cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Cranial adaptation to a high attrition diet in Japanese macaques

Primates with diets that require greater occlusal forces to process exhibit anteroposteriorly shorter, vertically deeper faces, more anteriorly placed masseter attachment areas, and broader, taller mandibular corpora compared to closely related species/populations. Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)eat different, perhaps mechanically tougher to process, foods than other macaques do. Accordingly, they should exhibit structural features of the skull related to dissipating great occlusal loads. To test this hypothesis I compared cranial variables amongst wild-caught, adult female skulls (n = 85) of M. fuscataand three other macaque species (M. mulatta, M. fascicularis,and M. nemestrina)and applied least-squares and reduced-major-axis regression analysis and principal components analysis (PCA) to 17 cranial variables reflecting facial, vault, and mandibular dimensions. When scaled for size, the Japanese macaque has a vertically deeper and anteroposteriorly shorter face,a broader but not taller mandibular corpus, and a more anteriorly placed masseter muscle than the other three macaques do. The first PCA axis isolates variation due to a suite of characters related to mechanical efficiency in dissipating occlusal loads (vertically deep face and broad corpus) and differentiates the Japanese macaques from the other species. This, coupled with reported dietary differences among species, suggests that Japanese macaques are selected for dissipating greater occlusal loads than other macaques are. The presence of a narrow mandible relative to cranial breadth and a hyperrobust mandibular corpus width suggests that axial torsion is a significant influence in the masticatory regime of M. fuscata.The lack of an increase in corpus height indicates that parasagittal bending is not as significant an influence. Geographic and climatic influences cannot account for the patterns of variation between M. fuscataand the other macaques.
Hydrogenation of conjugated fatty acids with hydrazine

The reduction of α- and β-eleostearic acids with hydrazine has been studied. GLC analysis of the products coupled with oxidative degradation using permanganate-periodate reagent showed an initial attack mainly at the 9,10 and 13,14 bonds in the triene without change in configuration. The method should be useful in structural studies on conjugated fatty acids.
Carbon Isotope Discrimination in Orchardgrass and Ryegrasses at Four Irrigation Levels

Availability of irrigation water is often the limiting factor in the establishment of improved pastures in the U.S. Intermountain Region, and grasses used for pasture should have enhanced water-use efficiency (WUE). Objectives of this study were to describe (i) relationships between carbon isotope discrimination (Δ) and dry matter (DM) yield, and (ii) trends in Δ across four water levels (WL 2, wettest, to WL 5, driest) and two harvest dates under frequent defoliation in cultivars of orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) perennial ryegrass, (Lolium perenne L.), intermediate ryegrass (L. ×hybridum Hausskn), and festulolium [×festulolium braunii (K. Richt.) A. Camus.]. Within all WLs, orchardgrass cultivars exhibited higher WUE than the ryegrasses, which includes intermediate ryegrass and festulolium. Significantly more variation for Δ within WLs was observed in the ryegrasses than orchardgrass. For orchardgrass, DM yield and A were not correlated at WLs 2 to 4. However, they were negatively correlated at WL 5. Correlations between A and DM yield were not significant at WLs 2 and 3 for the ryegrasses, but were positive at WLs 4 and 5. To avoid possible declines in DM yield in breeding programs to increase WUE in orchardgrass and the ryegrasses, DM yield should also be monitored.
Autism: A Review of Biological Bases, Assessment, and Intervention

The number of children classified with autism in US schools has risen sharply over the past decade. School psychologists are being called upon with increasing frequency to assist in the identification, assessment, and treatment of these children. The diagnostic complexities and heterogeneity of the disorder make dealing effectively with this condition a considerable challenge for school personnel. Additionally, the biological basis of the disorder necessitates the involvement of medical personnel in both assessment and intervention. This article reviews recent findings regarding the genetics of autism, associated neurological features, best practice assessment, and empirically supported interventions.
Intraoral Fixed Drug Eruption Following Tetracycline Administration

Fixed drug eruptions from tetracycline administration have been reported in the dermatology literature, most commonly occurring on the palms, soles, glans penis or lips.1"5 Since tetracycline and related drugs were first introduced in 1950, they have been commonly prescribed for dental and periodontal conditions. Intraoral fixed drug eruptions to tetracycline are believed to be rare, and have not been reported in the dental literature.
Immunosuppressive Therapy for Progressive Ocular Cicatncial Pemphigoid

In a controlled, nonrandomized, longitudinal cohort study, we studied the efficacy of systemic immunosuppression in treatment of progressive cicatricial pemphigoid affecting the eyes. Twenty-six patients were studied; 18 received systemic immunosuppressive drugs, and eight received conventional therapy. Three patients who received cytotoxic agents withdrew from the study with intolerable gastrointestinal distress. Fourteen of the 15 patients who were immunosuppressed successfully for prolonged periods experienced a cessation of their episodic ocular inflammation and a halting of their progressive conjunctival cicatrization. They maintained vision at least as good as that present when disease activity was brought under control; in two patients vision improved. The one patient who was adequately immunosuppressed and successfully maintained in such a state for two years but who had progressive ocular surface pathology with eventual blindness had concomitant rheumatoid arthritis and severe sicca syndrome. The three patients who withdrew from immunosuppressive therapy and the eight concomitant controls all showed continued episodic conjunctival inflammation and conjunctival cicatrization with development of severe keratopathy and profound visual loss. Complications in this series included alopecia (100%), anemia (78%), gastrointestinal distress (22%), hemorrhagic cystitis (11.1%), and severe leukopenia (5.5%). These results support the notion that abnormal immunoregulatory mechanisms are involved in the progressive disease activity in cicatricial pemphigoid and that systemic immunosuppression may have an appropriate role in the treatment of this disease.
SCPB-AND FMRFAMIDE-LIKE IMMUNOREACTIVITIES IN LOBSTER NEURONS : COLOCALIZATION OF DISTINCT PEPTIDES OR COLABELING OF THE SAME PEPTIDE(S) ?

Virtually all of the SCPB-like immunoreactive neurons (ca. 60 cells) in the lobster Homarus americanus also contain FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity. Control experiments reveal that SCPB-and FMRFamide-like immunoreactivities are successfully preadsorbed with their specific antigens, while the normal staining pattern is retained following preadsorption of each antibody with the alternate peptide. These experiments potentially lead to the conclusion that the anti-SCPB and anti-FMRFamide antibodies are labeling distinct compounds that are colocalized in lobster neurons. The lobster nervous system does not, however, contain authentic FMRFamide, but rather several FMRFamide-like compounds (Trimmer et al., J. Comp. Neurol. 266:16–26, 1987). The most abundant of these is the octapeptide TNRNFLRFamide. Experiments demonstrate that SCPB-like immunoreactivity is completely preadsorbed with synthetic TNRNFLRFamide, while there is a significant or complete loss of staining after preadsorption of the FMRFamide antibody with this molecule. Met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe-amide (YGGFMRFamide), an extended opioid peptide containing the FMRFamide sequence, also preadsorbs SCPB-and FMRFamide-like immunoreactivities, while Met-enkephalin-Arg-Phe (YGGFMRF) has no effect on the staining properties of these antibodies. These results suggest that the SCPB antibody can bind to extended forms of FMRFamide-like molecules, and that anti-SCPB. and anti-FMRFamide antibodies may be colabeling one or more FMRFamide-like molecules in lobster neurons.
National survey by specialty of U.S. physicians' HPV screening practices.

Abstract Background High-risk types of HPV are the primary cause of cervical cancer. Objectives This article reports HPV screening and diagnosis from a survey evaluating community-based physicians’ screening, testing, and clinical practices for sexually transmitted diseases. Methods Surveys mailed to physicians ( n = 7,300) obtained information on patients they screen for HPV and cases of HPV diagnosed. Results/conclusions Seventy percent (70%) of the physicians returned completed surveys. HPV screening was most frequently conducted in female patients by obstetrician/gynecologists and family practice physicians.
Lines of dense nanoparticle colloidal suspensions evaporating on a flat surface: formation of non-uniform dried deposits.

Line evaporation of dense nanoparticle suspensions is studied theoretically and experimentally. The 2-D lines are drawn by a pen-like nozzle continuously dispensing a commercially available concentrated organic suspension (50 wt%; 4.3 vol%) of 5 nm gold nanoparticles in toluene solvent. Such particle-containing lines show promise for industrial applications where circuits are inkjet-printed and heat-treated to dry off the organic solvent and sinter the nanoparticles, thus producing a continuous electrically conducting path. The employed nanosuspension displays spontaneous thickening upon contact with a solid surface in the ambient atmosphere, and thus does not dry according to the well-established coffee-stain forming mechanism applicable to dilute particle suspensions. In the present work, model lines (∼1 mm width) are studied to elucidate the drying peculiarities of such nanoparticle slurries. These scaled-up lines allow detailed spatial measurements of their topography throughout their prolonged evaporation period, and make possible direct comparisons between experiment and theory. The results show the particle deposits formed by evaporative drying of these lines to be of non-uniform thickness with a dent in the middle of the lateral cross-section. Formation of this practically undesirable landscape is attributed to the highly non-uniform evaporative character of sessile or pendent liquid lines, which results in a non-uniform consolidation of the porous phase formed upon contact with the solid surface. The formulated description of the shape changing process, as done in the framework of the consolidation theory, yields predicted deposit speck shapes that compare favorably with the temporally resolved experimental data.
Effects of Dietary Zinc and Calcium on Select Immune Functions of Channel Catfish

Abstract The effects of dietary zinc and calcium on immunocompetence of channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus (mean initial weight = 3.1 g/fish) were determined after a 10-week feeding trial. Fish were fed daily amounts equal to 3% of their body weight of one of six purified diets that were deficient in zinc (2 mg/kg of diet), calcium (0.02% of diet), or both; replete with zinc (20 mg/kg of diet) and calcium (0.5% of diet); or excessive in zinc (200 mg/kg of diet) or calcium (2.5% of diet). Immunocompetence of immunized and nonimmunized fish fed the various diets was assessed by measuring serum immunoglobulin M levels and mortality after an intraperitoneal injection of live Aeromonas hydrophila. Channel catfish fed diets deficient in zinc, calcium, or both had significantly (P ≤ 0.05) less weight gain and survival as compared with those fed diets replete with or excessive in zinc or calcium. Tissue mineral concentrations of fish indicated that various levels of zinc and calcium nutriture existed when immune...
Relativistic nucleon-deuteron exchange scattering

Abstract Relativistic corrections to the one-nucleon-exchange contribution to elastic nucleon-deuteron scattering which are usually overlooked are discussed. Given the present state of knowledge of the deuteron vertex, their importance, except at the very lowest energies, is an open question.
Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy as a diagnostic instrument in head and neck carcinoma

Objective: The objectives of this study were to 1) determine differences in lifetime fluorescence between normal and malignant tissue of the upper aerodigestive tract, and 2) evaluate the potential of time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy (TR-LIFS) as a diagnostic instrument for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).Study Design: Cross-sectional study.Setting: University-based medical center.Subjects and Methods: Nine patients with suspected HNSCC were included. In the operating room, a nitrogen pulse laser (337 nm, 700-picosecond pulse width) was used to induce tissue autofluorescence of normal tissue and suspected malignant lesions. Spectral intensities and time-domain measurements were obtained and compared with the histopathology at each site. A total of 53 sites were measured. The fluorescence parameters that provided the most discrimination were determined.Results: Differences in spectral intensities allowed for discrimination between malignant and normal tissue. The spectral...
Iodination of human thyroglobulin (Tg) alters its immunoreactivity. I. Iodination alters multiple epitopes of human Tg

Human Tg, the site of synthesis of thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3), is one of the major autoantigens in autoimmune thyroiditis. The degree of iodination of Tg may have a major impact on its immunological properties by changing its antigenicity with respect to antibody binding. We have previously prepared a panel of MoAbs that bind to different epitopes of the Tg molecule. In the present study, we show that iodination alters the conformation of Tg molecule in such a way that it is recognized differently by different MoAbs. Monoclonal antibody 137C1 recognizes Tg regardless of its iodine content. Monoclonal antibody 42C3 recognizes Tg only if the Tg is iodinated either in vitro or in vivo. Monoclonal antibody 133B1 recognizes both in vivo iodinated Tg and non-iodinated Tg, but this MoAb did not recognize Tg following in vitro iodination. Monoclonal antibody 41A5 recognizes intact Tg and tryptic peptides of normal (in vivo) iodinated and non-iodinated Tg, but did not bind the tryptic peptides of artificially (in vitro) iodinated Tg. From the results of these experiments, we conclude that iodination of Tg by either in vivo or in vitro methods changes its conformation in such a way that some natural epitopes are ‘lost’ and some ‘new’ epitopes are generated. The generation of new epitopes may be important in the generation of autoimmune responses leading to autoimmune disease.
Factors affecting corporate choices of postretirement benefits in the USA

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the determinants of US firms' postretirement benefits choices.Design/methodology/approach – The paper uses empirical methodology (univariate and multivariate) to test the research hypotheses.Findings – Industry norm, average employee age, financial structure, and firm size are significant factors in the determination of the proportion of compensation that is deferred. Industry norm, financial structure, and firm size are significant factors that determine the percentage of deferred compensation that is negotiated as defined benefits. Finally, industry norm, corporate tax rates, and cash flow help explain the percentage of defined benefits that are paid in the form of retiree health benefit plans.Research limitations/implications – Data requirements might bias the sample towards larger sized firms. Data availability limits the number of observations in 2000 and 2001.Practical implications – The trends in post‐retirement benefits reported in this paper are i...
The importance of bone marrow involvement in GVHD.

In this issue of Blood , Mensen et al provide a comprehensive evaluation of B-cell development in adult patients who underwent allogeneic hematopoietic transplantation.[1][1] ![Figure][2] Mensen et al present data indicating that GVHD, donor T-cell infiltration in recipient marrow, and high
The 2-quasi-greedy algorithm for cardinality constrained matroid bases

Abstract The quasi-greedy algorithm , as proposed by Glover and Klingman [8], efficiently solves minimum weight spanning tree problems with a fixed (or bounded) number of edges incident to a specified vertex. As observed in [8], the results carry through to general matroid problems (where a base contains a bounded number of elements from a specified set). We extend this work to provide an efficient 2- quasi-greedy algorithm where a minimum weight base is constrained to have a fixed number of elements from two disjoint sets. Our main results show that optimal bases for adjacent states may not themselves be adjacent. However, optimal solutions for adjacent states may be identified solely from information available in the current base, yielding a method whose efficiency rivals that of the quasi-greedy method. We also give theorems making it possible to jump over certain adjacent states, further increasing efficiency.
Care of hospitalized older patients: opportunities for hospital-based physicians

BACKGROUND: Half of patients admitted to hospital for reasons unrelated to childbirth are age 65 years or older. Nonetheless, few hospital-based physicians have received training in geriatric medicine, and few geriatricians practice in the hospital. This paper describes the state of the science of hospital care for older patients, and identifies opportunities and barriers to improving their care. METHODS: General medical journals from 1980 to the present were selectively reviewed to identify original articles on the treatment of specific diseases and syndromes on hospitalized persons age 65 years or older. Information was synthesized to describe the course of these patients during and after hospitalization, and to identify effective management strategies and gaps in knowledge. RESULTS: Older persons in hospitals pose substantial clinical challenges: they have high rates of cognitive impairment, delirium, disability, and difficulty walking, and they often require increased attention, longer lengths of stay, and higher hospital costs than younger patients with the same diagnoses. Disease-specific interventions have not been studied extensively in those older than 75 years. Multicomponent interventions can reduce short-term rates of disability and delirium without increasing costs, but they have not been widely disseminated. Interventions to treat or prevent other common conditions in hospitalized older patients have not been proven effective. CONCLUSIONS: Fundamental discoveries in the science of hospital medicine are needed to prevent or treat geriatric syndromes, to treat common diseases in the very old, and to put into practice what is known. Hospital-based physicians can address these gaps in knowledge and practice with geriatricians, building from their shared perspectives on the care of the aged in complex health systems. Journal of Hospital Medicine 2006;1:42–47.© 2006 Society of Hospital Medicine.
Unsteady Pressure Loads from Plunging Airfoils

Abstract : Forced unsteady flow separation from a dynamically plunging airfoil was investigated using surface mounted pressure transducers. The transient pressure distributions and integrated lift and drag coefficients were plotted for parametric alterations in mean angle of attack reduced amplitude and reduced frequency. The unsteady loads produced were strongly dependent upon the dynamic stall event. Dynamic similarity for dimensional scaling of plunging motions was shown to be a function of both reduced frequency and amplitude.
Peering at a buried polymer-crystal interface: probing heterogeneous nucleation by sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy.

Sum frequency generation vibrational spectroscopy (SFG-VS) has been applied to investigate the selective crystallization of two forms of acetaminophen (ACM) on polymer surfaces. To our knowledge, this is the first account of SFG-VS being applied to study a polymer−crystal interface. SFG elucidates the molecular-level interactions governing phase selection at this buried interface, providing insight into the process of polymer-induced heteronucleation (PIHn) in solution as well as from the vapor phase. ACM heteronucleates from supersaturated aqueous solution in the metastable orthorhombic crystal form on poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) surfaces, whereas the thermodynamically stable monoclinic crystal form is observed to form on poly(n-butyl methacrylate) (PBMA) surfaces. When the ACM crystals were grown by sublimation, only the monoclinic form was observed on both PMMA and PBMA. SFG-VS results indicate that hydrogen bonds are formed between PMMA C═O groups and the orthorhombic ACM crystals at the PMMA−ACM...
The Warsaw Pact: Changes in Structure And Functions

The article traces the evolution of the various instruments used by the Soviet military and political leadership to control the armed forces of the Warsaw Pact states. It concludes that the Soviet leadership at first tried to use Soviet military advisers to control Pact forces. This tool proved to be unsuccessful and was later replaced with the concept of integration of these units into a multinational socialist army. When in the early 1980s this instrument also proved to be inadequate, the Soviet elite began the incorporation of these units into the Soviet army through their direct subordination to Soviet commands and operational desiderata. Through a case study of the Bulgarian and Hungarian armed .forces, the article then proceeds to examine the concept of reliability of Warsaw Pact armies and evaluates the extent of their reliability in terms of the dual instruments of integration and subordination to Soviet military needs.
Determinants of Period Matrices and an Application to Selberg's Multidimensional Beta Integral

In work on critical values of linear functions and hyperplane arrangements, A. Varchenko (Izv. Akad. Nauk SSSR Ser. Mat. 53 (1989), 1206-1235; 54 (1990), 146-158) defined certain period matrices whose entries are Euler-type integrals representing hypergeometric functions of several variables and derived remarkable closed-form expressions for the determinants of those matrices. In this article, we present elementary proofs of some of Varchenko's determinant formulas. By the same method, we obtain proofs of variations of Varchenko's determinants. As an application, we deduce new proofs of the multidimensional beta integrals of Selberg and of Aomoto. Further, we obtain a new proof of a determinant formula of A. Varchenko (Funct. Anal. Appl. 25 (1999), 304-305) in which the entries are multidimensional Selberg-type integrals.
A case study of parallel I/O for biological sequence search on Linux clusters

In this work, we investigate parallel I/O efficiencies in parallelised BLAST, the most popular tool for searching similarity in biological databases and implement two variations by incorporating the PVFS and CEFT-PVFS parallel I/O facilities. Our goal is to study the performance gain from parallel I/O under the constraints of different numbers of commodity storage devices in a Linux cluster. We also evaluate two read performance optimisation techniques employed in CEFT-PVFS: (1) doubling the degree of parallelism is shown to have comparable read performance with respect to PVFS when both systems have the same number of servers; (2) skipping hot-spot nodes can reduce the performance penalty when I/O workloads are highly imbalanced. The I/O resource contention between multiple applications, running in the same cluster, can degrade the performance of the original parallel BLAST and the PVFS version up to 10- and 21-fold, respectively; whereas, the one based on CEFT-PVFS, which has the ability to skip hot-spot nodes, suffered only a two-fold performance degradation.
A REVIEW OF CANDU FEEDER WALL THINNING

Flow Accelerated Corrosion is an active degradation mechanism of CANDU feeder. The tight bend downstream to Gray loc weld connection, close to reactor face, suffers significant wall thinning by FAC. Extensive in-service inspection of feeder wall thinning is very difficult because of the intense radiation field, complex geometry, and space restrictions. Development of a knowledge-based inspection program is important in order to guarantee that adequate wall thickness is maintained throughout the whole life of feeder. Research results and plant experiences are reviewed, and the plant inspection databases from Wolsong Units One to Four are analyzed in order to support developing such a knowledge-based inspection program. The initial thickness before wall thinning is highly non-uniform because of bending during manufacturing stage, and the thinning rate is non-uniform because of the mass transfer coefficient distributed non-uniformly depending on local hydraulics. It is obvious that the knowledge-based feeder inspection program should focus on both fastest thinning locations and thinnest locations. The feeder wall thinning rate is found to be correlated proportionately with QV of each channel. A statistical model is proposed to assess the remaining life of each feeder using the QV correlation and the measured thicknesses. W-1 feeder suffered significant thinning so that the shortest remaining life barely exceeded one year at the end of operation before replacement. W-2 feeder showed far slower thinning than W-1 feeder despite the faster coolant flow. It is believed that slower thinning in W-2 is because of higher chromium content in the carbon steel feeder material. The average Cr content of W-2 feeder is 0.051%, while that value is 0.02% for W-1 feeder. It is to be noted that FAC is reduced substantially even though the Cr content of W-2 feeder is still very low.
New Germanium Standard Wavelengths in the Region from 1998 A to 1630 A

The application of interferometric and grating measurements in the long wavelength region of the germanium arc spectrum in connection with the extended analysis of this spectrum permits the calculation of precise wavelengths of 69 Ge i lines in the vacuum ultraviolet region on the basis of Ritz’s combination principle. This furnishes a welcome enrichment and extension of the list of Ge i vacuum ultraviolet standards obtained by VanVeld and Meissner on the same basis by the use of precision measurements in the short wavelength region. Most of these lines can be recommended as reliable secondary standards in the vacuum region.
The kinetics and electrochemical rate-determining step of aqueous pyrite oxidation

Rate data available in the literature have been compiled for the reaction of pyrite with dissolved oxygen (DO) to produce a rate law that is applicable over four orders of magnitude in DO concentration over the pH range 2–10. The valid rate law is where r is the rate of pyrite destruction in units of mol m−2 s−1. A series of batch and mixed flow reactor experiments were performed to determine the effect of SO42−, Cl−, ionic strength, and dissolved oxygen on the rate of reaction of pyrite with ferric iron. Of these, only dissolved oxygen was found to have any appreciable effect. Experimental results of the present study were combined with kinetic data reported in the literature to formulate rate laws that are applicable over a six order of magnitude range in Fe3+ and Fe2+ concentration for the pH range ~0.5–3.0. In N2-purged solution, the rate law is and when dissolved oxygen is present, where r is the rate of pyrite destruction in mol m−2 s−1. Experiments were also performed in which a single pyrite sample was repeatedly reacted with ferric iron solutions of the same composition and identical surface area to mass of solution ratio (A/M). For each subsequent experiment, the rate of reaction slowed and the original behavior of the pyrite could not be reestablished by washing the pyrite with concentrated HNO3 or EDTA. This behavior was interpreted as representative of a change in the electrochemical properties of the solid pyrite. Pretreating pyrite samples with aqueous solutions of ferrous iron and EDTA did not change the reaction rate with ferric iron; however, pretreatment with hydroxylamine hydrochloride lowered the rate significantly. The data presented are best modeled by a nonsite-specific Freundlich multilayer isotherm. Good correlation was found between Eh and rate for the aqueous oxidation of pyrite with DO and ferric iron. Because the fractional orders of reaction are difficult to explain with a purely molecular-based mechanism, a cathodic-anodic electrochemical mechanism is favored to explain the transfer of the electron from pyrite to the aqueous oxidant. Mechanistically, the results of this study suggest a nonsite specific interaction between dissolved oxidants and the pyrite surface. Rate correlates strongly with Eh (Fe3+Fe2+ ratio or DO concentration) and is consistent with an electrochemical mechanism where anodic and cathodic reactions occur at different places on the pyrite surface.
Corruption or Insecurity? Understanding Dissatisfaction with Mexico's Police

Since at least 2005, Mexico has confronted a severe security crisis that threatens to undermine its rule of law and democracy. An effective police response has been hindered by frustrated citizens who do not report crime, come forward with information, serve as witnesses, or support their police. This foments a vicious cycle whereby insecurity and corruption foster dissatisfaction, which yields further insecurity and corruption. Breaking this cycle requires a better understanding of why citizens are dissatisfied with their police. One view holds that discontent is due to police corruption, but a somewhat rival perspective contends that citizens are primarily concerned with security outcomes. This study uses comparative survey data from 14 major Mexican cities to test these potentially rival approaches. It finds that both corruption and security outcomes matter, but direct experience with bribery has the single largest impact on dissatisfaction with the police.
Active telephone surveillance to evaluate adverse events among civilian smallpox vaccine recipients.

Abstract Objective Better characterize and monitor adverse events following Dryvax ® vaccinia vaccination in civilian health care workers and other first responders. Design Telephone interviews to ascertain adverse events experienced. Results Eight hundred twenty-five vaccinees, including 44 in the comparison group, were interviewed. At 10 days, 71.4% reported blisters, 35.1% reported bumps at the vaccination site, 48.5% swelling, 47.3% scab, tiredness/lethargy/fatigue (43.6%), headache (34.2%), lymph node swelling/tenderness (28.5%), muscle pain (23.1%), chills (14.4%), joint pain 11.8%, and fever >100 °F (12.5%). The 12.5% reported missing work because of vaccine adverse events. Most adverse events were anticipated and of short duration.
Using demand elasticities from disaggregate mode choice models

Three of the most highly regarded disaggregate mode split models incorporate very different estimates of the responsiveness, or elasticity, of mode choice to changes in auto travel times and costs. These differences appear to be due in part to the varying specifications used by the model, and particularly whether certain variables (such as a dummy variable for CBD destinations or automobile ownership) are included in addition to the more traditional variables (such as travel time, cost, and household income). More research is needed on the implications of the theory of traveler choices for model specification and the effect of alternative, but theoretically justifiable, specifications on elasticity estimates. Until this research reduces our uncertainty about the elasticity of demand, analysts evaluating transportation policies should assess the sensitivity of their results to the range of plausible elasticities or models.
Absorption, transport, and disposition of ascorbic acid in humans

Abstract L-ascorbic acid (ascorbate or vitamin C) is a required nutrient for humans. Absorption, transport, and disposition of ingested ascorbate involve the following: (1) bioavailability and absorption in the gastrointestinal tract; (2) presence in the circulation; (3) tissue distribution; (4) excretion; and, (5) metabolism. Fundamental to each of the above are ascorbate chemistry and mechanisms of transport of ascorbate across membranes. Ascorbate can be reversibly oxidized to dehydroascorbic acid, which can be irreversibly degraded. Both reduced and oxidized forms cross cell membranes. Differences in transport kinetics, tissue specificity, and Na + and energy dependence strongly support the existence of separate transport mechanisms. An important consideration in the analysis of ascorbate transport is that of substrate availability. Reduced ascorbate is by far the most predominant form found in plasma and tissues. Dehydroascorbic acid is rapidly reduced intracellularly to ascorbate by both enzymatic and chemical mechanisms. Despite constitutively low levels of dehydroascorbic acid, conditions that promote oxidation of ascorbate can profoundly alter both the nature and availability of substrate. Elucidation of mechanisms that modulate the delivery of ascorbate to tissues and its utilization under different metabolic conditions will be invaluable for making recommendations for ascorbate ingestion.
Preparation of 5-Substituted 2-Methyl-1,3,4-oxadiazoles from 5-Substituted Tetrazoles and Acetic Anhydride

Abstract Readily available tetrazoles can be transformed into the corresponding 2-methyl-1,3,4-oxazodiazoles by heating their acetic anhydride solution. The procedure is simple, short, gives high yields, and is applicable to large scale syntheses.
Polymeric Electro-optic Modulators: From Chromophore Design to Integration with Semiconductor Very Large Scale Integration Electronics and Silica Fiber Optics

Chromophores with optimized second-order optical nonlinearity to optical loss ratios are synthesized, poled with an electrical field, and coupled into hardened polymer matrixes. Acentric order, which is necessary for electro-optic activity, is optimized by the consideration of chromophore−chromophore electrostatic interactions as well as chromophore−poling field interactions and thermal collisions which randomize chromophore orientations with respect to the applied field direction. Reactive ion etching and/or multicolor photolithography are used to fabricate buried channel waveguide structures out of the resulting polymeric electro-optic materials and to integrate polymeric waveguides with silica optical fibers. Tapered transitions are developed to minimize coupling (insertion) loss. Both vertical and horizontal integration of polymeric electro-optic modulator circuitry with semiconductor very large scale integration circuitry is demonstrated. Modulation to 113 GHz is demonstrated. Polymeric modulators ar...
Dynamic Scattering and Material Flow in a Nematic Liquid Crystal

Abstract Results are presented which show how defects in a nematic liquid crystal can be used to investigate material flow when external electric fields are applied. These results include measurements of the size of flow cells, which were created between the electrodes by an electric field. The electrodes, which were made of transparent conductive coated glass, were placed in a vertical position so that flow cells could be observed from the top while dynamic scattering was observed when viewing normal to the electrodes.
Cytoplasmic transport of calcium and other inorganicions

Abstract The experimentally determined rate of transcellular calcium transport in the duodenum of vitamin D-replete rats is nearly two orders of magnitude greater than expected from the rate of self-diffusion of the calcium ion in the cytosol. No transcellular calcium transport occurs in vitamin D-deficient animals. The excess diffusional flux can be explained by the presence in the duodenal mucosal cells of calbindin D 9k , a vitamin D-dependent cytosolic protein that binds two calcium ions per molecule, thereby increasing the cytosolic concentration of diffusible calcium. The relationship between the V max of transport and calbindin D 9k concentration is positive and linear, both in the steady state and after vitamin D administration, and is abolished on vitamin D deficiency. Transport and calbindin content are upregulated by a low calcium diet and downregulated by a high calcium diet. In contrast, the paracellular pathway is non-saturable and directly proportional to the luminal calcium ion concentration. Thus, the rate of calcium transport across the intestinal cell is essentially determined by the rate of calcium movement through the cytosol, catalyzed by the cytosolic calcium binding protein, calbindin D 9k , rather than by membrane transport. An intracellular binding protein is likely to be the molecular mechanism when the transcellular movement of an ion exceeds its self-diffusion rate.
Comparative growth and propagule production byHydrilla verticillata grown from axillary turions or subterranean turions

Hydrilla verticillata (L.f.) Royle produces two types of vegetative propagules, subterranean turions and axillary turions. After 8 or 12 weeks growth under similar conditions, plants grown from subterranean turions weighed 1.7 to 2 times as much as plants grown from axillary turions. Subterranean turion-derived plants produced more propagules (by weight and number) per plant than plants from axillary turions. Characteristics of weight frequency distributions (median, minimum, maximum, and coefficient of variation) for new subterranean turions were also influenced by the type of propagule from which the parent plant was derived. The number of root crowns per plant which reflects the plant's ability to expand horizontally was significantly greater for subterranean turion-derived plants (by 2 times) than for plants from axillary turions. These results support the hypothesis that following colonization of an area the impact ofHydrilla on resident species changes over time.
New interconnect evaluation metric for high-speed IO

This paper proposes new frequency-domain (FD) metrics to evaluate and optimize interconnects for high-speed IO. In this paper, we focused on a spring-probe socket for interconnects and PCIe Gen3 for the high-speed IO. For design optimization, we adapted a holistic approach utilizing response surface methodology. Using the proposed metrics, the spring-probe socket design was optimized to minimize impact on the IO channel performance. In order to check the validity of the new metrics, an optimized socket design via voltage margin and timing margin from eye opening was compared.
Gravitational lensing by a smoothly variable surface mass density

The statistical properties of gravitational lensing due to smooth but nonuniform distributions of matter are considered. It is found that a majority of triple images had a parity characteristic for 'shear-induced' lensing. Almost all cases of triple or multiple imaging were associated with large surface density enhancements, and lensing objects were present between the images. Thus, the observed gravitational lens candidates for which no lensing object has been detected between the images are unlikely to be a result of asymmetric distribution of mass external to the image circle. In a model with smoothly variable surface mass density, moderately and highly amplified images tended to be single rather than multiple. An opposite trend was found in models which had singularities in the surface mass distribution.
Chinese for Tomorrow: A New Five-Skilled Approach, Vol. 1 by HE, WAYNE, DELA JIAO, QIUXIA SHAO, & CHRISTOPHER M. LIVEACCARI. —. Chinese for Tomorrow: A New Five-Skilled Approach, Vol. 2

A review of Vol. 1 and Vol. 2 of the book "Chinese for Tomorrow: A New Five-Skilled Approach," by Wayne He, Dela Jiao, Qiuxia Shao, and Christopher M. Liveaccari is presented.
Synthesis of a software security system

This paper describes an ongoing Air Force sponsored project at The MITRE Corporation to develop provably effective security (access) controls for computer systems. Because of the stringent requirements imposed by the need for algorithmic security control, an innovative software engineering technique was developed for the design and implementation of the security kernel, the software portion of the controls. This paper touches briefly on these controls and then describes in some detail the components of the software engineering technique and the methodology for proving the correctness of the system. An example, taken from the security kernel for a PDP-11/45 based system, is used to demonstrate the components and techniques used.
Future trends in large space optics

Large space optics technologies are developed for government support civilian and defense applications. Within a funding constrained environment, partnerships among members of the large space optics community serve to accelerate the pace of technology development and insertion of technology products into space operations. Although missions and operating requirements are quite different for the partners, NASA and DOD have teamed to address areas of common concern. One particularly successful partnership activity is aimed at significantly reducing areal density, cost and fabrication time for large optics. Other opportunities are being explored among the government partners.
Palliation of obstructing gastric carcinoma with metal stents through a gastrostomy.

Gastric cancer is the world's second most common malignancy. In the U.S., patients present with advanced disease, and surgery with curative intent accounts for only 30% of gastric malignancies. Palliative surgery has significant morbidity and mortality. Recently, there have been encouraging reports of self-expanding endoprostheses in obstructing gastrointestinal neoplasms. We report a case of a 70-yr-old woman with inoperable outlet stenosis secondary to a mucinous infiltrating adenocarcinoma involving nearly the entire stomach, except the anterior wall, which provided a percutaneous access site for gastrostomy and subsequently successful management of outlet obstruction with metallic stents.
Simulation-based validation for smart grid environments

Large and complex systems, such as the Smart Grid, are often best understood through the use of modeling and simulation. In particular, the task of assessing a complex system's risks and testing its tolerance and recovery under various attacks has received considerable attention. However, such tedious tasks still demand a systematic approach to model and evaluate each component in complex systems. In other words, supporting a formal validation and verification without needing to implement the entire system or accessing the existing physical infrastructure is critical since many elements of the Smart Grid are still in the process of becoming standardized for widespread use. In this paper, we describe our simulation-based approach to understanding and examining the behavior of various components of the Smart Grid in the context of verification and validation. To achieve this goal, we adopt the discrete event system specification (DEVS) modeling methodology, which allows generalization and specialization of the entities in the model for a customized simulation with specific scenarios. In addition, we articulate metrics for supporting our simulation-based verification and validation and demonstrate the feasibility and effectiveness of our approach with a real-world use case.
An Unusual Sugar Conformation in the Structure of an RNA/DNA Decamer of the Polypurine Tract May Affect Recognition by RNase H

Abstract Retroviral conversion of single-stranded RNA into double-stranded DNA requires priming for each strand. While host cellular t-RNA serves as primer for the first strand, the viral polypurine tract (PPT) is primer for the second. Therefore, polypurine tracts of retroviruses are essential for viral replication by reverse transcriptase (RT). These purine tracts are resistant to cleavage during first strand synthesis. In obtaining the primer for second strand synthesis, the RNase H function of RT must cleave the PPT exactly for in vivo transcription to proceed efficiently and proper integration to occur. At the RNase H active site the protein makes contacts primarily along the backbone, with hydrogen bonds to the sugar–phosphate oxygen atoms. A high-resolution structure (1.10 A) of the first ten base-pairs of the RNA/DNA hybrid PPT, r-(c-a-a-a-g-a-a-a-a-g)/d-(C-T-T-T-T-C-T-T-T-G), contains the highly deformable r-(a-g-a) steps found in retroviral polypurine tracts. This r-(a-g-a) motif is utilized in the “unzipping” or unpairing of bases that occurs when RT binds a malleable PPT. Another unusual feature found in our high-resolution PPT structure is the sugar switch at RNA adenine 2. All the RNA sugars are the expected C3′-endo, except sugar 2, which is C2′-endo, characteristic of B-form sugars. This local A-to-B conversion adversely affects the pattern of hydrogen bonds from protein to sugar–phosphate backbone, disrupting the catalytic site. Disruption could cause the enzyme to pause at the 5′-end of the PPT, leaving it intact. Pyrimidine–purine (YR) steps are most deformable and the T-A step especially can undergo A-to-B transitions readily.
Dielectric disperison of linear polyelectrolytes

A three-dimensional (gaussian) model is formulated that permits evaluation of the one-dimensional fourier cosine transform of the counterion-counterion coulombic interaction energy ϕk. It is shown that ϕkis much larger for small k than was assumed by Oosawa; consequently, the magnitude of his dielectric increment, and also his relaxation time, must be drastically revised to smaller values. Evidently, the self-field of the fluctuation is large enough to seriously depress the amplitude of the spontaneous fluctuations, and to force Ohmic conduction of the ions at a rate far in excess of the rate of translational diffusion. Finally, it is noted that in highly conducting bulk solvents, where both positive and negative counterfoils coexist in the ion-atmosphere, one might expect to observe a low-frequency component of the dielectric relaxation arising from unequal rates of diffusion of the positive and negative species, in analogy with the situation for spherical colloidal particles. In such a circumstance, the basic counterfoil fluctuation mechanism proposed by Oosawa would acquire a new validity.
Slow track, fast track, and the “Galactic Club”

Abstract Discoveries in the physical and biological sciences suggest that intelligence is widely distributed throughout the universe. Before long, either we will decide that these discoveries have pointed us towards a false conclusion, or we will obtain undeniable evidence of extraterrestrial life. After finding one extraterrestrial society, we are likely to discover others and, in this manner, become a part of the “Galactic Club”. Following the “slow track”, an initial encounter will lead to accelerated search efforts that will put us in touch, one by one, with additional societies. Following the “fast track”, our initial contact will be with an affiliate of the Galactic Club, and this society will give us instant access to other members. The physical constraints imposed by interstellar distances, coupled with our understanding of large social systems, suggest that the Galactic Club will be large, stable, slow-paced, and exert only loose control over its members. The two tracks have different implications for managing initial contact, protecting our security, knowledge transfer, handling culture change, and preserving our identity.