cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract 5203: Schlafen-3 decreases cancer stem cell marker expression and autocrine/ juxtacrine signaling in FOLFOX-resistant colon cancer cells

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL We have previously demonstrated that expression of the novel gene schlafen (Slfn)-3 correlates with intestinal epithelial cell differentiation. The current investigation was undertaken to examine whether Slfn-3 plays a role in regulating differentiation of FOLFOX-resistant (5-Fluorouracil + oxaliplatin) colon cancer cells that are highly enriched in cancer stem cells (CSCs). Transfection of Slfn-3 in FOLFOX-resistant colon cancer HCT-116 and HT-29 cells resulted in reduction of mRNA and protein levels of the CSC markers CD44, CD133, CD166, and aldehyde dehydrogenase 1 (ALDH1). This was accompanied by decreased formation of tumorosphere/colonosphere (an in vitro model of tumor growth) in stem cell medium and inhibition of expression of the chemotherapeutic drug transporter protein ABCG2. Additionally, Slfn-3 transfection of FOLFOX-resistant HCT-116 and HT-29 cells reduced Hoechst 33342 dye exclusion. Finally, Slfn-3 transfection inhibited the expression of transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) in both FOLFOX-resistant cell lines but stimulated apoptosis. In summary, our data demonstrate that Slfn-3 expression inhibits multiple characteristics of CSCs enriched FOLFOX-resistant colon cancer cells including reduction in tumorosphere/colonosphere formation, drug transporter activity and autocrine stimulation of proliferation. Thus, Slfn-3 expression may render colon CSCs more susceptible to cancer chemotherapeutics. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 5203. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-5203
Large parallel cosmic string simulations: New results on loop production

Using a new parallel computing technique, we have run the largest cosmic string simulations ever performed. Our results confirm the existence of a long transient period where a nonscaling distribution of small loops is produced at lengths depending on the initial correlation scale. As time passes, this initial population gives way to the true scaling regime, where loops of size approximately equal to one-twentieth the horizon distance become a significant component. We observe similar behavior in matter and radiation eras, as well as in flat space. In the matter era, the scaling population of large loops becomes the dominant component; we expect this to eventually happen in the other eras as well.
Analysis of an MRI Compatible Force Sensor for Sensitivity and Precision

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible force sensors are important components in medical robotics, as they enable force feedback in a challenging environment for surgical and assistive robots. This paper analyzes a novel MRI compatible force sensor comprised of a displacement amplifying compliant mechanism (DACM) made up of polymers. Hysteresis is an inevitable problem for sensors made up of polymers, which reduces the precision in measurements. Displacement amplification affects both the sensitivity and hysteresis error of a sensor, yet does not ensure an improvement in either of them. Optimization methods based solely on amplification ratio or sensitivity may be ineffective on reducing the hysteresis issue and result in a design with insufficient signal-to-noise ratio. Unlike previous works that are focused on optimizing topologies with regard to a specific objective function; this paper presents an analysis that accounts for both sensitivity and hysteresis. An iterative method capable of performing nonlinear analysis is established in order to monitor sensitivity and hysteresis error of the proposed sensor topology and find out how those are affected by the amplification. Optimal configurations for sensitivity and precision are deduced and the predictions made by the analysis are confirmed by experiments. This paper indicated that sensitivity of a compliant mechanism could be traded for a lower hysteresis error i.e., higher precision. DACMs could be targeted to achieve a low hysteresis error rather than improving the sensitivity in a sensor. Compared to a nonamplifying, basis structure of our proposed design achieved a 3-4 times higher SNR, mostly due to its higher precision.
Long-term potentiation blocked by phencyclidine and cyclazocine in vitro

Abstract The effects of phencyclidine (PCP) and cyclazocine on long-term potentiation of synaptic transmission (LTP) were studied in the rat hippocampal slice. PCP and cyclazocine, at doses which did not alter non-potentiated synaptic transmission, produced a dose-dependent reduction in the amount of LTP. The effect of PCP is not specific for the Schaffer collateral input to CA1; PCP also blocks the LTP induced in CA1 by stimulating the stratum oriens. In slices previously tetanized in the presence of cyclazocine, an increase in synaptic transmission was observed as the drug was removed; this was not seen with PCP. Moreover, LTP could not be produced in PCP-exposed slices after washing for 1 h. PCP dose-dependently reversed previously established LTP, but cyclazocine, up to 500 μM, failed to do so. In conclusion, both PCP and cyclazocine selectively block LTP at concentrations which do not affect non-potentiated synaptic transmission. The two drugs may differ in their mechanism of action since only PCP is able to eliminate a previously potentiated response.
Long-Term Corticosteroid Therapy for Regional Enteritis: An Analysis of 58 Courses in 54 Patients

URRENT TREATMENT Of regional enteritis is far from satisfactory. Abdominal pain, diarrhea, fever, and weight loss, the most common symptoms of regional enteritis, often are not severe enough to warrant operation, yet are distressing problems. "Standard" medical therapy, including a bland diet, sedation, antispasm and antidiarrhea medication, and antibacterial drugs, suffices in some patients; but many are not relieved continuously by these measures. Operation is required in many patients, particularly for the complications of obstruction, fistula formation, and localized perforations of the bowel, with abscess formation. Extensive involvement of the small bowel (jejunoileitis) prevents complete removal of the disease. After multiple resections, recurrent regional enteritis may be no longer treatable surgically because of the limited extent of residual functioning intestine. The prolonged use of corticotrophin (ACTH) and corticosteroids is an important therapeutic adjunct in ulcerative colitis. 1,2 These agents were utilized in the treatment of regional enteritis shortly after their introduction, with encouraging results initially. 3-~ Therapeutic failures often appeared attributable to insufficient quantities o[ steroids, s Information regarding prolonged therapy with corticosteroids is unavailable, although their use is mentioned.9, ~0 The purpose of this report, therefore, is to present the results of long-term corticosteroid treatment in a series of patients with chronic regional enteritis.
Predicted Term Splittings for the Li i, B i, Na i Sequences and Other Sequences with One-Electron Spectra

Screening parameters obtained by Froese [ Can. J. Phys.41, 51 ( 1963)] from Hartree–Fock calculations are used in the usual one-electron term-interval formula to predict values of splitting that become more accurate as Z increases. The ratio of observed splitting to calculated splitting is studied to give information on the behavior of the observed values; some discrepancies are found, for example, in the n2D intervals of Na ix and Mg x in the Li i sequence. For other deviations, the possibility of configuration interactions is explored. Some possible coronal uv wavelengths arising from the B i sequence are also given: the Fe xxii line predicted near 844 A may have been observed recently.
Trauma-Informed Methods to Enhance School-Based Bullying Prevention Initiatives: An Emerging Model

This article describes an emerging model of trauma-informed supports for school climate and bullying prevention developed through a social research design and development approach. Student survey data were used to inform program design. The study was conducted as part of baseline data collection for a federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant awarded to a cooperative group of 10 school districts in upstate New York. A local university partnered with the cooperative to design an innovative program model to enhance bullying prevention and provide social-emotional and mental health supports for students. In addition to descriptive data, findings from multinomial logistic regression analyses are provided to understand the relative influence of the independent variables on the students’ report of bully–aggressor behavior and victim–bystander experiences.
Primers on Molecular Pathways GLI: More than Just Hedgehog?

GLI proteins, highly conserved in vertebrates and invertebrates, are critical in modulating embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. These proteins are zinc-finger-containing transcription factors that were originally identified by genetic screening of embryonic lethal mutants of Drosophila melanogaster. Alterations in GLI activity can lead to tumor development in tissues of different origin including the pancreas. GLI activity is mainly regulated by the Hedgehog pathway, via a ligand-receptor complex that triggers a signaling cascade that activates GLI transcription factors, which in turn regulate gene expression, an essential step of Hegdehog-mediated cellular effects. Interestingly, recent reports show the ability of other signaling cascades to modulate GLI function in cancer cells including RAS and TGF-β, two pathways implicated in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Thus, these findings suggest that GLI proteins are not an exclusive downstream target of Hedgehog but rather a common effector of a network of signaling pathways controlling pancreatic carcinogenesis.
Near-field scanning optical microscopy

Abstract Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is a new scanned probe microscopy technique capable of combining high spatial resolution (10–100 nm) and optical contrast. NSOM can be applied to a wide variety of materials, including semiconductors, molecular crystals, polymers and ceramics. The results are images of unprecedented detail which provide important new insights into the mesoscale physics of these materials.
Escalation in groups: Focus on information sampling

The purpose of this experiment was to examine if groups escalate more than individuals when information is not distributed to all group members. The experiment also attempted to replicate Bazerman, Beekun, and Schoorman's (1992) findings, that participants with high responsibility escalate more than participants with low responsibility. The task was a modified version of the Heeley Store Case (Bazerman et al., 1992). The dependent measures fell into three categories: rewards, appropriateness of layoff/demotion, and forecasted future performance. The results showed little support for the hypotheses. First, high responsibility participants escalated significantly more than low responsibility candidates for only one of the six measures. This may have been due to the fact that all participants felt responsible for their decisions. For the other dependent variables, the effect was either not significant or in the wrong direction. Second, no significant interaction was found between responsibility and decision-making context (individual, groups with all shared information, and groups with shared and unshared information). We then analyzed the data using a measure of felt responsibility as a covariate. The interaction between felt responsibility and decision-making context was significant only for layoff decision. For all of the other measures, no significant interaction was found. One possible reason why our hypotheses were not supported may have been that the groups felt a diffusion of responsibility. Larger groups may have also demonstrated the effects of group processes more effectively. No clear conclusions can be made regarding the influence of information sampling on escalation.
VARIATIONS IN THE QUANTITY OF TYPE II COLLAGEN IN CARPAL TUNNEL SYNDROME AND TRIGGER FINGER

Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) and trigger finger (TF) are two related disorders which involve alterations in the normal mechanical loading of tendon sheath pulleys. This study examines the presence of Type II collagen in the carpal ligament and A-1 pulley by Western blotting to determine the extent of cartilage metaplasia that may occur in these tissues. Cyanogen bromide peptides generated from tissue supplied from 77 patients were separated by SDS-PAGE and transferred to nitrocellulose. The membranes were stained with the E1E5 monoclonal antibody and collagen levels were quantified. All specimens were found to contain at least small amounts of Type II collagen. Approximately 15 percent of the samples from patients with carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger were found to contain significantly elevated levels of Type II collagen. All specimens with high levels of Type II collagen were found in female patients. These increases may indicate the presence of cartilage metaplasia enabling the tissue to counteract compressive loads. With further study, tissue staining techniques using monoclonal antibodies may provide useful clinical information on severity or long-term outcome prognosis.
Particle physics: A weighty mass difference

The neutron–proton mass difference, one of the most consequential parameters of physics, has now been calculated from fundamental theories. This landmark calculation portends revolutionary progress in nuclear physics.
NMR Structural Comparison of the Cytoplasmic Juxtamembrane Domains of G-protein-coupled CB1 and CB2 Receptors in Membrane Mimetic Dodecylphosphocholine Micelles

The fourth cytoplasmic domain, the so-called C-terminal juxtamembrane segment or helix VIII, has been identified in numerous G-protein-coupled receptors and exhibits unique functional characteristics. Efforts have been devoted to studying the juxtamembrane segment in order to understand the biological importance of the segment in G-protein activation of the cannabinoid CB1 and CB2 receptors. Recent biochemical data revealed that the CB1 C-terminal juxtamembrane peptide fragment CB1-(401–417) can directly activate the G-protein and also showed that the specificity of the signal transduction activation by the C-terminal juxtamembrane region is unique to the CB1 receptor but not to the CB2 receptor (Mukhopadhyay, S., and Howlett, A. C. (2001) Eur. J. Biochem. 268, 499–505). However, there is experimental work, not yet reported, on the conformational analyses and structural comparison between the respective helix VIII segments of the two receptors. In the present study, we have examined the conformational specificities of the cytoplasmic helical domains for both cannabinoid receptors. Three-dimensional structural features of two synthetic CB1 and CB2 peptides, CB1I397-G418 and CB2I298-K319, respectively, in membrane mimetic DPC micelles were studied using a combined high resolution NMR and computer modeling approach. Comparisons of the NMR-determined structures of the two peptides as well as their correspondent mutant peptides revealed their conformational properties and salt bridge dissimilarity, which might help us to understand the different structural roles of the fourth cytoplasmic helices in the function and regulation of CB1 and CB2 receptors.
Analysis of a basic drug by on-line solid-phase extraction liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry using a mixed mode sorbent.

Two on-line configurations using multiple 6- and 10-port valves were investigated for high-flow on-line extraction of a basic drug in rat plasma and human urine using a reversed-phase and a cation-exchange SPE sorbent. The first configuration studied was a single reversed-phase extraction cartridge (2.1 x 20 mm, 25 microm) using an optimized washing protocol. The results showed that up to 1.5 mL of sample (urine or plasma diluted 1:1) can be injected with limits of quantification (LOQs) as low as 100 pg/mL. The second configuration studied was the combination of a cation exchanger and a reversed-phase cartridge using at-column dilution. The results showed better LOQs than those obtained with the single cartridge at 10 pg/mL with the same injection volume. The mass spectrometer was operated in the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode. All calibration curves gave an average of 5% relative standard deviation (RSD).
Synthesis and X-ray crystal structure investigation of a potential boronate affinity chromatography ligando-boronobenzalmethoxyamine

A potential boronate affinity chromatography ligando-boronobenzalmethoxyamine (IV) and its precursor [o-formylbenzeneboronic acid (III)] were synthesized and characterized by three-dimensional single-crystal X-ray diffractometry. Both compounds contained no bonding between the boron atoms and the oxygen atoms [O(3)] of the distinguishing functional group. In addition,11B NMR data confirmed the lack of any coordination between the boron and oxygen atoms in the boronic acid compoundsIII andIV and the catachol ester derivative (V) ofIV.o-Formylbenzeneboronic acid (III) crystallizes in space groupP21/n witha=3.883(1),b= 13.225(1),c=14.029(2) A, β=92.16(1)o, and four molecules per unit cell.o-Boronobenzalmethoxyamine (IV) crystallizes in space group Pcen witha=14.158(2),b=17.156(1),c=7.734(2)A, and eight molecules per unit cell. Selected bond distances and angles are tabularized.
Factorizable and meson-pole contributions to hyperon nonleptonic decays☆

Abstract All vacuum-insertion contributions to hyperon nonleptonic decays can be identified within the framework of current algebra. The contribution to the s-wave amplitude has been identified by Donoghue, Golowich, Holstein, and Ponce. His pointed out that the p-wave factorizable term for the penguin operator which is not normal-ordered emerges from the disconnected contributions to the baryon poles. This separable amplitude is shown to be equivalent to the K-meson pole in the normal-ordering representation. The inclusion of a kaon pole is thus mandatory in the normal ordering scheme, but is negligible if the weak hamiltonian is not normal-ordered.
Distraction osteogenesis: application to dentofacial orthopedics

Abstract Distraction osteogenesis is a surgical-orthopedic method for lengtheningbone by separating or distracting a fracture callus. This technique has a long history in limb lengthening and has recently been used to lengthen mandibles and maxillae in human patients. Distraction osteogenesis represents a powerful method of producing unlimited quantities of living bone which can be formed along any plane of space. Because this method uses local host tissue, it offers many advantages over bone grafting. In the author's experience, large (10–22 mm) antero-posterior and vertical corrections of mandibles can be achieved using this technique. The purpose of this article is to review its biological basis and discuss recent clinical applications. This article reviews the history, theory, current management, and limitations of distraction osteogenesis in treating craniofacial anomalies.
Two-Vessel Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting by Left Thoracotomy in a Complex Reoperative Case

An 83-year-old male with a history of three prior sternotomies, including coronary artery bypass surgery (CABG), presented with unstable angina. Cardiac catheterization showed left main and triple-vessel disease. The saphenous vein graft (SVG) to the right coronary artery was diseased but patent, and the SVG to the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was occluded. Preoperative evaluation showed a heavily calcified ascending aorta and minimum disease on the descending aorta. He successfully underwent a left thoracotomy 2-vessel off-pump CABG using the descending aorta for the proximal anastomosis. The left thoracotomy approach is a useful alternative to avoid complications associated with resternotomy, especially in patients with a hostile chest, although visualization of the target vessels may be limited.
Values, Framing, and Citizens' Thoughts about Policy Issues: Effects on Content and Quantity

This study examines how frames invoking a core value shape the content and quantity of citizens’ thoughts about a policy issue. An experimental study showed that exposure to a pro-school voucher equality frame increased the probability that participants would invoke equality in their open-ended survey responses. Exposure to an anti-school voucher equality frame produced the same effect, as did exposure to both frames. At the same time, participants who received either frame or both frames provided fewer open-ended responses. Thus, the frames appeared to focus participants’ thoughts on one value while reducing the overall extent to which they thought about the issue. In broader terms, value framing may have implications for the nature and quality of public deliberation about policy issues—a point that scholars should keep in mind when considering how to define and study framing effects.
Alternative Second Language Curricula for Learners With Disabilities: Two Case Studies

According to the National Center for Learning Disabilities (2005), students with disabilities often must demonstrate failure in order to qualify for academic accommodations. For students with disabilities, this failure may be life-altering. The present article argues that alternative curricula (modified teaching and assessment plans) should be considered for learners with disabilities to help make their foreign language (L2) learning experience not only possible but also successful. This argument is framed in Allwright's (2005) exploratory practice model and draws on data from the case studies of 2 learners with disabilities studying German: one student with dysgraphia (a language-specific cognitive disability) and the other with progressive familial quadriplegia (a severe physical disability). Their case studies aim to further language teachers' and program administrators' understanding of how learners with disabilities experience L2 learning. This article also aims to continue the professional discourse on considering alternative curricula as successful—and feasible—alternatives to requiring serial failure from students with disabilities.
Intestinal transport of manganese from human milk, bovine milk and infant formula in rats.

Abstract The transport of manganese from extrinsically labeled human milk, bovine milk and infant formula was studied by the everted intestinal sac method. Tissue/mucosal flux data indicated that transport of manganese into the intestinal tissue was significantly greater with bovine milk and formula than from human milk. Similarly, the total flux of manganese from the mucosal to serosal surface was less when human milk was used. Smaller molecualr weight manganese binding ligands isolated from the milk samples enhanced the mucosal to tissue movement of manganese as contrasted to the higher molecular weight manganese binding ligands. Most significantly the data suggest that the transport and uptake of manganese is less in the presence of human milk and its isolated manganese fractions than it is in bovine milk or infant formula.
Penetration depth of edge magnetoplasmons

The magnetic-field variation of the penetration depth for edge magnetoplasmons in a two-dimensional sample of electrons on a helium surface is deduced from measurements of the linewidth and amplitude of the mode. A qualitative comparison between experimental values and theory is given.
Quantitative determination of hydroxy fatty acids as an indicator of in vivo lipid peroxidation: Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods

A new method has been developed for the quantitation of lipid peroxidation products by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. An important advantage over existing gas chromatography-mass spectrometry methods is the elimination of autoxidation during sample preparation. The sensitivity is sufficient to permit measurement of lipid peroxidation products under normal physiological conditions on as little as 1 mg of tissue. Lipids from whole tissue samples or cell preparations are reduced by catalytic hydrogenation during extraction. The hydrogenation stabilizes the compounds by saturating the double bonds and reducing the hydroperoxides to hydroxy derivatives. The saturated lipids are then saponified and the resulting fatty acids are converted to pentafluorobenzyl esters. Hydroxy fatty acids are further converted to trimethylsilyl ether derivatives. Quantitation is accomplished by negative ion chemical ionization gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, using deuterated internal standards. Specific products from polyunsaturated fatty acids can be quantitated, and the method differentiates between products produced by free-radical and photooxidation mechanisms. Increased levels of lipid peroxidation products, above normal physiological levels, that result from prooxidant conditions, such as exposure of animals to carbon tetrachloride, can be measured.
Organic crystal engineering with piperazine-2,5-diones. 1. Crystal packing of piperazinediones derived from substituted 2-aminoindan-2-carboxylic acids

Abstract We have postulated that molecules engineered to participate in three chemically distinct and linearly independent intermolecular interactions will self-assemble in a predictable fashion. Six prototypes for molecules capable of manifesting such interactions were synthesized from 2-aminoindan-2-carboxylic acid, 2-amino-5,6-dimethylindan-2-carboxylic acid, and 2-amino-4,7-dimethoxyindan-2-carboxylic acid. These piperazinediones were characterized in solution by NMR spectroscopy and in the solid state by X-ray crystallography. “Ladder-like” intermolecular amide-to-amide hydrogen bonding interactions were observed in each case, establishing tape structures parallel to one crystallographic axis. Tape morphology varied depending on the arene substitution pattern and was governed by the development of arene and/or van der Waals contact interactions.
Enhancing Relationships Within Groups: The Impact of Role Perceptions Within Logistics Teams

ABSTRACT Ten years ago, researchers in 2 separate domains called for closer examination of relationship theories: 1st in relationship marketing (D. Bejou, 1997) and 2nd in the dynamics within logistics teams (D. R. Deeter-Schmelz, 1997). Although the extant literature in relationship marketing has emerged rich in empirical and conceptual grounding, little empirical progress has been made with respect to understanding relationships among logistical team members. To that end, our study explores logistics teams and the impact that role perceptions have on their perceived functioning. In particular, the impact of role clarity on logistical team members' perceptions of effectiveness and exchange dynamics is investigated. Results of this study reveal significant differences across team role clarity levels with respect to perceived relationship effectiveness, communication quality, and communication effectiveness. Although most relationship marketing theories have been examined within the company–consumer linkag...
Differential effects of bryostatin 1 on human non-hodgkin's B-lymphoma cell lines

Bryostatin 1 (Bryo1), a macrocyclic lactone and a protein kinase C activator, is extracted and purified from the marine bryozoan Bugula neritina. In this study we describe its effect on morphology, surface immunophenotype, acid phosphatase (AcP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP), proliferation and cell cycle of non-Hodgkin's B-lymphoma cell lines representing four differentiation stages. Except for the WSU-BL, a high-grade SCNCL, all other cell lines showed obvious changes in their morphology when treated with 200 nM Bryo1. Phenotypically, a dramatic decrease of CD10 and induction of CD11c and BL7 on some cell lines consistent with further B-cell differentiation was seen. The lines in control cultures showed variable expression of AcP and TRAP. Following treatment with Bryo1, there was a general increase in AcP expression except in WSU-BL line. WSU-FSCCL and WSU-DLCL were TRAP-negative but became TRAP-positive when treated with Bryo1. Cell growth and cycle analysis during treatment of different cell lines revealed evidence of strong, moderate, or no growth inhibition by Bryo1 compared with control cultures. Our results indicate that Bryo1 shows differentiation effects on low-grade FSCCL, intermediate-grade FLCL and high-grade DLCL, and stimulatory or no effect on high-grade SCNCL. Since Bryo1 does not have tumor-promoting activity, it has a potential therapeutic role as a B-cell differentiating agent.
Medicaid and the U.S. path to national health insurance.

Michael Sparer argues that the most plausible path toward universal coverage is, first, to expand Medicaid to cover the largest portion of the uninsured and, second, to require everyone to carry health insurance — while allowing people whose incomes are too high for automatic coverage to buy into Medicaid.
Surface oxidation of Permalloy thin films

The chemical and magnetic structures of oxides on the surface of Permalloy ${\mathrm{Ni}}_{81}{\mathrm{Fe}}_{19}$ films were investigated as functions of annealing time with x-ray and polarized neutron reflectometry. For annealing times of less than one hour, the oxide consisted of a 1.5-nm-thick layer of $\mathrm{NiO}$ on an Fe oxide layer that was in contact with Permalloy. The Fe oxide thickness increases with annealing time with a parabolic rate constant of ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}18}\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{2}\phantom{\rule{0.2em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{s}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ (for an annealing temperature of $373\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$). The growth of the oxide layer is limited by the rate at which oxygen appears below the $\mathrm{NiO}$ layer. No portion of the oxide region was found to be ferromagnetically ordered for films annealed less than one hour. The growth of the Fe oxide region is well correlated with the measured increase of the second-order magnetic susceptibility for similarly prepared samples.
Uniqueness of traveling wave solutions for a biological reaction–diffusion equation☆

Abstract The existence of traveling wave solutions for a reaction–diffusion, which serves as models for microbial growth in a flow reactor and for mathematical epidemiology, was previously confirmed. However, the problem on the uniqueness of traveling wave solutions remains open. In this paper we give a complete proof of the uniqueness of traveling wave solutions.
Are black and Hispanic infants with specific congenital heart defects at increased risk of preterm birth

Congenital heart defects (CHDs) are a leading cause of infant morbidity and mortality. Infants with CHDs have increased risk of preterm birth (PTB) compared to infants without birth defects. Although non-Hispanic (NH) Blacks are more likely to be born preterm and Hispanics have rates similar to those of PTB to NH-Whites, it is unknown if this pattern is present for infants with specific types of CHDs. Our intent was to determine if defect-specific risk of PTB varies by maternal race/ethnicity among infants with CHDs. We conducted a retrospective cohort study with 14,888 singleton infants from the Florida Birth Defects Registry, born in 1998-2003 to resident NH-White, NH-Black, and Hispanic women aged 15-49, diagnosed with 11 CHDs. Covariates were taken from Florida live birth certificates. PTB was defined as 20-36 weeks of gestation. Odds ratios (OR) and P-values were calculated from defect-specific multivariable logistic regression models; statistical significance was set at P 0.002). NH-Blacks with tricuspid valve atresia/stenosis had 4.1 times (P = 0.034) and Hispanics had 2.1 times (P = 0.314) the risk for PTB compared to NH-Whites. NH-Blacks with hypoplastic left heart syndrome had 2.0 times (P = 0.047) the risk for PTB as NH-Whites. Both NH-Black and Hispanic infants with CHDs may be at increased risk of PTB, depending on the type of CHD, but the etiology is unknown. Future research is needed to further examine this complex relationship.
Within-Plant Distribution of Banks Grass Mite on Corn in West Texas

The distribution of Banks grass mite, Oligonychus pratensis (Banks), was studied on corn at Halfway and Pecos, Texas. Adult female mites were counted on every leaf of each sampled plant and results showed that the mites were aggregated on the bottom portions (bottom-most leaf = leaf position 1) of all plants in all samples, usually with a decisive peak at leaf positions 3, 4, 5, or 6. Also, more leaves at lower leaf positions tended to be infested than leaves on the upper half of the plants. The data suggest samples of O. pratensis could be restricted to counts of female mites at leaf positions 1-6 when sampling to quantify population density or to detect insipient infestations.
Examining Gender Differences in the Nature and Context of Intimate Partner Violence

Many studies have been conducted on gender differences in intimate partner violence (IPV), producing inconsistent results. Some studies report that men were victimized by IPV as much as women were, whereas others find that IPV was predominantly perpetrated by men against women. The nature and context of IPV may be crucial to understanding gender differences in IPV, but national data collections do not regularly report on this information. This study expects to fill this gap by using nationally representative data to examine differences in the nature and context of IPV between male and female perpetrators. This study uses the Collaborative Psychiatric Epidemiology Surveys (CPES). Descriptive statistics for each gender are first obtained (n = 2,190). A discriminant analysis is used with gender as a grouping variable, including only perpetrators of IPV (n = 236). The independent variables are age, race, education, employment, financial security, frequency and severity of IPV, controlling behaviors, and the initiator of physical arguments. The study findings suggest that women and men do not vary much in the prevalence, frequency, and severity of IPV, controlling behaviors, or the initiation of physical arguments. They also suggest that those variables are rather weak in differentiating IPV against men from IPV against women. Since the study revealed some gender differences in IPV and, at the same time, encountered methodological difficulties in convincingly showing them as real gender differences, more research is clearly needed.
Letter by Yeo et al Regarding Article, “Time-Dependent Test Characteristics of Head CT in Patients Suspected of Nontraumatic Subarachnoid Hemorrhage”

We read with interest the article on diagnosis of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) by early CT scans that proposes to eliminate the need for cerebrospinal fluid absorption spectrophotometry analysis.1 Although we have an almost similar experience with early CT imaging with the modern multislice scanners, the numeric value of 100% for all the accuracy parameters needs to be interpreted carefully, especially in view of the relatively small cohort size of 137 patients. The message that there is no added value of cerebrospinal fluid analysis if CT scan of the head, performed within 6 hours, is normal in patients with acute headache might be applicable only to the advanced tertiary care centers equipped with the best scanners and best interpreters. Considering that …
Pavlovian heart rate and jaw movement conditioning in the rabbit: effects of medial prefrontal lesions.

Abstract An experiment was conducted in which jaw movements (JM) and heart rate (HR) were concomitantly assessed in rabbits during simple Pavlovian conditioning. A 2-s 1200-Hz tone was the conditioned stimulus (CS) and an intraoral 1-cc pulse of 0.5 M sucrose–water solution was the unconditioned stimulus (US). Sham and medial prefrontal (mPFC)-lesioned animals received paired CS/US training with a 70- to 75-dB CS and were compared with sham- and mPFC-lesioned animals that received explicitly unpaired CS/US presentations. The percentages of JM CRs were significantly greater in the paired than the unpaired groups, but mPFC lesions had no effect on this measure. Conditioned HR decelerations occurred only in the paired groups and then only during the first session of training. Moreover, these CS-evoked cardiac decelerations were somewhat attenuated by the mPFC lesion. CS-evoked HR accelerations, which were significantly greater in unpaired than in paired animals, occurred during the four subsequent sessions. These results suggest that a CS-evoked cardioinhibitory process, mediated by the mPFC, is engendered by Pavlovian appetitive conditioning, as has been previously demonstrated for aversive conditioning. However, during JM conditioning these inhibitory changes are quickly replaced by tachycardia, possibly related to increased nonspecific somatomotor activity, since the tachycardia was somewhat greater in the unpaired animals.
Laramide Tectonics and Humid Alluvial Fan Sedimentation, Ne Uinta Uplift, Utah and Wyoming

ABSTRACT Laramide uplift and erosion of the Uinta Mountains are recorded in a 10-km-long outcrop of the Lower Eocene Wasatch Formation, on the Utah-Wyoming border. This 750-m-thick package of interbedded sandstones and conglomerates is dominated by a coarsening then fining-upward megasequence 650 m thick that records the growth and abandonment of a humid alluvial fun system during a major cycle of uplift and unroofing of the thrust-bounded northern flank of the Uinta mountains. Grain size, thickness, and lateral extent of channel-complex deposits increase upward in the lower 400 m of the sequence, reflecting construction and northward progradation of the fan. Grain size and channel-complex thickness decrease upward in the upper 250 m of the sequence, reflecting gradual reduction of both sedime t yield and sediment caliber during postorogenic lowering of source-area relief. Within the megasequence, coarsening-up sequences 10-100 m thick built mainly of channel-complex deposits reflect progradation of fan lobes, punctuated by periodic fan-head avulsions. These medium-scale sequences in turn comprise small-scale fining-up cycles 1-10 m thick that reflect such fluvial processes on the fan as bar building, discrete flood events, and the filling and lateral migration of braided-stream channels. Both the medium-scale and small-scale sequences are commonly underlain by paleosols. Evidence of debris flows or other mass-movement processes is conspicuously lacking. Above the main megasequence a second, thinner megasequence containing lacustrine mudstones and wave-reworked conglomerates indicates that the fan persisted as a locus of coarse clastic deposition during the first of a series of lacustrine transgressions that began as ratios of sediment flux to subsidence rate decreased toward the end of the Early Eocene. Partial inundation of the fan during this transgression transformed it into a fan delta.
Extending Web Browsers with a Unity 3D-Based Virtual Worlds Viewer

Many virtual worlds are accessed via a rich client interface that must be downloaded and installed into the user's environment. For many users, especially enterprise users, this large download and install represents a significant obstacle to virtual world acceptance. The authors describe a technical implementation that uses the Unity 3D browser plug-in as a way to access a virtual world from within a Web browser. Using this familiar tool, users can interact with the rich virtual environments provided by Second Life and OpenSimulator.
A Role for Cyclin-Dependent Kinase(s) in the Modulation of Fast Anterograde Axonal Transport: Effects Defined by Olomoucine and the APC Tumor Suppressor Protein

Proteins that interact with both cytoskeletal and membrane components are candidates to modulate membrane trafficking. The tumor suppressor proteins neurofibromin (NF1) and adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) both bind to microtubules and interact with membrane-associated proteins. The effects of recombinant NF1 and APC fragments on vesicle motility were evaluated by measuring fast axonal transport along microtubules in axoplasm from squid giant axons. APC4 (amino acids 1034-2844) reduced only anterograde movements, whereas APC2 (aa 1034-2130) or APC3 (aa 2130-2844) reduced both anterograde and retrograde transport. NF1 had no effect on organelle movement in either direction. Because APC contains multiple cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) consensus phosphorylation motifs, the kinase inhibitor olomoucine was examined. At concentrations in which olomoucine is specific for cyclin-dependent kinases (5 microM), it reduced only anterograde transport, whereas anterograde and retrograde movement were both affected at concentrations at which other kinases are inhibited as well (50 microM). Both anterograde and retrograde transport also were inhibited by histone H1 and KSPXK peptides, substrates for proline-directed kinases, including CDKs. Our data suggest that CDK-like axonal kinases modulate fast anterograde transport and that other axonal kinases may be involved in modulating retrograde transport. The specific effect of APC4 on anterograde transport suggests a model in which the binding of APC to microtubules may limit the activity of axonal CDK kinase or kinases in restricted domains, thereby affecting organelle transport.
Thermoregulation: some concepts have changed. Functional architecture of the thermoregulatory system

While summarizing the current understanding of how body temperature (Tb) is regulated, this review discusses the recent progress in the following areas: central and peripheral thermosensitivity and...
Muscle coordination of movement: A perspective

Multijoint movement requires the coordination of many muscles. Because multijoint movement is complex, kinesiological data must be analyzed and interpreted in the context of forward dynamical models rich enough to study coordination; otherwise, principles will remain elusive. The complexity arises because a muscle acts to accelerate all joints and segments, even joints it does not span and segments to which it does not attach. A biarticular muscle can even act to accelerate one of the joints it spans opposite to its anatomical classification. For example, gastrocnemius may act to accelerate the knee into extension during upright standing. One powerful forward dynamical modeling method to study muscle coordination is optimal control theory because simulations of movement can be produced. These simulations can either attempt to replicate experimental data, without hypothesizing the purpose of the motor task, or otherwise generate muscle and movement trajectories that best accomplish the hypothesized task. Application of the theory to the study of maximum-height jumping has provided insight into the biomechanical principles of jumping, such as: (i) jump height is more sensitive to muscle strength than to muscle speed, and insensitive to musculotendon compliance; (ii) uniarticular muscles generate the propulsive energy and biarticular muscles fine-tune the coordination; and (iii) countermovement is often desirable, even in squat jumps, because it seems both to prolong the duration of upwards propulsion, and to give muscles time to develop force so the body can move upwards initially with high acceleration. The effort necessary to develop forward dynamical models has been so high, however, that model-generated data of jumping or any other task are meager. An interactive computer workstation environment is proposed whereby users can develop neuromusculoskeletal control models, generate simulations of motor tasks, and display both kinesiological and modeling data more easily (e.g., animations). By studying a variety of motor tasks well, each within a theoretical framework, hopefully muscle coordination principles will soon emerge.
Synthesis of alkyl indole derivatives

Condensation of arylamines with α-halogenoketone afforded the intermediate anilino-ketones which on direct cyclization furnished the corresponding alkylindoles. Synthesis of 2,3,5-trimethyl-4,7-dimethoxyindole (5a) and 2,3,6-trimethyl-7-methoxyindole (5b) is described. Earlier (1) synthesis of 2,3-dimethyl-4,7-dimethoxyindole and 1,2,3-trimethyl-4,7-dimethoxy-indole is reported.
Analyzing production modifications of a C-130 engine repair facility using simulation

The LRAFB C-130 engine repair facility is one of the top T-56 engine refurbishing plants in the United States Air Force. Currently, the shop is prevented from testing potential contingencies within their environment due to the rapid nature of their engine repair process. A simulation approach is needed to test various scenarios and determine the maximum capacity the shop can handle in its current configuration. Particularly, the simulation describes the consequences of increasing engine production on the shops personnel and throughput production figures for several policy variations. A detailed verification and validation of the model are shown, establishing the computational efficacy of the model in preparation for the comparative analysis. The model is a starting block for an Air Force wide analysis of C-130 engine rebuilding production needs with an overarching goal of standardization in repair methods and efficient operations.
Effect of Burst-Mode Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation on Peripheral Vascular Resistance

Background and Purpose. Based on changes in skin temperature alone, some authors have proposed that postganglionic sympathetic vasoconstrictor fibers can be stimulated transcutaneously. Our goal was to determine the effects of low-frequency (2 bursts per second), burst-mode transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) on calf vascular resistance, a more direct marker of sympathetic vasoconstrictor outflow than skin temperature, in subjects with no known pathology. Subjects. Fourteen women and 6 men (mean age=31 years, SD=13, range=18–58) participated in this study. Methods. Calf blood flow, arterial pressure, and skin temperature were measured while TENS was applied over the common peroneal and tibial nerves. Results. Blood flow immediately following stimulation was not affected by TENS applied just under or just above the threshold for muscle contraction. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation applied at 25% above the motor threshold caused a transient increase in calf blood flow. Regardless of stimulation intensity, TENS had no effect on arterial pressure; therefore, calf vascular resistance decreased only during the trial that was 25% above the motor threshold. Regardless of stimulation intensity, TENS failed to alter dorsal or plantar skin temperature. Discussion and Conclusion. These results demonstrate that the effects of TENS on circulation depend on stimulation intensity. When the intensity was sufficient to cause a moderate muscle contraction, a transient, local increase in blood flow occurred. Cooling of the dorsal and plantar skin occurred in both the stimulated and control legs, most likely because skin temperature acclimatized to ambient room temperature, rather than because of any effect of TENS on circulation. The data, therefore, call into question the idea that postganglionic sympathetic efferent fibers are stimulated when TENS is applied at clinically relevant intensities to people without symptoms of cardiovascular or neuromuscular pathology.