cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Thick film adherence fracture energy: influence of alumina substrates

The adherence of a glass bonded Pt-Au thick film conductor to various alumina substrates is degraded by changes in the surface composition of and by the presence of (0001) crystallographic texture in the substrate. Using the critical fracture energy (γIC) required to separate the thick film from the substrate, it was found that γIC was reduced from a maximum of 3.7 J m−2 using an as-received 96+ wt% alumina substrate to ∼2J m−2 using an as-received 99+ wt% alumina. In addition, the thick film adherence γIC using (0001) sapphire substrates was less than that using (11¯23) sapphire. The 96 wt% substate exhibited essentially a random crystallographic surface texture and a considerable amount of surface silicates. The as-received 99+ wt% Al2O3 substrate was charactarized by a high (0001) surface texture and, while exhibiting a similar composition silicate layer as that of the as-received 96 wt% alumina, the total amount of the glass layer is greatly diminished. Fractographic analysis of the separated thick films and substrates showed that changes in the substrate crystallographic texture and the glass layer diminish the interpenetrating nature of the glass—metal interface and weaken the glass—substrate interface. Such changes in thick film microstructure lead to poorer thick film adherence.
Excretion of Neutral 17-Ketosteroids in Adrenal Cortical Tumor and Feminine Pseudohermaphroditism with Adrenal Cortical Hyperplasia

ONE OF THE striking characteristics of functioning tumors of the adrenal cortex is the variety and variability of the clinical pictures which they produce. Even a cursory review of the reported cases and a glance at the photographs which usually accompany the case reports are sufficient to satisfy anyone who is skeptical regarding the truth of this statement. Such a review shows not only that the often described classical clinical pictures are different among boys, girls, men and women, but that grossly similar tumors produce widely different clinical effects even among members of the same sex and age groups. In some instances only one or two striking endocrine abnormalities will be present, to the relative or absolute exclusion of others. Some patients will be extremely weak; others unnaturally vigorous. Some will have striae, or hypertension, or diabetes or polycythemia, or all of these; others will not. Some cases present in all details the syndrome described by Cushing; in others the appearance of the...
Isolation and analysis of a cDNA coding for human C1 inhibitor.

Abstract A cDNA coding for C1 inhibitor was isolated from a human liver λgtll expression library and sequenced by the dideoxy method. The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA indicated that the insert was a partial clone coding for 310 amino acids including the reactive site present at the carboxyl end of the molecule. The reactive site corresponds to that previously reported by Salvesen et al . (J. Biol. Chem. 260 , 2432, 1985) . The cDNA also contained a stop codon of TGA, 264 nucleotides at the 3′ noncoding region, and a polyadenylation signal sequence of AATAAA 15 nucleotides upstream from the poly(A) tail. The amino acid sequence flanking the reactive site of the inhibitor is homologous to other members of the superfamily of plasma serine protease inhibitors.
Macroeconomic implications of financialisation

A growing literature suggests that ‘financialisation’ may weaken the performance of non-financial corporations and constrain the growth of aggregate demand. This paper uses two alternative approaches—one derived from Skott and one from Lavoie and Godley—and two different settings—a labour-constrained setting and a dual-economy setting—to evaluate some of the claims that have been made. Our analysis, which pays explicit attention to financial stock-flow relations, suggests that the qualitative effects of ‘financialisation’ are insensitive to the precise specification of household saving behaviour but depend critically on the labour market assumptions (labour-constrained versus dual) and the specification of the investment function (Harrodian versus Kaleckian).
Identification and Characterization of Indole and Oxindole Alkaloids from Leaves of Mitragyna speciosa Korth Using Liquid Chromatography-Accurate QToF Mass Spectrometry

Alkaloids have been reported to be the major physiologically active constituents in Mitragyna. An analytical method was developed to provide an alternative, fast method for characterization of alkaloids from various M. speciosa samples. The separation was achieved using an RP octylsilyl (C8) column, MS detection, and a water-acetonitrile with formic acid gradient as the mobile phase. Ultra-HPLC/quadrupole time-of-flight MS analysis and characterization were performed on 12 corynanthe-type indole/oxindole alkaloids obtained from the leaves of M. speciosa Korth. The indoles and oxindoles had an open E ring with or without substitution occurring at the C9 position. The full single mass spectrum of alkaloids showed a strong signal for the protonated molecule [M+H]+. The product ion spectrum of mitragynine type of alkaloids showed strong response at m/z=174.0901 suggestive of an ion containing an odd number of nitrogen atoms corresponding to formula C11H12NO, which is characteristic of indole alkaloids. A multivariate statistical analysis technique, principal component analysis, was used to show discrimination between the M. speciosa samples. The results indicated that the analytical method is suitable for QC testing of various Mitragyna commercial samples and can be used to evaluate market products purported to contain M. speciosa.
A machine-independent language for the simulation of complex chemical and biochemical systems.

Abstract A language for the simulation of the kinetic behavior of complex chemical or biochemical systems is described and defined. It is written in FORTRAN IV and should run on any medium or large size batch-processing computer (except that machines of short word-length will require double-precision arithmetic). It permits a chemist to build and manipulate a complex model in his own language, as the input statements are essentially chemical reactions. This language converts these to differential equations, solves them from input boundary conditions which are specified in a manner convenient to the user, and edits the results. Intervention in these processes to meet specialized user requirements is provided for. Applications and possible future developments are discussed.
Tree pruning and lattice statistics on Bethe lattices

The method of tree pruning is employed to obtain generating functions for lattice statistics on Bethe lattices. It is shown that tree pruning significantly simplifies the evaluation of the generating function for the number of ways of placingκ disjoint dimers on a Bethe lattice. Analytical expressions are derived for several Bethe lattices. An iterative algorithm is outlined for obtaining generating functions for placing dimers on a Bethe lattice of any valenceσ and with lengthn. It is further shown that the method could also be applied to weighted or anisotropic lattices.
Progressive external ophthalmoplegia of early onset followed by generalized myopathy in a ceylonese family

Abstract Five members of a large Ceylonese family are affected by an unusual myopathy. Symptoms begin in early childhood with a progressive external ophthalmoplegia, which is complete before the age of 10 years. Generalized proximal weakness begins in later childhood and becomes disabling during the second decade. Clinical and laboratory studies suggest that this entity is a myopathy which is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait.
Influence of Task-Irrelevant Onset Distractors on the Visual Search Performance of Young and Old Adults

We examined potential age-related differences in attentional and oculomotor capture by single and multiple abrupt onsets in a singleton search paradigm. Participants were instructed to move their eyes as quickly as possible to a color singleton target and to identify a small letter located inside it. Either single or dual onset task-irrelevant distractors were presented simultaneously with the color change that defined the target, or one onset distractor was presented prior to and another onset distractor was presented during the participant's initial eye movement away from fixation. Young and old adults misdirected their eyes to the single and dual onset task-irrelevant distractors, on an equivalent proportion of trials, relative to control trials. However, older adults' saccade latencies and RTs were influenced to a greater extent by onsets compared to younger adults'. These data are discussed in terms of age-related differences in attentional control and oculomotor capture.
Information discovery across multiple streams

In this paper we address the issue of continuous keyword queries on multiple textual streams and explore techniques for extracting useful information from them. The paper represents, to our best knowledge, the first approach that performs keyword search on a multiplicity of textual streams. The scenario that we consider is quite intuitive; let's assume that a research or financial analyst is searching for information on a topic, continuously polling data from multiple (and possibly heterogeneous) text streams, such as RSS feeds, blogs, etc. The topic of interest can be described with the aid of several keywords. Current filtering approaches would just identify single text streams containing some of the keywords. However, it would be more flexible and powerful to search across multiple streams, which may collectively answer the analyst's question. We present such model that takes in consideration the continuous flow of text in streams and uses efficient pipelined algorithms such that results are output as soon as they are available. The proposed model is evaluated analytically and experimentally, where the Enron dataset and a variety of blog datasets are used for our experiments.
Cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events in patients treated for human immunodeficiency virus infection.

Background Metabolic abnormalities associated with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection, including dysglycemia and hyperlipidemia, are increasingly prevalent, and there is concern about the possibility of an association with accelerated cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease. Methods We conducted a retrospective study of the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disease among the 36,766 patients who received care for HIV infection at Veterans Affairs facilities between January 1993 and June 2001. Results For antiretroviral therapy, 70.2 percent of the patients received nucleoside analogues, 41.6 percent received protease inhibitors, and 25.6 percent received nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors for a median of 17 months, 16 months, and 9 months, respectively. Approximately 1000 patients received combination therapy with a protease inhibitor for at least 48 months, and approximately 1000 patients received combination therapy with a nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitor fo...
Matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry of cod liver oil and the effect of analyte/matrix concentration on signal intensities.

Cod liver oil (CLO) is known to contain a complex mixture of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in which the component fatty acids include: myristic (C(14:0), M), C(14:1) (M(1)), palmitic (C(16:0), P), palmitoleic (C(16:1), P(1)), stearic (C(18:0), S), oleic (C(18:1), O), linoleic (C(18:2), L), arachidic (C(20:0), A), C(20:1) (A(1)), eicosapentaenoic (EPA, C(20:5), A(5)), docosanoic (C(22:0), D), docosaenoic (C(22:1), D(1)), and docosahexaenoic (DHA, C(22:6), D(6)). Because of the presence of EPA and DHA in cod liver oil, it has been used for several generations as a nutritional supplement, and recommended for the relief of various physiological ailments including arthritis, depression, and high blood pressure. Consequently, it was of interest to develop a sample preparation protocol that would enable rapid screening of such a chemically complex and nutritionally useful oil. Thus, we have analyzed two commercial brands of cod liver oil by using matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS). There was no significant difference between the mass spectral profile of the two CLO brands. alpha-Cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid, dissolved in acetonitrile/tetrahydrofuran, was used as the matrix. MALDI-TOFMS produced only sodiated triacylyglycerol molecules [M + Na](+). Based on the sodiated TAGs, 64 TAG assignments were made, and these include MM(1)L, MML, MMO and MMS, M(1)P(1)L MP(1)L, P(1)P(1)P, PPP, P(1)P(1)Ln, P(1)PLn, PPL, PPO, P(1)LnLn, PLnLN, PLLn, PLL, POL, POO, P(1)A(6)Ln, P(1)A(5)Ln, P(1)A(5)L, PA(5)L PA(5)O, PP(1)D(6), OOL, OOO, SOO, SSS, P(1)LnD(6), PLnD(6), PLD(6), POD(6) (or P(1)A(5)A(1)), PA(5)A(1), OLA, OLA(1), SLA(1), SOA(1), SSA, LA(5)A(5) (or P(1)A(5)D(6)), OA(5)A(5) (or PA(5)D(6)), SA(5)A(5), LnA(1)A(5), OOD(6), SOD(6), SSD(6), LA(1)D(6), OA(1)D(6), OA(5)D(6), SA(5)D(6), SA(5)D(5), D(6)A(1)O, D(6)A(1)S, D(1)A(1)O, DA(1)O, D(1)D(6)O, and DD(6)O. The sample preparation method developed in this study could be used for the routine screening of oils that contain similar types of polyunsaturated TAGs.
Modulation of cytosolic protein phosphorylation by sphingosylphosphorylcholine

Sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC), a putative product of sphingomyelin N-deacylation, has been shown to exert potent mitogenic activity (Desai, N.N. and Spiegel, S. (1991) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 181, 361–366). In order to explore potential mechanisms of action of SPC, the effects of SPC on endogenous protein phosphorylation was examined in vitro. In cytosol derived from Jurkat T cells, SPC was found to exert dual effects on protein phosphorylation. SPC (10–100 μM) induced the phosphorylation of a number of protein substrates with molecular weights of 32, 35, and 87 kDa. Higher concentrations of SPC (50–200 μM) inhibited the phosphorylation of proteins with estimated molecular weights of 22, 56, and 60 kDa by inhibiting the activity of endogenous protein kinases. Stimulation of protein kinases by SPC required distinct structural features (amino base and the hydrophobic character) from those required for inhibition of protein kinases (the choline phosphate headgroup as well as the hydrophobic character). The SPC-dependent protein kinases were distinct from protein kinase C, cyclic-nucleotide-dependent protein kinases, and calcium-dependent protein kinases, but may be related to casein kinase II. These studies suggest that SPC may act, at least in part, by modulating the activity of endogenous protein kinases.
Unexpected synergy between N-phosphonacetyl-L-aspartate and cytidine against human tumor cells.

Abstract Cytidine, a non-toxic endogenous nucleoside, was found unexpectedly to augment the cytotoxicity of a pyrimidine antimetabolite N -phosphonacetyl- l -aspartate (PALA) in human ovarian carcinoma cells. The PALA/cytidine synergy is confirmed here in other human tumor cells (T 242 melanoma, HL 60 promyelocytic leukemia and SKOV 3 ovarian carcinoma) in the cytidine concentration range of 1–10 micromolar. The synergy was not observed in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. Exogenous uridine ( 5–50 μM) completely reversed the PALA/cytidine cytotoxicity in a concentration-dependent manner. Measurements of cellular ribonucleotide levels revealed that the PALA treated cells had reduced UTP and CTP pools ( 10% and 40% of control respectively); and the PALA/cytidine treated cells had elevated CTP and GTP levels while their UTP levels remained at 10% of control. Deoxyribonucleotide levels were unremarkable except for a slight elevation of dCTP in the PALA/cytidine treated cells. Uridine competitively inhibited radioactive cytidine transport into 2008 cells, which may explain its ability to antagonize the PALA/cytidine synergy. These results suggest that the ribonucleotide biosynthetic mechanism is the primary cellular target for PALA/cytidine activity, and that the ratio of ribonucleotides to each other is an important determinant of tumor cell viability. The use of non-cytotoxic nucleosides to augment the activity of antimetabolites may have clinical relevance in cancer therapy.
Creativity, Mathematizing, and Didactizing: Leen Streefland's work continues

This reaction to the papers in this PME Special Issue of Educational Studies in Mathematics draws a wider perspective on the issues addressed and some of the constructs used in research in Realistic Mathematics Education (RME). In particular, it tries to show that while the problems addressed existed within the world-wide arena of mathematics education and were not unique to the Dutch educational system, the methods used at the Freudenthal Institute to address them were uniquely adapted to that system yet foreshadowed developments in the wider field of mathematics education. The predictive aspects of mathematizing, didactizing, and guided reinvention, in which models-of become models-for on various levels, resonate with trends in mathematics education in recent years, including those promoted by the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics in the USA. Research methodologies, too, have broadened to include more humanistic qualitative methods. Developmental research as epitomized in the RME tradition makes the distinction between quantitative and qualitative research obsolete, because there is no restriction on research methods that may be useful in investigating how to improve the teaching and learning of mathematics, and in the designing of mathematics curricula. Thus some aspects of this research resonate with what have come to be known as multitiered teaching experiments. However, in RME there is also a special content-oriented didactical approach that harmonizes with an emphasis on didactics (rather than pedagogy)in several other European countries. Some implications are drawn for future research directions.
Hydrolytic weakening of quartz aggregates: The effects of water and pressure on recovery

In order to test the effect of ‘water‧ at high pressure on the rate of dislocation climb in quartz, we have performed annealing experiments on portions of a quartzite sample previously deformed at 700°C, 10−5 sec−1, and 1500 MPa which had a high dislocation density but few subgrain boundaries. Portions of the deformed sample were annealed at 1500 MPa and 800°C for 1 and 4 days; samples with 0.17 wt % water added have a lower average dislocation density and a greater number of subgrain boundaries than those without water added. Annealing at 800°C for 4 days at 1500 MPa after vacuum drying at 800°C, or at 550 MPa with 0.17 wt % water added, produces no significant change in the dislocation microstructure. These results indicate that: (1) the presence of a water-related defect in quartz accomplishes hydrolytic weakening by making the climb of dislocations easier, thus increasing the rate of recovery at a given imposed strain rate, and (2) for laboratory times this weakening requires a pressure >550 MPa.
Evidence for a role of glycine in area tempestas for triggering convulsive seizures.

Abstract An epileptogenic region of the deep prepiriform cortex, area tempestas (AT), triggers convulsive seizures in response to the focal application of GABA antagonists, muscarinic agonists and excitatory amino acid agonists. In all cases, activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-sensitive receptors in AT is required for triggering convulsions from this site. To determine whether glycine is involved in the activation of NMDA-sensitive in AT, we evaluated the effects of 7-chlorokynurenic acid (7-CLKYN); kynurenic acid (KYN) and 3-amino-1-hydroxy-2-pyrrolidone (HA-966) on convulsions evoked by focal application of bicuculline methiodide (118 pmol) into AT. Significant anticonvulsant effects were obtained with 1.25 nmol of 7-CLKYN, 6.25 nmol of KYN and 60 nmol of HA-966 in AT. 7-CLKYN in AT also blocked the convulsant effects of carbachol (273 pmol) and kainic acid (117 pmol) injected into AT. When injected into the lateral ventricle, high doses (50-100 nmol) of 7-CLKYN were required in order to attenuate AT-evoked convulsions and these doses produced marked ataxia. In contrast, no ataxia was observed following 7-CLKYN application into AT at anticonvulsant doses. Our results implicate glycine antagonism as a mechanism for preventing convulsions triggered via NMDA receptor activation in AT and demonstrate that a different anatomical site of action is responsible for the motor impairment produced by glycine antagonism.
Deterministic Advection-Diffusion Model Based on Markov Processes

A new deterministic numerical formulation named DisPar-k based on particle displacement probability distribution for Markov processes was developed to solve advection-diffusion problems in a one-dimensional discrete spatial grid. DisPar-k is an extension of DisPar, and the major difference is the possibility of establishing a number of consecutive particle destination nodes. This was achieved by solving an algebraic linear system where the particle displacement distribution moments are known parameters taken from the Gaussian distribution. The average was evaluated by an analogy between the Fokker-Planck and the transport equations, being the variance Fickian. The particle displacement distribution is used to predict deterministic mass transfers between domain nodes. Mass conservation was guaranteed by the distribution concept. It was shown that, for linear conditions, the accuracy order is proportional to the number of particle destination nodes. DisPar-k showed to be very sensible to physical discontinu...
The Educational Psychologist as Instructional Designer.

Abstract Educational psychology, as an academic discipline, needs a model or paradigm for conceptualizing and solving educational problems. The systems approach to instructional design is proposed as a unifying process which was developed primarily by educational psychologists and has wide applicability in education. The use of the systems approach is advocated because (1) it provides a method for delivering effective service, (2) it incorporates many concepts presently familiar to educational psychologists and suggests other topics which should be of concern, (3) it suggests a wide array of research and evaluation problems, and (4) it provides an integrative framework for the design of graduate training programs. These four factors are discussed in detail.
Learning experiments with genetic optimization of a generalized regression neural network

Abstract This paper reports a study unifying optimization by genetic algorithm with a generalized regression neural network. Experiments compare hill-climbing optimization with that of a genetic algorithm, both in conjunction with a generalized regression neural network. Controlled data with nine independent variables are used in combination with conjunctive and compensatory decision forms, having zero percent and 10 percent noise levels. Results consistently favor the GRNN unified with the genetic algorithm.
Diversity, Endemism, and Age Distributions in Macroevolutionary Sources and Sinks

Quantitative tests of historical hypotheses are necessary to advance our understanding of biogeographic patterns of species distributions, but direct tests are often hampered by incomplete fossil or historical records. Here we present an alternative approach in which we develop a dynamic model that allows us to test hypotheses about regional rates of taxon origination, extinction, and dispersal using information on ages and current distributions of taxa. With this model, we test two assumptions traditionally made in the context of identifying regions as "centers of origin"—that regions with high origination rates will have high diversity and high endemism. We find that these assumptions are not necessarily valid. We also develop expressions for the regional age distributions of extant taxa and show that these may yield better insight into regional evolutionary rates. We then apply our model to data on the biogeography and ages of extant genera of marine bivalves and conclude that diversity in polar regions predominantly reflects dispersal of taxa that evolved else- where rather than in situ origination-extinction dynamics.
Comparison of amantadine and desipramine combined with psychotherapy for treatment of cocaine dependence.

We conducted a single-blind, random assignment, placebo-controlled, 12-week comparison of desipramine hydrochloride and amantadine hydrochloride as adjunctive treatments to counseling for cocaine dependence. Subjects were 54 outpatients who met DSMIII-R criteria for active cocaine dependence and who completed a minimum of 2 weeks of treatment. Subjects treated with fixed doses of 200 mg/day desipramine (N = 17), 400 mg/day amantadine-placebo (N = 16), and placebo (N = 21) did not differ for lifetime cocaine use, lifetime histories of psychopathology, admission scores on psychometric assessments, and sociodemographics. All treatment groups demonstrated dramatic and persistent decreases in cocaine use, craving for cocaine, and psychiatric symptoms consequent to treatment. Although there was a trend for more dropouts by subjects taking desipramine, there were no significant differences among treatment groups regarding retention in treatment, craving for cocaine, and decreased cocaine use confirmed by urine t...
Stirring and transport of tracer fields by geostrophic turbulence

We investigate the interaction of concentration fields of passive tracer with velocity fields characterizing geostrophic turbulence. We develop and compare results from equilibrium statistical mechanics, from turbulence-closure theory and from numerical simulation. A consistent account emerges. Among the results we show (1) that velocity fields efficiently scatter tracer variance to all scales, (2) that tracer variance evolves toward an equilibrium spectrum which is different from the equilibrium spectrum for vorticity variance, and (3) that intermittency of the tracer field is characteristic of a cascade of tracer variance across wavenumber space. The greater efficiency of the cascade of tracer variance relative to a vorticity cascade is due to wavenumber-local advective terms which affect tracer but not vorticity. We suggest that the more efficient tracer cascade results in shorter Lagrangian autocorrelation times for tracer than for vorticity.We investigate the spatial flux of tracer when a uniform gradient of average tracer concentration is imposed. We show (1) that the spatial flux has dominant contributions from fluctuations on scales slightly larger than the dominant energetic scales, (2) that an effective eddy-diffusivity formulation is valid and that the diffusivity agrees with simple mixing-length estimates, and (3) that eddy diffusivity is significantly anisotropic if Rossby-wave propagation occurs. Meridional diffusivity is suppressed relative to zonal diffusivity.We complement the study of stirring down from a uniform gradient with a numerical investigation of the stirring out of an initially concentrated spot. We see that eddy diffusivity can be a dangerous concept for such problems.
Topology Virtualization for Throughput Maximization on Many-Core Platforms

As transistor's feature size continues to scale down into the deep sub-micron domain, IC chip performance variation caused by manufacturing process becomes un-negligible and can cause significant discrepancies between an application's nominal design and its actual realization on individual many-core platforms. In this paper, we study the problem on how to reduce the total schedule length of a task graph when realizing its nominal design on individual Network-on-Chip(NoC) based many-core platform with faulty cores. Different from traditional approaches to re-define the mapping/scheduling decisions in the nominal design, our methods judiciously mirror the physical architecture of each individual platform to the logical platform, based on which the nominal design is conducted. To facilitate the phyical/logic architecture virtualization, we develop a performance metric based on the \emph{opportunity cost}, a concept borrowed from the economics field. Three virtualization heuristics are presented in this paper. Our experimental results show that the proposed approach can achieve up to 30% with an average 15% performance improvement by taking advantage of the heterogeneity of each individual platform.
Polyimides derived from 2-methyl-2-propyl-1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)propane and 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)propane

Abstract A new series of thermoplastic polyimides derived from 2,2-dimethyl-1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)propane (MD) and a new diamine 2-methyl-2-propyl-1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)propane (MPPD) have been prepared and characterized. These materials were selected on the basis of their potential to serve as low-cost matrix resins able to perform at 170°C. They were synthesized from reasily available aromatic dianhydrides such as 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and the above diamines. The glass transition temperature ( T g ) and crystalline melt temperature ( T m ) of these polymers containing flexible alkylene-dioxy units varied from 200 to 230°C and from 300 to 375°C, respectively. Polymers decomposed in air between 435 and 455°C as witnessed by thermogravimetric analysis. Work was focused on the polymer prepared from 4,4′-oxyphthalic anhydride (ODPA) and MPPD, which had a T g of 200°C and could be readily melt processed below 305°C.
Energy gaps for fractional quantum Hall states described by a Chern-Simons composite fermion wavefunction

The Jain's composite fermion wavefunction has proven quite succesful to describe most of the fractional quantum Hall states. Its mathematical foundation lies in the Chern-Simons field theory for the electrons in the lowest Landau level, despite the fact that such wavefunction is different from a typical mean-field level Chern-Simons wavefunction. It is known that the energy excitation gaps for fractional Hall states described by Jain's composite fermion wavefunction cannot be calculated analytically. We note that analytic results for the energy excitation gaps of fractional Hall states described by a fermion Chern-Simons wavefunction are readily obtained by using a technique originating from nuclear matter studies. By adopting this technique to the fractional quantum Hall effect we obtained analytical results for the excitation energy gaps of all fractional Hall states described by a Chern-Simons wavefunction.
The role of body weight in the relationship between physical activity and endometrial cancer: results from a large cohort of US women.

Factors influencing circulating estrogen levels, insulin-mediated pathways or energy balance through obesity-related mechanisms, such as physical activity, have been proposed as potential risk factors for endometrial cancer. We examined measures of physical activity in relation to endometrial cancer risk in the American Cancer Society Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort, a prospective study of cancer incidence and mortality, using information obtained at baseline in 1992. From 1992 to 2003, 466 incident endometrial cancers were identified among 42,672 postmenopausal women with intact uteri who were cancer-free at enrollment. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to compute hazard rate ratios (RR) while adjusting for potential confounders. To assess the role of body mass index (BMI) in this relationship, we computed multivariate RR with and without adjustment for BMI and stratifying by BMI. All measures of physical activity and the avoidance of sedentary behavior were associated with lower endometrial cancer risk. Baseline recreational physical activity was associated with 33% lower risk (RR = 0.67, 95% CI 0.44–1.03 for 31.5+ vs. <7 MET-hr/week, trend p = 0.007) in the multivariate model without BMI. However, the trend was attenuated after further adjustment for BMI (trend p = 0.18). BMI significantly modified the association between physical activity and endometrial cancer risk (heterogeneity of trends p = 0.01). The inverse relationship was seen only among overweight or obese women (trend p = 0.003) and not in normal weight women (trend p = 0.51). In summary, light and moderate physical activity including daily life activities were associated with lower endometrial cancer risk in our study, especially among women who are overweight or obese. © 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Human chondrocyte expression of growth-arrest-specific gene 6 and the tyrosine kinase receptor axl: Potential role in autocrine signaling in cartilage

Objective. To determine if human articular chondrocytes express the axl tyrosine kinase receptor and its ligand Gas-6, a protein product of growth-arrest-specific gene 6, and to determine if Gas-6 and axl function in the regulation of chondrocyte growth and survival. Methods. The presence of Gas-6 and axl was examined in situ in human articular cartilage by immunohistochemistry and in vitro in cell culture studies using primary human chondrocytes and immortalized human chondrocytes. The ability of recombinant Gas-6 to mediate adhesion of chondrocytes and to stimulate chondrocyte axl phosphorylation was determined. Studies of the role of Gas-6 and axl in cell proliferation and survival were also performed. Results. Both Gas-6 and axl were detected in cartilage by immunohistochemical staining. Gas-6 and axl messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein were also detected in cultures of primary and immortalized human chondrocytes. Compared with cells cultured in medium containing 10% serum, Gas-6 mRNA levels were increased in immortalized chondrocytes cultured in serum-free medium, while axl expression decreased. Chondrocytes attached to Gas-6-coated plastic, and the attachment was blocked by a soluble Ig fusion protein containing the axl extracellular domain. Recombinant human Gas-6 and serum-free conditioned medium from primary and immortalized human chondrocyte cultures stimulated chondrocyte axl tyrosine phosphorylation. A mitogenic effect was noted both when immortalized chondrocytes were stimulated with recombinant Gas-6 or when they were made to overexpress axl by transfection. Addition of recombinant Gas-6 to serum-free medium resulted in increased survival of primary chondrocytes cultured at low density in agarose. Conclusion. These findings present evidence for an autocrine signaling pathway in cartilage involving Gas-6 and the axl tyrosine kinase adhesion receptor. Stimulation of axl by Gas-6 may play an important role in the control of chondrocyte growth and survival.
Existence of radiating Einstein-Maxwell solutions which are C∞ on all of I+ and I$

The authors give a prescription for constructing Cinfinity solutions of the Einstein-Maxwell constraint equations on R3 which are close to flat initial data and which are exactly vacuum Schwarzschild initial data outside of a compact region. They use a generalisation of a theorem due to Friedrich (1988) to prove that the maximal evolution of these initial data sets are Cinfinity -conformally extendible to future and past null and timelike infinity, I+, i+, I- and i-. This establishes the existence of radiating solutions which are smoothly asymptotically flat in both the past and future.
Suction cautery and electrosurgical risks in otolaryngology.

Summary Background Flash fires, mucosal injuries and commissure burns during otolaryngology procedures have been largely attributed to anesthetic and surgical errors. Reports of direct electrosurgical device related events are rare. The discovery of thermal damage to the oral commissure during routine suction cautery adenoidectomy at our institution prompted a detailed investigation of the device's thermal properties. We complement this analysis with a review of electrocautery device related injuries reported in otolaryngology literature. Methods FLIR Systems© Thermovision A40 infrared camera was used to evaluate temperature changes along the electrosurgical wand of suction cautery devices. Shaft temperatures were measured at specific times of continuous use, distances along the shaft, and cautery settings. A literature search of electrocautery-associated injuries during upper aerodigestive procedure was then performed. Nine pediatric otolaryngologists were then interviewed for historical experience with electrocautery injuries. Results Temperatures exceeding 60 °C, and sufficient to cause thermal soft tissue damage, occurred along the suction cautery wand at a setting of 40 Watts (W). These temperatures traveled far enough to appose the oral commissure when the device was simultaneously in continuous use, in the fulgurate mode, and with the suction turned off. Literature review identified eleven articles specifically pertaining to electrosurgical injuries during routine oropharyngeal procedures. Flash fires and their associated burns were the most frequently reported complication. Conversely, seven of ten cases elicited from peer interviews were oral or commissure burns attributed to improper insulation of electrocautery devices. Conclusions Inadvertent electrosurgical injuries during routine otolaryngology procedures can result from inadequate equipment insulation. Techniques to reduce the likelihood of these events are discussed.
People in Villages: Micro-Level Studies in Political Economy

Recent micro-level studies of rural communities in the developing areas address themselves to three basic issues: (1) What are the major external forces that determine the welfare of persons residing in rural areas? (2) How do peasants respond to these forces? (3) What ethical evaluations are to be made of the outcome of the encounter between peasant communities and the forces intruding upon them from their environment? By addressing these questions, and by formulating and utilizing explicit models of peasant behavior, these studies provide a coherent approach to the study of the developing areas.
Area tensors for modeling microstructure during laminar liquid-liquid mixing

Fluid-fluid mixtures often possess a fine structure, or morph ology, whose length scale is much smaller than the length scale over which the flow field and morphology vary. We define a microstructural variable called the area tensor, which describes the local morphology of such mixtures through volume-averaged size, shape, and orientation characteristics. The area tensor is equivalent to the interface tensor of the Doi and Ohta ( 1991) rheological model, and is closely related to the general microstructural tensors of H inch and Leal (1976). The evolution equation for the area tensor during laminar mixing is derive d for the case of equal component viscosities and negligible surface tension. Solution of th is evolution equation requires a closure approximation for estimating higher-order microstructur al statistics. A closure approximation is generated based on exact area tensor relations for ellips oidal shapes, and is shown to provide highly accurate evolutions of the area tensor. Area tensor h istories are calculated in homogeneous elongational and shearing flows, as well as in temporal ly and spatially varying flows. The results are shown to be consistent with well-known mixing principles.
International Year of Chemistry 2011: Clinical Chemistry in the 1960s—Life in a Large Hospital Laboratory

In 1965, after completing my PhD at the University of Birmingham, UK, and a 3-year training period as a clinical chemist at the General Hospital, Birmingham, I moved to the Department of Medicine at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. I spent 2 years there as an assistant professor in a research laboratory headed by the late Jack Haverback, MD. The laboratory …
A novel organ of corti explant model for the study of cochlear implantation trauma.

This study presents a novel in vitro model of electrode insertion trauma-induced hair cell (HC) damage and loss and its application for testing the efficacy of otoprotective drugs. In the cochlear implant (CI) procedure as a treatment for profound deafness, an electrode array is surgically inserted to provide electrical stimulation to the auditory nerve. Mechanical trauma from insertion of a CI electrode into the scala tympani can lead to inflammation and a high level of oxidative stress, which can initiate the apoptosis of auditory HCs and intracochlear fibrosis. HC apoptosis and intracochlear fibrosis are thought to be causes of poor CI functional outcomes. In order to gain insight into the molecular mechanisms that initiate HC apoptosis and scala tympani fibrosis following electrode insertion trauma (EIT), and the otoprotective effects of dexamethasone (DXM) observed in previous studies, an in vitro model of EIT was designed. Here we present and characterize a novel, reproducible in vitro model for the study of cellular and molecular events that occur following an EIT procedure. Cochleae from 3-day-old rats were subjected to a cochleostomy and were then divided into three groups: (1) control, (2) EIT, and (3) EIT + DXM (20 μg/mL). In Groups 2 and 3, a 0.28-mm diameter monofilament fishing line was introduced through the small cochleostomy located next to the round window area, allowing for an insertion of between 110° and 150°. HC counts, gene expression for pro-inflammatory cytokines (i.e., TNFα and IL-1β), pro-inflammatory inducible enzymes (i.e., iNOS and COX-2) and growth factors (i.e., TGFβ1, TGFβ3 and CTGF), oxidative stress (i.e., CellROX), and analyses of apoptosis pathways (i.e., caspase-3, apoptosis induced factor and Endonuclease G) were carried out on all explants at different time points. The results of this EIT in vitro model show the initiation of wound healing in which an inflammatory response is followed by a proliferative-fibrosis phase. Moreover, DXM treatment of EIT explants inhibited the inflammatory response and promoted a nonscarring wound healing process. The novel in vitro model described here will improve our understanding of mechanisms underlying CI insertion trauma and protective strategies such as DXM treatment. Anat Rec, 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
β1 integrin gene excision in the adult murine cardiac myocyte causes defective mechanical and signaling responses.

How mechanical signals are transmitted in the cardiac myocyte is poorly understood. In this study, we produced a tamoxifen-inducible mouse model in which β1 integrin could be reduced specifically in the adult cardiomyocyte, so that the function of this integrin could be assessed in the postnatal and mechanically stressed heart. The expression of β1 integrin was reduced to 35% of control levels, but function remained normal at baseline. With aortic constriction, the knockout mice survived but had a blunted hypertrophic response. Integrin knockout myocytes, in contrast to controls, showed reduced integrin-linked kinase expression both at baseline and after hemodynamic stress; focal adhesion kinase expression was reduced after stress. Alterations in multiple signaling pathways were detected in the integrin knockout group after acute and chronic hemodynamic stress. Most remarkably, when we challenged the knockout mice with short-term loading, the robust responses of several kinases (extracellular signal–regulated kinase 1/2, p38, and Akt) evident in control mice were essentially abolished in the knockout mice. We also found that reduction of myocyte β1 integrin expression modified adrenergic-mediated signaling through extracellular signal–regulated kinase, p38, and Akt. Reduction of β1 integrin expression in the mature cardiac myocyte leads to a varied response compared with when this protein is reduced during either the embryonic or perinatal period. These results show that β1 integrin expression is required for proper mechanotransductive and adrenergic responses of the adult heart.
Active sites and effects of H2O and temperature on the photocatalytic oxidation of 13C-acetic acid on TiO2

Acetic acid adsorbs both molecularly and dissociatively as acetate on titanium dioxide. Photocatalytic oxidation (PCO) oxidizes the α-carbon in acetic acid to CO2 without forming any long-lived intermediates, while the β-carbon forms CO2 through methoxy, formaldehyde, and formate. Elevated temperatures desorb molecularly adsorbed acetic acid and also increase the inherent activity of sites. At least two types of active sites exist for acetic acid PCO on TiO2. Water, which is produced during PCO, redistributes molecularly adsorbed acetic acid on the surface by displacement. Water displaces at least one-third of an acetic acid monolayer and converts some molecularly adsorbed acetic acid into acetate. Acetate is the active species for PCO and molecularly adsorbed acetic acid oxidizes during PCO by first forming acetate.
Fast silicon optical modulator

We present design, fabrication, and testing of a high-speed all-silicon optical phase modulator in silicon-on-insulator (SOI). The optical modulator is based on a novel silicon waveguide phase shifter containing a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitor. We show that, under the accumulation condition, the drive voltage induced charge density change in the silicon waveguide having a MOS capacitor can be used to modulate the phase of the optical mode due to the free-carrier plasma dispersion effect. We experimentally determined the phase modulation efficiency of the individual phase shifter and compared measurements with simulations. A good agreement between theory and experiment was obtained for various phase shifter lengths. We also characterized both the low- and high-frequency performance of the integrated Mach-Zehnder interferometer (MZI) modulator. For a MZI device containing two identical phase shifters of 10 mm, we obtained a DC extinction ratio above 16 dB. For a MZI modulator containing a single-phase shifter of 2.5 mm in one of the two arms, the frequency dependence of the optical response was obtained by a small signal measurement. A 3-dB bandwidth exceeding 1 GHz was demonstrated. This modulation frequency is two orders of magnitude higher than has been demonstrated in any silicon modulators based on current injection in SOI.
Microbiology: Intraterrestrial lifestyles

Genome sequencing of cells plucked from marine sediments reveals metabolic details for two abundant lineages of Archaea. These microorganisms may play a key part in breaking down protein buried deep inside Earth. See Letter p.215
Asymmetry, Its Importance to the Action and Metabolism of Abscisic Acid

Unlabeled and (14)C-labeled enantiomorphs of abscisic acid (ABA) were obtained through acetylcellulose chromatography and tested as inducers of abscission, as inhibitors of seed germination, and as antagonists of gibberellic acid-induced synthesis and release of alpha-amylase. The activity of the R isomer was either equal to or less than that of the naturally occurring S form. Greatest differences were in the inhibition of root-related growth. In excised beam axes, although uptake of S-[(14C)]ABA is faster, the internal concentration of R-ABA is higher because of faster conversion of S-ABA to inactive metabolic products. In axes a reversal in chirality is less important to the physiological action of ABA than to its metabolism.
Cortical Maps: Where Theory Meets Experiments

Primary visual cortex (V1) has remarkably systematic functional maps. One commonly used class of computational models proposes that such maps are generated by a mechanism that projects the multiple dimensions of neuronal responses smoothly onto the two dimensions of cortex. In this issue of Neuron, Mriganka Sur and colleagues find a close match between such model predictions and measurements from ferret V1.