cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Discovery of a Novel Mutation in the Excision Repair Cross-Complementing 1 Gene in a Teenage Patient with Cerebro-Oculo-Facio-Skeletal Syndrome

Introduction Mutations in excision repair cross-complementing (ERCC) genes have been associated with the congenital disorder cerebro-oculo-facio-skeletal (COFS) syndrome, although mutations leading to other conditions such as Cockayne syndrome and Xeroderm Pigmentosum are more common. Symptoms associated with COFS syndrome include arthrogryposis, microcephaly, micropthalmia, short stature, developmental delay, photosensitivity, sensorineural hearing loss, visual impairment, and infantile death, among others. COFS syndrome can result from multiple genetic defects, including mutations in ERCC genes. However, mutations in the …
Male and female high-fat diet-fed Dahl SS rats are largely protected from vascular dysfunctions: PVAT contributions reveal sex differences.

Although the aorta exhibits medial hypertrophy in response to HF diet-induced hypertension, it did not exhibit hyperresponsive contraction to an α-adrenergic agonist nor endothelial cell dysfunctio...
Identification of antigen-specific TCR sequences based on biological and statistical enrichment in unselected individuals

Recent advances in high-throughput T cell receptor (TCR) sequencing have allowed for new insights into the human TCR repertoire. However, methods for capturing antigen-specific repertoires remain an area of development. Here, we describe a potentially novel approach that utilizes both a biological and statistical enrichment to define putatively antigen-specific complementarity-determining region 3 (CDR3) repertoires in unselected individuals. The biological enrichment entails fluorescence-activated cell sorting of in vitro antigen-activated memory CD4+ T cells, followed by TCRβ sequencing. The resulting TCRβ sequences are then filtered by selecting those that are statistically enriched when compared to their frequency in the autologous resting T cell compartment. Applying this method to define putatively peanut protein-specific repertoires in 27 peanut-allergic individuals resulted in a library of 7345 unique CDR3β amino acid sequences that had similar characteristics to other validated antigen-specific repertoires in terms of homology and diversity. In-depth analysis of these CDR3βs revealed 36 public sequences that demonstrated high levels of convergent recombination. In a network analysis, the public CDR3βs unveiled themselves as core sequences with more edges than their private counterparts. This method has the potential to be applied to a wide range of T cell-mediated disorders, and to yield new biomarkers and biological insights.
Antigovernment Protests and Commitment to Democratic Principles

While antigovernment protests have been widespread across the world in recent years, it is still not well understood why people protest their governments. This study addresses this question and ask...
Immunological implications of xenogeneic and allogeneic transplantation to neonatal rats.

Publisher Summary In neonatal hosts, graft rejection can occur both spontaneously and because of specific challenges. This chapter discusses the circumstances associated with graft destruction, particularly with regard to the mechanisms by which it may be precipitated. The chapter also addresses and attempts to answer certain issues, such as how do grafts integrate with the host central nervous system, can transplants placed in the brains of neonatal rats escape recognition by the host immune system, or how do the circumstances associated with neural graft rejection relate to the concept of immune privilege of the brain. While the detailed possible induction of MHC expression as a primary stimulus to graft rejection is yet to be examined, there is evidence available from other experiments, and from the skin allograft studies, to indicate that MHC mechanisms are involved. While, a clear picture of a single graft rejection mechanism has not emerged yet, new experiments suggest a pattern of events. Essentially, the grafts exist in a metastable immune balance that can be disrupted by a variety of factors. However, each one on its own may not be sufficient to provoke a rejection response, but once a critical threshold is reached, a cascade of events may occur which precipitates a classical immune response.
Dependent Insurance Risks

The degree of dependence among contracts and between risks within a contract impacts insurance risk measures that are used to guide enterprises that manage these risks. Dependence among insurance contracts is important because insurers use portfolios of contracts for risk pooling, a basic risk management strategy. Further, dependence among different risks within an insurance contract is critical for pricing purposes. This article reviews several probabilistic models of dependence used in actuarial and insurance modeling. Specifically, regression and copula models are described that can be used to understand dependence among insurance risks. This better understanding, in turn, leads to more accurate pricing measures and better measures to assess financial solvency. Keywords: copulas; regression models; multivariate loss models; dependence between claim severities and frequencies
Melatonin Marks Circadian Phase Position and Resets the Endogenous Circadian Pacemaker in Humans

Measuring the dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) is a useful and practical way to assess circadian phase position in humans. As a marker for the phase and period of the endogenous circadian pacemaker, the DLMO has been shown to advance with exposure to bright light in the morning and to delay with exposure to bright light in the evening. This 'phase response curve' (PRC) to light has been applied in the treatment of winter depression, jet lag and shift work, as well as circadian phase sleep disorders. Exogenous melatonin has phase-shifting effects described by a PRC that is about 12 h out of phase with the PRC to light. That is, melatonin administration in the morning causes phase delays and in the afternoon causes phase advances. All of the circadian phase disorders that have been successfully treated with appropriately timed exposure to bright light can be treated with appropriately scheduled melatonin administration. Melatonin administration is more convenient and therefore may be the preferred treatment.
America's Shifting Color Line? Reexamining Determinants of Latino Racial Self-Identification

Objectives Latinos are the nation's largest minority group and will double in size by 2050. Their size coupled with the fact that Latinos do not constitute a separate race raises questions about Latinos’ incorporation into the U.S. racial hierarchy. This article explores patterns of Latino racial identity formation, examining the determinants of racial identity. Methods Using the 2006 Latino National Survey, I estimate multinomial logit and ordered probit models of identification choices. Results Latino racial identity is strongly associated with several factors, including socioeconomic status, measures of perceived discrimination and commonality, and measures of acculturation/assimilation. Most Latinos have a broader, more complex understanding of race. Furthermore, some Latinos do believe that they occupy a unique position in the racial hierarchy. Conclusions The results suggest that the color line W. E. DuBois argued has long divided our nation may eventually shift.
Stereotactic lesions for the treatment of psychiatric disorders: A review

Object The use of deep brain stimulation (DBS) has recently been expanded to the investigational treatment of specific psychiatric disorders. Much like movement disorders, the targets selected for DBS are based on past experience with stereotactic lesions. A literature review of past studies incorporating stereotactic lesions for psychiatric disorders was performed to provide historical context and possible guidance for current and future attempts at treating psychiatric disorders with DBS. Methods Original copies of the proceedings of the second, third, fourth, and fifth World Congresses of Psychiatric Surgery meetings were reviewed, and a Medline search was conducted for studies with the word “psychosurgery” and each of 14 highly prevalent psychiatric conditions identified by the National Institute of Mental Health. Postoperative results for 1145 patients with stereotactic brain lesions targeting various anatomical foci were standardized using a 5-point scale (3 [free of symptoms] to −1 [worse]). Each p...
A robot control language

A robot control language (ARCL) which is based on Pascal-like syntax is presented. Language constructs are designed to allow robot motion control with relative and absolute commands to all its motors. In addition, sensory control of robot sensors is allowed by enable and disable commands. Robot speech is programmed using phonemes, and a dictionary of commonly used words facilitates speech programming. Implementation of a language cross-compiler with an IBM PC as the host machine and a HERO robot as the target robot/processor, is discussed. >
Relationship of nitrogen management to winter wheat yield and grain protein in South Dakota

Abstract The effects of nitrogen (N) management systems on Rose and Arapahoe hard red winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L. Emend. Thell.) were measured. Nitrogen fertilizer rates of 0,55,110, and 165 kg N ha‐1 were surface broadcast as a full N rate application atpreplant or were split‐applied as two half N rates applied in the fall and spring. Supplemental N was also applied as a foliar spray treatment after anthesis at either 0 kg N ha‐1 or 33 kg N ha‐1 as a diluted urea‐ammonium nitrate solution. The grain yield of Arapahoe was generally higher than Rose across treatments, but protein was slightly lower. Splitting the N application lowered yield somewhat in both varieties compared to the entire N rate applied at preplant, but grain protein increased by nearly 0.8% with the split application over the preplant application. Grain protein also increased up to 1.6% with a late season foliar N application despite some leaf damage compared to no foliar N. Grain yield was correlated to many agronomic parameters ...
A computer generated bibliography

The dominant use of computers in the social and behavioral sciences is for numeric calculations. For example, the statistical packages, SPSS, etc., have enjoyed widespread use and econometric models have often been implemented on computers, e.g. MIT's TROLL project.
Kinetics and mechanism of the hydrolysis of some β-ketoimines of the type [RCOCH2C(R′)N]2Y and the copper (II) derivatives

Abstract The kinetics of the acid-catalyzed hydrolysis of three quadridentate β-ketoimines and three copper-β-ketoimines compound have been measured at constant pH in 50 volume per cent dioxane-water by a titrimetic procedure. The variation of the rate of hydrogen-ion consumption with pH is considered and a rate expression is derived. The mechanism of hydrolysis at moderate values of pH is discussed.
Comparison of transformation to low-resistivity phase and agglomeration of TiSi/sub 2/ and CoSi/sub 2/

The phase transformation and stability of TiSi/sub 2/ on n/sup +/ diffusions are investigated. Narrower n/sup +/ diffusions require higher anneal temperatures, or longer anneal times, than wider diffusions for complete transitions from the high-resistivity C49 phase to the low-resistivity C54 phase. A model is presented which explains this in terms of the probability of forming C54 nuclei on narrow diffusions and the influence of diffusion width on C54 grain size. The results are that more C49 and C54 nucleation events are required to completely transform narrow lines. For thin TiSi/sub 2/ (40 nm), there is a narrow process window for achieving complete transformation without causing agglomeration of the TiSi/sub 2/. The process window decreases with decreasing silicide thickness. A significantly larger process window is achieved with short-time rapid annealing. Similar studies are performed for CoSi/sub 2/ on n/sup +/ and p/sup +/ diffusions. No linewidth dependence is observed for the transformation from CoSi/sub x/ to CoSi/sub 2/. There is a broad process window from 575 degrees C to 850 degrees C using furnace annealing, for which the low-resistivity phase is obtained without causing agglomeration. >
All Major Lung Cancer Cell Types Produce Parathyroid Hormone-Like Protein: Heterogeneity Assessed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

We examined the production of parathyroid hormone-like protein (PLP) by all major lung cancer cell types, including epidermoid, small cell, and adenocarcinoma. We demonstrated that cell lines derived from each cell type released PLP into culture medium. To determine the predominant species of PLP produced by the cell lines, guanidine hydrochloride extracts were prepared and analyzed for PLP by high performance size exclusion chromatography under denaturing conditions. Cell lines from each of the major lung tumors produced multiple and different forms of PLP. The estimated molecular sizes of the PLP species ranged from 3.5–11.7 kilodaltons. Our results demonstrate that PLP is produced by all major lung cancer cell types and extend these observations to adenocarcinoma and large cell carcinomas of the lung. Furthermore, we observed PLP heterogeneity among these different cell types, which may represent tissue-specific PLP processing among different human lung tumors. (Endocrinology 129: 2466–2470, 1991)
A computational theory for the perception of coherent visual motion.

When we see motion, our perception of how one image feature moves depends on the behaviour of other features nearby. In particular, the Gestaltists proposed the law of shared common fate1,2, in which features tend to be perceived as moving together, that is, coherently. Recent psychophysical findings, such as the cooperativity of the motion system3,4 and motion capture5,6, support this law. Computationally, coherence is a sensible assumption, because if two features are close then they probably belong to the same object and thus tend to move together. Moreover, the measurement of local motion may be inaccurate7 and so the integration of motion information over large areas may help to improve the performance. Present theories of visual motion, however, do not account fully for these coherent motion percepts. We propose here a theory that does account for these phenomena and also provides a solution to the aperture problem8, where the local information in the image flow is insufficient to specify the motion uniquely.
Non-stochastic switching and emergence of magnetic vortices in artificial quasicrystal spin ice

Abstract Previous studies of artificial spin ice have been largely restricted to periodic dot lattices. Ferromagnetic switching of segments in an applied magnetic field is stochastic in periodic spin ice systems, which makes emergent phenomena, such as the formation of vortex loops, hard to control or predict. We fabricated finite, aperiodic Penrose P2 tilings as antidot lattices with fivefold rotational symmetry in permalloy thin films. Measurements of the field dependence of the static magnetization reveal reproducible knee anomalies whose number and form are temperature dependent, which suggests they mark cooperative rearrangements of the tiling magnetic texture. Our micromagnetic simulations of the P2 tiling are in good agreement with experimental magnetization data and exhibit non-stochastic magnetic switching of segments in applied field, and vortex loops that are stable over an extended field interval during magnetic reversal.
Biocatalytic Oxidation of 2-Methylquinoxaline to 2-Quinoxalinecarboxylic Acid

A microbial process using the fungus Absidia repens ATCC 14849 is described for the oxidation of 2-methylquinoxaline to 2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid. A campaign consisting of three 14000-L runs produced 20.5 kg of the acid with a 28% overall yield. The bioconversion gave a lower yield compared with a three step chemical synthesis (35%), but was carried out in one pot, and avoided safety issues with a di-N-oxide intermediate. Although successfully scaled to produce kilograms of 2-quinoxalinecarboxylic acid for synthesis of a drug candidate, the A. repens bioconversion is unsuitable for further scale-up due to low product concentration (∼1 g/L). A second microbial process using Pseudomonas putida ATCC 33015 is also described for the oxidation of 2-methylquinoxaline. The P. putida bioconversion gave an 86% in situ yield at 8-L scale and yielded a product concentration approximately 10-fold greater than that of the A. repens bioconversion.
Kinetics of HD exchange in the reaction of HBF2 with D2

Abstract The rate constant for the unusually rapid HD exchange reaction of D 2 with HBF 2 : D 2 (g) + HBF 2 (g) → DBF 2 (g) + HD(g) has been measured ( k 2 (298K) = (7.42 ± 2.0) × 10 −23 cm 3 /molecule s). The activation energy for this reaction has been estimated to be 17.8 ± 1.2 kcal/mole. The mechanism probably involves a multicenter orbital interaction between D 2 and HBF 2 .
Surface coverage of Pt atoms on PtCo nanoparticles and catalytic kinetics for oxygen reduction

Abstract The surface coverage of Pt atoms on PtCo nanoparticles and its effect on catalytic kinetics for oxygen reduction were investigated. The PtCo nanoparticles with different surface coverage of Pt atoms were synthesized with various methods, including normal chemical method, microemulsion synthesis, and ultrasound-assisted microemulsion. A model of Pt atoms filling into a spherical nanoparticle was proposed to explain the relationship of surface metal atoms and nanoparticle size. The catalytic activity of the PtCo nano-particles is highly dependent on the synthetic methods, even if they have the same chemical composition. The PtCo nano-particles synthesized with ultrasound-assisted microemulsion showed the highest activity, which is attributed to an increase of active surface coverage of Pt atoms on the metal nanoparticles. The rate of oxygen reduction at 0.5 V (vs. SCE) catalyzed by the PtCo synthesized with ultrasound-assisted micro-emulsion was about four times higher than that of the PtCo synthesized with normal chemical method. As demonstrated with rotating-ring disk electrode measurement, the PtCo nano-particles can catalyze oxygen 4-electron reduction to water without intermediate H 2 O 2 detected.
Software development for continuous-gas-flow AMS

Abstract The National Ocean Sciences Accelerator Mass Spectrometry (NOSAMS) Facility at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is presently completing installation of a novel continuous-flow AMS system. A multi-year development of an AMS microwave gas ion source in collaboration with Atomic Energy Canada Limited (AECL), Chalk River, has preceded this final step of an implementation that is expected to add a new dimension to 14C AMS. National Instruments, NIM, and CAMAC modules have been programmed with LabVIEW on a Windows XP platform to form the basis for data acquisition. In this paper we discuss possible applications and include simulations of expected data acquisition scenarios like real-time AMS analysis of chromatograms. Particular attention will have to be given to issues of synchronization between rapidly changing input amplitudes and signal processing cycles in hardware and software.
Financial Market Implications of India's Pension Reform

India's planned pension reform will set up a proper regulatory framework for the pension industry and open up the sector to private fund managers. Drawing on international experiences, the paper highlights pre-conditions for the reform to kick-start financial development, including: (i) the buildup of critical mass; (ii) sufficiently flexible investment guidelines and regulations, including on investments abroad; and (iii) concurrent reforms in capital markets. Given the limited scale of the planned reform, the key challenge for India is to achieve sufficient critical mass early on. Options to address this challenge include granting permission for existing workers to switch to the new system or outsourcing all or part of the reserves of private sector provident funds to the new pension fund managers.
Mechanism-Based Competitive Inhibitors of Glyoxalase I: Intracellular Delivery, in Vitro Antitumor Activities, and Stabilities in Human Serum and Mouse Serum

S-(N-Aryl-N-hydroxycarbamoyl)glutathione derivatives (GSC(O)N(OH)C6H4X, where GS = glutathionyl and X = H (1), Cl (2), Br (3)) have been proposed as possible anticancer agents, because of their ability to strongly inhibit the methylglyoxal-detoxifying enzyme glyoxalase I. In order to test this hypothesis, the in vitro antitumor activities of these compounds and their [glycyl,glutamyl] diethyl ester prodrug forms (1(Et)2-3(Et)2) have been examined. All three diethyl esters inhibit the growth of L1210 murine leukemia and B16 melanotic melanoma in culture, with GI50 values in the micromolar concentration range. Cell permeability studies with L1210 cells indicate that growth inhibition is associated with rapid diffusion of the diethyl esters into the cells, followed by enzymatic hydrolysis of the ethyl ester functions to give the inhibitory diacids. In contrast, the corresponding diacids neither readily diffuse into nor significantly inhibit the growth of these cells. Consistent with the hypothesis that cell growth inhibition is due to competitive inhibition of glyoxalase I, preincubation of L1210 cells with 2(Et)2 increases the sensitivity of these cells to the inhibitory effects of exogenous methylglyoxal. Compound 2(Et)2 is much less toxic to nonproliferating murine splenic lymphocytes, possibly reflecting reduced sensitivity to methylglyoxal and/or reduced chemical stability of the diacid inside these cells. Finally, a plasma esterase-deficient murine model has been identified that should allow in vivo testing of the diethyl esters.
Olefin dimerization over cobalt-oxide-on-carbon catalysts: I. Propylene dimerization

Abstract Cobalt-oxide-on-carbon catalysts were studied in the propylene dimerization reaction with the aim of obtaining a reasonable yield of n -hexenes. Through an investigation of catalyst preparation variables such as activation temperature, metal oxide level, and modifier treatments, a catalyst of greatly increased activity was obtained. These variables exerted a profound effect on product distribution as well as on catalyst activity, and with the preferred catalyst system, a product containing 52% n -hexenes was obtained. Optimum conditions for the dimerization reaction were determined in both batch and continuous systems. In the latter, the optimum catalyst composition was capable of producing 100 gal of dimer product per pound of catalyst before regeneration. A mechanism for the dimerization reaction which draws upon recent advances in homogeneous catalysis is proposed.
Detecting memory impairment with a modified test procedure : manipulating retention interval with centrally presented event items

We suggest that detecting memory impairment with the modified test relies on long retention intervals that provide the necessary forgetting of event information for impairing effects of postevent misinformation to occur. We tested 288 Ss in four experiments that presented event items centrally, introduced verbal postevent items to a misled condition, and used the modified test, but different by using either short (15 min) or long (5 to 7 days) retention intervals. As evidenced by poorer misled than control test performances, memory impairment only occurred with long retention intervals
High-performance AlGaInP light-emitting diodes

A new class of LEDs based on the AlGaInP material system first became commercially available in the early 1990's. These devices benefit from a direct bandgap from the red to the yellow-green portion of the spectrum. The high efficiencies possible in AlGaInP across this spectrum have enabled new applications for LEDs including automotive lighting, outdoor variable message signs, outdoor large screen video displays, and traffic signal lights. A review of high-brightness AlGaInP LED technology will be presented.
Promyelocytic Leukemia Protein (PML) Regulates Endothelial Cell Network Formation and Migration in Response to Tumor Necrosis Factor α (TNFα) and Interferon α (IFNα)

Promyelocytic leukemia protein (PML) is a tumor suppressor that is highly expressed in vascular endothelium and inflamed tissues, yet its role in inflammation-associated cytokine-regulated angiogenesis and underlying mechanism remains largely unclear. We show that tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) and interferon α (IFNα) stimulate PML expression while suppressing EC network formation and migration, two key events during angiogenesis. By a knockdown approach, we demonstrate that PML is indispensable for TNFα- and IFNα-mediated inhibition of EC network formation. We further demonstrate that signal transducer and activator of transcription 1 (STAT1) binds PML promoter and that is an important regulator of PML expression. Knockdown of STAT1 reduces endogenous PML and blocks TNFα- and IFNα-induced PML accumulation and relieves TNFα- and IFNα-mediated inhibition of EC network formation. Our data also indicate that PML regulates EC migration, in part, by modulating expression of downstream genes, such as negatively regulating integrin β1 (ITGB1). In addition, knockdown of STAT1 or PML alleviates TNFα- and IFNα-mediated inhibition of ITGB1 expression. Antibody blockade demonstrates that ITGB1 is functionally important for PML- and STAT1-regulated EC migration. Taken together, our data provide novel mechanistic insights that PML functions as a negative regulator in EC network formation and migration.
Business Costs and Business Policy for Export Controls

The objectives of this study are to assess the costs to American companies of U.S. export controls, and to suggest business policies to minimize their adverse effects. The 1982 Soviet gas pipeline case is used as a concrete example. Original field research among business people and government officials in Europe and the U.S. is the main data source. The main findings of the study are that the costs of export controls to American business that can be measured are very high, and much above government estimates. The optimum strategy for business to follow is to influence the executive branch of government rather than to press for compensation schemes or legislative changes.
Coordination of posttranslational modifications of bovine brain α-tubulin: Polyglycylation of Δ2 tubulin

Microtubules participate in a large number of intracellular events including cell division, intracellular transport and secretion, axonal transport, and maintenance of cell morphology. They are composed of tubulin, a heterodimeric protein, consisting of two similar polypeptides α and β. In mammalian cells, both α- and β-tubulin occur as seven to eight different genetic variants, which also undergo numerous posttranslational modifications that include tyrosination-detyrosination and deglutamylation, phosphorylation, acetylation, polyglutamylation, and polyglycylation. Tyrosination-detyrosination is one of the major posttranslational modifications in which the C-terminal tyrosine residue in α-tubulin is added or removed reversibly. Although this modification does not alter the assembly activity of tubulin in vitro, these two forms of tubulin have been found to be distributed differently in vivo and are also correlated with microtubule stability (Gunderson, G. G., Kalnoski, M. H., and Bulinski, J. C. (1984) Cell 38, 779–789). Thus, the question arises as to whether these two forms of tubulin differ in any other modifications. In an effort to answer this question, the tyrosinated and the nontyrosinated forms of the α1/2 isoform have been purified from brain tubulin by immunoaffinity chromatography. matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization-time of flight mass spectrometric analysis of the C-terminal peptide revealed that the tyrosinated form is polyglutamylated with one to four Glu residues, while the Δ2 tubulin is polyglycylated with one to three Gly residues. These results indicate that posttranslational modifications of tubulin are correlated with each other and that polyglutamylation and polyglycylation of tubulin may have important roles in regulating microtubule assembly, stability, and function in vivo.
Solubility and activity of high-molecular amine hydrochlorides in organic solvents

Abstract Crystalline long-chain aliphatic primary, secondary and tertiary amine hydrochlorides ranging from C6 to C12 in the alkyl chain were prepared and their solubilities in various non-polar, water immiscible organic solvents determined at 25°. The solubility parameters of amine hydrochlorides evaluated were used to calculate their activity coefficients in a number of solvents on the assumption that the systems satisfy the requirements of the concept of regular solutions. The deviations of systems from ideal behaviour are discussed in terms of molecular association of the solutes. The information is related to solvent extraction studies involving these solutes.
Transportation of neutral solute in deformable, anisotropic, soft tissue

We present a three-dimensional framework for the transport of neutral solute through soft biological tissue, such as the articular cartilage, under different mechanical loading conditions. The tissue is modelled as a mixture of three phases, a hyperelastic, anisotropic solid matrix, an incompressible inviscid fluid and a solute. The formulation accounts for the anisotropic interaction between the solid and the interstitial water and incorporates the interaction between the solute and the solid matrix. Under the proper circumstances, our model simplifies to biphasic theory and classical convection diffusion. We find that the pressure gradient variation plays an important role in the neutral solute transport when the soft tissue is dynamically loaded, because of the low concentration of solute present in cartilage. A linear function is suggested for the ratio of friction coefficient between the solute and solid to the friction coefficient between the interstitial water and solid matrix. After validating our model with the experiments of Quinn et al. [T.M. Quinn, C. Studer, A.J. Grodzinsky, J.J. Meister, Preservation and analysis of nonequilibrium solute concentration distributions within mechanically compressed cartilage explants, J. Biochem. Biophys. Methods 52 (2) (2002) 83-95], a numerical study of different dynamic loading conditions on solute transport is carried out.
Role of Oxidants in Ischemic Brain Damage

Background and Purpose Oxygen free radicals or oxidants have been proposed to be involved in acute central nervous system injury that is produced by cerebral ischemia and reperfusion. Because of the transient nature of oxygen radicals and the technical difficulties inherent in accurately measuring their levels in the brain, experimental strategies have been focused on the use of pharmacological agents and antioxidants to seek a correlation between the exogenously supplied specific radical scavengers (ie, superoxide dismutase and catalase) and the subsequent protection of cerebral tissues from ischemic injury. However, this strategy entails problems (hemodynamic, pharmacokinetic, toxicity, blood-brain barrier permeability, etc) that may cloud the data interpretation. This mini-review will focus on the oxidant mechanisms in cerebral ischemic brain injury by using transgenic and knockout mice as an alternative approach. Methods Transgenic and knockout mutants that either overexpress or are deficient in antio...
On the possibility of a supersonic crack in a crystal lattice

Abstract A simple model of a crystal containing a crack is analyzed to show that the crack velocity, in this model, is not limited to the maximum velocity of waves in the perfect crystal. Supersonic motion in the lattice is possible because of the existence of localized modes that do not exist in a continuum model. The model used here is such that subsonic motion is not possible, but the model is well behaved in the supersonic region and a closed form expression for the velocity-applied stress relation can be derived. The necessary applied stress increases rapidly with velocity, but remains below the perfect lattice breaking stress for finite speeds. The supersonic crack opens into the shape of a wedge whose included angle decreases as the velocity increases. Some arguments are given for believing that the same qualitative results, for the supersonic region, also hold for real crystals.
Estimation of Minimum Market Threshold for Retail Commercial Sectors

Understanding the ability of a local market to support a particular type of establishment is a prerequisite to designing effective development strategies. While several factors contribute to the vitality of the local retail market, the most fundamental factor is the relative size of the market in terms of potential customers. A commonly applied technique to assess the ability of a community to support various business activities is the estimation of demand threshold using simple count data models. However, due to the presence of excessive zeros in the dependent variable, this study uses Hurdle Poisson and Zero Inflated Poisson (ZIP) count data models and estimates demand threshold for twelve retail commercial sectors for 2,201 counties in the U.S. The results show that the demographic characteristics of the county population and its remoteness are significant factors determining the number of establishments in a county. The results from this study may be used by local economic development practitioners and entrepreneurs to retain, promote, and attract retail commercial businesses in the local communities.
Information transmission during intra- and interspecific courtship in Ephestia elutella and Cadra figulilella

Using information theory, courtship posturing in the moths Ephestia elutella(Hubner) and Cadra figulilella(Gregson) was analyzed for information transmission, which was partitioned into autocovariability (intraindividual transmission) and cross-covariability (interindividual transmission). This two-factor analysis was sufficient to account for more than 60% of the behavioral variance in males of E. elutellaand in both sexes of C. figulilelladuring intraspecific courtships; however, there were large residual variances in the behavior of male and female C. figulilelladuring interspecific courtships and in E. elutellafemales during both inter- and intraspecific courtships. In E. elutella,significant levels of transmission were attributable to both inter- and intraindividual effects, whereas in C. figulilella,only autocovariability was high and no interindividual communication could be assigned to courtship postures. Although courtship in these two species was qualitatively very similar and males readily courted nonconspecific females, high levels of reproductive isolation resulted from courtship. Male C. figulilellahad 94% fewer copulations with E. elutellafemales than with conspecific females and E. elutellamales had 78% fewer copulations with C. figulilellafemales than with conspecifics. These reductions were due to a differential response in both females and males, causing inter-specific courtships to be terminated much earlier than intraspecific courtships. This discrimination indicates that interindividual communication was indeed occurring during courtship and was only partially measured by analysis of postures. Thus, communication took place largely in some other modality, most likely the chemical modality, where species specificity is suggested for both male and female pheromones.
Reactions of Hydrated Electron with Various Radicals: Spin Factor in Diffusion-Controlled Reactions

The reactions of hydrated electron (eaq-) with various radicals have been studied in pulse radiolysis experiments. These radicals are hydroxyl radical (•OH), sulfite radical anion (•SO3-), carbonat...
Progesterone treatment to prevent preterm birth.

The publication in 2003 of two large randomised trials of progesterone therapy to prevent preterm delivery has generated renewed interest in this treatment and has added substantial numbers of subjects to previously published small trials. The randomised trials of progestogens have generally shown efficacy in reducing the rate of recurrent preterm delivery in women with singleton pregnancies who were at high risk for preterm labour and delivery. Most of the successful trials have employed 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate, and one trial has reported positive results using progesterone vaginal suppositories. The administration of 17α-hydroxyprogesterone caproate or progesterone suppositories to women with these high-risk pregnancies showed a significant protective effect for preterm birth in six of the seven published trials. No successful trials of progestogens have been reported for women at risk for preterm delivery because of multiple gestations. Trials of progestogens after the occurrence of symptoms of labour have shown them to be ineffective in prolonging pregnancy.
The multiple bottleneck transportation problem

Abstract An extension to the Bottleneck Transportation Problem (BTP) is considered wherein a bottleneck is computed for each demand point. Due to the existence of local optima, solution procedures that have been developed for BTP do not readily apply to the Multiple Bottleneck Problem (MTP). An effective solution technique that uses Lagrangean relaxation methods is described and tested. One of the keys to the algorithm is a unique “double bounding” technique derived from the special structure of MTP.
Characterization of a biological detector cell for quantitation of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate.

Prior strategies to measure inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP(3)) in single cells either have been qualitative or have had a limited spatial resolution. Capillary electrophoresis combined with a biological detector cell has been used to quantitate IP(3) in small regions of a Xenopus oocyte. To improve the detection limits of this method, we elucidated the experimental parameters which influenced the sensitivity and reliability of the IP(3)-detector cell coupled to capillary electrophoresis. The variables which influenced the detector cell were the magnitude of the voltage drop across the detector cell, the duration of this voltage drop, the direction of fluid flow in the capillary, the concentration of free Ca(2+) around the detector cell, and the presence of protease inhibitors during permeabilization of the detector cell. For the sample volumes imposed by the capillary diameter, the detector cell acted primarily as an IP(3) mass detector rather than a concentration detector. Characterization of the experimental variables influencing the sensitivity and reliability of this detector cell has the potential to enhance other analyte measurements performed by mating capillary electrophoresis with a biological detector cell.
Subsequent behavior can erase evidence of dissonance-induced attitude change

Abstract Quattrone (1985) erasure explanation of the often-reported incongruity between internal states and behavior was tested and used to explain why, in previous studies of effort justification in psychotherapy, predicted behavioral effects have occured without evidence for corresponding changes in attitude. Speech-anxious subjects first engaged in a bogus therapy analogue procedure either high or low in effort. They then provided an extemporaneous speech. Attitude toward public speaking was assessed either before or (as in prior research) immediately after the speech. Replicating prior research, High (vs. Low) Effort subjects were able to speak significantly longer. But they reported more positive attitudes about public speaking only when the attitudinal assessment occurred before the speech. Consistent with an erasure explanation, post-speech (but not prespeech) attitude was positively correlated with evaluations of the just-completed speech. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for an effort justification analysis of therapy as well as for an understanding of the problem of incongruity between internal states and behavior.
Structures of HRh(PMe2Ph)4 and HRh(PPh2Me)4

Abstract The mononuclear hydrido complexes HRh(PMe2Ph)4 (1) and HRh(PPh2Me)4 (2) have been prepared and structurally analyzed by X-ray diffraction techniques. The geometry of both compounds consists of a distorted trigonal bipyramidal arrangement of ligands around rhodium. The hydride ligands were not located crystallographically, but were predicted by potential energy calculations to be situated at the axial positions. Crystallographic details: both compounds crystallize in the triclinic space group P 1 . For HRh(PMe2Ph)4 (1): a=11.058(4), b=16.332(4), c=9.530(3) A , α=94.07(2), β=99.37(3), γ=102.21(3)°, V=1662.4(9) A 3 for Z=2; R F -0.0463, R wF =0.0496 for 3550 reflections with I>3δ(I). For HRh(PPh2Me)4 (2): a=13.061(6), b=16.672(7), c=12.150(6) A ; α=107.30(3), β=114.19(3), γ=71.45(4)°, V=2245(2) A 3 for Z=2; R F =0.0482, R wF =0.0488 for 4350 reflections with I>3δ(I).
Voodoo Fascism: Fascist Ideology in Arna Bontemps's Drums at Dusk

Ama Bontemps wrote two novels about slave revolts: Black Thunder (1936) and Drums at Dusk (1939). Virtually unknown in comparison with Bontemps's 1936 retelling of Gabriel Prosser's 1800 slave revolt in Virginia in Black Thunder, Drums at Dusk chronicles the violent opening salvos of the Haitian War of Independence from the perspective of the island's French colonists. Taking a decidedly melodramatic look at bourgeois colonial decadence, Bontemps relates the romantic and revolutionary intrigues of Diron, a young French idealist and member of the Les Amis des noirs, who believes in the universality of the principles of the French revolution. Bontemps conveys the intertwined fates of both brutal and ambivalent slave owners and government officials, as well as a young ingenue newly arrived in Haiti from France and consigned to a life of romantic ennui and eventual physical degradation at the hands of her fellow colonists. Near the end of the novel, as the colonists fall prey to the nameless slave's violent retribution, the aged Toussaint L'Ouverture joins the fray in order to play what amounts to a bit part in Bontemps's novel. Perhaps the reduced role of the black revolutionary hero is one of the reasons that the better known of Bontemps's two novels of slave rebellion is Black Thunder. The Virginian black revolutionary hero Gabriel Prosser of Black Thunder finds no peer in Drums. Perhaps this is also why what little critical work has been done on Drums is driven by a negative comparison with the novel's predecessor. By foregrounding any critical investigation into Drums at Dusk with the question of whether or not the novel presents as positive an image of the black revolutionary hero as does Black Thunder, Bontemps's critics ignore what his foray into Haitian his
Three-dimensional image segmentation and recognition in an intelligent vision system

Research is underway to apply computerized tomography (CT) imaging to hardwood log inspection in the forest products industry. For this purpose, an intelligent vision system is being created that is aimed at locating, identifying, and quantifying the internal defects inside logs by analyzing their CT image data. This inspection system is designed to be wood species independent. It is composed of three components: a CT scanner-based data acquisition system; a low-level module for image segmentation; and a high-level module for defect recognition. Defect quantification is attained by computing the volume and orientation of each defect. This paper discusses the problems of segmenting CT image sequence and 3-D object detection by a rule-based expert system approach. Experimental results with real-world images of different hardwood log species are provided to show the usefulness, efficacy, and robustness of the proposed inspection system. This allows solutions to hardwood log inspection, as well as to problems in other nondestructive testing applications where image analysis plays an important role.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus elicits similar clinical course but differential host transcriptional response in mouse, macaque, and swine infection models

The 2009 pandemic H1N1 influenza virus emerged in swine and quickly became a major global health threat. In mouse, non human primate, and swine infection models, the pH1N1 virus efficiently replicates in the lung and induces pro-inflammatory host responses; however, whether similar or different cellular pathways were impacted by pH1N1 virus across independent infection models remains to be further defined. To address this we have performed a comparative transcriptomic analysis of acute phase responses to a single pH1N1 influenza virus, A/California/04/2009 (CA04), in the lung of mice, macaques and swine. Despite similarities in the clinical course, we observed differences in inflammatory molecules elicited, and the kinetics of their gene expression changes across all three species. We found genes associated with the retinoid X receptor (RXR) signaling pathway known to control pro-inflammatory and metabolic processes that were differentially regulated during infection in each species, though the heterodimeric RXR partner, pathway associated signaling molecules, and gene expression patterns varied among the three species. By comparing transcriptional changes in the context of clinical and virological measures, we identified differences in the host transcriptional response to pH1N1 virus across independent models of acute infection. Antiviral resistance and the emergence of new influenza viruses have placed more focus on developing drugs that target the immune system. Underlying overt clinical disease are molecular events that suggest therapeutic targets identified in one host may not be appropriate in another.
The γ-ray decay properties of analogue states in 52Cr via the reaction 51V(p, γ)52Cr

Abstract The γ-ray spectra emitted following proton capture by 51V were measured as a function of incident proton energy. The γ-ray decay of the states was observed and angular distributions were measured. The measured branching ratios and excitation energies suggest these states in 52Cr are analogues of low-lying states in 52V. Assuming these states to be analogues, the measured mixing ratios, branching ratios and normalized decay rates are compared with shell model calculations. Qualitative agreement with the mixing and branching ratios is obtained but the inclusion of 2 p 1 2 and 1 f 5 2 neutron excitations appears essential if the decay rates are to be described.
Functional Associations of "Trouble Seeing"

The purpose of this study was to determine how vision problems affect health status. The information was collected in 1990 from 2,249 household heads and spouses over 50 years of age during an annual survey of a nationally representative sample that was adjusted for attrition and nonresponse. Vision problems were defined as “trouble seeing (even with glasses or contact lenses).” Health status was measured principally with the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36. Regression analyses found a significant relationship between “trouble seeing” and each of five health-status domains. We conclude that it may not be appropriate to require specific functional limitations as a precondition for cataract surgery and that instruments for measuring functional disabilities related to vision should include more general questions.
Justice and the justification of a social policy: The distribution of primary care physicians

A just distribution of primary care physicians in the United States would be one based on patient need. Given the nature of primary care and the distribution of need for primary care, such a principle would yield a pattern of roughly equal distribution of primary care physicians. A justified policy of distribution must take into account not only considerations of justice but other moral, political and economic considerations. It is argued that in the case of primary care physicians a policy of egalitarian distribution is justified. Methods for implementing such a policy are considered. It is argued that a workable policy must include some restriction on physicians' choice of practice location. A method of implementation is suggested.