cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assembly of Herpes Simplex Virus Replication Proteins at Two Distinct Intranuclear Sites

Abstract Herpes simplex virus DNA replication proteins amplify the viral genome in large globular replication compartments within infected cell nuclei. In the absence of viral DNA synthesis, the replication proteins accumulate at punctate foci throughout the nucleus referred to as prereplicative sites. To more thoroughly understand the nature of this nuclear assembly process, we have examined the viral and cellular factors involved. First, we demonstrate that six viral replication proteins are sufficient for formation of functional replication compartments in transfected cells in the absence of viral origin-containing DNA. Second, we show that the viral replication proteins form two distinct types of prereplicative sites within infected cells. One type of punctate structure assembles in S-phase cells, colocalizes with cellular DNA synthesis, and contains components of the host-cell replication apparatus as indicated by the presence of Replication Protein A. However, the other class of prereplicative sites is independent of host-cell DNA synthesis as evidenced by their formation in cells arrested in G1 by n -butyrate. These complexes are significantly less abundant and closely correspond with cellular Nuclear Domain 10 structures to which viral DNA has recently been demonstrated to be targeted early in infection (G. G. Maul, A. M. Ishov, and R. D. Everett, 1996, Virology 217, 67–75). Hence, this second type appears to represent the subset of prereplicative sites destined to become replication compartments.
Still Water: Dead Zones and Collimated Ejecta from the Impact of Granular Jets

When a dense granular jet hits a target, it forms a large dead zone and ejects a highly collimated conical sheet with a well-defined opening angle. Using experiments, simulations, and continuum modeling, we find that this opening angle is insensitive to the precise target shape and the dissipation mechanisms in the flow. We show that this surprising insensitivity arises because dense granular jet impact, though highly dissipative, is nonetheless controlled by the limit of perfect fluid flow.
An electroencephalographic analysis of personality-dependent performance under psilocybin

An electroencephalographic analysis of personality-dependent psychomotor performance was investigated in 11 volunteers under 160 μg/kg psilocybin-induced ergotropic arousal. Significant psilocybin-induced changes in mean energy content of EEG, reaction time, and latency and duration of alpha attenuation to photic stimuli were noted in all subjects, as well as significant correlations between EEG parameters, personality types and psychomotor (handwriting) test results. Moreover, a ‘clustering’ of certain EEG, personality, and handwriting characteristics in specific subjects seems to justify their classification into two general groups.
Textural and microstructural inhomogeneities in drawn and annealed OFHC copper wire

This work presents the results of a study on textural and microstructural inhomogeneities that develop during annealing of heavily drawn Oxygen free high conducting (OFHC) copper wire. The wire was drawn at room temperature to a true strain of 2.31 and isothermally annealed at 750°C for annealing times ranging from 10s to 1hr. The inhomogeneity of microstructure across the wire was clearly visible as three distinct concentric regions, which were classified as: the inner core, the mid section, and the outer surface. Two texture transitions were observed. At shorter annealing time, recrystallization which originated from the mid section, resulted into a strong+weak duplex fiber texture. However, prolonged annealing gave rise to abnormal grain-growth that proceed from the mid section to the outer surfaces with a dominant fiber component at the mid and inner region, and mixed components of , , and at the outer surfaces.
Prevalence and long-term significance of exercise-induced frequent or repetitive ventricular ectopic beats in apparently healthy volunteers

Frequent or repetitive exercise-induced ventricular ectopic beats are often considered a marker for serious cardiac disease or sudden death, or both. However, the prognostic value of these arrhythmias in an unreferred asymptomatic community-dwelling population over a broad age range is unknown. Of 1,160 subjects aged 21 to 96 years who underwent maximal exercise treadmill testing an average of 2.4 times, 80 (6.9%) developed frequent (greater than or equal to 10% of beats in any 1 min) or repetitive (greater than or equal to 3 beats in a row) ventricular ectopic beats on at least one test. These 80 individuals were significantly older than the group without such arrhythmia (63.8 +/- 12.5 versus 50.0 +/- 16.1 years, p less than 0.0001). A striking age-related increase in the prevalence of frequent or repetitive exercise-induced ventricular ectopic beats was seen in men (p less than 0.0001) but not in women. The prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities at rest, exercise-induced ST segment depression and thallium perfusion defects, duration of treadmill exercise, maximal heart rate, systolic blood pressure and rate-pressure product did not differ between these 80 study subjects with frequent exercise-induced ventricular ectopic beats and a control group matched for age and gender. Furthermore, the incidence of cardiac events (angina pectoris, nonfatal myocardial infarction, cardiac syncope or cardiac death) (10% versus 12.5%) as well as noncardiac mortality (each 7.5%) was found to be similar for the study and control groups, respectively, over a mean follow-up period of 5.6 years. No study subjects required antiarrhythmic drugs over this time interval.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Flaps in obese rats-A novel experimental flap model

Abstract Introduction: Obesity is viewed as a risk factor for post-operative complications following autologous tissue breast reconstruction. However, the effect of obesity on flap survival remains unclear. To examine the impact of obesity on surgical flaps, we designed an animal flap model employing obese rats. Methods: Epigastric skin flaps were developed in obese Zucker rats and their lean littermates, using anatomic landmarks. These flaps were elevated and based solely on the left epigastric vessels. The flaps was sutured back into place and followed with serial digital photographs. Area of flap survival, baseline tissue ATP levels, and histology were studied. Results: The flaps in obese rats showed a significantly decreased mean area of survival of 40.4% ± 3.8 compared to 74.7% ± 14.9 in the lean rats (p Conclusions: There is a distinct survival difference between flaps in obese versus lean animals. This supports the clinical perception that obese patients are at higher risk for post-operative complications following breast reconstruction using autologous tissue. This model is the first of its kind and is an initial step in the study of the effects of increased fat content on surgical flaps and will contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of flap failure.
Functional Genomics with YBL036c.

Functions of more than 2,000 genes in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome are still unknown. Gene YBL036c is among them. Gene YBL036c encodes a protein that is PLP (pyridoxalphosphate) dependent. Its sequence does not indicate similarity to any known protein. However, its 3D structure, including the active site residues, are almost identical to that of bacterial alanine racemase. From the structure we can deduce that it is a racemase. An increasing number of data have shown the existence of D enantiomers of amino acids in eukaryotes. D,L-dityrosine was found in spore walls of S. cerevisiae[1] D-serine in mammalian brain cells[2], and an accumulation of some amino-acids in D-form in human tissue, such as bone and eye lens, has been described[3]. Therefore, it seems very interesting and important to recognize a possible racemase activity, which is required for existence and/or amino acid metabolism in eukaryotes.
The second step of the nitric oxide synthase reaction: evidence for ferric-peroxo as the active oxidant.

Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is a P450 mono-oxygenase that catalyzes the oxidation of l-arginine to citrulline and NO through the stable intermediate NG-hydroxy-l-arginine (NHA). The oxidation of NHA by NOS is unique. There is little direct evidence in support of the nature of the heme bound oxidant [i.e., ferric-peroxo vs FeIV═O(por•+)] responsible for this transformation. Previous work characterizing the H2O2-driven oxidation of NHA by NOS showed the formation of citrulline and the side product Nδ-cyanoornithine (CN-orn). This led to the proposed involvement of a ferric-peroxo intermediate in the oxidation of NHA to citrulline. To test this hypothesis we used this model reaction to study the effects of pH, heme substitution, active site mutagenesis, and a fluorinated substrate analogue on the product distribution. Further, the oxidation of 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) by H2O2 and iNOSheme was used to probe the protein-catalyzed breakdown of peroxide to the FeIV═O(por•+) in...
Developing medical countermeasures: from BioShield to BARDA

The U.S. Congress passed the Project BioShield Act in 2004 to create market incentives for the private sector to develop medical countermeasures (MCMs) against high-priority chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats. Two years later, Congress patched recognized gaps in the BioShield legislation by adopting the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act of 2006, which established the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) within the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS). BARDA provides financial and managerial support for companies developing MCMs. This article examines U.S. government efforts in the MCM field and prospects for the future. Drug Dev Res 70:224–233, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Evaluation of statistical methodologies for estimation of median effective dose

A comparison is made of statistical techniques currently in use for analysis of quantal assay data. The discussion focuses on the choice of the functional model to use in the description of the tolerance distribution for the estimation of the median effective dose and in the contrast between exact and graphical methods of estimation for a given choice of model. The data used to illustrate these focal points are derived from test data from biological assays performed at the University of Pittsburgh. A criterion for making a choice among functional models based on the significance of the dose-response relationship and the length of the fiducial limits for the median effective dose is proposed. It is also shown that graphical methods can lead to results similar to those arrived at through exact calculations where the data fit model assumptions but can lead to erroneous conclusions where this is not the case.
Survey of U.S. Doctoral Degrees Related to the Teaching of German—2006

The following bibliography presents titles of doctoral dissertations related to the teaching of German and completed in U.S. universities during calendar year 2006. Some entries from other years, not submitted until recently or turned in after the announced deadline, are included as well. As in earlier dissertation compilations published in this periodical, "related to the teaching of German" re fers to dissertations completed in Germanics, com parative literature, linguistics, and foreign or sec ond language education with reasonable applica bility to German or to the teaching of German language, literature, linguistics, and/or culture.1 Each December the compiler contacts by mail each doctoral-degree granting department in languages and literatures, comparative literature, linguistics, and foreign language education in the United States and requests individual chairpersons to identify in writing the author, title, and director of each dissertation completed during the then-end ing calendar year. In addition, the chairperson is asked to indicate the type (DA, DML, EdD, PhD) of doctoral degree granted. As were its predecessors, the present listing is derived from an annual survey published in The Modem LanguageJournal.2 It differs from the MLJ compilafion for 2006 in that its focus is on disserta tions completed in German or related to the teach ing of German. The format of the present listing (al phabetical by author) distinguishes it from the only other similar compilation, that of Monatshefte, which lists entries by academic year and arranges them alphabetically by institution granting the doc torate and, within that, alphabetically by author. The reader should keep in mind that listings may be incomplete and/or inaccurate since reporting the requested information is dependent on the good will and available time of busy department heads and/or their staff members. Entries are arranged as follows: (a) name of dis sertation author; (b) "title of dissertation"; (c) name of degree (when other than the PhD); (d) institution granting the degree; (e) year degree granted if other than 2006; (f) (name of director or supervisor). Where information is not listed, the reader may as sume that it was not given in the response of the in
Interpretation of Quantum Physics

MR. STOPES-ROE sees a difficulty for the pure particle theory of diffraction in the assumption of ‘collective action’ of the reacting body as a whole, be it a crystal, or a screen with slits, or I may add any measuring instrument. But this collective action is justified, and is always taken for granted in the non-relativistic theory where communication is instantaneous from one to the other end of a body. All quantum mechanics, not only Duane's and Epstein–Ehrenfest's special example of diffraction, rests on this collective action, even to a much farther degree than envisaged by Dr. Stopes-Roe, namely, when symmetry principles are applied not only to a rigid body but even to a gas as a whole. In a relativistic theory of the future this may have indeed to be amended. But I agree with the quantum theorists in all they do on weekdays, when they practise the unitary quantum theory of particles and systems of particles known as quantum mechanics which includes Duane's theory of particle diffraction. I take exemption only from the Sunday talk about a quite obsolete duality with double manifestations and two subjective pictures instead of one physical reality—obsolete since Duane's and Born's statistical particle interpretation. For example, I agree that the equality of the angles of incidence and reflexion of a small particle from a surface of a heavy wall is due to the conservation laws in reaction to the wall as a whole. But I would disagree if a dualist should tell me that this equality is due to a wave interlude, with the particle ‘manifesting’ itself as spread out over the whole surface and being reflected according to the Huyghens interference principle. The only difference from a crystal is that the wall does not have selective periodicities, hence is not restricted to selective momentum transfer yielding selective angles of incidence and reflexion. Here as there I regard ‘duality’ as superfluous ideological ballast, which may not hurt the expert but certainly confuses the student, who may as well be told from the very beginning that there is a unitary particle theory of mechanical interaction, good enough for weekdays and Sundays.
Advise or Consent?: Conscience and Power in Mum and the Sothsegger

This essay explores the politics of conscience in the anonymous early fifteenth-century English poem Mum and the Sothsegger. Holding a prominent place in what critics have called the “Piers Plowman tradition,” Mum is also often looked to as evidence of a growing literate voice in late medieval English religion and politics. The poem itself diagnoses English society as captive to “Mum” or self-interested quietism, and it champions an ethic of truthtelling in response. But if the voice of conscience demands literal utterance in this poem, what does it say? Who is called on to speak it? What sources of authority does it appeal to in making its claims? Mum seeks to expose contemporary forms of injustice, but it does so in a rhetoric that itself courts inflated royal power and coercive violence. Staking out a public voice in terms found in the ecclesial practice of fraternal correction, Mum seems to disregard defining features of that practice. The Mum poet likewise shows himself to be a tellingly selective — ...
An electron microprobe study of fluorine in deciduous and permanent incisor tooth crowns at different stages of development in the dog.

Abstract Sections of the incisors of sibling dogs were subjected to electron microprobe analysis from the enamel edge to pulp dentine edge from birth to 132 days. Uniformly detectable levels across the deciduous sections at birth decreased to below detectability up to weaning. After weaning, F peaks emerged at pulp and enamel edges. F levels in deciduous and permanent, unerupted and erupted sections were compared and discussed in relation to their natural systemic and topical exposure to F. It is concluded that F reaches the enamel by both routes in erupted teeth.
Electron Transfer and Absorption Spectra of Complexes.

Occurrence of light saturation in the reaction of thionine (T) with Fe2+ suggests the existence of T. Fe2+ complexes practically indistinguishable by their absorption spectra from free thionine; photoreduction seems to occur by electron transfer in such complexes, delayed by more than 10-5 second after light absorption. Both phenomena must be of general significance.
Structural and Thermal Characterization of Wheat Straw Pretreated with Aqueous Ammonia Soaking

Production of renewable fuels and chemicals from lignocellulosic feedstocks requires an efficient pretreatment technology to allow ready access of polysaccharides for cellulolytic enzymes during saccharification. The effect of pretreatment on wheat straw through a low-temperature and low-pressure soaking aqueous ammonia (SAA) process was investigated in this study using Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), pyrolysis–gas chromatography/mass spectroscopy (Py-GC/MS), solid and liquid state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), and thermogravimetry/differential thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) to demonstrate the changes in lignin, hemicellulose, and cellulose structure. After treatment of 60 mesh wheat straw particles for 60 h with 28–30% ammonium hydroxide (1:10 solid/liquid) at 50 °C, sugar recovery increased from 14% (untreated) to 67% (SAA treated). The FTIR study revealed a substantial decrease in absorbance of lignin peaks. Solid and liquid state NMR showed minimal lignin structural changes with significant composit...
High Performance Piezoresistive Micro Strain Sensors

This paper presents results of studies on the high performance silicon piezoresistive bridge strain sensors. The microfabricated, boron diffused, piezoresistive strain sensors constructed in Wheatstone bridge structure were used in this work. The temperature stability and time drift problems were studied and improvements were made. Experimental results showed heavily doped sensors are less sensitive to temperature variation but with lower gauge factor as compared with lower doped sensors. In order to solve time drift problem in packaged sensor modules, the stiffness of sensors has to be reduced. The thickness of sensors was reduced from 500 mum to 30 mum by using MEMS structure with novel processes. The drift problem was improved from 7.6% for 500 mum-thick devices to 0.2 % for 30 mum-thick devices.
Sex Discrimination and Employment Practices: An Experiment with Unconventional Job Inquiries

Males and females made job inquiries in response to 256 different classified advertisements. Clearcut discrimination was found in over one-third of the telephoned inquiries. Discrimination occurred in a greater proportion of male than female inquiries about sex-inappropriate jobs. Explanation was grounded in the degree of deviance attributed to male and female sex-inappropriate callers, the nature of “male” and “female” occupations, and employer's fear of being thought to discriminate against women.
Victims of bullying in childhood, criminal outcomes in adulthood

Objective. Being bullied in childhood is empirically associated with a number of negative psychosocial outcomes, including delinquency. However, no study to date has examined in a clinical population relationships between being bullied in childhood and accruing charges for criminal behavior in adulthood - the focus of the present study. Method. In this cross-sectional study of 377 consecutive outpatients from an internal medicine clinic, we examined relationships between three self- reported bullying variables and self-reported charges for any of 27 criminal behaviors as schematized by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Results. In this sample, approximately 45% of participants self-reported being victims of bullying in childhood. Men, but not women, evidenced relationships between being a victim of bullying in childhood and the number of different illegal charges reported in adulthood. Conclusions. Although the methodology of this study does not allow for the determination of a causal relationship, findings suggest that being a victim of bullying in childhood may be associated with criminal behavior in adulthood, particularly among males. Language: en
Lethal peritonitis following internal small bowel herniation and infarction after use of a simplified stapler colostomy technique

Abstract A modification of the simplified colostomy stapler technique of Photopulos, et al . is presented whereby no colonic mucous fistula is created when no distal rectal obstruction is present. A case is reported in which lethal peritonitis developed subsequent to small bowel infarction and perforation following internal herniation of the small bowel lateral to the colostomy site. Placement of permanent sutures to affix the proximal colon to the lateral gutter peritoneum at the time of formation of the colostomy is recommended to avert this complication.
Neurotrophic control of protein synthesis in the regenerating limb of the newt, Triturus.

Evidence is presented for the stimulation of protein synthesis in newt limb buds by an agent produced by nerve fibres.
Intracellular junctional structures in germinating ascopores ofVenturia inaequalis

An ultrastructural study of the fungal plant pathogen,Venturia inaequalis (Cke)Wint., has revealed the presence of junctions that form within germinated ascospores as they penetrate the cuticle of apple leaves. This is the first report of junctional structures in fungi or in any organism with a cell wall. Morphologically they resemble septate junctions of invertebrate tissues, but developmentally they differ in origin. Junctions inV. inaequalis form intracellularly during formation of the infection sac by an invagination and subsequent folding back of the plasma membrane around the penetration pore. The apposed plasma membranes form junctions and result in a junctional belt around the penetration pore. The plasma membrane and the junctional structures stain positively with phosphotungstic acid and the confluent infection sac membrane remains unstained. As the infection sac grows, additional junctions form between the infection sac membrane and plasma membrane. The intermembrane space of these junctions measures 17 nm, and the septa occur at regular 2.5 nm intervals. The junctions appear to provide adhesive support and structural rigidity for the developing infection sac and may also facilitate differentiation between the infection sac membrane and the plasma membrane. Similarities and differences between these junctions and invertebrate septate junctions are discussed.
Evaluation and teaching of psychiatric interviewing

Abstract We are faced with three variables that presumably interact and coalesce in the production of the novice interviewer's learning: (1) a common core of values and techniques shared by experts; (2) the expert teacher's personal style which has been implicitly communicated to the novice; and (3) the novice's own inarticulated personal style. That it is essential to find out more about each of these variables is abundantly clear if what we impose on students in our teaching of diagnostic and therapeutic skills is to serve constructive ends. Without asumption of personal styles on the parts of both teachers and learners, it becomes mandatory that we clarify explicitly what the nature of these styles is in order to approach the understanding of their interaction in the learning process. Thus, for example, along one dimension, do hedgehogs learn more from foxes or from other hedgehogs? 3 In effect, the appeal here is for articulating more conscientiously what experts share and what aspects of what they do not share interact with a common core in ways that contribute to their expertise. It is only through research aimed at making these variables explicit that we can begin to think through how best to teach students what we want them to know. A danger exists in such research in that our data demonstrate that analogs of the therapeutic diagnostic situation do not measure the same processes as the actual interview situation itself. We must then investigate how experts operate in the field in order to define what we want to teach. Once this is accomplished we can begin to investigate the interaction of supervisor and student variables with the hope of learning the optimal pairings that will maximize learning. It is only through this kind of research that we can begin to deal with the problem arising from the teachers' and raters' implicit demands that the student emulate them. This area of research can make up for the failure in observing ego on the part of teachers and evaluators that prevents them from adequate empathy with students. It will allow the groundwork for a differentiation between their own personal biases and reactions and the reality of the student's personal way of dealing with people. Making teachers aware that their evaluation of students is a reflection of the three variables noted above (the common core, the expert's personal style, and the learner's own style) can enable them to separate out what the student's learning has actually been.
Innovations in the design of clinical trials in breast cancer.

The execution of clinical trials is perhaps the most difficult way of carrying out a scientific experiment. This is especially true of chronic diseases, such as breast cancer, which require long-term follow-up and large numbers of patients. As a result, it is necessary to involve many physicians who can contribute patients to these studies. Unfortunately, many physicians are not comfortable participating in randomized studies because they feel the patient—physician relationship may be compromised. This paper discusses new ways of planning randomized clinical trials which do not interfere with the patient—physician relationship. The new designs are called ‘randomized consent’ or ‘prerandomized’ designs. The study designs are discussed from the point of view of statistical efficiency and the new ethical problems which may arise.
P.77: High Transmittance Blue‐phase LCD with a Floating Electrode

A high transmittance polymer-stabilized blue-phase liquid crystal display with floating electrodes in conjunction with protruded electrodes is proposed. The floating electrodes help to confine the electric field and reduce the dead zone areas. As a result, the peak transmittance over 90% is achieved.
Ecological factors affecting the pathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis var. thuringiensis to the European corn borer and fall armyworm

Abstract Ecological factors which might affect the pathogenicity of Bacillus thuringiensis when it is used to control field pouplations of the European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis, and the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda were tested in the laboratory. The bacterium caused only minor changes in the pH of the hemolymph and hindgut, but changes in the foregut and midgut were considerable. Gut contents of normal European corn borers, injected into the hemolymph of normal corn borers, caused death within 20 hours. A bacteriophage isolated from a corn borer and from a spore powder of B. thuringiensis reduced the rapidity with which the treated larvae died, but did not reduce the final mortality. Ultraviolet irradiation of a spore powder of B. thuringiensis for 72 hours eliminated its pathogenicity for both insect species. A temperature of 32°C was more conducive to rapid mortality of larvae treated with B. thuringiensis than were lower temperatures. A spore suspension of B. thuringiensis stored for 1–10 months was more pathogenic than a fresh preparation of the same spore powder.
Use of reference states in predicting transport rates in high-speed turbulent flows with mass transfers

Abstract A method tor predicting mass-, momentum-, and energy-transfer rates in turbulent flows is outlined involving (a) a semi-empirical correlation of friction coefficient for injection of air into a low-speed air stream (providing the “constant-property” curve forming the heart of any attempt to predict transfer rates using reference states), (b) modified Reynolds analogies relating mass- and energytransfer coefficients with friction coefficient, and (c) expressions for reference temperature (or enthalpy) and reference composition. The blowing-rate parameter used in the friction-coefficient correlation differs from suggestions of earlier investigators using sublayer theories chiefly in that the geometric average of the friction factor with blowing and the friction factor without blowing is used. The modified Reynolds analogies differ from the analogies of Rubesin and Pappas chiefly in that the specific heat of the mixture is constant with value fixed by the reference state. Since, for flows without mass additions at the wall, the reference-temperature expression used for laminar flows correlates successfully the results for turbulent flows, attempts to correlate data for turbulent flows with mass additions using the reference-state expressions developed by Knuth for laminar flows with mass additions are recommended. Since no data including dependable measurements of foreign-gas concentration at the surface are available, no verification of the modified Reynolds analogy relating mass and momentum transfer and of the use of the reference-concentration expression is possible at present. Limited available data indicate that (a) for Mach numbers up to 3, the reference-temperature expression developed for laminar flows with mass transfers appears to correlate satisfactorily the data for turbulent flows with mass transfers, and (b) use of the modified Reynolds analogy and the proposed blowingate parameter appears to correlate satisfactorily the skin-friction and heat-transfer data for the case in which the heat capacity of the coolant and main-stream gas are equal. The need for data which are more extensive and more accurate is emphasized.
Epsilon-Ritz method for solving optimal control problems: useful parallel solution method

Using Balakrishnan's epsilon problem formulation (Ref. 1) and the Rayleigh-Ritz method with an orthogonal polynomial function basis, optimal control problems are transformed from the standard two-point boundary-value problem to a nonlinear programming problem. The resulting matrix-vector equations describing the optimal solution have standard parallel solution methods for implementation on parallel processor arrays. The method is modified to handle inequality constraints, and some results are presented under which specialized nonlinear functions, such as sines and cosines, can be handled directly. Some computational results performed on an Intel Sugarcube are presented to illustrate that considerable computational savings can be realized by using the proposed solution method.
Analysis of light scattering from soot using optical cross sections for aggregates

Soot formed in flames usually consists of aggregates (clusters or agglomerates) of a variable number of nearly spherical, monodisperse primary particles (monomers or spherules). In this work, the optical properties of polydisperse aggregates are used to analyze light scattering data from a coannular ethene diffusion flame. In previously reported studies, data have been obtained on the local extinction and volumetric scattering cross sections from laser scattering experiments, on the flame velocity field from laser velocimetry, and on the primary particle sizes determined by electron microscopy. The present analysis yields the average number of primary particles per aggregate, the mean-square radius of gyration, the soot volume fraction and the aggregation rate. It is found that sustained collisional growth of the aggregates occurs while their primary particles growth through heterogeneous reactions low in the flame, and contract through surface oxidation in the upper half of the flame. A recent value of the refractive index gives internally consistent moment ratios of the aggregate size distribution function. This method of analysis provides a more detailed and complete description of the formation, growth and oxidation of soot aggregates in a diffusion flame.
Neurochemical alterations in adolescent chronic marijuana smokers: a proton MRS study.

Abstract Converging evidence from neuroimaging and neuropsychological studies indicates that heavy marijuana use is associated with cingulate dysfunction. However, there has been limited human data documenting in vivo biochemical brain changes after chronic marijuana exposure. Previous proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy studies have demonstrated reduced basal ganglia glutamate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex N-acetyl aspartate levels in adult chronic marijuana users. Similar studies have not been reported in adolescent populations. The present study used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to determine whether reductions in glutamate, N-acetyl aspartate and/or other proton metabolite concentrations would be found in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) of adolescent marijuana users compared with non-using controls. Adolescent marijuana users (N = 17; average age 17.8 years) and similarly aged healthy control subjects (N = 17; average age 16.2 years) were scanned using a Siemens 3T Trio MRI system. Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy data were acquired from a 22.5 mL voxel positioned bilaterally within the ACC. Spectra were fitted using commercial software and all metabolite integrals were normalized to the scaled unsuppressed water integral. Analysis of variance and analysis of covariance were performed to compare between-group metabolite levels. The marijuana-using cohort showed statistically significant reductions in anterior cingulate glutamate (− 15%, p
Property rights and sustainable irrigation - a developed world perspective.

Abstract This paper draws on the history of irrigation in the US West to address two sets of questions: First, did problems of collective action arise during the development of irrigation in that region? If so, were they successfully resolved? If so, how—did the solution align with Ostrom, 1993 . Water Resour. Res. 29 (7), 1907–1912 design principles? Second, how sustainable was the system of water management institutions and water property rights that emerged in the US West? Has it been conducive to the efficient use of water in the West, regarded as a necessary (although not sufficient) condition for sustainability? If not, why not? It is crucial to distinguish the collective action task of building an irrigation system from that of running a system once constructed. With regard to irrigation system construction and financing, the key was not trust, as some have suggested, but capital: irrigation systems are extremely capital intensive, the capital is very long-lived, it is not modular – it cannot usefully be installed bit by bit – it is marked by major economies of scale, and it is not fungible elsewhere or in other uses. This creates massive problems of contracting, default, and bankruptcy, which in fact were a hallmark of irrigation development in the West. The failure to solve collective action in system construction contrasted with the eventual success at collectively operating an irrigation system once constructed, which was accomplished through two idiosyncratic American mechanisms—mutual water companies and special government districts. The development of irrigation in the US West left a legacy of problems with the definition and administration of property rights to water, yielding a dual system with water relatively fungible within irrigation organizations but, typically, not between them. The diversity and complexity of property rights to water was a predictable consequence of the economics and politics of water development.
FIRST YEAR IMPLEMENTATION OF A PROJECT-BASED LEARNING APPROACH: THE NEED FOR ADDRESSING TEACHERS' ORIENTATIONS IN THE ERA OF REFORM

The purpose of this study was to examine the extent to which three teachers’ professional experience and existing orientations toward teaching and learning mathematics and science influenced their implementation of a project-based curriculum (i.e. project-based learning (PBL)). Data sources included interviews, videotapes of classroom activity, and a teaching philosophy questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using an iterative coding technique. We found coherency between the teachers’ perceived orientations and their emergent ideas about PBL, their sense of PBL as being compatible with their goals, and the specific challenges with which they struggled. All the teachers wanted their students to be successful; however, different definitions of success led to quite different approaches toward teaching, and for the most part, these differences appeared to have occurred because of existing orientations the teachers held for teaching their discipline. Implications for professional development taking into account teachers’ orientations and thus their professional experience are discussed, as well as disciplinary challenges to using PBL.
GROUND PRESSURE MEASUREMENT SYSTEM

An important constraint upon the design of unmanned demining vehicles is the pressure they exert on the ground. To provide for the safety of the expensive equipment carried, vehicles designed to detect land mines must disturb the ground in a mine field as little as possible. Currently vehicle designs concentrate on properly integrating sensors onto a vehicle, paying less attention to whether the vehicles are appropriate concerning safety. This paper/presentation will describe a ground pressure measurement device which measures ground pressure as experienced by a land mine. Inside a rugged case similar an anti-tank mine, the device accurately measures pressures exerted by a vehicle which could detonate a mine. The device, with a wide pressure range and its sealed case, can be used under a wide variety of conditions. The tests performed to validate the device will be described, and a theoretical analysis of the results using terramechanics will be given. Finally, possible usage of this device will be given, including its applicability in the vehicle design process as well as possible usage as a training device.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Amphotericin B Lipid Complex (Ablc™): A Molecular Rationale for the Attenuation of Amphotericin B Related Toxicities

AbstractDespite its associated toxicities, amphotericin B remains the drug of first choice for a variety of systemic fungal infections that were invariably fatal prior to its introduction. A natural product of Streptomyces, the structure of this compound is quite remarkable: it is approximately the length of a phospholipid molecule but possesses along its long axis both a polyhydroxyl and polyene hydrocarbon backbone. These domains of opposite polarity imbue amphotericin with unusual solubility properties, appear to be the key to its destruction of cells via membrane perturbation and depletion of transmembrane ion gradients, and have attracted, over the years, the attentions of a plethora of physical chemists interested in drug-lipid interactions. The association of amphotericin with liposome membranes has been studied extensively and has been related to lipid composition, radius of curvature, physical state, the amount and type of sterol present, and in our hands, drug/lipid ratios (1).
A Human Directed Approach for Data Summarization

We discuss how the ordered weighted averaging (OWA) operator can provide a basis for generating summarizing statistics over large data sets. We further note how different forms of OWA operators can be induced using weight generating functions. We show how these weight generating functions can provide a vehicle with which a data analyst can express desired summarizing statistics. Our purpose here is to begin the development of a mixed graphical-linguistic means of communication to enable analyst to describe to computing machines various sophisticated types of summaries that may be desired.
Sequence stratigraphy and syndepositional deformation of the Agbada Formation, Robertkiri field, Niger Delta, Nigeria

The Agbada Formation in Robertkiri field is a 2.7-km (9000-ft)-thick succession of Miocene shallow-marine and nonmarine deposits formed as the continental margin of the Niger Delta structurally collapsed under accumulating sediments. A high-resolution sequence-stratigraphic framework for these strata was constructed by combining data from 20 well logs and a 1400-km2 (550-mi2) seismic volume. Syndepositional structural collapse occurred along a succession of major, cuspate, offshore-dipping normal faults and associated antithetic faults and rollover anticlines within downdropped blocks. Six fourth-order sequences, each hundreds of meters thick, formed during episodic progradation and retrogradation of deltaic shorelines. Their development was complicated by the thickening of deposits across major growth faults and away from the crests of adjacent rollover anticlines. Successively younger sequences became thinner, more laterally uniform in thickness, and less structurally deformed and contain less growth strata above downdropped fault blocks. Erosion along successively younger sequence boundaries became shallower and broader as accommodation declined and more sediment was bypassed basinward. Areas of deepest sequence boundary incision and most rapid structural deformation shifted basinward over time with regional delta progradation. Stratigraphic patterns across successive downdropped fault blocks suggest that collapse of this continental margin occurred under prograding deltaic deposits on the shelf instead of within lowstand intraslope basins. Differences in the development of successive sequences reflect gradually slowing rates of structural collapse as underlying mobile shale is depleted, allowing deltaic deposition to shift farther basinward.
Hybrid image-plane/stereo (HIPS) for orientation control of manipulators

Planetary exploration systems, operating under severe environmental and operating conditions, have thus far successfully employed carefully calibrated stereo cameras and manipulators to achieve desired precision in instrument placement activities. However, the environmental and functional restrictions imposed by the remote operation of semi-autonomous robots in a harsh planetary atmosphere for long periods of time limit the ultimate operational accuracy of this approach. This paper builds on an algorithm, referred to as Hybrid Image-Plane/Stereo (HIPS), developed to optimize the positioning accuracy of a manipulator. The HIPS method generates camera models through direct visual sensing of the manipulator end-effector. It estimates and subsequently uses these models to position the manipulator at a target location specified in the image-planes of a stereo camera pair using stereo correlation and triangulation. While positioning control of manipulation systems is important, orientation control of these systems is also crucial. Many planetary manipulation tasks being considered for the Mars Science Laboratory rover, due to launch in 2009, and subsequent missions, will require precise orientation control of manipulators. This paper studies the effect of using HIPS models to control the position and orientation of manipulator end-effector. As seen in previous position control experiments, the static version of the HIPS technique reduces position error by almost an order of magnitude. This paper additionally shows that orientation error is reduced by almost a factor of two.
Gaussian pulse dynamics in gain media with Kerr nonlinearity

Using the Kantorovitch method in combination with a Gaussian ansatz, we derive the equations of motion for spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal optical propagation in a dispersive Kerr medium with a general transverse and spectral gain profile. By rewriting the variational equations as differential equations for the temporal and spatial Gaussian q parameters, optical ABCD matrices for self-focusing and self-phase modulation, a general transverse gain profile, and nonparabolic spectral gain filtering are obtained. Further effects can easily be taken into account by adding the corresponding ABCD matrices. Applications include the temporal pulse dynamics in gain fibers and the beam propagation or spatiotemporal pulse evolution in bulk gain media. As an example, the steady-state spatiotemporal Gaussian pulse dynamics in a Kerr-lens mode-locked laser resonator is studied.
* Reducing Housing Options for Convicted Sex Offenders: Investigating the Impact of Residency Restriction Laws Using GIS

* Abstract Sex offender registries have been established throughout the United States. To date, 16 states have adopted additional residency restriction policies, precluding registered sex offenders from living within a certain distance of places where children gather. This study quantifies the impact of residency restrictions on housing options for registered sex offenders using Orange County, Florida, as a case study. A Geographic Information System (GIS) is employed to identify all occupied residential properties using parcel-level zoning data as well as those that fall within the 1,000-foot restricted buffer zones around attractions, bus stops, daycares, parks, and schools. Results indicate that housing options for registered sex offenders within urban residential areas are limited to only 5% of potentially available parcels and that bus stop restrictions impact the amount of livable area the most, followed by daycares, schools, parks, and attractions. The limited options to establish residency exist mostly in low-density rural areas. This supports the argument that residency restrictions for sexual offenders are a strong contributing factor to their social and economic isolation. The impacts of increasing the buffer to a proposed 2,500-foot zone are discussed, and a comparison of the individual restriction categories is presented.
Specific surface area of hierarchical graphitic substrates suitable for multi-functional applications

Abstract A multiscale carbon substrate is fabricated by growing carbon nanotubes (CNT) on multicellular graphitic foam using an intermediate oxide nanolayer. Abundant CNT growth is seen on the surface throughout, including the walls of inner pores. The Brunauer–Emmett–Teller (BET) technique with nitrogen has been used to measure the specific surface area (SSA) of this multiscale structure. It is seen that attachment of CNT provides over a one hundred fold increase in usable SSA of the material with negligible increase in volume and a weight gain of only 2.5%. These results correlate well with semi-empirical predictions obtained by combining analytical modeling and microstructural data.
Screening for Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review for the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force

To support the updated U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendation in this issue, Hillier and colleagues reviewed the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for gestational diabetes...