that FGFR-1beta L6 myoblast transfectants exhibited a reduced efficiency of nuclear translocation of exogenous FGF-1 when compared with FGFR-1alpha transfectants, the intracellular trafficking of the FGFR-1alpha and FGFR-1beta isoforms was studied using an in vitro kinase assay to amplify immunoprecipitated FGFR-1. Indeed, the appearance of the FGFR-1alpha but not FGFR-1beta isoform in the nuclear fraction of L6 myoblast transfectants suggests that the distal Ig-like loop in FGFR-1alpha mediates the differential nuclear association of FGFR-1alpha as a structurally intact and functional tyrosine kinase. Further, the FGFR-1beta L6 myoblast transfectants but not the FGFR-1alpha myoblast transfectants exhibited a pronounced morphologic change in response to exogenous FGF-1. Because this phenotype change involves the induction of a rounded cellular shape, it is possible that the FGFR-1alpha and FGFR-1beta may ultimately exhibit differential trafficking to adhesion sites.
Detection and regulation of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase activity in rat skeletal muscle

Abstract The presence of δ-aminolevulinic acid synthetase (ALAS) in mitochondria obtained from rat skeletal muscles has been observed. Optimal conditions for the meausurement of this activity are described. The activity of skeletal muscle ALAS was investigated under conditions known to affect the activity of this enzyme in other tissues. ALAS activity in skeletal muscle mitochondria was decreased 55% by a 48-h fast. Treatment with dexamethasone did not reverse the effect of starvation on ALAS activity and did not change the activity in the fed controls. ALAS activity was decreased 56% in skeletal muscle mitochondria obtained from rats in which diabetes mellitus had been induced by streptozotocin. Administration of insulin to the diabetic animals partially reversed the effect of diabetes on skeletal muscle ALAS; however, administration of insulin to control animals caused a 21% decrease in skeletal muscle ALAS activity. By contrast, treatment with inducers of hepatic ALAS such as allylisopropylacetamide or 3,5-dicarbethoxy-1,4-dihydrocollidine had no effect on skeletal muscle ALAS. These results confirm our previous suggestion that ALAS activity is regulated in a tissue-specific manner.
Successful Treatment of Recurrent Wegener's Granulomatosis in a Transplanted Kidney with Rituximab, Plasmapheresis, and Steroids

Wegener's granulomatosis can recur in a transplanted kidney. We present a case of treatment wtih rituximab of recurrent Wegener's granulomatosis in a transplanted kidney.
Finiteness of relative equilibria of the four-body problem

We show that the number of relative equilibria of the Newtonian four-body problem is finite, up to symmetry. In fact, we show that this number is always between 32 and 8472. The proof is based on symbolic and exact integer computations which are carried out by computer.