cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular association complexes of polymers. Urea and thiourea complexes of high molecular weight poly(ethylene oxide)

Complexes have been formed by mixing urea or thiourea with high molecular weight yoly(ethylene oxide) on a hot roll mill and by precipitation of the complex from benzene solution. The most dramatic method of complex formation, however, is observed when finely divided urea or thiourea is suspended in a benzene solution of poly(ethylene oxide). The complex forms quantitatively, abstracting all the polymer from solution. The rate of complex formation from solid urea or thiourea and poly(ethylene oxide) in solution has been observed, the thiourea complex forming more rapidly than that of urea. This process of formation can be followed by microscopic examination of the suspended urea particles. The crystalline complex appears to form in a ratio of 2 moles of urea or thiourea to 1 mole of oxyethylene monomer unit. The urea complex melts at 143°C. in comparison with the melting point of urea, 132°C., and of poly(ethylene oxide), 65°C. The complex with either urea or thiourea shows distinct x-ray diffraction patterns, and the presence of complex in a poly(ethylene oxide) matrix can be detected both by x-ray diffraction and by stiffness–temperature measurements. Both complexes are water-soluble.
Advertising Expenditures in the Developing World

Relative to market size, would one expect advertising expenditures to be higher or lower in the developing countries as compared with the more developed countries? This paper discusses some features of the marketing environment in the developing countries in order to clarify some of the conceptual issues which advertising raises for optimizing marketing and public policy decisions in the LDCs. In addition, new measures of advertising intensity in less developed and more developed countries are presented. These provide an empirical basis for international comparisons of advertising-sales ratios as between more developed and less developed countries.
Discussion of Consequences of Financial Reporting Failure for Outside Directors: Evidence from Accounting Restatements and Audit Committee Members

Srinivasan examines turnover of outside directors in firms experiencing a restatement. He finds that outside directors (in particular outside members of the audit committee) are more likely to leave the board of a company that completes a restatement and to subsequently lose directorships at other firms. These results are interpreted as evidence of outside directors bearing reputation costs from financial reporting failures. Understanding the reputation consequences for outside directors following a financial reporting failure is an important research question. This type of analysis offers insights into the design of governance structures and possibly the managerial labor market serving an ex post role in disciplining managerial activity. Srinivasan extends the existing research examining whether firms experiencing restatements were characterized by weak governance at the time of the alleged accounting manipulation (e.g., Beasley [1996], Dechow, Sloan, and Sweeney [1996], Farber [2005], Desai, Hogan, and Wilkins [2004], Agarwal and Chadha [2005]). Collectively, this research
The presence or absence of the gamma-activated site determines IFN gamma-mediated transcriptional activation in CAEV promoters cloned from the mammary gland and joint synovium of a single CAEV-infected goat.

Abstract The caprine arthritis encephalitis virus (CAEV) long terminal repeat promoter was cloned and sequenced from mammary gland and carpal joint synovium isolated from a 15.5 year old, CAEV-infected Toggenburg doe with chronic mastitis and carpal arthritis. A deletion of the CAEV gamma activated site (GAS) was identified in the mammary gland but not the synovial isolate. Subsequent promoter-reporter gene construct experiments indicated that the GAS is necessary for interferon γ-mediated promoter activation. Utilizing a molecular clone of the classic isolate CAEV-CO, these findings were corroborated by a set of GAS mutant promoter–reporter constructs with and without the CAEV GAS. Results of experiments with U937 monocyte cell lines stably transfected with molecular clones of CAEV-CO GAS deletion mutants also indicated the GAS is necessary for IFNγ-mediated promoter activation. The mammary gland CAE viral isolate was propagated in caprine peripheral blood mononuclear cells and was assigned the name CAEV-MA. This is the first report describing two CAE viral isolates cloned from different anatomical locations in the same animal with and without the CAEV GAS, and is the first report detailing cytokine-induced CAEV promoter function in a naturally occurring ΔGAS promoter.
Stress-rupture data correlation with generalized regression analysis - An alternative to parametric methods

The applicability of multiple regression analysis techniques to stress-rupture data correlation has been investigated. A generalized interacting variable (GIVAR) method of data correlation is proposed and evaluated. The GIVAR method is compared to 6 parametric methods of data correlation on 20 sets of data. In all cases, the GIVAR method provided the best data correlation. Application of prediction intervals is discussed. The applicability of correlating variables, such as tensile strength and elastic modulus, in addition to temperature and stress, is also discussed.
Molecular structure of monovalent metal cation complexes of monensin.

Abstract The molecular structure of the silver complex of monensin, an antibiotic from Streptomyces cinnamonensis , has been determined by X-ray crystallography. The structure is formed by the monensin wrapping around the silver ion, forming an over-all neutral complex, secured by two hydrogen bonds. The crystal form of the potassium complex is isomorphous with the silver, and the sodium complex, although not isomorphous, is very similar. The nature of the structure of the complex suggests that the biological effects of monensin may well be a consequence of the ability of the antibiotic to make sodium and potassium soluble in lipid portions of cellular structures.
Ultrasound appearance of adenomyosis mimicking adenocarcinoma in a postmenopausal woman

A case of apparent marked thickening of the endometrium with a small fluid collection, mimicking carcinoma, is described. This abnormal sonographic appearance involved a hysterectomy. Gross and microscopic examination showed an extensive adenomyosis
ULα, β, γ X-ray intensities from the alpha decay of 238Pu

Abstract The UL α, β, γ X-ray line intensities produced in the α decay of 38 Pu have been determined. The line intensities are respectively 5.05 × 10 −2 , 7.41 × 10 −2 and 1.48 × 10 −2 X-rays per α decay for the L α , L β , and L γ lines.
Phosphorus efficiency in sunflower cultivars and its relationships with phosphorus, calcium, iron, zinc and manganese nutrition.

ABSTRACT Phosphorus (P) efficiency (shoot dry weight at low P/shoot dry weight at high P) of a cultivar is the ability to produce a high yield in a soil that is limited in that element for a standard genotype. The large variation in P efficiency of different crops provides opportunities for screening crop species that perform well on low phosphorus soil. To explain the differences in P efficiency of sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivars a glasshouse pot experiment was conducted by using P-deficient soil [0.5 M sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3)-extractable P 8.54 mg kg−1] treated with 0 (low P) and 100 mg P kg−1 soil (high P). The relationship between P efficiency and P, calcium (Ca), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), and manganese (Mn) nutrition and anthocyanin accumulation was investigated in ten sunflower cultivars. Phosphorus deficiency resulted in significant decreases in the shoot and root yield. Phosphorus-efficient cultivars have the ability to produce higher yield than the inefficient cultivars in a limited P ...
Research highlights: microfluidics meets big data

In this issue we highlight a collection of recent work in which microfluidic parallelization and automation have been employed to address the increasing need for large amounts of quantitative data concerning cellular function – from correlating microRNA levels to protein expression, increasing the throughput and reducing the noise when studying protein dynamics in single-cells, and understanding how signal dynamics encodes information. The painstaking dissection of cellular pathways one protein at a time appears to be coming to an end, leading to more rapid discoveries which will inevitably translate to better cellular control – in producing useful gene products and treating disease at the individual cell level. From these studies it is also clear that development of large scale mutant or fusion libraries, automation of microscopy, image analysis, and data extraction will be key components as microfluidics contributes its strengths to aid systems biology moving forward.
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzofuran tissue distribution and excretion in guinea pigs

Abstract The tissue distribution and excretion of [14C]2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzofuran (TCDF) in adult male guinea pigs was studied up to 9 days following an iv or po administration (6.0 μg/kg, 0.02 μmol/kg). Greater than 90% of the dose was absorbed after po administration. Tissue concentrations and excreta were examined for [14C]TCDF-derived material for periods ranging from 1 hr to 9 days after administration. Liver, muscle, skin, and adipose tissue were found to be the most important tissues for the distribution of this compound. The highest levels of radioactivity were initially located in the liver and muscle, and then redistributed to the skin and adipose tissue. At 1 day the radioactivity began to be redistributed back to the liver; this second redistribution appeared to be due to the mobilization of fat stores associated with the overt toxicity of TCDF. At all time points, the specific activity of TCDF-derived radioactivity (percentage dose/g tissue) was highest in liver, fat, and adrenals, respectively. The initial phase for the elimination of radioactivity from the liver and muscle had a half-life of 3.9 and 15.7 hr, respectively. Excretion in the urine and feces each accounted for only 6.6 and 6.5% of the dose, respectively, during the 9 days following administration. Greater than 90% of the extracted radioactivity in feces and tissues examined cochromatographed with parent TCDF. However, the radioactivity in the urine did not chromatograph with TCDF and appeared to be a metabolite(s) more polar than TCDF. Studies of the accumulation and distribution of TCDF-derived material after six or more weekly doses of 1 μg/kg TCDF each demonstrated that TCDF is accumulated in liver, adipose tissue, and skin, and that when a body burden of approximately 5.6 to 6.6 μg/kg was attained, the toxicity of this compound was irreversible and resulted in progressive weight loss and death.
Sphaeronellopsis Hebe (Copepoda, Choniostomatidae), a Parasite of the Ostracod, Pseudophilomedes Ferulanus

[Es wird die vollstandige Beschreibung von Sphaeronellopsis bebe (Bowman & Kornicker, 1967) gegeben. Von diesem choniostomatiden Copepoden sind nur 2 Copepoditen bekannt, die in einem Ostracoden, Pseudophilomedes ferulanus Kornicker, 1959, vor der Kuste von North Carolina in 130 m Tiefe gefunden wurden. Die Unterbringung dieses Choniostomatiden in das Genus Sphaeronellopsis und nicht in Sphaeronella, geschieht nur auf Grund des Wirtes., Es wird die vollstandige Beschreibung von Sphaeronellopsis bebe (Bowman & Kornicker, 1967) gegeben. Von diesem choniostomatiden Copepoden sind nur 2 Copepoditen bekannt, die in einem Ostracoden, Pseudophilomedes ferulanus Kornicker, 1959, vor der Kuste von North Carolina in 130 m Tiefe gefunden wurden. Die Unterbringung dieses Choniostomatiden in das Genus Sphaeronellopsis und nicht in Sphaeronella, geschieht nur auf Grund des Wirtes.]
Differences in the low-energy collision-activated dissociation of carboxylate anions from structurally similar prostaglandins: E2, F2α, D2, and DHKF2α

Some intriguing discoveries were made concerning the collision-activated dissociation behavior of the derivatized carboxylate anions of PGE2 and PGF2α. The carboxylate anion [MPFB]− formed from electron-capture negative chemical ionization of the pentafluorobenzyl ester-trimethylsilyl derivative of PGF2α showed little fragmentation under typical collision gas pressures and energies (<2.0 mtorr N2 and <20 eV). In contrast, the daughter spectra of the carboxylate anion of the methoxime-pentafluorobenzyl ester-trimethylsilyl derivative of PGE2 produced many intense fragments under the same conditions.
Characteristics of a two-layer electromagnetically coupled rectangular patch antenna

Experimental results on the characteristics of a two-layer electromagnetically coupled rectangular patch antenna are presented. The variations of pattern shape, 3 dB beamwidth and impedance bandwidth with spacing s between the two layers are studied for s between 0 and 0.37λ0. A relatively high-gain region is found for s between 0.31λ0 and 0.37λ0.
Moderation of the association between parent and adolescent cigarette smoking by selected sociodemographic variables.

Abstract This study examines variation in the associations between cigarette smoking by mother or father and adolescent cigarette smoking by selected sociodemographic characteristics. The study data are from nationally representative samples of adolescents aged 12 to 17 living with their mothers ( n = 4734) and/or fathers ( n = 3176). Mother cigarette smoking was more strongly associated with cigarette smoking by daughters than sons. The association between father cigarette smoking and adolescent cigarette smoking did not vary by adolescent gender. The association between mother or father cigarette smoking and adolescent cigarette smoking did not vary by parent's education, family structure, or adolescent age or race/ethnicity.
Wave Velocities in the Outer Part of the Earth's Mantle

Hitherto, wave velocities V in the earth's interior have been calculated from the travel times t of earthquake waves in shallow shocks computed as a function of the epicentral distances Δ. This procedure fails if at any depth the velocity V decreases with depth at a rate in excess of dV/dr = V/r, where r is distance from the centre. In this case a portion of the travel-time curve is formed by the arrival of diffracted waves; if these are misinterpreted as direct waves, incorrect velocities are found not only for the low-velocity layer, but also (with decreasing errors) for all deeper layers. Moreover, discontinuities may be inferred when none actually exists.
The role of the unblinded sponsor statistician

In clinical trials sponsored by Merck the unblinded statistician is typically an employee of the company. From a pharmaceutical industry perspective, advantages of this approach include ensuring that the unblinded statistician is knowledgeable regarding the experimental treatments, therapeutic area and study objectives; that the quality of the analysis conforms to rigorous standards; and that the allocation schedule, database and interim results are kept confidential. These advantages are felt to outweigh any potential disadvantages.
Interleukin-10 inhibits cytokine synthesis in monocytes stimulated by titanium particles: evidence of an anti-inflammatory regulatory pathway.

The anti-inflammatory mediator interleukin-10 was investigated as a potential inhibitor of pro-inflammatory cytokine release in human peripheral blood monocytes activated with titanium particles. It inhibited the secretion of both tumor necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-6 in a dose-dependent manner, with complete inhibition observed at 2 ng/ml. Co-culture experiments were performed to determine whether this cytokine may have functional importance as an inhibitor of the inflammatory response. When unstimulated lymphocytes and monocytes were co-cultured with titanium-stimulated monocytes, they significantly suppressed the secretion of both interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha. The inhibitory effect of these co-cultured cells could be partially blocked with the addition of an interleukin-10 neutralizing antibody. Interleukin-10 levels were measured in monocyte cultures treated with titanium particles as well as in fresh monocyte cultures treated with conditioned medium from titanium-stimulated monocytes. The latter experiments demonstrated marked stimulation of interleukin-10 secretion in conditioned medium-treated cultures, an effect that was related to the presence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in the conditioned medium. The addition of titanium to conditioned medium-treated cultures markedly reduced the secretion of interleukin-10, suggesting that the most responsive cells are unstimulated monocytes exposed to agents released from activated monocytes. Altogether, the expression and responsiveness to interleukin-10 suggest a potential role for anti-inflammatory cytokines in regulation of the inflammatory response to wear debris.
Comparison of the MSL synoptic pressure patterns of the Arctic as observed and simulated by the GISS General Circulation Model

The observed daily pressure fields over the Arctic are compared with those obtained from a control run of the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) General Circulation Model using a classification typing procedure developed by Kirchhofer (1973) and a rotated principal components analysis for both data sets. The simulated patterns appear quite realistic in both frequency and geographical characteristics, although the model data show greater extremes and more closed cells. The procedure described provides a potentially useful method for evaluating the synoptic representativeness of GCM simulations.
The response of the planarian Dendrocoelum lacteum to an increase in light intensity.

Abstract Dendrocoelum is said to respond to an increase in light intensity by an increase in its rate of change of direction (r.c.d.). An infrared viewing technique was used to observe and record, on 16-mm film, the response of dark adapted Dendrocoelum to sudden increase in light intensity of 1 lux. The planarians moved faster, turned through bigger angles, and turned more frequently: the response has both ortho-and klino-kinetic components. The increase in the speed of gliding was maintained after the r.c.d. had fallen back to its original level. Dendrocoelum reacted to intensities as low as 10 −5 lux, and at these intensities they moved faster and turned more frequently but the mean angle of turn decreased: there was a fall in r.c.d. The results are discussed in relation to Ullyott's earlier work and shock reactions.
Combination chemotherapy of advanced non-oat cell carcinoma of the lung.

A controlled clinical trial comparing combination chemotherapy was performed in 147 patients with advanced inoperable non-oat cell bronchogenic carcinoma. All patients were stratified according to cell type, performance status, and extent of disease. They were then randomized to one of two combination treatment regimens selected by cell type. In epidermoid carcinoma, the combination of CCNU, methotrexate, and adriamycin was found to be more effective than 5-fluorouracil and procarbazine both in terms of objective response rate (19% vs. 0%) and survival. Two patients (4%), one with extensive disease, are alive in complete remission for 424 + and 540 + days. In adenocarcinoma of the lung the combination of CCNU, cyclophosphamide, and methotrexate was more effective than 5-fluorouracil and adriamycin with objective response of 25% vs. 15% and improved median survival. Neither the combination of cyclophosphamide and adriamycin, or the combination of CCNU, procarbazine, and 5-fluorouracil had demonstrable activity in large cell carcinoma of the lung. Responders, both objective responders and stable responders, lived longer than patients with progressive disease among all histological types. The achievement of a complete remission appears to be necessary for significant survival prolongation in epidermoid carcinoma. Previous treatment did not influence response or survival. Extent of disease and performance status in addition to cell type influenced response and survival and patients with advanced lung cancer should be stratified according to these variables. Patients who were ≥50% bedridden rarely responded to treatment and had a significantly (p < .005) shorter survival.
Traffic management: An outlook

Traffic congestion is caused by inefficient road operations and by excess demand. Inefficient traffic control is pervasive. Most urban streets and freeways do not have an adequate traffic sensing infrastructure, so one does not know how much congestion there is, its cause, or whether congestion mitigation projects have met the expected improvement. In the absence of adequate information, neither road operators nor travelers can gauge how poorly the road system is operated. Because the traffic changes randomly, the road system should be managed by effective feedback control of signals at intersections and at on-ramps. These control techniques are well known, and they have been successfully adopted in isolated road networks in different parts of the world. The investment in sensing needed to implement these control techniques is trivial compared to the benefits of an efficiently operated road system. But management is not able to quantify road system performance or how much improvement is possible and at what cost. Excess demand can be eliminated by appropriate incentives, including pricing. But empirical analysis of popular approaches such as HOV and HOT lanes suggests that they are ineffective unless the freeways are also efficiently managed. New ITS technologies, such as ‘integrated corridor management’ systems, while promising in theory, are likely to fail in the absence of a comprehensive traffic measurement system. More valuable might be initiatives that seek to shift modes away from private auto, adding bicycle and bus lanes, ridesharing, and telecommuting. Most of the data used in this analysis is from California.
Interpolation of nonlinear partial differential operators and generation of differentiale evolutions

Abstract By interpolating between Sobolev spaces we find that many partial differential operators become continuous when restricted to a sufficiently small domain. Hence some techniques from the theory of ordinary differential equations can be applied to some p.d.e.'s. Using these ideas, we study a class of nonlinear evolutions in a Banach space. We obtain some very simple existence and continuous dependence results. The theory is applicable to reaction-diffusion equations, dispersion equations, and hyperbolic equations before shocks develop.
Sensitivity of surface passivation and interface quality in IBC-SHJ solar cells to patterning process

The effect of the back surface patterning process on solar cell performance is evaluated for an interdigitated back contact silicon heterojunction (IBC-SHJ) structure. Three different patterning processes, two step photolithography, two step photolithography with laser fired base contact, and one step photolithography are investigated, allowing independent evaluation of the interfaces between the intrinsic amorphous silicon (i.a-Si:H) layer that passivates the c-Si and p- and n-a-Si:H layers. The fill factor of the IBC-SHJ solar cell critically depends on the quality of i/p a-Si:H interface, while the open circuit voltage is governed by the surface passivation quality of the entire back surface.
Metabolism of N:N-dialkyl carbamates and related compounds by rat liver.

Abstract N:N-Dimethyl- p -nitrophenyl carbamate is metabolized by an enzyme or enzyme system of rat liver microsomes which requires TPNH and oxygen. The resulting product can be extracted into organic solvents and decomposes in strong acid to yield formaldehyde. Its stability in alkali is intermediate between that of the substrate and N-methyl- p -nitrophenylcarbamate. It is formed in vivo by rats and probably by certain insects. The rate at which this or similar systems, in vitro , will attack analogs of N:N-dimethyl- p -nitrophenyl carbamate with different alkyl groups is considerably reduced when the alkyl groups are longer than ethyl. These enzyme systems are inhibited by β-diethylaminoethyl diphenylpropyl acetate (SKF 525-A), by the methylene dioxyphenyl compounds, piperonyl butoxide and sesamex, and by N-octyl bi cyclo heptane dicarboximide. The metabolism of twenty-five N:N-dimethyl carbamates and twenty-three related compounds was investigated. Isolan metabolism was evident when followed both by the formation of formaldehyde-yielding material and reduction in the ability to inhibit cholinesterase in vitro . Metabolism of certain other carbamates gave formaldehyde-yielding materials without loss in cholinesterase-inhibiting activity.
Effects of Context on Preschool Children's Judgments.

Abstract Forty S s, aged 4–5 yr, rated 10 target stimuli (pictures of individual infants and young children) on a 5-point “unhappy-happy” continuum. Alternating with these ratings were blocks of exposures to 10 other pictures, half the S s viewing “unhappy” and the remaining S s viewing “happy” faces. The target stimuli were “ambiguous” with reference to the rating dimension in question. The designations of stimuli as “unhappy”, “happy”, and “ambiguous” were based on previously obtained adult ratings. The major finding was that S s exposed to “unhappy” pictures rated the target stimuli as more happy than did those exposed to “happy” pictures. This result was viewed as being analogous to the contrast effect , as discussed by specialists concerned with judgment processes in adults. Some systematic relationships among the ratings of the target stimuli made by the two groups of children and by the adult judges were noted.
The Future of Fishing: An Introduction to the Special Issue

Trends in fisheries and wildlife-based recreation are important to state management agencies, as license sales and federal excise taxes placed on hunting and fishing equipment provide a major sourc...
The cat flea: biology, ecology and control

Abstract Control failures and recurrences of infestation of dogs, cats and their home environment with the cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis are common. Attempts to control these infestations are often impaired by an inadequate understanding of the interaction of the cat flea with its hosts and environment. This review presents information on the medical and veterinary importance of the cat flea and discusses recent information on the environmental and host factors that effect its development and survival. Additionally, information is presented on the use and effectiveness of various insecticides and insect growth regulators against the four life stages.
Topology of level crossings

Abstract The topological nature of the phase space of complex systems characterized by collective and intrinsic degrees of freedom gives rise to monopoles which are distinct from those associated with the diabolical points of the Hamiltonian. From the properties of the dynamics, we find no dissipation, and in general chaos, real valued su(n) representations, as well as other peculiar phenomena.
Casing Convective Heat Transfer Coefficient and Reference Freestream Temperature Determination Near an Axial Flow Turbine Rotor

The present study explains a steady-state method of measuring convective heat transfer coefficient on the casing of an axial flow turbine. The goal is to develop an accurate steady-state heat transfer method for the comparison of various casing surface and tip designs used for turbine performance improvements. The freestream reference temperature, especially in the tip gap region of the casing, varies monotonically from the rotor inlet to rotor exit due to work extraction in the stage. In a heat transfer problem of this nature, the definition of the freestream temperature is not as straightforward as constant freestream temperature type problems. The accurate determination of the convective heat transfer coefficient depends on the magnitude of the local freestream reference temperature varying in axial direction, from the rotor inlet to exit. The current study explains a strategy for the simultaneous determination of the steady-state heat transfer coefficient and freestream reference temperature on the smooth casing of a single stage rotating turbine facility. The heat transfer approach is also applicable to casing surfaces that have surface treatments for tip leakage control. The overall uncertainty of the method developed is between 5% and 8% of the convective heat transfer coefficient.
Free vibration of a paraboloidal shell of revolution including shear deformation and rotary inertia

The governing strain-displacement and curvature-displacement equations for paraboloidal shells including shear deformation and rotary inertia are solved for free vibration of closed shells. The finite element method is used to obtain three-dimensional frequency of vibration solutions for a variety of boundary conditions, free, fixed and simply supported. Assumptions concerning the circumferential vibrational behavior are incorporated that reduce the analysis to a single coordinate and the element shape function is formulated using the meridional coordinate. The results for frequency of vibration compare favorably with the available literature. Selected results for frequency of vibration are presented in tabular form for several shell parameters, including free, pinned and fixed boundary conditions. Representative mode shapes are plotted for a fixed boundary condition.
Exploring phenotype space through neutral evolution

RNA secondary-structure folding algorithms predict the existence of connected networks of RNA sequences with identical secondary structures. Fitness landscapes that are based on the mapping between RNA sequence and RNA secondary structure hence have many neutral paths. A neutral walk on these fitness landscapes gives access to a virtually unlimited number of secondary structures that are a single point mutation from the neutral path. This shows that neutral evolution explores phenotype space and can play a role in adaptation.
Immunologic activation of human syncytiotrophoblast by Plasmodium falciparum.

Malaria during pregnancy is characterized by the sequestration of malaria-infected red blood cells (iRBC) in the intervillous spaces of the placenta, often accompanied by the infiltration of maternal mononuclear cells, causing substantial maternal and foetal/infant morbidity. The iRBC bind to receptors expressed by the syncytiotrophoblast (ST). How ST responds to this interaction remains poorly understood. Because it is known that ST is immunoactive and can respond to infectious agents, the consequences of this ST-iRBC interaction should be investigated. An in vitro system was used to assess the biochemical and immunological changes induced in ST by ST-adherent iRBCs. Changes in ST mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation were assessed by immunoblotting and mRNA expression levels of selected cytokine and chemokines in primary ST bound by iRBC were determined using real-time, reverse transcription PCR. In addition, secreted cytokine and chemokine proteins were assayed by standard ELISA, and chemotaxis of PBMC was assessed using a two-chamber assay system. Following iRBC/ST interaction, ST C-Jun N-terminal kinase 1 (JNK1) was activated and modest increases in the mRNA expression of TGF-β and IL-8/CXCL8 were observed. In addition, this interaction increased secretion of MIF and MIP-1α/CCL3 by ST and induced migration of PBMC towards iRBC-stimulated ST. Results from this study provide the first evidence that ST participates in shaping the local immunological milieu and in the recruitment of maternal immune cells to the maternal blood space during placental malaria infection.
What explains the relation between family poverty and childhood depressive symptoms

The relation between low socioeconomic status (SES) and depression has been well documented in adult populations. A number of studies suggest that family SES may be associated with depression among children and adolescents as well, although the evidence is mixed. We assessed the relation between family income and depressive symptoms among 457 children aged 11-13 years and examined pathways that may explain this relation. In-person interviews of children and their caregivers were conducted, including assessment of family income and administration of the Computer-based Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children (C-DISC). Family income was significantly associated with depressive symptoms, with children in the lowest income group ( or = $75,000; p<0.001). Controlling for the number of stressful life events experienced in the past 6 months attenuated the effect of low family income on depressive symptoms by 28%. Indicators of the family environment explained 45% and neighborhood median household income and aggravated assault rate explained 12% of the relation. The family environment, including parental divorce or separation and perceived parental support, appears to explain most of the relation between low family income and childhood depressive symptoms. Further exploration of the pathways between family SES and depression may suggest potential interventions to reduce the occurrence and persistence of depressive symptoms in children.
Differential roles of TNFR1 and TNFR2 signaling in adult hippocampal neurogenesis.

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFα) is a potent inhibitor of neurogenesis in vitro but here we show that TNFα signaling has both positive and negative effects on neurogenesis in vivo and is required to moderate the negative impact of cranial irradiation on hippocampal neurogenesis. In vitro, basal levels of TNFα signaling through TNFR2 are required for normal neural progenitor cell proliferation while basal signaling through TNFR1 impairs neural progenitor proliferation. TNFR1 also mediates further reductions in proliferation and elevated cell death following exposure to recombinant TNFα. In vivo, TNFR1−/− and TNFα−/− animals have elevated baseline neurogenesis in the hippocampus, whereas absence of TNFR2 decreases baseline neurogenesis. TNFα is also implicated in defects in neurogenesis that follow radiation injury but we find that loss of TNFR1 has no protective effects on neurogenesis and loss of TNFα or TNFR2 worsened the effects of radiation injury on neurogenesis. We conclude that the immunomodulatory signaling of TNFα mediated by TNFR2 is more significant to radiation injury outcome than the proinflammatory signaling mediated through TNFR1.
ADRENOCORTICAL INFLUENCES ON GROWTH OF REPRODUCTIVE STRUCTURES OF THYMECTOMIZED AND SHAM-THYMECTOMIZED RATS.

It was previously demonstrated that sham thymectomy, but not thymectomy, retarded the growth of ventral prostate glands and seminal vesicles of Long-Evans rats subjected to surgery at 44–46 days of age and autopsied 3 weeks later. Unilateral adrenalectomy abolished the observed differences between thymectomized and sham-thymectomized rats by preventing the retardation. Administration of cortisone acetate (Cortogen) led to reduction in weight of secondary reproductive structures of unoperated, shamthymectomized and thymectomized rats. Prostate glands and seminal vesicles of cortisone- treated thymectomized rats were significantly heavier than those of cortisone-treated sham-thymectomized rats. It is suggested that the thymus gland may influence both the adrenocortical response to stress and the secondary changes which follow enhanced secretion of corticosteroids. (Endocrinology 75: 167, 1964)
Investigations of adsorption on Pt and Rh by laser-induced desorption

The adsorption, desorption, equilibrium, and diffusion behavior of NO, CO, and H2 on Pt(111) and Rh(111) have been investigated using laser‐induced thermal desorption. A pulsed infrared laser beam is focused onto a single‐crystal surface, causing very rapid heating (∼1010 K/s) and nearly instantaneous desorption of surface species which are detected with a quadrupole mass spectrometer. Isosteric heats of adsorption of NO and CO are found to decrease as the coverage increases from 26±2 to 12 kcal/mol and from 32±2 to 16 kcal/mol, respectively. By combining the equilibrium and adsorption data, preexponential factors for desorption are found to decrease by a factor of 107 near saturation. Surface diffusion of deuterium and hydrogen on Pt(111) varies strongly with coverage. As the initial surface coverage θ of deuterium is varied from 0.001 to 0.33, the diffusion activation energy Ediff falls from 12 to 7 kcal/mol, and the preexponential factor D0 falls from 3×104 to 0.5 cm2/s. Concentration profiles measured...
Two-dimensional colloidal crystal corrugated waveguides

We demonstrate, for what is to our knowledge the first time, two-dimensional (2D) corrugated waveguides at optical wavelengths obtained by use of 2D colloidal crystals. We report experimental studies of light coupling into and out of the waveguide structure. The diffracted light shows interesting optical properties that exist only in such 2D grating structures. Field distribution of the fundamental mode in the structure is studied by use of a simplified model in our analysis. Potential applications of this type of structure are discussed.
Critical Points and Supersymmetric Vacua I

Supersymmetric vacua (‘universes’) of string/M theory may be identified with certain critical points of a holomorphic section (the ‘superpotential’) of a Hermitian holomorphic line bundle over a complex manifold. An important physical problem is to determine how many vacua there are and how they are distributed, as the superpotential varies over physically relevant ensembles. In several papers over the last few years, M. R. Douglas and co-workers have studied such vacuum statistics problems for a variety of physical models at the physics level of rigor [Do,AD,DD]. The present paper is the first of a series by the present authors giving a rigorous mathematical foundation for the vacuum statistics problem. It sets down basic results on the statistics of critical points ∇s=0 of random holomorphic sections of Hermitian holomorphic line bundles with respect to a metric connection ∇, when the sections are endowed with a Gaussian measure. The principal results give formulas for the expected density and number of critical points of fixed Morse index of Gaussian random sections relative to ∇. They are particularly concrete for Riemann surfaces. In our subsequent work, the results will be applied to the vacuum statistics problem and to the purely geometric problem of studying metrics which minimize the expected number of critical points.
Developing of an Ontological Focused-Crawler for Ubiquitous Services

This paper proposes the use of several ontological techniques to provide a semantic level solution for a search agent so that it can provide fast, precise, and stable search results in ubiquitous information environments. An ontological focused-crawler had been developed according to these techniques, which can benefit both user requests and domain semantics. Equipped with these techniques, the crawler can manifest the following interesting features: ontology-supported construction of Website models, Website models-supported Website model expansion, and Website models-supported Webpage retrieval.
The Contexts of Control: Information, Power, and Truck-Driving Work

This article examines the implications of electronic monitoring systems for organizational information flows and worker control, in the context of the U.S. trucking industry. Truckers, a spatially dispersed group of workers with a traditionally independent culture and a high degree of autonomy, are increasingly subjected to performance monitoring via fleet management systems that record and transmit fine-grained data about their location and behaviors. These systems redistribute operational information within firms by accruing real-time aggregated data in a remote company dispatcher. This redistribution results in a seemingly incongruous set of effects. First, abstracted and aggregated data streams allow dispatchers to quantitatively evaluate truckers’ job performance across new metrics, and to challenge truckers’ accounts of local and biophysical conditions. Second, even as these data are abstracted, information about truckers’ activities is simultaneously resocialized via its strategic deployment into truckers’ social relationships with their coworkers and families. These disparate dynamics operate together to facilitate firms’ control over truckers’ daily work practices in a manner that was not previously possible. The trucking case reveals multifaceted pathways to the entrenchment of organizational control via electronic monitoring.
The Tools of Argument: How the Best Lawyers Think, Argue, and Win

This is the preface and conclusion of a new book on legal argument. The book is designed to provide instruction in core legal analytical techniques, and concepts of procedure, interpretation, reference to precedent, evidence, etc. It shows how these techniques are used in legal practice, as well as in non-legal discourse.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is the leading cause of death as a result of unintentional poisoning in the United States. CO toxicity is the result of a combination of tissue hypoxia-ischemia secondary to carboxyhemoglobin formation and direct CO-mediated damage at a cellular level. Presenting symptoms are mostly nonspecific and depend on the duration of exposure and levels of CO. Diagnosis is made by prompt measurement of carboxyhemoglobin levels. Treatment consists of the patient's removal from the source of exposure and the immediate administration of 100% supplemental oxygen in addition to aggressive supportive measures. The use of hyperbaric oxygen is controversial.
Judgments of Significant Others and Self-Concept of Students from Developing Nations

Summary Three views of self-concept as perceived by students (N = 1897) from developing nations at selected U.S. universities were examined with regard to their academic performance, their intelligence, and their physical appearance: that held by friends in their home countries as perceived by the students (one set of significant others); that held by U.S. students as perceived by the S s (another set of significant others); and that held by the S s themselves. In all three aspects of self, the S s perceived the image of themselves held by friends in their home countries as highest, that held by U.S. students as lowest, and that held by themselves ranking between the two. Additional variations in their perception of the self-concept were found in terms of their student classification, sponsorship, sex, and country of origin.
Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to Clostridium tertium

Abstract A cirrhotic patient developed spontaneous bacterial peritonitis due to Clostridium tertium . A clinical and bacteriologic cure was achieved with cefoxitin. Although anaerobic bacteria are uncommonly isolated from ascitic fluid in cases of spontaneous peritonitis, they should be sought, in order to assure appropriate antimicrobial therapy.
Error Detecting and Correcting Binary Codes for Arithmetic Operations

The most important property of the codes derived in this paper is that two numbers, i and j, have coded forms, C(i) and C(j) that when added in a conventional binary adder, give a sum C(i)+C(j) that differs from C(i+j), the code for the sum, by (at most) an additive constant. This makes possible the detection and/or correction of errors committed by the arithmetic element of a computer. In addition, messages can be coded and decoded and errors can be detected and corrected by arithmetic procedures, making it possible to elininate some or all of the special-purpose equipment usually associated with error-detecting or correcting codes. This property may make these codes useful for data transmission as well as for computation.
Multiscale Computation for Nano/Micromaterials

This paper presents a multiscale field theory and its applications in modeling and simulation of atomistic systems. The theoretical construction of the multiscale field theory is briefly introduced. A single crystal is discretized into finite-element mesh as if it is a continuous medium. However, each node is a representative unit cell, which contains a specified number of distinctive atoms. Ordinary differential equations for each atom in all nodes are obtained. Material behaviors of a given atomistic system at nano/microscale, subject to the combination of mechanical loadings, electromagnetic field, and temperature field, can be obtained through numerical simulations. Sample problems on wave propagation and simple tension have been solved to demonstrate the advantage and applicability of this multiscale field theory.
Urinary 3-methylhistidine/creatinine ratio as a clinical tool: Correlation between 3-methylhistidine excretion and metabolic and clinical states in healthy and stressed premature infants

We have investigated the role of the urinary 3-methylhistidine (3MH) excretion, a measure of protein catabolism, in the evaluation of the metabolic state of premature infants. Two-hundred and twenty-two 24 hr urine collections and 3MH/Cr ratio determinations (expressed as mumoles of 3MH per mg creatinine) were carried out in 36 infants (average gestational age 32.7 +/- 0.7 wk, weight 1640 +/- 120 grams) and the relationship between the 3MH/Cr ratios and the metabolic and clinical state has been investigated. Five or more 3MH/Cr measurements were carried out on each of 19 infants and serial determinations on four of those babies are presented. The urinary 3MH/Cr ratio of healthy infants with adequate caloric intake and normal growth curve was .148 +/- .039 (S.D.) mumol/mg, about 35% higher than the 3MH/Cr ratio in healthy adults. As long as the premature infants were healthy the degree of prematurity had no effect on the 3MH/Cr ratio. The relationship between 3MH/Cr ratio and nitrogen balance was highly significant (p less than .001). 3MH/Cr ratio also correlates very well with the metabolic status of the infants: in the group with normal 3MH/Cr ratios less than or equal to .175 (.148 + 1 S.D., n = 90) there were four clinically stressed infants (4.4% false negative rate) while in the group with elevated 3MH/Cr ratios greater than .225 (.148 + 2 S.D.; n = 79) there were only three clinically well infants (3.8% false positive rate). In comparing the clinical status and 3MH/Cr ratios, we found that in the group of infants who could not be clearly defined as clinically well or stressed (n = 108) the 3MH/Cr ratio was more useful than clinical judgment in the prediction of metabolic status. It can be concluded that 3MH/Cr ratio is a potentially useful clinical tool which describes with high accuracy the clinical and metabolic status of premature infants. This conclusion is further supported by the data of serial 3MH/Cr determinations.
Social class and workers’ rent, 1983–2001☆

Abstract Sociologists and economists continue to seek explanations for the growth of earnings inequality since the late 1970s. In this article, we draw upon the structural tradition of labor market analysis in sociology in order evaluate the conjecture that selective rent destruction is a source of the recent increase in earnings inequality. In empirical analysis of the Outgoing Rotation Groups of the Current Population Surveys from 1983 to 2001, we demonstrate that (1) the earnings of workers at the bottom of the class distribution have declined relative to the earnings of those at the top and (2) the variance of wage premia associated with employment in alternative industries has declined relatively more for those at the bottom of the class distribution. Adopting the position from both the sociology and labor economics literatures that these industry wage premia are reasonable measures of industry rents, we conclude that the results support the rent destruction conjecture and, by implication, that structural models of labor markets can explain some of the increase in earnings inequality.