cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The use of Xeroradiographic Imaging to Evaluate Fracture Repair in Avian Species

The purpose of the study was to determine how fracture healing occurs in avian species and to document if there are any major differences between medullary and pneumatized bone repair. The avian skeleton with both types of bones in a single species affords an opportunity to evaluate the importance of hemorrhage and bone marrow in the fracture healing process. The general concept of fracture healing in humans is well documented but certain specific aspects of fracture repair remain unclear. Two of these issues are the importance of hemorrhage and the influence of bone marrow in fracture healing. Utilizing correlative studies, we wished to determine if xeroradiographic images reflected histologic changes as healing occurred and to determine if this form of radiographic imaging provides an appropriate monitoring study to assess progress of fracture repair in the clinical circumstance.
Transcriptional Profile of Aging in C. elegans

Abstract Background: Numerous gerontogene mutants leading to dramatic life extensions have been identified in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans over the last 20 years. Analysis of these mutants has provided a basis for understanding the mechanisms driving the aging process(es). Several distinct mechanisms including an altered rate of aging, increased resistance to stress, decreased metabolic rate, or alterations in a program causing organismic aging and death have been proposed to underlie these mutants. Results: Whole-genome analysis of gene expression during chronological aging of the worm provides a rich database of age-specific changes in gene expression and represents one way to distinguish among these models. Using a rigorous statistical model with multiple replicates, we find that a relatively small number of genes (only 164) show statistically significant changes in transcript levels as aging occurs ( Conclusions: We have performed a whole-genome analysis of changes in gene expression during aging in C. elegans that provides a molecular description of C. elegans senescence.
The theoretical and experimental investigations on multiple pure tone noise, part 1

A theoretical and experimental investigation is described on multiple pure tone noise. Based on a two-dimensional and inviscid flow model, an analysis is developed to predict the generation and subsequent evolution of multiple pure tone noise from prescribed blade-to-blade nonuniformities in the rotor geometry. The results show that even small nonuniformities within manufacturing tolerances can cause a significant amount of multiple pure tone noise. Among the different kinds of nonuniformities investigated, errors in blade spacings are a weaker generator of multiple pure tone noise than errors in blade stagger or blade contours. Experimental investigations of the effects of the rotor relative Mach number, incidence angle and length of the inlet duct on the evolution of the multiple pure tone noise are conducted with a known distribution of rotor nonuniformities. The model fan is operated, in Freon 12, in a closed loop acoustical facility.
Critical Role of Catalysts and Boranes for Controlling the Regioselectivity in the Rhodium-Catalyzed Hydroboration of Fluoroolefins

Catalytic hydroboration of perfluoroalkylethylenes (RFCHCH2) with cationic and neutral rhodium complexes allows for selective access to either regioisomeric alcohol after hydroboration with catechol- and pinacolboranes, followed by oxidation with alkaline hydrogen peroxide.
A machine learning-based faulty line identification for smart distribution network

This paper presents a machine learning-based faulty-line identification method in smart distribution networks. The proposed method utilizes postfault root-mean-square (rms) values of voltages measured at the main substation and at selected nodes as well as fault information obtained by fault current identifiers (FCIs) and intelligent electronic re-closers (IE-CRs). The information from FCIs and IE-RCs are first used to identify the faulty region in the network. The normalized rms values of voltages are then utilized as the input to the support vector machine (SVM) classifiers to identify the faulty-line according to the pre-determined fault type. The IEEE 123-node distribution test system is simulated in ATP software. MATLAB is used to process the simulated transients and to apply the proposed method. The performance of the method is tested for different fault inception angles (FIA) and different fault resistances with satisfactory results.
Early Exposure of Bay Scallops (Argopecten irradians) to High CO2 Causes a Decrease in Larval Shell Growth

Ocean acidification, characterized by elevated pCO2 and the associated decreases in seawater pH and calcium carbonate saturation state (Ω), has a variable impact on the growth and survival of marine invertebrates. Larval stages are thought to be particularly vulnerable to environmental stressors, and negative impacts of ocean acidification have been seen on fertilization as well as on embryonic, larval, and juvenile development and growth of bivalve molluscs. We investigated the effects of high CO2 exposure (resulting in pH = 7.39, Ωar = 0.74) on the larvae of the bay scallop Argopecten irradians from 12 h to 7 d old, including a switch from high CO2 to ambient CO2 conditions (pH = 7.93, Ωar = 2.26) after 3 d, to assess the possibility of persistent effects of early exposure. The survival of larvae in the high CO2 treatment was consistently lower than the survival of larvae in ambient conditions, and was already significantly lower at 1 d. Likewise, the shell length of larvae in the high CO2 treatment was significantly smaller than larvae in the ambient conditions throughout the experiment and by 7 d, was reduced by 11.5%. This study also demonstrates that the size effects of short-term exposure to high CO2 are still detectable after 7 d of larval development; the shells of larvae exposed to high CO2 for the first 3 d of development and subsequently exposed to ambient CO2 were not significantly different in size at 3 and 7 d than the shells of larvae exposed to high CO2 throughout the experiment.
iWander: An Android application for dementia patients

Non-pharmacological management of dementia puts a burden on those who are taking care of a patient that suffer from this chronic condition. Caregivers frequently need to assist their patients with activities of daily living. However, they are also encouraged to promote functional independence. With the use of a discrete monitoring device, functional independence is increased among dementia patients while decreasing the stress put on caregivers. This paper describes a tool which improves the quality of treatment for dementia patients using mobile applications. Our application, iWander, runs on several Android based devices with GPS and communication capabilities. This allows for caregivers to cost effectively monitor their patients remotely. The data uncollected from the device is evaluated using Bayesian network techniques which estimate the probability of wandering behavior. Upon evaluation several courses of action can be taken based on the situation's severity, dynamic settings and probability. These actions include issuing audible prompts to the patient, offering directions to navigate them home, sending notifications to the caregiver containing the location of the patient, establishing a line of communication between the patient-caregiver and performing a party call between the caregiver-patient and patient's local 911. As patients use this monitoring system more, it will better learn and identify normal behavioral patterns which increases the accuracy of the Bayesian network for all patients. Normal behavior classifications are also used to alert the caregiver or help patients navigate home if they begin to wander while driving allowing for functional independence.
Understanding Disease Cell by Cell

The study of disease one cell at a time is being facilitated by advances in the field of tissue dissection. Using laser-guided microdissection tools coupled with a microscope, researchers can begin to understand molecular alterations in pure populations of cells. This essay discusses microdissection for an historical perspective and describes new approaches to the problem.
Water isotherm measurements for microparticles of carbon

Abstract A new method, single particle electrodynamic levitation SPEL, has been used to measure the water isotherm for microparticles of porous carbon. SPEL is an ultrasensitive gravimetric analyzer that uses electric fields to levitate single microparticles in a flowing gas stream. The quantity of adsorbed vapor is directly proportional to the electric field intensity required to suspend the particle at the center of the levitater. Water isotherms for nanogram microparticles of BPL and ASC carbon are measured at 25°C using SPEL and compared to bulk carbon isotherm data. It is shown that SPEL can successfully differentiate the ASC and BPL carbon water isotherms and replicate standard isotherm data with only a limited number of single particle measurements. Hysteresis effects are also measurable with SPEL.
Aerodynamic lift and moment fluctuations of a sphere

Measurements are reported of the fluctuating lift acting on a sphere and the moment acting about the centre of a sphere at supercritical Reynolds numbers (R > 4 × 105). The lift and moment fluctuations are random functions of time which scale with the free-stream dynamic pressure and sphere dimensions. The power spectra of the lift and moment also scale with the above parameters and with the Strouhal number, nd/U. The spectra contain a maximum spectral density at very low frequencies (nd/U < 0·0003) and do not reveal appreciable effects of vortex shedding at discrete frequencies.Hot wire anemometers were placed near the surface but outside the boundary layer along a great circle in the meridian plane in which the lift was measured. The fluctuating velocity component near the surface on the upstream hemisphere in this meridian plane is highly correlated with the fluctuating lift in the same meridian plane. The correlation betweeen the lift and tangential velocity near the surface suggests that the fluctuating lift is produced by the component of fluctuating bound vorticity about the sphere that is normal to the meridian plane in which the lift force is measured. The fluctuating moment measured about an axis passing through the centre of the sphere and perpendicular to the above meridian plane is almost perfectly correlated with the fluctuating lift (the measured correlation coefficients were 0·99 and 1·00). The fluctuating moment coefficient is very small (). The exceptional correlation between the random lift and moment suggests that the unsteady moment about the sphere centre (which can be produced only by shear stress fluctuations) is caused by the fluctuations of bound vorticity (residing in the boundary layer and wake) that are responsible for the unsteady lift.
Oxidation of unsaturated fatty acids in embryonic and adult tissues of golden hamster.

SummaryThe Thiobarbituric Acid Test for oxidative products of essential fatty acids (HUFA), primarily linolenic, present in tissues in vivo and after aerobic oxidation in vitro, with and without ascorbic acid, was applied to brain, liver and testes tissues of hamsters of various ages. Minute measurable quantities of oxidative products (probably peroxides) are formed in vivo. The quantity of HUFA present in brain tissue increased gradually with post partum development of the brain, with constant levels apparent after 10-16 days of age. The quantity of HUFA present in testes tissue correlates well with development and function of that organ with constant levels established, following a peak during age of sexual maturity. There is a significant rise in total HUFA content of liver tissue, associated with emergency of birth. Lack of catalytic activity of ascorbic acid upon in vitro oxidative reaction involved in embryonic tissue has been demonstrated.
Discovery of a Nearby Twin of SN 1987A's Nebula around the Luminous Blue Variable HD 168625: Was Sk ?69 202 an LBV?

Spitzer Space Telescope images of the luminous blue variable (LBV) candidate HD 168625 reveal the existence of a bipolar nebula several times larger than its previously known equatorial dust torus. The outer nebula of HD 168625 has a full extent of ~80'' or 0.85 pc, and one of the lobes has a well-defined polar ring. The nebula is a near twin of the triple-ring system around SN 1987A. Because of these polar rings, and accounting for stellar/progenitor luminosity, HD 168625 is an even closer twin of SN 1987A than the B supergiant Sher 25 in NGC 3603. HD 168625's nebula was probably ejected during a giant LBV eruption and not during a red supergiant phase, so its similarity to the nebula around SN 1987A may open new possibilities for the creation of SN 1987A's rings. Namely, the hypothesis that Sk -69 202 suffered an LBV-like eruption would avert the complete surrender of single-star models for its bipolar nebula by offering an alternative to an unlikely binary merger scenario. It also hints that LBVs are the likely progenitors of some Type II supernovae, and that HD 168625's nebula is a good example of a pre-explosion environment.
Low-lying states with T=2 of A = 16 nuclei and T=32 of A = 15, 17 nuclei☆

The lowest members of the T = 2 levels of A = 16 nuclei and T = 32 levels of A = 15 and 17 nuclei are described by the product wave functions of low-lying hole states of A = 14 and 15 nuclei and low-lying particle states of A = 17 and 18 nuclei. The hole-hole interactions are taken from the analysis of the p-shell nuclei and the particle-particle interactions are taken from the analysis of the s-, d-shell nuclei. The hole-particle interactions are taken from the experimental T = 1 levels of 16O and the individual hole and particle energies. A variable parameter of the p32 hole-d52 particle interaction is used. The results are consistent with available experimental data.
Unusual transformations in the biosynthesis of the antibiotic phosphinothricin tripeptide

Phosphinothricin tripeptide (PTT, phosphinothricylalanylalanine) is a natural-product antibiotic and potent herbicide that is produced by Streptomyces hygroscopicus ATCC 21705 (ref. 1) and Streptomyces viridochromogenes DSM 40736 (ref. 2). PTT has attracted widespread interest because of its commercial applications and unique phosphinic acid functional group. Despite intensive study since its discovery in 1972 (see ref. 3 for a comprehensive review), a number of steps early in the PTT biosynthetic pathway remain uncharacterized. Here we report a series of interdisciplinary experiments involving the construction of defined S. viridochromogenes mutants, chemical characterization of accumulated intermediates, and in vitro assay of selected enzymes to examine these critical steps in PTT biosynthesis. Our results indicate that early PTT biosynthesis involves a series of catalytic steps that to our knowledge has not been described so far, including a highly unusual reaction for carbon bond cleavage. In sum, we define a pathway for early PTT biosynthesis that is more complex than previously appreciated.
Mouse kidney histamine N-methyltransferase: assay conditions, biochemical properties and strain variation.

Histamine N-methyltransferase (HNMT) catalyzes the Nτ-methylation of histamine and structurally-related compounds. Levels of HNMT activity in the human red blood cell are regulated by inheritance. The inbred mouse is an ideal laboratory animal in which to study the genetics of inherited traits. Therefore, HNMT activity was measured in renal homogenates of A/J mice to establish optimal assay conditions and to determine the properties of mouse kidney HNMT as a first step toward testing the hypothesis that large strain-related variations in HNMT activity might exist among inbred strains of mice. ApparentKm values for histamine and S-adenosyl-l-methionine, the two cosubstrates for the reaction, were 26 and 1.7 μM, respectively. IC50 values for the inhibition of mouse kidney HNMT by amodiaquine and S-adenosyl-l-homocysteine were 1.67 and 11.8 μM, respectively. HNMT activity levels were then measured under optimal assay conditions in renal preparations from male animals of eleven inbred mouse strains chosen because of the availability of recombinant inbred (RI) animals derived from the parental strains. Average values for renal HNMT activity varied among strains by less than two-fold and ranged only from 26.2±0.51 (mean±SEM) units/mg protein in AKR/J mice to 39.1±2.58 units/mg protein in C57BL/6J animals. Renal HNMT activities in females of the three strains in which both sexes were studied were 11–13% higher than were those in renal tissue from males of the same strain. In summary, the properties of HNMT in the mouse kidney are similar to those of HNMT in other species, but strain variation in levels of enzyme activity among the 11 inbred mouse strains studied was insufficient for these animals to be used in biochemical genetic experiments.
Specific heat of YBa2Cu3O7

Specific heat measurements, including measurements in magnetic fields and at both low temperatures and nearTc, on a number of YBa2Cu3O7 samples have revealed several correlations among strongly sample-dependent parameters. These correlations suggest that the sample dependence of the parameters reflects a sample dependence of the volume fraction of superconductivity, which is in turn correlated with a low concentration of Cu2+ moments. The correlations give a criterion for recognizing the values of the parameters characteristic of the fully superconducting material. Preliminary results on the effects of sample heat treatment are reported. New data on the “linear term” is presented and discussed.
A possible interpretation of the $\pi_1(1400)$ exotic meson

I will discuss the current theoretical and experimental status of exotic mesons and a possible interpretation of the light, $\pi_1(1400)$ exotic meson as a final state interaction effect.
Synthesis of a basket-shaped C56H38 hydrocarbon as a precursor toward an end-cap template for carbon [6,6]nanotubes.

A basket-shaped C56H38 hydrocarbon (3) possessing a 30-carbon difluorenonaphthacenyl core that can be mapped onto the surface of C78 was synthesized from 4-bromo-1-indanone. The first stage of the synthesis involved the preparation of tetraketone 10 as a key intermediate. The use of cascade cyclization reactions of benzannulated enyne−allenes as key features in the next stage of the synthetic sequence provides an efficient route to 3 from 4-bromo-1-indanone in 12 steps. The all-cis relationship among the methyl groups and the methine hydrogens causes the two benzofluorenyl units in 3 to be in an essentially perpendicular orientation to each other. Hydrocarbon 3 and its derivatives could serve as attractive precursors leading to a geodesic C68H26 end-cap template for carbon [6,6]nanotubes.
Models of plasticity in spatial auditory processing.

Both psychophysical and physiological studies have examined plasticity of spatial auditory processing. While there is a great deal known about how the system computes basic cues that influence spatial perception, less is known about how these cues are integrated to form spatial percepts and how the auditory system adapts and calibrates in order to maintain accurate spatial perception. After summarizing evidence for plasticity in the spatial auditory pathway, this paper reviews a statistical, decision-theory model of short-term plasticity and a system-level model of the spatial auditory pathway that may help elucidate how long- and short-term experiences influence the computations underlying spatial hearing.
Identification of sex pheromone of browntail moth,Euproctis chrysorrhoea (L.) (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae)

A unique sex attractant pheromone was isolated and identified from extracts of ovipositor tips from the female browntail moth (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae). The pheromone compound, (Z,Z,Z,Z)-7,13,16,19-docosatetraen-1-ol isobutyrate, CH3CH2CH=CHCH2CH=CHCH2CH= CH(CH2)4CH=CH(CH2)6O2CCH(CH3)2, was identified by a combination of gas chromatography, mass spectrometry, and microreactions and was confirmed by synthesis. Traps baited with 5–50 μg of the synthetic pheromone, dispensed from rubber septa treated with an antioxidant and a UV stabilizer, gave male moth captures that were comparable to traps baited with three virgin females. Higher (250 μg) and lower (0.04–2.5 μg quantities of the synthetic pheromone on septa captured somewhat fewer males. Captures were the same for similar quantities of the natural and synthetic pheromone. Minor, inactive components in the tip extract were identified as a mixture of 7- and 8-pentacosanone.
A synthetic system mimicking the energy transfer and charge separation of natural photosynthesis

Abstract A synthetic molecular triad consisting of a porphyrin P linked to both a quinone Q and a carotenoid polyene C has been prepared as a mimic of natural photosynthesis for solar energy conversion purposes. Laser flash excitation of the porphyrin moiety yields a charge-separated state C +· —P—Q −· within 100 ps with a quantum yield of more than 0.25. This charge-separated state has a lifetime on the microsecond time scale in suitable solvents. The triad also models photosynthetic antenna function and photo-protection from singlet oxygen damage. The successful biomimicry of photo-synthetic charge separation is in part the result of multistep electron transfers which rapidly separate the charges and leave the system at high potential, but with a considerable barrier to recombination.
A complete class of tests when the likelihood is locally asymptotically quadratic

We construct an asymptotically complete class of tests (i.e. for a test not within this class one can find a test within the class that has a better or equal asymptotical power function) for testing one parametric restriction, when the likelihood function can be approximated by a quadratic function asymptotically: The coefficients of this quadratic form may be random variables, so that our results apply to the problem of unit-root testing: We show that the LR test (in the case of unit roots the DF-test) is not within this class.
Effects of transverse photon exchange in helium Rydberg states: Corrections beyond the Coulomb-Breit interaction.

The Breit correction only accounts for part of the transverse photon exchange correction in the calculation of the energy levels in helium Rydberg states. The remaining leading corrections are identified and each is expressed in an effective potential form. The relevance to the Casimir correction potential in various limits is also discussed.
Damped-Dynamics Flexible Fitting

In fitting atomic structures into EM maps, it often happens that the map corresponds to a different conformation of the structure. We have developed a new methodology to handle these situations that preserves the covalent geometry of the structure and allows the modeling of large deformations. The first goal is achieved by working in generalized coordinates (positional and internal coordinates), and the second by avoiding harmonic potentials. Instead, we use dampers (shock absorbers) between every pair of atoms, combined with a force field that attracts the atomic structure toward incompletely occupied regions of the EM map. The trajectory obtained by integrating the resulting equations of motion converges to a conformation that, in our validation cases, was very close to the target atomic structure. Compared to current methods, our approach is more efficient and robust against wrong solutions and to overfitting, and does not require user intervention or subjective decisions. Applications to the computation of transition pathways between known conformers, homology and loop modeling, as well as protein docking, are also discussed.
The monophyly and relative rank of alticine and galerucine leaf beetles: A cladistic analysis using adult morphological characters (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

The first cladistic analysis to determine the monophyletic status of alticine and galerucine leaf beetles and their relationship to one another is provided. A classification based on their hypothesized relationships is proposed. Fifty morphological characters of adults were analyzed from twenty-nine taxa representing six traditionally recognized subfamilies (Orsodacninae, Aulacoscelidinae, Eumolpinae [including Synetini], Chrysomelinae, Galerucinae, and Alticinae), with an emphasis on thorough exemplar representation from galerucines and alticines. Cladistic analyses of these characters using the heuristic analysis of PAUP resulted in 444 equally most parsimonious cladograms, a consensus of which was mostly unresolved. Successive approximations weighting of these trees produced a nearly fully resolved hypothesis of relationships among the taxa. This hypothesis indicates the monophyly of chrysomelines + eumolpines + orsodacnines and monophyly of galerucines + alticines. Importantly, the alticines are a highly derived, strongly supported monophyletic group, nested within galerucines. Therefore, alticines must have a lower relative taxonomic rank (such as tribe) to Galerucinae in order to reflect this phylogenetic hypothesis.
Color-based inhibition of return

The inhibition of return of visual attention based on stimulus color was examined in three experiments. In the first experiment, a discrete trial paradigm showed that subjects were slower to detect a color patch if the color matched that of a patch presented earlier in the same location. Experiment 2 showed that the inhibition only occurs if a neutral, nontarget distractor color is presented between presentation of the initial color cue and the subsequent target patch—explaining the previous failures to detect the phenomenon. Experiment 3 extended the results to a different combination of colors. Taken together, the results have important implications for the processing of stimulus attributes such as spatial location and color, and for the conditions necessary for producing inhibition of return.
Changes in camp phosphodiesterase activity and cAMP concentration during mouse preimplantation development

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity and cAMP amounts were measured in mouse preimplantation embryos at the 1-cell, 2-cell, 8-cell/morula, and mid-blastocyst stages. PDE activity remained constant between the 1-cell and 2-cell stages. It decreased by the 8-cell stage and continued to decrease by the mid blastocyst stage to about 14% of the 1- and 2-cell values. By contrast, cAMP amounts remained essentially constant at 0.05 fmole/embryo (0.3 microM) from the 1-cell to the blastocyst stage and increased to 0.175 fmole in the fully expanded blastocyst that was close to hatching. Measurements of embryo volume indicated that intracellular volume remained essentially constant up to the blastocyst stage. The morphological changes in cell shape that accompany differentiation of the trophectoderm and that are coupled with blastocoel expansion decreased the intracellular volume. This decrease resulted in an increase in the cAMP concentration to about 0.4 microM by the mid-blastocyst stage. Previous studies indicate that either cAMP or TGF-alpha/EGF can stimulate the rate of blastocoel expansion. Although TGF-alpha/EGF can elevate cAMP levels in other cell types, TGF-alpha, at a concentration that maximally stimulates the rate of blastocoel expansion, did not elevate cAMP in blastocysts. Thus, it was unlikely that elevation of cAMP is the mechanism by which TGF-alpha stimulates the rate of blastocoel expansion.
Metrorrhagia in a human immunodeficiency virus positive woman caused by cervical histoplasmosis.

In patients with AIDS, infection with Histoplasma capsulatum frequently results in disseminated disease. We discuss a 42-year-old HIV-infected woman presenting with fever, weight loss, pulmonary infiltrates, diarrhea, and metrorrhagia. Biopsy of bone marrow and skin demonstrated H capsulatum. Necrotic lesions of the uterine cervix, initially thought to represent cervical carcinoma, proved to be because of disseminated histoplasmosis. Involvement of the female genital tract by histoplasmosis is exceedingly rare, with cervical disease not having been described previously.
Dietary Indiscretion and Statin Use

To determine whether statin use leads to dietary indiscretion, this longitudinal cohort study examined the impact of statin initiation on saturated fat intake. We interviewed 71 patients who had received a new prescription for statins for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease, first at the time of prescription and then again 3 and 6 months later. Patients were asked about their beliefs regarding diet and medications as well as their diet during the past 24 hours in all interviews and about their adherence to statins in the 3- and 6-month follow-up interviews. At the time of statin prescription, 54 participants (76%) wanted to reduce dietary fat, 50 (70%) believed statin use could cure their hyperlipidemia, and 31 (44%) thought that physicians prescribed statins to them despite their preference to continue to try dietary changes. After 6 months of statin use, no significant change in saturated fat intake was noted.
Institutional preconditions of privatization in market‐based political economies: Implications for Jordan

Concepts of privatization have been adopted on a global scale. Yet few studies examine issues other than economic and selected political ones. This article argues, however, that a broad spectrum of institutional considerations must be evaluated in order to assess the viability of any proposed privatization strategy. A further distinction must be made between countries with developed markets and those market-based political economies (MBPEs) whose extant institutional configurations have not reached a level of independence to fully support extensive privatization measures. Jordan, Turkey and Egypt would be examples of such countries. This article contends that the enactment and implementation of privatization policies will achieve its avowed goals only (a) if the state-controlled enterprises (SCEs) are sufficiently independent of their supervising bureaucracies (presumably a ministry, the treasury or development planning organization) prior to their transfer to a private partner and (b) if the government possesses requisite monitoring capacity to ensure the fulfilment of contractual obligations of the privatized entity. An ancillary thesis suggests that the societal and organizational culture must be succinctly separated to warrant a full-scale transfer of SCEs to the private sector. In Jordan, privatization has been discussed for a number of years, but no projects have been attempted so far. The article assesses the likelihood of large-scale privatization occurring soon.
Plastic deformation and strength of materials in small dimensions

Materials with characteristic crystallite dimensions in the nanometer regime are expected to have interesting and useful mechanical properties (high strength and ductility). However, understanding of these properties has been obscured by variations in the density and possibly the composition of the tested samples. An overview of recent progress in understanding plastic deformation and strength in nanocrystalline metals in bulk and thin film form is presented. Deviations from classical scaling laws are discussed from a mechanistic point of view.
The Conservative Basis for the Formation of the National Government of 1931

The creation of the National Government of 1931 has been a theme of unending comment and controversy. Politicians and writers of the left, with their party suddenly decapitated and bereft of office, not surprisingly were bitter. Their tendency was to castigate anyone who had played an obvious role in the crisis. Therefore, Ramsay MacDonald, who presided over the change, has been branded a traitor by his former colleagues and by later generations of Labour supporters. Even for historians he has remained at the center of the controversy. From a slightly wider perspective, it has been possible to suspect a “bankers' ramp,” and the king has been singled out for special abuse on the charge of misleading the prime minister. Although some of these elements have been dismissed as myths in Reginald Bassett's 1958 treatise, the controversy hardly has been brought closer to a solution. In his review of that polemical study, Richard Crossman contended that “no one has yet succeeded in writing about this crisis without violent partisanship” and that it remained “the kind of live political issue about which no one except a political eunuch can write dispassionately.” That the debate continues is evident from the recent biography of MacDonald by David Marquand, who, in an attempt to vindicate his subject, once more reverts to the king as the agent most responsible for the creation of a coalition. Amazingly, no writer has yet interpreted the formation of the National Government as a Conservative Party bid for power, despite the control manifested by that party in the ensuing general election and the eventual successions of Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain to the premiership.
Influence of organic matter on invertebrate colonization of sand substrata in a northern Michigan stream

AbstractSand is a common substratum in many streams, especially in lacustrine geologies, but has been less studied as a habitat for invertebrates than other substrata such as gravel and cobble. We hypothesized that benthic organic matter (BOM) content would influence the abundance and community structure of macroinvertebrates in sand habitats. Levels of coarse BOM (no = 0, low = 1%, high = 5% organic matter, as dry mass) were manipulated in 45 colonization chambers (volume = 539 cm3) implanted in a sand-dominated reach of Shane Creek in the Ottawa National Forest, Michigan. Chironomidae, Tipulidae, and Trichoptera were common colonizers of chambers. At the end of the 32-d experiment, invertebrate abundance (F2,12 = 7.5, p = 0.015) and biomass (F2,12 = 8.7, p = 0.010) were significantly higher in chambers with low BOM than with no BOM, but the high-BOM treatment did not differ from the no-BOM treatment. Throughout the experiment, functional feeding groups (FFG) were dominated numerically by gathering colle...
Susceptibility of Gram-negative bacteria to β-lactam antibiotics and rapid characterization of β-lactamase activity

Various species of Gram-negative bacteria were tested for susceptibility to β-lactam antibiotics and for production of β-lactamase. The rapid cephalosporin 87/312 visual test was more sensitive than either the acidometric or the iodometric test; the iodometric test was least sensitive. Characteristic β-lactamase hydrolysis product patterns were obtained by scanning mixtures of β-lactamase-producing bacteria and cephalosporin substrates. β-Lactamase could not be detected on bacterial cells by fluorescent antibody techniques. The presence of β-lactamase can be correlated with minimal inhibitory concentrations of β-lactam antibiotics only in certain Gram-negative bacilli.
Safety and utility of the routine surveillance biopsy in pediatric patients 2 years after heart transplantation

Abstract Objectives: The standard for diagnosing allograft rejection after heart transplantation is the endomyocardial biopsy, but the value of routine surveillance biopsies after 2 years after transplant is controversial. The objective of this study was to determine the necessity and safety of surveillance biopsies and to correlate rejection with signs and symptoms beyond the second post-transplant anniversary in pediatric patients. Study design: We reviewed the results of 899 biopsies and coincident clinical histories in 56 pediatric patients, comprising 314 patient-years of follow-up. Patients were classified as having symptoms or not based on a blinded review of their clinical status and echocardiograms. Biopsies were classified as negative or positive with established criteria. Results: After biopsies performed less than 2 years after transplant or as a follow-up for a positive biopsy were excluded, 481 biopsies were available for analysis, of which 20 (4%) were positive. Positive biopsies were found in 15 (3%) of 456 biopsies in patients without symptoms compared with 5 (20%) of 25 biopsies in patients with symptoms. Patients with symptoms were 6 times more likely to have a positive biopsy compared with patients without symptoms. Of the positive rejection episodes, 75% occurred in patients without symptoms. Conclusion: Although rejection is uncommon in pediatric patients greater than 2 years after transplant, episodes of treatable allograft rejection can occur in the absence of clinical signs and symptoms. This study emphasizes the safety of and the need to continue to perform routine surveillance biopsies in patients without symptoms, even after the second post-transplant year. (J Pediatr 2000;136:238-42)
Using Isotropic, Nematic, and Smectic Fluids for the Study of Self-Assembled Monolayers Formed from Alkanethiols on Gold

The use of isotropic and anisotropic fluids for the study of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) formed from alkanethiols on gold is reported. A fluid with orientational ordera nematic liquid crystal (NLC)can be used to distinguish between surfaces that differ in molecular-level organization, mesoscale structure, or both, whereas isotropic fluids with the chemical functional groups of the NLC report these surfaces to be the same. A fluid with positional and orientational ordera smectic liquid crystalwas found to be a more sensitive probe of molecular-level “imperfection” in a SAM than a nematic fluid.
Effects of tybamate and pentylenetetrazol on spinal interneurons

Das Muskelrelaxans Tybamat ruft eine Hemmung der Aktivitat spinaler Interneurone hervor, die von einer Blockade des spinalen polysynaptischen Reflexes begleitet ist. Pentylenetetrazol hingegen hebt die beiden durch Tybamat erzeugten Effekte auf, steigert zudem die interneuronale Aktivitat, eine Eigenschaft, die die Verstarkung des polysynaptischen Reflexes erklaren konnte.
Fracture under compression : the direction of initiation

The preferential orientation for the initiation of a crack is the one which gives the maximum strain energy reduction for a given crack length. This proposed criterion is a logical extension of the maximum energy release rate criterion. It makes no assumptions on the configuration, the homogeneity, the stress condition on the crack faces, or the material response, consequently it is applicable to the usual engineering cases as well as to cases under compression and/or high confining pressures such as obtain inside the Earth. Numerical results for brittle materials (rocks) agree with laboratory and field data, and show that the criterion is an improvement over the empirical and approximate Coulomb-Mohr criterion which has been used for compressive fracture problems for more than 200 years. They also show that our method can be used in cases where it is not a priori evident whether the fracture will remain closed or will open.
Formation of various genome lengths of hybrids between the serologically and morphologically unrelated bacteriophage species

Abstract Bacteriophage P221 is a hybrid between two different phages P22 and Fels 1 . P221 carries the majority of the early functions of P22. While isolating P221 strains, we encountered unusual results with one of the P22 early functions, essential recombination function ( erf ) which is required for growth in recA hosts. Among P221 strains isolated from P22 erf − , two P221 phenotype groups were found. One group cannot grow in recA hosts whereas the other group can grow in recA hosts. The latter P221 type still carries the erf − marker of P22, although it is phenotypically erf positive (designated P221 erf − p + ). This was proved by rescue of the erf − marker from P221 erf − p + . These observations suggest that some P221 strains carry another erf function derived from phage Fels 1 . This type of phenomenon was also observed with another marker, the P22 Rs gene. CsCl density gradient centrifugation showed that the genome of P221 erf − p + is larger than that of P221 erf − strains and that genome length of P221 varies from strain to strain. These observations support our hypothesis that P22 can cross over at various locations on the Fels 1 genome through accidental homologous segments.
Stress corrosion cracking of Type 304 stainless steel with mixed Mode I/III loading

Abstract The role of hydrogen and crack tip strain rate on the stress corrosion cracking of austenitic stainless steels continues to be an unresolved issue for a number of conditions. Previous studies using Mode I and III loaded samples have been used to suggest that the preference of cracking in Mode I loaded samples supports a hydrogen induced cracking mechanism. However, the lack of crack opening and environmental ingress to the crack tip in Mode III loading leaves some doubt about these conclusions. Stress corrosion cracking tests using a new test sample where the mode mixity between Mode I and III can be varied have been conducted and are reported for sensitized Type 304 SS tested in 0.21 M H 3 BO 3 +0.01 M (580 ppm) NaCl. Tests were conducted with samples with cracks at angles of 0, 30 and 45° to the principal loading stress. The results from these tests clearly demonstrated the crack velocity does not decrease with increasing amounts of Mode III loading in contrast to expectations from a hydrogen induced cracking mechanism. The crack velocity showed a slight maximum for samples with crack angles of 30° relative to 0 and 45°. The reason for this maximum is not known but could be the result of increasing crack tip strain rates with increasing Mode III loading.
On a property of compensators designed by the separation principle

The transfer function of a full-order compensator for a single-input, single-output (SISO) linear system designed by the separation principle is uniquely determined by the locations of the poles of the closed-loop system and its gain. Hence, the poles of the observer and of the full-state feedback design can be interchanged without altering the transfer function of the compensator. A state space derivation of this property is presented. >
Medicinal chemistry and the pharmacy curriculum.

The origins and advancements of pharmacy, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery are interwoven in nature. Medicinal chemistry provides pharmacy students with a thorough understanding of drug mechanisms of action, structure-activity relationships (SAR), acid-base and physicochemical properties, and absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiles. A comprehensive understanding of the chemical basis of drug action equips pharmacy students with the ability to answer rationally the “why” and “how” questions related to drug action and it sets the pharmacist apart as the chemical expert among health care professionals. By imparting an exclusive knowledge base, medicinal chemistry plays a vital role in providing critical thinking and evidence-based problem-solving skills to pharmacy students, enabling them to make optimal patient-specific therapeutic decisions. This review highlights the parallel nature of the history of pharmacy and medicinal chemistry, as well as the key elements of medicinal chemistry and drug discovery that make it an indispensable component of the pharmacy curriculum.
Purification of industrially contaminated groundwaters using controlled ecosystems

Abstract Pollution of ground and surface waters by industrial processes is a widespread and very serious environmental issue. While solutions exist to many of these problems, they frequently remain unused because of high costs often related to the broad spectrum of chemistry involved at individual sites. This paper presents, at bench scale, an amelioration procedure involving miniature ecosystems controlled by algal turf scrubbing (ATS) as applied to contaminated groundwater from a New Jersey (USA) industrial site. The groundwater, with a COD of 1300 mg/l and a TSS of 2000 mg/l, presented a broad array of inorganic elements including magnesium, iron and manganese and minor heavy metals with a suite of twenty synthetic organic compounds. The organic compounds included trichloroethylene, vinyl chloride and acetone, among others, for a concentration averaging 1071 mg/l. On the first experimental run, using metal halide lighting for driving algal photosynthesis, the ATS/microcosm process described herein purified the contaminated water to drinking water standards for all inorganic elements and organic compounds except trichloroethylene and dichloroethylene. Subsequent runs, with low levels of UV-B applied to the ATS, achieved full drinking water standards. An examination of losses due to volatilization showed that minor losses of chlorinated hydrocarbons were also largely avoided with the addition of UV-B. Vinyl chloride was not detected in significant quantities in the volatile suite taken from air over the ATS unit either before or after the supplemental addition of UV-B. ATS is a low-cost ecotechnology that combines metabolic and adsorptive uptake by algae, precipitation at high pH and degradation under a saturated oxygen/UV radiation regime to ameliorate complex industrial wastewaters.
EBV framed in Burkitt lymphoma.

Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) is associated with the development of several types of cancers. Now, gene-expression profiling suggests that EBV-driven B-cell proliferation may actually drive progression to Burkitt lymphoma ( pages 1098–1104 ).
Valence bands and density of states for -cristobalite form of SiO2

Abstract Energy band calculations for SiO2 have not thus far been feasible due to the complexity of the unit cell. In this paper we report the results of a calculation using the empirical tight-binding method. The results are useful in interpreting observed spectra.
Complex trophic and nontrophic interactions between meiobenthic copepods and marine snow

Abstract Trophic and nontrophic interactions between sediment-associated metazoans and marine snow (organic aggregates ca. 0.5 mm in diameter) in the water column represent an unexplored potential link between benthic and pelagic environments. To investigate the possibility that such a link exists, we examined the effects of meiobenthic harpacticoid copepod assemblages on the formation and development of laboratory-generated marine snow. Known densities of a mixed-species copepod assemblage collected from Spartina alterniflora Loisel stems were added to rotating cylinders filled with 63 μm filtered natural seawater collected from a tidal creek on Sapelo Island, GA, USA. Copepod effects on aggregate numbers, aggregate volume and nonaggregate and aggregate total particulate matter (TPM), total particulate carbon (TPC), and bacterial densities were determined after 18 h. Aggregate numbers declined and aggregate volume increased significantly in the presence of as few as 4 copepods 1 −1 . The presence of copepods produced larger, less-dense aggregates in contrast to expected animal grazing effects on marine snow. Changes in TPM were inconsistent and ranged from no difference in nonaggregate amounts between treatments to an ca. 50% decrease in aggregate amounts with increased copepod density. Treatment level differences in both nonaggregate or aggregate TPC could not be attributed to a copepod effect. Copepod activities produced either a decrease in the concentration of bacteria or aggregates or a decrease in both nonaggregate and aggregate bacterial densities. Although results do not allow us to conclude which mechanisms generate the observed copepod effects on marine snow, experiments indicate that benthic copepods in the water column can affect significantly the physical and biological dynamics of marine snow aggregates in shallow coastal systems.