cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Laser Applications in Laryngology: Past, Present, and Future

Endolaryngeal surgery has been a primary driver for the development of laryngology since its inception in the mid nineteenth century, and laser technology [1] has been a key element of that development over the past 30 years [2–5]. Endoscopic laryngeal surgery remained office-based despite the transition from indirect-mirror-guided interventions to direct-laryngoscopic (Kirstein 1895) procedures in the early twentieth century [6]. Kirstein [7,8] clearly envisioned the enhanced surgical precision provided by direct laryngoscopy and astutely foretold the changeover to direct endolaryngeal surgery. ‘‘Autoscopy is veritably a surgical method...I nevertheless believe that finally, in the course of years, autoscopy will be generally accepted as the standard method for endolaryngeal and endotracheal surgery’’ [8]. As is often the case, an advance in anesthesia (ie, topical cocaine) [9,10] allowed for surgical development. With the ability to administer effective local anesthesia with cocaine, Kirstein performed autoscopy (direct laryngoscopy) in his office with an assistant. Subsequently, Jackson [11] championed moving direct laryngoscopic surgery to the operating suite as illustrated in the first textbook of rigid endoscopy of the upper aerodigestive tract. Throughout the twentieth century, seminal innovations such as the surgical microscope [12–15] and general endotracheal anesthesia greatly enhanced the precision and success of endolaryngeal surgery. This culminated in the introduction of the carbon dioxide (CO2) laser to surgery in the 1970s by Polanyi [1], Jako [2], Strong [3,16], and Vaughan [5,17]. They coupled the CO2 laser
Modern Arctic temperatures unprecedented in past 44,000 years

When the temperature rises on Baffin Island, in the Canadian high Arctic, ancient Polytrichum mosses are exposed from beneath melting glacier ice. Within a few years of exposure the mosses are quickly eroded away by snow and wind, but trapped beneath the ice, they can remain, frozen, for thousands of years.
A completely integrable Hamiltonian system associated with line fitting in complex vector spaces

On presente et on integre explicitement un systeme hamiltonien completement integrable qui apparait dans le probleme de l'ajustement de courbe a un ensemble de donnees dans un espace vectoriel complexe
Dynamics of the Intertropical Convergence Zone of the East Pacific

Abstract The dynamical factors controlling the mean state and variability of the east Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) and the associated cross-equatorial boundary layer flow are investigated using observations from the East Pacific Investigation of Climate (EPIC2001) project. The tropical east Pacific exhibits a southerly boundary layer flow that terminates in the ITCZ. This flow is induced by the strong meridional sea surface temperature (SST) gradient in the region. Away from the equator and from deep convection, it is reasonably well described on a day-to-day basis by an extended Ekman balance model. Variability in the strength and northward extent of this flow is caused by variations in free-tropospheric pressure gradients that either reinforce or oppose the pressure gradient associated with the SST gradient. These free-tropospheric gradients are caused by easterly waves, tropical cyclones, and the Madden–Julian oscillation. Convergence in the boundary layer flow is often assumed to be r...
Theoretical Analysis of the Bonding between CO and Positively Charged Atoms

A detailed analysis of the changes in the electronic structure of CO when a proton or a positive charge approaches the carbon or the oxygen atom is reported using quantum mechanical ab initio calculations and several methods to analyze the theoretical data. The C−O bond is shortened by nearly the same amount in HCO+ and QCO+ compared to free CO, while the nearly identical C−O bond lengths of COH+ and COQ+ are longer than in CO. H+ and Q+ have a strong electrostatic effect upon the atom to which they are bonded, which leads to an increased electronegativity of carbon and oxygen, respectively. Inspection of the charge distribution and the natural localized orbitals shows clearly that the shorter C−O distances of HCO+ and QCO+ and the longer C−O bond lengths of COH+ and COQ+ are due to the changes in the polarization of the bonding orbitals which are caused by the positive charge of H+ or Q+ that are bonded to the molecule. The bonding orbitals of CO are polarized toward the more electronegative oxygen end. ...
The clinical efficacy of influenza vaccination.

Inactivated influenza vaccine was developed approximately 50 years ago. The formulation has been continually improved, and its efficacy in preventing morbidity in healthy adults repeatedly demonstrated. Whether or not the vaccine is able to prevent hospitalisation and other complications of influenza in older individuals has been resolved by recent observational studies. During periods of influenza virus circulation, the vaccine has also been shown to be effective in preventing hospitalisation and, in some cases, death from all causes and specific causes such as all respiratory conditions. Antivirals are also available for use against type A influenza, and may be especially valuable when antigenic change in the virus occurs. Now that questions regarding clinical effectiveness have been answered, vaccine and antivirals should certainly be more extensively used than in the past. The determinations of positive clinical effectiveness, which are based on observations of actual use of the vaccine, can form a basis for calculation of cost effectiveness.
A low power zero-crossing pipeline-SAR ADC with on-chip dynamically loaded pre-charged reference

A dynamically loaded pre-charged reference technique for low power zero-crossing pipeline-SAR ADCs is presented. Power hungry reference buffers are eliminated and the loading from the reference capacitors is also reduced, thus improving the ADC noise performance. The 65-nm CMOS ADC prototype has an SFDR/SNR/SNDR of 77dB/70dB/66dB at 25MHz, while consuming 4.8mW at 50MS/s, including all the power for the reference generation and distribution.
Isotopic analysis with the laser microprobe mass analyzer

Abstract The capability of the laser microprobe mass analyzer (LAMMA) to perform isotopic ratio measurements has been investigated. The dynamic range is limited by the 8-bit resolution of the transient waveform recorder, but can be increased by using independent recording channels operated at different input sensitivities. An abundance sensitivity for uranium of 0.1% was measured on the low-mass side of the major peak. Measurement precision is limited by the finite number of ions in a pulse and by the dynamic bit resolution of the transient recorder. The major limitation for isotopic accuracy is a decrease in gain of the electron multiplier as the output pulse amplitude increases. This effect can be quantified using a calibration procedure. Isotopic ratio measurements were made on nanogram quantities of osmium with non-natural isotopic abundances. Relative accuracies better than 3% (1σ) were obtained for ratios larger than 0.2. These results give confidence that the LAMMA can be used to determine directly the radioactive decay constant of 187 Re by measuring the ingrowth of 187 Os.
Low-cost infrared sensing system for monitoring the welding process in the presence of plate inclination angle

Abstract A point infrared sensing system was developed for weld penetration control in the presence of plate inclination angle change for the tractor-based submerged arc welding process. Changes in the temperature distribution surrounding the weld pool were measured using a thermopile infrared detector and used to control weld penetration through changes of wire feed speed (welding current). Plate inclination angle on weld bead parameters was investigated. IR sensor signal variation was examined in the presence of plate inclination angles. Process control in the presence of plate inclination angle can be applied by using a point infrared sensor monitor the temperature distribution at a point adjacent to the weld pool and adjusting welding current.
Hybrid TiO2 Solar Cells Produced from Aerosolized Nanoparticles of Water-Soluble Polythiophene Electron Donor Layer

Hybrid solar cells (HSCs) with water soluble polythiophene sodium poly[2-(3-thienyl)-ethyloxy-4-butylsulfonate] (PTEBS) thin films produced using electrospray deposition (ESD) were fabricated, tested, and modeled and compared to devices produced using conventional spin coating. A single device structure of FTO/TiO2/PTEBS/Au was used to study the effects of ESD of the PTEBS layer on device performance. ESD was found to increase the short circuit current density () by a factor of 2 while decreasing the open circuit voltage () by half compared to spin coated PTEBS films. Comparable efficiencies of 0.009% were achieved from both device construction types. Current-voltage curves were modeled using the characteristic solar cell equation and showed a similar increase in generated photocurrent with an increase by two orders of magnitude in the saturation current in devices from ESD films. Increases in are attributed to an increase in the interfacial contact area between the TiO2 and PTEBS layers, while decreases in are attributed to incomplete film formation from ESD.
Rapid covalent coupling of proteins to cell surfaces: Immunological characterization of viable protein-cell conjugates

Abstract A rapid and efficient 2-step procedure is described for covalently attaching proteins to cell surfaces by using a heterobifunctional cross-linking agent, succinimidyl-4-(N-maleimidomethylcyclohexane)-1-carboxylate (SMCC). In the first step, protein is derivatized for about 30 min with a 1:1 (mole:mole) stoichiometric ratio of SMCC which creates 4-(N-maleimidomethylcyclohexane)-1-amidyl-protein (MCA-protein) covalent linkages with the primary amino groups of proteins. In the second step, cell-MCA-protein conjugates are rapidly prepared (in less than 30 min) by reacting MCA-protein with ‘reduced’ cells which have been pre-incubated (for about 1 h) with dithiothreitol (DTT). Stable protein-cell conjugates result from the covalent thioether linkages formed between the maleimido groups of the derivatized protein and the cell surface thiol groups created by DTT reduction. Protein-cell conjugates have been made in this way with several different proteins using several different types of cells. Such conjugates are characterized in this study by complement plus antibody-mediated cytotoxicity (CAMC) and by antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC) with human effector lymphocytes. Because these protein-cell conjugates are shown to remain viable and to retain significant levels of coupled protein for at least 24 h in culture, they are potentially useful for probing various membrane-related phenomena such as the recognition of cell surface antigens by immune effector cells.
The Density Evolution of IRAS Galaxies

A maximum likelihood test for density evolution is applied to a full-sky redshift survey of 5297 galaxies selected from the IRAS data base and flux-limited at 1.2 Jy. No evidence for evolution is found. Attention is given to important systematic errors which decrease the certainty with which evolution can be measured, namely, limited knowledge of the cosmological model, the unknown intrinsic spectral energy distribution of IRAS galaxies from 16 to 140 microns, the effect of density fluctuations, a Malmquist-like bias arising from flux errors in the IRAS Point Source Catalog, and possible incompleteness of the sample at high redshifts and low Galactic latitudes. It is shown that the Malmquist bias could result in a significant overestimation of the evolution rate, especially if the catalog has a flux limit near the completion limit of the Point Source Catalog.
Painful Memories: Ritual and the Transformation of Community Trauma

This paper explores the question of how ritual can heal community pain or trauma. Drawing together recent insights into the ideological nature of healing with a focus on ritual process, I argue that in cases of social violence and healing, ritual's ability to assuage pain is linked to the ways in which it draws pain into the process of reconstructing memory. The argument is illustrated through an examination of how the Betsimisaraka of east Madagascar used rituals of cattle sacrifice to transform the pain they experienced during an anticolonial rebellion that took place in 1947.
Mechanical alloying of carbon nanotube and Al6061 powder for metal matrix composites

Abstract Mechanical alloying has been widely utilized to break down the clustered CNTs for incorporation in the metal matrix composites. However, the breakage of CNTs during the ball milling process degrades their effectiveness. Due to the challenges in collecting the CNTs for measurement, quantitative study of CNT breakage has been difficult. In this study, the CNTs with Al6061 powder were mechanically alloyed with high energy milling equipment. The CNTs from the surface of mechanically alloyed particles were collected and measured. Due to the difficulty in obtaining the CNTs embedded inside the particles, a mathematical model has been developed to predict the overall CNT length distribution in the composite. Significant CNT breakage occurred during the initial phase of the mechanical alloying due to the crushing of the clusters. The model predicted that no further change occurred in the overall CNT length during time greater than 1 h of mechanical alloying because most of the CNTs had already become embedded within the particles and were thus protected from further milling media impacts. A faster dispersion of CNTs and lower particle fracturing rate may help preserve the original CNTs.
Systems engineering approach and design trades for the Lunette geophysical network lander

The concept of the Lunette geophysical network of landers was conceived from a mission concept study to develop small, low cost landers applicable to a variety of lunar exploration activities including site selection and certification for future human lunar outposts. The original design was intended to launch six landers on an EELV (Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle) as a secondary payload using the EELV Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring. A follow-on study of the same Lunette mission concept considered individual landers each having a dedicated solid rocket motor allowing for global-scale distribution for the establishment of geophysical network nodes for global network science. The payload for the geophysical network of landers was selected to be responsive to the science objectives outlined in the Scientific Context for Exploration of the Moon report [1] and the International Lunar Network (ILN) Final Report [2] would have the capability to take critical data continuously during the lunar night without requiring radioisotope power systems. This paper will discuss the systems engineering approach and design trades that allow for the current geophysical network lander concept to emerge from the original ESPA-based concept. 1 2
Estimating the additive genetic effect of the X chromosome

We propose a method for efficient estimation of the additive genetic effect of the X chromosome with explicit modeling of eutherian-type dosage compensation. The theoretical derivation of the variance-components model for X-linked loci is reviewed in detail. We develop a model of dosage compensation that allows for both incomplete and heterogeneous lyonization, the existence of which is suggested by recent expression studies. Modeling this relationship, especially in the limit cases of complete or absent compensation, allows estimation of the X effect as a single parameter for ease of comparison to other sources of variance. We present simulation studies to estimate the power and computational efficiency of our proposed method.
Design and Construction Practices that Affect Diaphragm Strength and Stiffness of Postframe Buildings

Including diaphragm action in sizing building posts (columns) and postembedment depths (foundation) is more consistent with the actual building performance. A large portion of in-plane loading, such as wind, is transferred to the end walls through in-plane shear via metal roofing—a phenomenon called “diaphragm action.” Because of load sharing and redundancies that are not accounted for, postframe buildings are stronger and stiffer than what is normally assumed. Various construction and design practices that increase diaphragm strength and stiffness of postframe buildings are discussed. The objective of this paper is to discuss design and construction practices that contribute to the diaphragm strength and stiffness of metal-clad postframe rectangular buildings. The paper is based on data and information obtained from the full-scale metal-clad timber-framed postframe building tested over a period of 9 years, and the literature. Understanding the functions, contributions, interactions, and load sharing char...
Real-time fusion of gaze and EMG for a reaching neuroprosthesis

For rehabilitative devices to restore functional movement to paralyzed individuals, user intent must be determined from signals that remain under voluntary control. Tracking eye movements is a natural way to learn about an intended reach target and, when combined with just a small set of electromyograms (EMGs) in a probabilistic mixture model, can reliably generate accurate trajectories even when the target information is uncertain. To experimentally assess the effectiveness of our algorithm in closed-loop control, we developed a robotic system to simulate a reaching neuroprosthetic. Incorporating target information by tracking subjects' gaze greatly improved performance when the set of EMGs was most limited. In addition we found that online performance was better than predicted by the offline accuracy of the training data. By enhancing the trajectory model with target information the decoder relied less on neural control signals, reducing the burden on the user.
Planar Doped Barriers By Molecular Beam Epitaxy For Millimeter Wave Devices

A novel electrostatic barrier concept, known as a planar doped barrier (PDB), has been demonstrated in GaAs crown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). The PDB structure has an n+-i-o+-i-n+ configuration in which a thin acceptor layer (50A) is placed within an undoped semiconductor region bounded by donor layers. Since the PDB is a majority carrier semicon-ductor structure with electron conduction by thermionic emission, it can be operated at extremely high frequencies. The key features of the PDB are that the zero-bias barrier height and the dearee of asymmetry in the rectifying I-V characteristics can be continually and in-dependently controlled. The zero-bias barrier height can be effectively varied from zero to sliahtly less than the bandgap of the semiconductor. In addition, the capacitance of the PDB is virtually constant over the entire operating voltage range. In contrast to Schottky barriers, the ability to design the electrical, properties of planar doped barriers can be used to optimize the performance of many electronic devices. The PDB concept has very important applications in high-frequency microwave and millimeter wave devices. PDB mixer diodes have been made which utilize low barrier heights for high sensitivity and low local oscillator power requirements. Very high speed PDB photodiodes have been demonstrated with subnanosecond response times. In addition, a revolutionary new planar doped barrier transistor (PDBT) is currently being developed for three-terminal am-plification in the millimeter wave frequency range. These devices will have sianificant im-pact in defense-related secure communications and miniaturized high-resolution radar systems.© (1982) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Visual Information Processing Speed in Hypnotized and Nonhypnotized Subjects

Using a backward-masking paradigm with a bias-free and ceiling-free psychophysical task, we tested hypnotized and control subjects for speed of visual information processing. Approximately half of each group received visual imagery suggestions in an attempt to influence attention. Imagery produced no significant differential effect. Although an absence of a hypnotizability-performance relationship was in keeping with findings of a previous study, those subjects in the present study who performed under hypnosis were, as a group, significantly superior to the other subjects in speed of information processing.
Inhibition of aflatoxin production inAspergillus flavus by cotton ovule extracts

The effect of cotton ovule extracts onAspergillus flavus growth and aflatoxin biosynthesis was investigated. Extracts derived from either noninoculated cotton ovule tissue or cotton ovule tissue challenged withA. flavus inhibited aflatoxin (B1) synthesis by fungal cultures ofA. flavus. When added to fungal cultures in concentrations of 50 µg per mL of medium, extracts derived from fungus-challenged ovule tissue inhibited aflatoxin synthesis by as much as 93%. The ED50 for this type of extract was 18 µg per mL of medium (P < 0.01; r2=0.46). Similar experiments with a noninoculated ovule extract (50 µg/mL medium) produced aflatoxin inhibition levels of up to 77%. The ED50 for noninoculated extracts was 35 µg per mL of medium (P < 0.01; r2=0.66). These extracts did not inhibit the growth ofA. flavus in culture. Cultures ofA. flavus that contained pure gossypol (10–50 µg/mL medium) also showed significantly reduced levels of aflatoxin production. Gossypol may account for the aflatoxin-inhibitory activity observed in the extracts derived from noninoculated cotton ovule tissue.
Wasps, beetles and the beginning of the ends

Recent papers investigating the genes regulating early embryogenesis in the wasp Nasonia vitripennis and the beetle Tribolium castaneum have provided us with important clues as to how early development is controlled in insects other than higher dipterans such as Drosophila melanogaster. The results of these studies demonstrate that in insects that do not have bicoid, anterior patterning is regulated by a combination of maternal orthodenticle and hunchback. Furthermore, during the evolution of long-germ-band development, Nasonia and Drosophila may have evolved different mechanisms to pattern posterior segments, marginalising the important role of the terminal system in short-germ-band embryos.
Peptide specific amelioration of T cell mediated pathogenesis in murine type 1 diabetes.

Abstract NOD mice spontaneously develop insulitis and type 1 diabetes (T1D) mellitus similar to humans. Insulitis without overt disease occurs in the BDC2.5 TCR-transgenic NOD mice that express the rearranged TCR α- and β-chain genes of a diabetogenic T cell clone reactive to an unknown β cell autoantigen. A previous study identified an extensive panel of peptides that are highly active in stimulating T cells from transgenic BDC2.5 mice in culture. However, none of these peptides cause active disease in NOD and BDC2.5 animals or in NOD recipients of adoptively transferred BDC2.5 T cells following direct immunization in vivo. We show that direct immunization of transgenic BDC2.5 mice causes many BDC2.5 T cells to become activated and apoptotic. Strikingly, soluble peptides administered to recipients of activated, highly pathogenic BDC2.5 T cells results in protection from disease. These results suggest that high affinity peptide analogues of autoimmune epitopes might be useful as therapeutic modulators in active autoimmune disease.
A comparison of sign language and spoken language

Abstract Evidence is presented which suggests that a sign in the American Sign Language takes longer to produce than a spoken word, but that a proposition takes about the same amount of time to produce in either language, or either modality for some signers. Properties of American Sign Language which can account for both of these facts are then discussed.
Social Work Values: The Moral Core of the Profession

Summary This paper argues that an emphasis on the profession’s knowledge base has come at the expense of attention to social work’s values and mission. The discussion examines the relative importance of knowledge, values and skills in an effort to understand the shifting emphases of the profession within a social and historical context. The consequences of these shifts for the profession and for its relationship to society are also considered. Concepts from the intellectual struggles of social work and from an interdisciplinary perspective suggest ways to ground the profession’s skills and knowledge in its values of human dignity, service to humanity and social justice. At its core, social work must respond to the moral imperative of caring for the neediest among us. This entails re-claiming and building on the commitment of early social workers ‘to work with forces that make for progress . . . to forward the advance of the . . . common people’ (Richmond, 1899, p. 151). The paper concludes that for social work to have a future, the profession must take pride in its moral core, define its contemporary meaning and work for the social welfare in ways that are relevant to both social workers and non-social workers.
A randomized trial comparing two models of web-based training in cognitive-behavioral therapy for substance abuse counselors.

Abstract This study compared training outcomes obtained by 147 substance abuse counselors who completed eight self-paced online modules on cognitive–behavioral therapy (CBT) and attended a series of four weekly group supervision sessions using Web conferencing software. Participants were randomly assigned to two conditions that systematically varied the degree to which they explicitly promoted adherence to the CBT protocol and the degree of control that they afforded participants over the sequence and relative emphasis of the training curriculum. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and immediately following training. Counselors in both conditions demonstrated similar improvements in CBT knowledge and self-efficacy. Counselors in the low-fidelity condition demonstrated greater improvement on one of three measures of job-related burnout when compared to the high-fidelity condition. The study concludes that it is feasible to implement a technology-based training intervention with a geographically diverse sample of practitioners, that two training conditions applied to these samples of real-world counselors do not produce statistically or clinically significant differences in knowledge or self-efficacy, and that further research is needed to evaluate how a flexible training model may influence clinician behavior and patient outcomes.
An automated drug administration system to control blood pressure in rabbits

Abstract Automated drug delivery would be desirable for patients in hypertensive crisis. Such a system has been constructed in our study by designing an external feedback controller which automatically maintains a constant predetermined blood pressure in rabbits by means of an appropriate drug infusion. This was accomplished by (1) inserting a catheter into the carotid artery of the rabbit for the continuous measurement of the blood pressure, and (2) forming the difference between the desired and the actual blood pressure values, and passing the difference through a controller which drives an injection pump; thus, the infusion rate of a drug is controlled so as to maintain the desired blood pressure of the rabbit. The drug used in the study was trimethaphan camsylate (Arfonad), which was injected into the marginal vein of the ear of the rabbit. The infusion rate was controlled by constructing an optimal feedback controller on the basis of a mathematical model, which describes the relation between infusion rate and the blood pressure. This automated drug delivery system was tested by controlling the blood pressure level of rabbits in the range of 20 mm Hg below the normal blood pressure.
Antigenicity of deoxyribonucleic acids from mouse liver and from the Ehrlich ascites tumour.

IN recent years, a number of reports have appeared concerning the antigenicity of mammalian and bacterial deoxyribonucleic acid. Evidence has been presented indicating that complement-fixing1 and precipitating2 antibodies may be produced by the injection of such preparations into experimental animals. In addition, serum from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus has been shown to react immunologically with highly purified deoxyribonucleic acid from a variety of sources3. The present communication concerns the production of antisera by the immunization of rabbits with deoxyribonucleic acid preparations isolated from mouse liver and from cells of the Ehrlich ascites tumour. The results obtained indicate that anti-tumour cell deoxyribonucleic acid serum has an inhibitory effect on the growth of the tumour in vivo.
A Large PEST-like Sequence Directs the Ubiquitination, Endocytosis, and Vacuolar Degradation of the Yeast a-Factor Receptor

The yeast a-factor receptor (encoded by STE3) is subject to two modes of endocytosis, a ligand-dependent endocytosis as well as a constitutive, ligand-independent mode. Both modes are associated with receptor ubiquitination (Roth, A.F., and N.G. Davis. 1996. J. Cell Biol. 134:661–674) and both depend on sequence elements within the receptor's regulatory, cytoplasmically disposed, COOH-terminal domain (CTD). Here, we concentrate on the Ste3p sequences required for constitutive endocytosis. Constitutive endocytosis is rapid. Receptor is synthesized, delivered to the cell surface, endocytosed, and then delivered to the vacuole where it is degraded, all with a t1/2 of 15 min. Deletion analysis has defined a 36-residue-long sequence mapping near the COOH-terminal end of the Ste3p CTD that is the minimal sequence required for this rapid turnover. Deletions intruding into this interval block or severely slow the rate of endocytic turnover. Moreover, the same 36-residue sequence directs receptor ubiquitination. Mutants deleted for this sequence show undetectable levels of ubiquitination, and mutants having intermediate endocytosis defects show a correlated reduced level of ubiquitination. Not only necessary for ubiquitination and endocytosis, this sequence also is sufficient. When transplanted to a stable cell surface protein, the plasma membrane ATPase Pma1p, the 36-residue STE3 signal directs both ubiquitination of the PMA1-STE3 fusion protein as well as its endocytosis and consequent vacuolar degradation. Alanine scanning mutagenesis across the 36-residue-long interval highlights its overall complexity—no singular sequence motif or signal is found, instead required sequence elements distribute throughout the entire interval. The high proportion of acidic and hydroxylated amino acid residues in this interval suggests a similarity to PEST sequences—a broad class of sequences which have been shown to direct the ubiquitination and subsequent proteosomal degradation of short-lived nuclear and cytoplasmic proteins. A likely possibility, therefore, is that this sequence, responsible for both endocytosis and ubiquitination, may be first and foremost a ubiquitination signal. Finally, we present evidence suggesting that the true signal in the wild-type receptor extends beyond the 36-residue-long sequence defined as a minimal signal to include contiguous PEST-like sequences which extend another 21 residues to the COOH terminus of Ste3p. Together with sequences identified in two other yeast plasma membrane proteins, the STE3 sequence defines a new class of ubiquitination/endocytosis signal.
Analysis of polarized optical excitations by electronic band structure calculations: organic superconductor β″-(BEDT-TTF)2SF5CH2CF2SO3

Abstract The room temperature polarized optical conductivity of the superconducting salt β″-(BEDT-TTF)2SF5CH2CF2SO3 was analyzed by calculating its electronic band structure using the extended Huckel tight binding method. The electronic band structure obtained with double-zeta orbitals is consistent with the observed optical properties. The optical transitions in the energy region of 0–0.75 eV are intraband transitions associated with the bands that result from the highest-occupied molecular orbitals of the BEDT-TTF molecules. The optical conductivity is much stronger along the interstack direction (b-axis direction) than along the direction perpendicular to it throughout the energy region of 0–0.75 eV. This anisotropy is readily accounted for by the band dispersion relations calculated for the wave vector directions parallel to the b∗ and a∗ directions. Polarized optical conductivity provides indirect information about the anisotropy of band dispersion relations.
A World at Risk: An Imperative for a Paradigm Shift to Cultivate 21st Century Learners

There is agreed-upon urgency to reform education around the world but there is wide disagreement in what actions are needed. Most of the popular reforms in the United States since A Nation at Risk have focused on fixing the past, which I argue in this essay are misguided. These strategies are simply doing the wrong thing more right. To address the challenges brought about by globalization and technological changes, we need a new education paradigm.
Effects of cyclic flexion of coronary arteries on progression of atherosclerosis

Abstract The purpose of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that cyclic flexion of the coronary arteries contributes to the progression of atherosclerotic plaques. Coronary arteriograms were evaluated in 33 unselected patients who under went 2 studies over a period of 25 ± 16 months (mean ± SD). Among the 33 patients, 103 plaques were identified. Plaques that showed progression were compared with plaques that showed no progression. The angle of flexion that occurred during systole at the site of the plaque was measured on the first arteriogram. In comparing progression versus no progression, the interval between arteriogams was 29 ± 18 versus 23 ± 14 months (p = NS) and percent stenosis at the first arteriogam was 42 ± 28 versus 45 ± 19% (p = NS). Percent stenosis at the time of the second arteriogram among plaques that progressed was 78 ± 21%, and by definition, it remained 45 ± 19% among those that did not progress. Among arteries with plaques that showed a progression of stenosis, the angle of flexion during systole was 19 ± 13° versus 9 ± 15° among arteries with plaques that did not progress (p
Implementing Parallel Branch-and-Bound with Extended Sisal 2.0

Parallel branch-and-bound is an optimization technique which renders more efficient the solution of some hard problems such as the puzzle of colored blocks and the traveling-salesman problem. In a functional language such as Sisal 2.0, it is difficult for the programmer to describe a parallel version of this technique due to the lack of imperative features in the language. In this paper, we propose a version of Sisal 2.0 extended with user-declared mutable global variables in order to enable Sisal programmers to apply the parallel branch-and-bound technique. In a simple example (the puzzle of colored blocks), we show that this approach yields better performance than either conventional functional programs or imperative programs. It is easy to see that the same strategy can be used to solve a number of hard problems such as the traveling-salesman problem.
The effect of systemic pesticides on total glycoalkaloid content of potato tubers at harvest

Two studies were conducted to determine the effect of systemic pesticides on the potato tuber total glycoalkaloid (TGA) content at harvest. In a field study, a pretuberization application of three systemic insecticides (disulfoton, aldicarb, carbofuran) and three systemic fungicides (thiabendazole, benomyl, thiophanate methyl) on three potato cultivars (Cobbler, Katahdin and B5141-6) showed carbofuran to be the only treatment significantly different (P= .05) from the control. The tuber TGA content of the carbofuran treatment was lower than that of the control. In a greenhouse study, carbofuran applied during tuberization to three potato varieties (Norland, Kennebec, Abnaki) produced a highly significant increase (P= .01) in the tuber TGA content. A significant varietal difference (P=.01) in response to the carbofuran treatment was also evidenced. Dos estudios fueron Ilevados a cabo para determinar el efecto de pesticidas sistemicos sobre el contenido total de glicoalkaloides (GAT) a la cosecha. En un estudio de campo, una aplicacion, previa a la tuberizacion, de tres insecticidas sistemicos (disulfoton, aldicarb, carbofuran) y tres fungicidas sistemicos (thiabendazole, benomyl, methil thiophanate) sobre tres cultivares de papa (Cobbler, Kathodin y B5141-6) indicaron que carbofuran resulto ser el unico tratamiento significativamente diferente (P=0.05) al control. El contenido de GAT en los tuberculos provenientes del tratamiento con carbofuran fue inferior que el de control. En un estudio de campo, el carbofuran aplicado durante la tuberizacion a tres variedades de papa (Norland, Kennebec, Abnaki) produjo un incremento altamente significativo (P=0.01) en el contenido de GAT del tuberculo. Una diferencia varietal significativa (P=0.01) en respuesta al tratamiento de carbofuran se hizo igualmente evidente.
Age and sex differences in responses to Embedded Figures and Reversible Figures.

Abstract Responses to Embedded Figures and to a series of Reversible Figures, as given by 9-year-old, 11-year-old, and 13-year-old subjects, were assessed with a view of identifying systematic age and sex differences. The present findings show that: (1) the ontogenetic course of sex differences in perceptual responses follows a zigzagging and overlapping pattern rather than a unidirectional path, and data obtained from adult subjects may offer no valid clues with regard to the existence or direction of sex differences at younger age levels; (2) a particular pattern of sex differences uncovered in a specific perceptual response category supplies no valid indices for the existence of similar sex difference patterns in other and even related response categories; and (3) age changes in perceptual responses, like those pertaining to the pattern of sex differences, also appear to be task, response, and in some cases, sex specific.
The contexts of adherence for African Americans with high blood pressure

The contexts of adherence for African Americans with high blood pressure African American men between the ages of 18 and 49 years have the lowest rates of awareness, treatment and control of high blood pressure (HBP) of all age/race/gender groups in the United States. A qualitative study was done to gain an understanding of urban black males' experiences of living with HBP. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 black males. The interviews explored perceptions of health, health problems and priorities, and concerns of daily living that influenced appointment keeping and medication taking. The sample was a subset of 309 men participating in a 3-year clinical trial to improve HBP control in an inner city African-American population. Content analysis of transcribed interviews identified the following themes and related concerns: (a) personal contexts: meaning of health, high blood pressure and treatments; (b) social context: living as a young black male in an urban environment; and (c) cultural context of relating: patient-provider relationship can make a difference. Influencing participants' responses were: interpreting symptoms; adjusting medication taking; protecting personal privacy; allocating limited resources; dealing with addiction; and feeling cared for by a health care provider. Adherence appeared to be multifaceted and changing depending upon: the men's social, economic and personal circumstances; empathetic and non-judgemental assistance from providers; financial concerns and employment; and drug addiction. Findings are useful in refining high blood pressure interventions.
Acute effects of wood-pulp on sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus Nerka)

Freshwater suspensions of pulp fiber in concentrations exceeding 1000 ppm at 15°C are acutely lethal to sockeye salmon fingerlings. Limited adaptation of such fish to fiber is possible but injury, at least in the short term, is irreversible. The acute lethality of various toxicants associated with industrial pulps is synergistically enhanced by the presence of fiber, and pulp storage up to 158 days at 15°C had no significant effect on the acute lethality. Highly purified fibers are less toxic in fresh than in sea water. The sensitivity to fiber of fish from two sources did not differ significantly.
Temporal polyethism and behavioural canalization in the honey bee,Apis mellifera

Abstract Two models of temporal polyethism in the honey bee were evaluated. The developmental-programme model asserts a causal relationship between age and task performance. The foraging-for-work model asserts that this relationship is an epiphenomenon associated with a self-organizing system. The effect of a worker's pre-foraging environment on task selection as a forager was also examined. Four groups of workers, emerging at 6-day intervals, were introduced to a colony. Workers in group 1 were introduced when less than 12 h old. Workers in groups 2 and 3 were divided into deprived and non-deprived groups. Non-deprived groups were introduced to the colony when less than 12 h old. Deprived groups were confined to an incubator for 12 days and 6 days, respectively, then introduced to the colony along with group 4 (
Trust, entrepreneurship and development in Surat city, India*

Through an examination of business relationships in the textile industry of Surat, a city in western India, this article evaluates different theories about the importance of social trust in economic development. The case study of Surat raises questions about models that posit a necessary expansion of broad civic ties or legal‐bureaucratic structures at the expense of close personal ties as a basis for industrial development. Surat's business people rely most strongly upon relationships to particular kins‐people, caste‐mates, and co‐religionists rather than broader civic bonds, formal legal controls, or bureaucratic systems as foundations for business trust. Although the expansion of the city's textile industry has created a greater need among the local population for impersonal, universalizing types of social trust, this article argues that these forms, show little sign of replacing personalized trust as the primary basis for local economic activity.
Aptamer-conjugated theranostic hybrid graphene oxide with highly selective biosensing and combined therapy capability

Cancer is a life-threatening disease, which is rapidly becoming a global pandemic. Driven by this need, here we report for the first time an aptamer-conjugated theranostic magnetic hybrid graphene oxide-based assay for highly sensitive tumor cell detection from blood samples with combined therapy capability. AGE-aptamer-conjugated theranostic magnetic nanoparticle-attached hybrid graphene oxide was developed for highly selective detection of tumor cells from infected blood samples. Experimental data indicate that hybrid graphene can be used as a multicolor luminescence platform for selective imaging of G361 human malignant melanoma cancer cells. The reported results have also shown that indocyanine green (ICG)-bound AGE-aptamer-attached hybrid graphene oxide is capable of combined synergistic photothermal and photodynamic treatment of cancer. Targeted combined therapeutic treatment using 785 nm near-infrared (NIR) light indicates that the multimodal therapeutic treatment is highly effective for malignant melanoma cancer therapy. The reported data show that this aptamer-conjugated theranostic graphene oxide-based assay has exciting potential for improving cancer diagnosis and treatment.
Teaching How to Counsel in a Pediatric Clinic

Pediatricians are being trained and encouraged to be attentive to the psychological problems of children and youth in their care. Observations in an adolescent medicine program, interviews with the fellows in the program, and a review of patient charts suggest some impediments to the pediatricians' expanded counseling role and their collaboration with child psychiatrists. The pediatrician's involvement in psychological issues is modified by the patient's expectations of care and the physician's degree of comfort and level of interest. For the child psychiatrist who teaches techniques and theory in a pediatric setting the challenge is to teach what is consonant with the learning styles and professional requirements of pediatricians.
Structure-activity relationships for 1',1'-dimethylalkyl-Delta8-tetrahydrocannabinols.

Abstract A series of 1′,1′-dimethylalkyl-Δ8-tetrahydrocannabinol analogues with C-3 side chains of 2–12 carbon atoms has been synthesized and their in vitro and in vivo pharmacology has been evaluated. The lowest member of the series, 1′,1′-dimethylethyl-Δ8-THC (8, n=0) has good affinity for the CB1 receptor, but is inactive in vivo. The dimethylpropyl (8, n=1) through dimethyldecyl (8, n=8) all have high affinity for the CB1 receptor and are full agonists in vivo. 1′,1′-Dimethylundecyl-Δ8-THC (8, n=9) has significant affinity for the receptor (Ki=25.8±5.8 nM), but has reduced potency in vivo. The dodecyl analogue (8, n=10) has little affinity for the CB1 receptor and is inactive in vivo. A quantitative structure–activity relationship study of the side chain region of these compounds is consistent with the concept that for optimum affinity and potency the side chain must be of a length which will permit its terminus to loop back in proximity to the phenolic ring of the cannabinoid.
TRUST: A deterministic algorithm for global optimization

An approach to solving continuous global optimization problems was developed. It builds on two innovative concepts, subenergy tunneling and non-Lipschitzian terminal repellers, to ensure escape from local minima in a fast, reliable, and computationally efficient manner. The generally applicable methodology is embodied in the TRUST (terminal repeller unconstrained subenergy tunneling) algorithm, which is deterministic, scalable, and easy to implement. Benchmark results show that TRUST is faster and more accurate than previously reported global optimization techniques. An application of TRUST to a large-scale exploratory seismology problem of substantial computational complexity (that is, residual statics corrections) is also reported.
Talbot's Observations on Fused Nitre

SOME years ago in studying the position of the solidus curve in the binary system consisting of the nitrates of potassium and sodium, the present writer became well acquainted with the phenomena referred to by Lord Rayleigh in his interesting letter in NATURE of February 1. A number of photomicrographs were made of thin layers of the nitrates, crystallised from fusion, between crossed Nicols and it was found very necessary in the work that the exposures should be made before the secondary change, the arrival of which, as Talbot observed, is hastened by scratching, had set in. There is, of course, now no mystery as to the cause of this secondary change upon cooling in the character of the crystals first formed from the melt, for potassium nitrate is known to be dimorphous, with a transition temperature at ordinary pressure about 129° C. A considerable degree of under-cooling often occurs, and the transition, initiated at Talbot's needle-point, spreads “like a wave” if the slide be cooler than 129°, as Lord Rayleigh found using a temperature near 100°.
Experimental characterization of LIGA fabricated 0.22 THz TWT circuits

In this paper we report precision MEMS Fabrication using novel LIGA technique for 0.22 THz micro-metallic staggered double-vane TWT circuits. For this high aspect ratio structure negative tone photo-resist KMPR was used. The entire fabrication process starting from spin coating, UV-lithography, electroforming and mold removal processing was fully characterized. Finally, the high tolerance TWT structure with smoothness (50–80 nm) was aligned in a specially engineered fixture for RF measurements in the BWO range 165–270GHz. The experiment showed excellent transmission 5–8 dB in frequency range 210–265 GHz. This result showed a distinct potential of applying this precision fabrication technique for the mass production of THz sources.