cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Large deformation response of polycarbonate: Time-temperature, time-aging time, and time-strain superposition

Data are presented from tests of the stress relaxation response of a polycarbonate under torsional deformations. Tests were performed on samples over a range of strains from 0.0025 to 0.08, temperatures from 30 to 135°C and aging times from 1800 to 64,800 s. Individual data sets at each strain, temperature and aging time could be described using a stretched exponential form relaxation function, and time-aging time superposition was found to be applicable to the data under all test conditions. The double logarithmic aging time shift rate, μ, was found to vary significantly with both temperature and strain. Over the range of temperatures studied the data could be superimposed using conventional time-temperature superposition. However, the master curve was found not to be described by a stretched exponential function. For strains up to 0.07, the data at each temperature could also be superimposed to form a master curve following the principle of time-strain superposition. Interestingly, the master curves found from time-strain and time-temperature superposition did not have the same form. In both the time-aging time and time-temperature superposition analyses it was found that the application of vertical shifts was required for superposition of data.
Exploring the Relations between Parent Depressive Symptoms, Family Religious Involvement, and Adolescent Depressive Symptoms: A Test of Moderation.

Building on previous research, the current study examined the relations between parent depressive symptoms, family religious involvement, and adolescent depressive symptoms in a convenience sample of 74 parent-adolescent dyads of southern U.S. families. We used hierarchical regression analysis to explore whether family religious involvement moderated the relations between parent depressive symptoms and adolescent depressive symptoms. Results indicated that family religious involvement did not have a significant moderating effect for adolescent and parent depression. Implications for counseling practice and directions for future research are discussed.
Vibronic Emission Spectrum of p-Xylyl Radical.

Abstract We have obtained high-resolution Fourier transform emission spectra of the A ↔ X transition of the jet-cooled p -xylyl radical in the 450-nm spectral region. The band contours of several vibronic bands are examined. By using the rotational constants obtained from previous high-resolution LIF spectra and information about the torsional constants from dispersed fluorescence experiments, both a -type and b -type band contours are simulated. Based on symmetry arguments and the results of the simulation, we have reassigned the 6 a and 6 b vibrational mode frequencies of the ground electronic state of the p -xylyl radical.
Some compact invariant sets for hyperbolic linear automorphisms of torii

If the action induced by a pseudo-Anosov map on the first homology group is hyperbolic, it is possible, by a theorem of Franks, to find a compact invariant set for the toral automorphism associated with this action. If the stable and unstable foliations of the Pseudo-Anosov map are orientable, we show that the invariant set is a finite union of topological 2-discs. Using some ideas of Urbanski, it is possible to prove that the lower capacity of the associated compact invariant set is >2; in particular, the invariant set is fractal. When the dilatation coefficient is a Pisot number, we can compute the Hausdorff dimension of the compact invariant set.
Structure in the Ionization Near Threshold of Rare Gases by Electron Impact

Ionization efficiency curves for xenon, krypton, and argon have been studied with an electron energy analyzer. The electron energy distribution was measured and the absolute voltage scale determined in each experiment. The results of these studies (1) favor a linear threshold ionization law over a 1.127 power law, and (2) show that the data cannot be explained simply by ionization processes with onsets at the $^{2}P_{\frac{3}{2}}$ and $^{2}P_{\frac{1}{2}}$ ground states of the ion, but can be well fitted by a series of linear processes. The ionization potentials obtained by extrapolating according to a linear threshold law agree with spectroscopic values to within 0.02 ev. New onsets in argon were observed at about 0.64 v and 1.27 v above threshold. The observed structures in the rare gases are not readily explained by auto-ionization and no alternative explanation is offered. The structures observed in these experiments are compared with the results obtained by other "high-resolution" techniques. This comparison is complicated by the disparity in the published data on onset energies, and by the even greater disagreement on the relative probabilities for the various ionization processes. An independent check on consistency of data was made by comparison with "low-resolution" data obtained on a conventional mass spectrometer. The present data are in excellent agreement with the lower resolution data, while some of the other "high-resolution" data are not.
Shallow-storage conditions for the rhyolite of the 1912 eruption at Novarupta, Alaska

Recent studies have proposed contrasting models for the plumbing system that fed the 1912 eruption of Novarupta, Alaska. Here, we investigate the conditions under which the rhyolitic part of the erupted magma last resided in the crust prior to eruption. Geothermometry suggests that the rhyolite was held at ∼800–850 °C, and analyses of melt inclusions suggest that it was fluid saturated and contained ∼4 wt% water. Hydrothermal, water-saturated experiments on rhyolite pumice reveal that at those temperatures the rhyolite was stable between 40 and 100 MPa, or a depth of 1.8–4.4 km. These results suggest that pre-eruptive storage and crystal growth of the rhyolite were shallow; if the rhyolite ascended from greater depths, it did so slowly enough for unzoned phenocrysts to grow as it passed through the shallow crust.
Hydrocracking of diphenyl ether and diphenylmethane in the presence of iron sulphides and hydrogen sulphide

Abstract The reactions of diphenyl ether (DPE) and diphenylmethane (DPM) with hydrogen, hydrogen sulphide and combinations thereof in stainless steel reactors are described. The use of hydrogen or hydrogen sulphide alone produces little cleavage of these compounds after 1 h at 450 °C. Both DPE and DPM are extensively converted when hydrogen and hydrogen sulphide are used in tandem. DPE mainly produces phenol and benzene with smaller amounts of cyclohexane and methylcyclopentane. Reactions of benzene and phenol indicate phenol to be the major precursor of the hydrogenated products. DPM produces benzene and toluene. The reactivity of the H2H2S system is ascribed to the formation of iron sulphides on the stainless steel reactor surface followed by the hydrocracking of the organic compounds over this activated surface. The reaction rates of DPE and DPM with H2 and H2H2S were shown to depend on the concentration of the organic substrate raised to the first power. Activation energies for these reactions are dependent upon the presence of H2S: H2DPE 45 kcal/mol, H2H2SDPE 31 kcal/mol, H2DPM 50 kcal/mol, H2H2SDPM 37 kcal/mol. Pyrrhotite was added to the DPE and DPM reactions and its activity determined as a function of hydrogen sulphide pressure. Comparison of these results to in situ Mossbauer analyses of the added pyrrhotite allowed the correlation of the sulphide catalyst composition to reactivity. For both DPE and DPM, the highest catalytic activity was reached at 5% partial pressure of hydrogen sulphide. At this partial pressure, pyrrhotite is the dominant form of iron sulphide present in the catalyst.
Evaluation of adenovirus-delivered human CD59 as a potential therapy for AMD in a model of human membrane attack complex formation on murine RPE.

PURPOSE. Complement-mediated damage to the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), Bruch membrane, and choroid has been associated with pathogenesis in age-related macular degeneration (AMD). The terminal step of complement activation involves lysis of cells by the insertion of the membrane attack complex (MAC) in the plasma membrane. The hypothesis that local overexpression of human CD59 (hCD59) delivered by an adenovirus (Ad) vector to primary murine RPE cells in vitro, RPE in vivo, or cornea ex vivo protects those cells from human MAC deposition and lysis was tested. METHODS. A humanized model of MAC deposition on murine cells and murine ocular tissues including RPE and cornea was developed to permit testing of human complement regulators in mice. A recombinant adenovirus-expressing hCD59 was generated, and this virus was injected into the subretinal space of adult mice. Subsequently, eyecups from these mice were exposed to human serum, and the levels of MAC deposition on the RPE were quantified. hCD59 was also expressed on murine cornea ex vivo and in murine hepatocytes, and primary RPE cells in vitro and levels of human MAC deposition and cell lysis were measured. RESULTS. Adenovirus-mediated delivery of hCD59 to the RPE, cornea, or cells in culture protects those cells from human MAC deposition and MAC-mediated damage and vesiculation. CONCLUSIONS. The humanized model of MAC deposition on murine ocular tissues allows testing of human complement regulators that may have potential in the treatment of AMD or other diseases associated with complement activation. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2008;49:4126‐4136) DOI:10.1167/iovs.08-2025
Primary events in the photosynthetic reaction centre from Rhodopseudomonas spheroides strain R26: triplet and oxidized states of bacteriochlorophyll and the identification of the primary electron acceptor.

Abstract ESR studies at approximately 10 °K on the reaction centre complex of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas spheroides (strain R26), have revealed bacteriochlorophyll triplet states and a component which has an ESR absorption centred at g = 1.82. The triplet-state bacteriochlorophyll is induced only in the light and is only detectable when the reaction-centre bacteriochlorophyll and its primary electron acceptor are reduced; the ESR triplet state signals are composed of both ESR absorption and ESR emission bands. The oxidation-reduction properties of the g = 1.82 component and its flash-induced kinetic behavior in relation to that of P870 are those expected for the primary electron acceptor in bacterial photosynthesis.
Preparation, characterization, stability and reactions of polyfluorinated alkenyl and aryl organometallic reagents

Abstract A variety of polyfluorinated organometallic reagents of the general structure, R F (R F ′)C=CXM, where R F = F,CF 3 ,C 3 F 7 ; R F ′ = F,CF 3 ,C 6 H 5 ,C 6 H 5 ,H,CF 3 ,Cl; X = F,Br,Cl,H,M, and M = Zn,Cd,Cu,Ag; have been prepared by direct reaction of the metal powder with the appropriate vinyl halide or dihalide. Similarly polyfluorinated aryl organometallics of the type Ar F M and Ar F (M) 2 , where M = Zn,Cd,Cu,Ag have been prepared directly from the metal powder and the appropriate aryl halide or aryl dihalide. Factors which effect the stability and/or reactivity of these reagents will be discussed as well as illustrative examples of the application of these reagents for the preparation of polyfluorinated olefins, dienes, cumulenes, styrenes and functionalized derivatives of these classes of compounds.
Herpes simplex virus 1 primase employs watson-crick hydrogen bonding to identify cognate nucleoside triphosphates

We utilized NTP analogues containing modified bases to probe the mechanism of NTP selection by the primase activity of the herpes simplex virus 1 helicase−primase complex. Primase readily bound NTP analogues of varying base shape, hydrophobicity, and hydrogen-bonding capacity. Remarkably, primase strongly discriminated against incorporating virtually all of the analogues, even though this enzyme misincorporates natural NTPs at frequencies as high as 1 in 7. This included analogues with bases much more hydrophobic than a natural base (e.g., 4- and 7-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole), a base of similar hydrophobicity as a natural base but with the Watson−Crick hydrogen-bonding groups in unusual positions (7-β-d-guanine), bases shaped almost identically to the natural bases (4-aminobenzimidazole and 4,6-difluorobenzimidazole), bases shaped very differently than a natural base (e.g., 5- and 6-trifluoromethylbenzimidazole), and bases capable of forming just one Watson−Crick hydrogen bond with the template base (pu...
State budget periodicity: An analysis of the determinants and the effect on state spending

Much of the public budgeting literature focuses on the institutional rules of budgeting and how those rules affect process and outcomes. This study focuses on a particularly rudimentary rule of budgeting: the length of the budget period. State budgets are dictated (constitutionally or statutorily) to recur over one-or two-year intervals. Statistical analysis of the determinants of state budget periodicity shows that the more states spend, ceteris paribus, the more likely they are to budget annually. I hypothesize that budget periodicity has the opposite effect on spending: Biennial budget states spend more, ceteris paribus, than annual budget states spend. Ordinary least squares analysis does not support the hypothesis, but with instrumental variable methods, biennial budgeting exhibits a positive and statistically significant effect on state spending.
Oxal/Alb3/YidC system for insertion of membrane proteins in mitochondria, chloroplasts and bacteria (Review)

Recent studies have shown that there is a pathway that is evolutionarily conserved for the insertion of proteins into the membrane in mitochondria, chloroplasts, and bacteria. In this pathway, the Oxa1/Alb3/YidC proteins are believed to function as membrane insertases that play an important role in the membrane protein biogenesis of respiratory and energy transduction proteins. Additional roles of the Oxa1/Alb3/YidC members may be in the lateral integration of proteins into the lipid bilayer, and in the folding and assembly of proteins into membrane protein complexes.
Testing Cosmological Models with a Lyα Forest Statistic: The High End of the Optical Depth Distribution

We pay particular attention to the high end of the Lyα optical depth distribution of a quasar spectrum. Based on the flux distribution (Miralda-Escude et al.), a simple yet seemingly cosmological model-differentiating statistic, Δ—the cumulative probability of a quasar spectrum with Lyα optical depth greater than a high-value τ0—is emphasized. It is shown that two different models—the cold dark matter model with a cosmological constant and the mixed hot and cold dark matter model, both normalized to COBE and local galaxy cluster abundance—yield quite different values of Δτ0: 0.13 for the former versus 0.058 for the latter, for τ0 = 3.0 at z = 3. Moreover, it is argued that Δτ0 may be fairly robust to compute theoretically because it does not seem to depend sensitively on small variations of simulation parameters such as the radiation field, cooling, the feedback process, radiative transfer, the resolution, and the simulation volume within the plausible ranges of the concerned quantities. Furthermore, it is illustrated that Δτ0 can be obtained sufficiently accurately from currently available observed quasar spectra for τ0 ~ 3.0-4.0, when observational noise is properly taken into account. We anticipate that analyses of observations of quasar Lyα absorption spectra over a range of redshift may be able to constrain the redshift evolution of the amplitude of the density fluctuations on small-to-intermediate scales, therefore providing an independent constraint on Ω0, Ω0,HDM, and Λ0.
Closely spaced twin lamellae in limestones as an indicator of deep-burial diagenesis

Lamellae in limestone form in response to stress induced by either tectonic disturbance or great burial depth. The abundance of lamellae is proportional to the level of induced stress, and as burial depth increases, so does the abundance of lamellae. Therefore, the texture of closely spaced lamellae in limestone is diagnostic of deep-burial diagenesis. Examples are reviewed from areas of tectonic disturbance, experimentally simulated deepburial conditions, samples from depths of 9.1 km, and compared with the Lower Devonian (Helderberg Group) Becraft Formation of New York which is extensively exposed, but shows evidence of former deep burial.
Beyond Ontology: Ideation, Phenomenology and the Cross Cultural Study of Emotion

In this essay, I want to raise certain questions about the nature of emotions, about the similarities and differences in human psychology (“human nature”), and about the relation of psychological inquiry to ethics (in particular, the relationship between emotions and ethics). The core of my thesis, which I have argued now for almost twenty-five years, is that emotions are (in part) a form of cognition, a matter of “ideas”, or in the current lingo, ideation. David Hume, rather famously, analyzed several “passions”, notably pride, in terms of “impressions” and “ideas”. While he held onto the traditional view that emotions were essentially sensations (“impressions”), he also elaborated an account of emotions defined by a complex (“a monstrous heap”) of idea, for example, the idea of self and of achievement in pride. Moreover, such ideas are relevant to ethics. For Hume, in particular, morals are a matter not of reason but of “sentiment”, thus bringing the understanding of emotions squarely into the arena of ethical discourse. Which opens the question whether different cultures with different ideas might have a very different conception and/or experience of pride as well as any number of different emotions. One might also ask, not very fruitfully, whether different cultures have different sensations, impressions or “affects”, but the promise of cross cultural emotions research clearly seems to lie on the side of “ideas”, in terms of different ways of seeing, different ways of conceiving, different ways of carving up and evaluating the world.
An ultrastructural study of byssus stem formation in Mytilus californianus

In Mytilus californianus, root lamellae of the byssus stem are formed by two morphologically distinct exocrine cell types. Type 1 cells contain large ellipsoid granules which are ultrastructurally identical to those of the collagen gland associated with byssus thread formation: these granules are secreted only at the base of the stem generator. Type 2 cells contain small cylindroid granules which are secreted only from the lateral surfaces of generator septa. The resultant matrix is biphasic because the two secretions are incompletely mixed. Lamellar sheets of matrix are propelled outward by the action of cilia and are molded into a cylinder at the neck region of the stem. However, the stem retains a lamellar pattern. Byssus threads are attached to the stem by flattened rings formed from thread material which is secreted into the cervical crevice surrounding the neck. The microanatomy of the stem forming region is described and a new term, "stem generator," is proposed for this organ.
STRESS-DRUG INTERACTIONS: EVIDENCE FOR RAPID ENZYME INDUCTION.

Abstract Stressed rats exhibit significantly decreased blood levels of hexobarbital, pentobarbital and meprobamate, but not phenobarbital, after administration of these drugs. The ability of stress to alter drug blood levels is absent in hypophysectomized and adrenalectomized animals and can be blocked by pretreatment of rats with morphine prior to stress. Pentobarbital blood levels can be lowered in adrenalectomized rats by corticosterone but not ACTH and by both corticosterone and ACTH in hypophysectomized animals. Treatment of rats with the protein synthesis inhibitor, Actinomycin D, blocks the ability of stress to lower pentobarbital blood levels. Liver perfusion experiments show that the metabolism of pentobarbital is stimulated in stressed rats and that this stimulation can likewise be prevented by Actinomycin D. The ability of stress situations to stimulate drug metabolism and its dependence upon an intact pituitary-adrenal axis is suggestive of a regulatory function of the endocrine system in mediating a rapid induction of liver microsomal enzymes responsible for drug metabolism.
Outer retinal structure in patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy.

Purpose To correlate visual function with high-resolution images of retinal structure using adaptive optics scanning laser ophthalmoscopy (AOSLO) in 4 patients with acute zonal occult outer retinopathy (AZOOR). Design Observational case series. Methods Four women, aged 18 to 51, with acute focal loss of visual field or visual acuity, photopsia, and minimal funduscopic changes were studied with best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA), Goldmann kinetic and automated perimetry and fundus-guided microperimetry, full-field and multifocal electroretinography (ffERG and mfERG), spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT), and AOSLO imaging. Cone spacing was measured in 4 eyes and compared with 27 age-similar normal eyes. Additional functional testing in 1 patient suggested that cones were absent but rods remained. Serum from all patients was analyzed for anti-retinal antibody activity. Results In all patients vision loss was initially progressive, then stable. Symptoms were unilateral in 2 and bilateral but asymmetric in 2 patients. In each patient, loss of retinal function correlated with structural changes in the outer retina. AOSLO showed focal cone loss in most patients, although in 1 patient with central vision loss such change was absent. In another patient, structural and functional analyses suggested that cones had degenerated but rods remained. Anti-retinal antibody activity against a ∼45 kd antigen was detected in 1 of the patients; the other 3 patients showed no evidence of abnormal anti-retinal antibodies. Conclusions Focal abnormalities of retinal structure correlated with vision loss in patients with AZOOR. High-resolution imaging can localize and demonstrate the extent of outer retinal abnormality in AZOOR patients.
Designing an accessible clothing tag system for people with vision impairments

Many clothing characteristics (from garment color to care instructions) are inaccessible to people with vision impairments. To address this problem, clothing information is gathered from sighted companions, and later recalled using low-tech solutions such as adding safety pins to clothes. Unfortunately, these low-tech solutions require precise memory (such as recalling a pin's meaning) and provide limited information. Using an iterative design approach, we prototyped several alternative technology solutions and tested them with five people with vision impairments. We are working towards an interface that provides detailed information in a streamlined interaction, focusing our future efforts on a wearable RFID tagging solution.
Prognostic significance of reexcision on local recurrence for mammographically-detected ductal carcinoma in situ managed with breast conservation treatment

Purpose/Objective: The importance of negative final margins of resection to optimize local control has been established for women with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS; intraductal carcinoma) undergoing breast conservation therapy. This study specifically evaluated if reexcision or the presence of residual tumor in the reexcision specimen predicted for local recurrence in patients with negative margins.
RESONANT CAVITY MEASUREMENTS OF THE EFFECTS OF “RED WATER” PLANKTON ON THE ATTENUATION OF UNDERWATER SOUND

During the summer of 1958, a “red water” bloom caused by the dinoflagellate, Conyaulax polyedm, occurred off San Diego, California. Using resonant cavity instrumentation, high attenuations were measured at sea (64 db/kyd max), and these mcasurcmcnts were repeated in the laboratory with collected samples. The mechanism of sound absorption has not been demonstrated, but it might bc related to gaseous metabolic by-products of the planktonic organisms.
Efficient Assessment of Lens Manufacturability in Optical Design

This paper presents a tolerance grade mapping system that is particularly useful in assessing cost-effective manufacturability. A lens design example is included that illustrates the method and its ease of use.
Cloning and tissue-specific expression of the brain calcium channel β-subunit

A cDNA clone encoding a protein with high homology to the β-subunit of the rabbit skeletal muscle dihydropyridine-sensitive calcium channel was isolated from a rat brain cDNA library. This rat brain β-subunit cDNA hybridizes to a 3.4 kb message that is expressed in high levels in the cerebral hemispheres and hippocampus but is significantly reduced in cerebellum. The open reading frame encodes 597 amino acids with a predicted mass of 65 679 Da which is 82% homologous with the skeletal muscle β-subunit. The brain cDNA encodes a unique 153 amino acid C-terminus and predicts the absence of a muscle-specific 50 amino acid internal segment. It also encodes numerous consensus phosphorylation sites suggesting a role in calcium channel regulation. The corresponding human β-subunit gene was localized to chromosome 17. Hence the encoded brain β-Subunit. which has a primary structure highly similar to its isoform in skeletal muscle, may have a comparable role as an integral regulatory component of a neuronal calcium channel.
Effects of gamma radiation on growth and patulin production of Penicillium expansum and Penicillium patulim

Abstract The spore suspensions of Penicillium expansum NRRL 971 and Penicillium patulum NRRL 989 were exposed to doses of 0, 50, 100, 150, and 200 krads. The amount of patulin for each culture was semi quantitatively determined and growth at each dose was evaluated. The results showed a 25% increase in the amount of patulin synthesis after a dose of 150 krads for Penicillium expansum . No stimulation of patulin production by Penicillium patulum occurred. At 200 krads, both fungi showed low levels of patulin production and growth inhibition. Eight color mutants of Penicillium expansum and eight color mutants of Penicillium patulum were produced by exposing spores of each fungus to doses of 150 and 200 krads of gamma radiation. An evaluation of patulin and growth for each mutant showed that color mutation could result in mutants with an enhanced ability to grow or produce increased levels of patulin.
Interrelationships of sulfur amino acids in the pool and cellular protein of Neurospora crassa.

Abstract 1. 1. A kinetic analysis of the incorporation of radiosulfate into pool and protein sulfur-containing amino acids by newly germinated, exponentially growing Neurospora crassa during a 3-h time period is reported. 2. 2. The initially 35S -labeled amino acids in the pool include cysteine, cystathionine, methionine, and homocysteine-cysteine disulfide and, in the cellular protein, cystine and methionine. A comparison of the specific activities of these compounds with each other suggests the following metabolic relationships. The data appear to rule out the sequence pool cysteine → cystathionine, and, also pool cysteine → pool and protein methionine. Pool cystathionine may contribute sulfur to the reactions leading to methionine formation. Pool methionine is probably directly converted to protein methionine. Cysteine and methionine biosynthetis do not appear to be directly linked. 3. 3. The isolation of [ 35 S]homocysteine-cysteine disulfide as an initially labeled metabolite is of interest because this is the first direct evidence for the presence of homocysteine in Neurospora.
Correction of Left Superior Vena Cava Draining to the Left Atrium Using Extracardiac Techniques

Intraatrial rerouting techniques have been the most common approaches to correcting left superior vena caval drainage to the left atrium in patients without atrial isomerism and with no connecting vein. Although these techniques have proved reliable and successful, there are cases in which extracardiac methods for managing this form of anomalous systemic drainage may be preferable. In the present report, we describe three extracardiac approaches to the correction of left superior vena cava draining to the left atrium.
Uncoupled O2-activation in the human HIF-asparaginyl hydroxylase, FIH, does not produce reactive oxygen species.

Abstract The factor inhibiting HIF (FIH) is one of the primary oxygen sensors in human cells, controlling gene expression by hydroxylating the α-subunit of the hypoxia inducible transcription factor (HIF). As FIH is an alpha-ketoglutarate dependent non-heme iron dioxygenase, oxygen activation is thought to precede substrate hydroxylation. The coupling between oxygen activation and substrate hydroxylation was hypothesized to be very tight, in order for FIH to fulfill its function as a regulatory enzyme. Coupling was investigated by looking for reactive oxygen species production during turnover. We used alkylsulfatase (AtsK), a metabolic bacterial enzyme with a related mechanism and similar turnover frequency, for comparison, and tested both FIH and AtsK for H 2 O 2 , O 2 − and OH formation under steady and substrate-depleted conditions. Coupling ratios were determined by comparing the ratio of substrate consumed to product formed. We found that AtsK reacted with O 2 on the seconds timescale in the absence of prime substrate, and uncoupled during turnover to produce H 2 O 2 ; neither O 2 − nor OH were detected. In contrast, FIH was unreactive toward O 2 on the minutes timescale in the absence of prime substrate, and tightly coupled during steady-state turnover; we were unable to detect any reactive oxygen species produced by FIH. We also investigated the inactivation mechanisms of these enzymes and found that AtsK likely inactivated due to deoligomerizion, whereas FIH inactivated by slow autohydroxylation. Autohydroxylated FIH could not be reactivated by dithiothreitol (DTT) nor ascorbate, suggesting that autohydroxylation is likely to be irreversible under physiological conditions.
Isotopic ratios of nitrite as tracers of the sources and age of oceanic nitrite

Nitrite, a central intermediate in the marine nitrogen cycle, accumulates at the base of the sunlit surface ocean. Isotopic measurements suggest that ammonia oxidation is the primary source of nitrite in the primary nitrite maximum in the Arabian Sea.
Hasidism and Its Response to Change

The article has two distinct parts. The first reviews the current state of scholarship on Hasidism and its history, especially the changes that have taken place over the course of the past two decades. The second is a discussion of theological reflections on change and creativity found in the early sources of Hasidism. The movement’s creators were willing to make far-reaching assertions about the legitimacy of generational change, even considering it an obligatory undertaking. This call is a familiar part of youth culture in many diverse settings. The author suggests that early Hasidism was indeed largely led by young men shaping a revivalist religious movement that called for throwing off the shackles of mere traditionalist behavior. At the same time, it is notable that this potentially powerful radically revisionist claim was in fact used to make only minor changes in the actual patterns of religious behavior, setting the stage for the ultra-conservative wave that was to overtake Hasidism after 1800 and the beginning of its battle with modernity.
Vesicle Permeabilization by Protofibrillar α-Synuclein: Implications for the Pathogenesis and Treatment of Parkinson's Disease†

Fibrillar α-synuclein is a component of the Lewy body, the characteristic neuronal inclusion of the Parkinson's disease (PD) brain. Both α-synuclein mutations linked to autosomal dominant early-onset forms of PD promote the in vitro conversion of the natively unfolded protein into ordered prefibrillar oligomers, suggesting that these protofibrils, rather than the fibril itself, may induce cell death. We report here that protofibrils differ markedly from fibrils with respect to their interactions with synthetic membranes. Protofibrillar α-synuclein, in contrast to the monomeric and the fibrillar forms, binds synthetic vesicles very tightly via a β-sheet-rich structure and transiently permeabilizes these vesicles. The destruction of vesicular membranes by protofibrillar α-synuclein was directly observed by atomic force microscopy. The possibility that the toxicity of α-synuclein fibrillization may derive from an oligomeric intermediate, rather than the fibril, has implications regarding the design of therap...
Symptomatic cavernous malformations affecting the spine and spinal cord.

TEN CASES OF symptomatic cavernous malformations affecting the spine and spinal cord were retrospectively reviewed. The cases display a spectrum of pathological findings involving the vertebral body, vertebral body with epidural extension, epidural space without bony involvement, intradural extramedullary space, and intramedullary lesions. Lesions at all locations are identical histologically, electron microscopically, and immunohistochemically. This perspective, in which cavernous malformations are envisoned as a single entity arising at numerous locations, runs contrary to the view found in the neurosurgical literature. In most discussions of cavernous malformations, vertebral body lesions are depicted as separate entities from intradural lesions. Cavernous malformations, also called cavernous hemangiomas, are developmental vascular hamartomas that, by definition, do not grow by mitotic activity. Yet, the expansion of these lesions is well documented both in the literature and among our cases. The therapeutic modalities used in our series included observation, embolization, radiation, and surgical resection alone or in combination. All modalities are effective but must be tailored to the specific needs and condition of the patient. The embryology, methods of treatment, and proposed mechanisms of growth, plus similarities and differences between cavernous malformations at each location, are reviewed. Analogies between spinal and intracranial lesions are presented. On the basis of this series and a review of the literature, we conclude that cavernous malformations represent a single entity regardless of location. Segregation based on location, as is prevalent throughout the neurosurgical literature, hinders an overall understanding of these lesions. Cavernous malformations are more appropriately viewed as a single pathological entity arising in a multitude of locations. The difficulties encountered when managing cavernous malformations at various locations are unique to the location and not the lesion. (Neurosurgery 37 :195-205, 1995)
Rhodopsin in Bovine Rod Outer Segment Disk Membranes Exhibits Two Thermal Transitions

The photoreceptor, rhodopsin is a GPCR in rod outer segment disk membranes. Activation by light converts the dark-adapted form, rhodopsin is to the bleached form, opsin. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) studies showed that rhodopsin and opsin each exhibit an irreversible scan rate dependent endothermic transition (Tm) at approximately 72oC and 55oC respectively. We report here a scan rate dependent exothermic transition. Solubilization was used to examine the contribution of the bilayer. Freeze-thaw cycles were used to examine rhodopsin aggregation in these transitions. Disk membranes were sequentially solubilized in octylglucoside (OG) until rhodopsin was completely delipidated. DSC experiments were performed using a MicroCal VP-DSC microcalorimeter. Samples were scanned at 15, 30, 60 and 90°/hr. Because the protein transitions are irreversible, a second scan was used to determine the baseline. As the OG partitioned into the bilayer the endothermic Tm and Eact (activation energy of denaturation) rapidly decreased. Both then remained constant following rhodopsin solubilization. At low detergent concentration the exothermic Tm increased rapidly then remained constant after solubilization. Unlike the endothermic Eact, the degree of solubilization had little effect on the exothermic transition Eact. Freeze-thaw cycles generated disks in which rhodopsin was aggregated. Increasing aggregation resulted in a decrease in the Tm of the exothermic transition, but had no effect on the endothermic Tm of either rhodopsin or opsin. These results are consistent with earlier cross-linking studies suggesting the exothermic transition results from aggregation. These results indicate that the rhodopsin endothermic transition is due to weakening of the tertiary structure interactions accompanied by changes in the packing of the trans-membrane helices as well as changes in protein-lipid interactions. CD data indicate that rhodopsin secondary structure is almost unchanged.
A new boundary element/mathematical programming method for contact problems with friction

The contact condition is described as a linear complementarity form with penalty parameters. Based on the boundary element discretization, a mathematical programming method for elastic contact problems with friction is presented. This method avoids the tiresome iterative procedures used in previous work and, if there is no unloading, only one incremental step is necessary for a solution. Two examples are given to demonstrate the correctness and effectiveness of the method.
Self-efficacy: A Comparison Between Clinically Anxious and Non-referred Youth

Although diminished self-efficacy has been linked to childhood psychopathology, including depression, it has only recently been studied in relation to childhood anxiety disorders. This study examines the relationship between self-efficacy and self-reported anxiety in children who have been referred for an assessment and possible treatment of anxiety symptoms as well as a comparison group of non-referred children. A self-efficacy questionnaire for children and a childhood anxiety measure were administered to a group of children referred for assessment and treatment of a clinical anxiety disorder (n = 50) and a non-referred control group (n = 50). Results indicate that the two samples differed significantly on measures of emotional self-efficacy, but not in terms of self-reported anxiety or other self-efficacy domains. Potential explanations for observed findings are discussed, including the possibility that self-reports of emotional self-efficacy in children may vary by clinical or referral status, amongst those reporting higher levels of anxiety overall.
Multi-control channel very high-speed optical fiber local area networks and their interconnections using a passive star topology

A multi-control-channel LAN (local area network) configuration is introduced for optical star networks using Aloha protocols. It works on the principle of grouping the users of the system into various groups and providing a separate control channel for each group. The users in a group usually monitor their control channel for a possible control packet from other users. The users in a group can temporarily become members of other groups, thus achieving intergroup communication very easily. This principle can also be used to interconnect optical star LANs using the WDM (wavelength division multiplexing) technology and Aloha protocols. Two methods for star interconnections are presented, their choice depending upon whether there is a limitation on the optical star size or on the number of WDM channels. >
Second-harmonic generation and absorption studies of polymer-dye films oriented by corona-onset poling at elevated temperatures

Second-harmonic generation and spectroscopic absorption measurements are used to study the nonlinear-optical thin-film properties of azo dye guest molecules oriented in a polymer host by corona-onset poling at elevated temperatures (COPET). Parallel-wire electrode and needle electrode configurations are studied. The orientational order of the nonlinear molecules, the internal electric field, and the stability of the second-harmonic properties are measured. The nonlinear properties stabilize after 10 days and remain relatively constant over a period of at least 8 months, and the films tolerate power densities of at least 60MW/cm2. Compared with other poling methods, COPET produces a more efficient long-range and long-term orientational order in the guest–host system studied, resulting in large, stable second-harmonic properties.
Full metal jacket stenting of the superficial femoral artery: a retrospective review.

Background The technique of long segment stenting of the superficial femoral artery (SFA) has been associated with poorer short- and long-term results. The full metal jacket (FMJ) stenting is typically described as long segment continuous stenting of a vessel segment. Initially, this technique was described in percutaneous coronary interventions. However, until recently, FMJ of the SFA has not been studied. We examined our experience with FMJ of the SFA to evaluate the outcomes and the safety of this technique. Methods Retrospective data were gathered for peripheral angioplasties and stenting for the period between January 2005 and December 2008. The cases involving FMJ stenting of the SFA were identified by angiographic findings and the operative dictations providing the stent data. Selective FMJ stenting of the SFA was performed for the residual stenosis after balloon angioplasty of the SFA because of either dissection or significant recoil. The cases with concomitant iliac artery angioplasty and/or stenting were excluded from the data set for analysis. The variables for the evaluation were primary patency rate, mortality rate, and limb salvage rate, which were stratified on the basis of the risk factors. Results A total of 63 cases involving FMJ stenting of the SFA were identified from the database of 707 patients who had peripheral endovascular interventions between January 2005 and December 2008. Average age of the patients was 70 years (range: 52-104 years, SD: 10.1 years). There were no transatlantic inter-society consensus (TASC) A lesions, 11% (7/63) of the lesions were TASC B, 68% (43/63) were TASC C, and 21% (13/63) were TASC D. The median primary patency rate was 9 months (95% CI: 5.06-12.94). The mortality rate was 4% at 6-month follow-up. The limb salvage rate was 85.7%. In all, 65% (41/63) of the patients were claudicants, whereas 23% (15/63) had intervention for some form of tissue loss (ischemic ulcer, gangrene). Associated infrapopliteal intervention was performed in 15.9% of the patients. Average creatinine level was 1.67 (range: 0.7-10.9, SD: 2.03) and 49% (31/63) of the patients had diabetes. The average 6-month patency rate was 55% (SD: 0.5). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that diabetes (OR: 0.33, p = 0.044, 95% CI: 0.11-0.97) and a creatinine level of ≥1.6 (OR: 0.16, p = 0.038, 95% CI: 0.03-0.9) were the independent risk factors for loss of patency in Conclusion Our experience suggests promising results for the technique of FMJ of the SFA and also that further examination of the technique is warranted.
Geometrical computations explain projection patterns of long-range horizontal connections in visual cortex

Neurons in primary visual cortex respond selectively to oriented stimuli such as edges and lines. The long-range horizontal connections between them are thought to facilitate contour integration. While many physiological and psychophysical findings suggest that collinear or association field models of good continuation dictate particular projection patterns of horizontal connections to guide this integration process, significant evidence of interactions inconsistent with these hypotheses is accumulating. We first show that natural random variations around the collinear and association field models cannot account for these inconsistencies, a fact that motivates the search for more principled explanations. We then develop a model of long-range projection fields that formalizes good continuation based on differential geometry. The analysis implicates curvature(s) in a fundamental way, and the resulting model explains both consistent data and apparent outliers. It quantitatively predicts the (typically ignored) spread in projection distribution, its nonmonotonic variance, and the differences found among individual neurons. Surprisingly, and for the first time, this model also indicates that texture (and shading) continuation can serve as alternative and complementary functional explanations to contour integration. Because current anatomical data support both (curve and texture) integration models equally and because both are important computationally, new testable predictions are derived to allow their differentiation and identification.
The transcription factor B-Myb is maintained in an inhibited state in target cells through its interaction with the nuclear corepressors N-CoR and SMRT

The B-Myb transcription factor has been implicated in coordinating the expression of genes involved in cell cycle regulation. Although it is expressed in a ubiquitous manner, its transcriptional activity is repressed until the G1-S phase of the cell cycle by an unknown mechanism. In this study we used biochemical and cell-based assays to demonstrate that the nuclear receptor corepressors N-CoR and SMRT interact with B-Myb. The significance of these B-Myb-corepressor interactions was confirmed by the finding that B-Myb mutants, which were unable to bind N-CoR, exhibited constitutive transcriptional activity. It has been shown previously that phosphorylation of B-Myb by cdk2/cyclin A enhances its transcriptional activity. We have now determined that phosphorylation by cdk2/cyclin A blocks the interaction between B-Myb and N-CoR and that mutation of the corepressor binding site within B-Myb bypasses the requirement for this phosphorylation event. Cumulatively, these findings suggest that the nuclear corepressors N-CoR and SMRT serve a previously unappreciated role as regulators of B-Myb transcriptional activity.
Fusobacterium necrophorum--beyond Lemierres syndrome.

Fusobacterium necrophorum is a non-sporulating anaerobic gram negative bacillus and has traditionally been associated with Lemierre’s syndrome. The authors report a 34-year-old male who presented to the emergency department with a week’s history of dull epigastirc pain. Significant medical history included chronic pancreatitis secondary to alcohol use. The patient had radiological evidence of acute on chronic pancreatitis with thrombosis of the portal vein and multiple intrahepatic abscesses. CT-guided drainage of left upper quadrant revealed fluid collection in the pancreatic bed. The fluid culture grew F necrophorum and the patient was treated with tigecycline for 4 weeks. The patient improved symptomatically and his follow-up computerised axial tomography scan 2 months later showed resolving liver abscess, cavernous transformation of the portal vein and stable findings of chronic pancreatitis. This could represent an infection of the peripancreatic tissue with F necrophorum further leading to pylephlebitis.
Computerized adaptive measurement of depression: A simulation study

Efficient, accurate instruments for measuring depression are increasingly important in clinical practice. We developed a computerized adaptive version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). We examined its efficiency and its usefulness in identifying Major Depressive Episodes (MDE) and in measuring depression severity. Subjects were 744 participants in research studies in which each subject completed both the BDI and the SCID. In addition, 285 patients completed the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The adaptive BDI had an AUC as an indicator of a SCID diagnosis of MDE of 88%, equivalent to the full BDI. The adaptive BDI asked fewer questions than the full BDI (5.6 versus 21 items). The adaptive latent depression score correlated r = .92 with the BDI total score and the latent depression score correlated more highly with the Hamilton (r = .74) than the BDI total score did (r = .70). Adaptive testing for depression may provide greatly increased efficiency without loss of accuracy in identifying MDE or in measuring depression severity.