cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
TOPSY-TURVY-TRICKSY…BANKSY!

My article centers the discussion on Banksy’s street interventions. It analyzes the world’s most famous street artist, underlining the impact of his artworks on the city and its citizens. Banksy’s street art calls attention to the hypocrisy of political and corporate ownership and to authority over public spaces. Banksy’s stencils and museum interventions encourage interactions, often using timeless symbols and icons, inciting to question existing structures of authority and hegemony, fighting for a redistribution of power. My analysis demonstrates that Banksy’s cultural production is a way of linking street art to beautification and enhancement of the urban environment. In conclusion this study promotes Banksy's imaginative use of locations and public spaces as a way to bring out the wonders of the urban landscape fostering a new urban mindscape.
Simulating policy alternatives for long-term care

The paper briefly describes the genesis of Guy Orcutt's pathbreaking work on micro-simulation models and discusses the use of such models for analyzing public policy options. It then describes a recent study of Long-Term Care for the Elderly by Rivlin and Wiener, which uses a dynamic micro-simulation model. The model provided estimates to the year 2020 of the number of disabled elderly, their personal characteristics and financial resources and how their care is likely to be financed if no policy changes occur. It also yielded estimates of the costs and effects of alternative financing mechanisms, public and private. The model has proved useful in evaluating potentially costly policy options.
Formulation of Polyiodinated Triglyceride Analogues in a Chylomicron Remnant-Like Liver-Selective Delivery Vehicle

Purpose. A formulation methodology for the incorporation of polyiodinated triglyceride (ITG) analogues into a protein-free chylomicron remnant-like emulsion was developed to provide a vehicle for the selective hepatic delivery of these agents for contrast-enhanced X-ray computed tomography (CECT).
The Stokes resistance of an arbitrary particle—III: Shear fields

Abstract A phenomenological scheme is formulated for relating the Stokes hydrodynamic force and torque experienced by a rigid body in an otherwise uniform shear field to the rate of strain dyadic of the latter. The two intrinsic phenomenological coefficients appearing as proportionality factors between vector force and torque and the product of fluid viscosity times dyadic strain rate are shown to be Gibbsian triadics (third-rank tensors) dependent only on the external shape of the particle. The invariant formulation of these two formulae is such that the results are valid for any orientation of the body relative to the principal axes of strain of the fluid. A systematic investigation is presented of the effects of various types of particle symmetry on the properties of these two fundamental tensors. By way of example, both triadics are computed for a slightly deformed spherical particle, employing integral techniques which do not require corresponding knowledge of the detailed solution of Stokes equations.
The Case of Sam: Multidisciplinary Perspectives

Editor's note: The Institute on Psychiatric Services, the annual full meeting of the American Psyehiatric Association, is being held this month in Orlando, Florida. The theme of this year's institute is Multidisciplinary Roles in the 21st Century. To high-light the important contributions of the various mental health disciplines to the provision of psychiatric services, we invited Jeffrey L. Geller, M.D., M.P.H., to write a case summary that would reflect some of the challenges currently faced by multidisciplinary teams, and we then asked mental health professionals from different hackgrounds to contribute case discussions. The discassants are Susan Sprung, L.I.C.S.W., a social worker; Stanley C. McCracken. Ph.D., L.C.S.W., and E. Paul Holmes, psychintrie rehabilitation professionals; Ronald M. Boggio, Ph.D., a psychologist; Mark R. Munetz, M.D., a psychiatrist; CarIos A. Zarate, M.D., a psychopharmacologist; Nazila K. Evans, D.N.Sc., B.N., a psychiatric nurse; and Maryioa Sudders, M.S.W., A.C.S.W. a state mental health commissioner.
The Cargo Preference Act of 1954 and Related Legislation

By the Cargo Preference Act of 1954, Congress reserved for carriage in US-flagged bulk carriers, liners, and tank vessels 50 to 75 per cent of the cargo generated by federal agencies for the account of the U.S. Government or for the benefit of foreign nations. By the Merchant Marine Act of 1970, Congress directed the Department of Transportation to manage the resulting enterprise. Major changes came in the Food Security Act of 1985. This article, a primer on the contemporary legal system of cargo preference in the United States, dissects the current congeries of legislation, regulation and court decision, describes current operations, and fixes a snapshot of the state of the law.
Channel Modeling and MIMO Capacity for Outdoor Millimeter Wave Links

Recent work has shown that mesh networks based on short-range outdoor millimeter (mm) wave links in the unlicensed 60 GHz band are a promising approach to providing an easily deployable broadband infrastructure. In this paper, we investigate the robustness of such links, focusing in particular on the effect of multipath fading resulting from reflections from the ground and building walls for a lamppost deployment of mm wave nodes. Our ray tracing based model shows that, while only a small number of paths are significant for the highly directional links considered, they can cause significant fluctuations in the received signal strength. Our simulations show that 10-20 dB fades below the benchmark of free space propagation can occur quite easily (e.g., 5-15% of the time, averaging across typical deployment scenarios), and that the received power is extremely sensitive to small variations in geometry (e.g., altering the position of the antenna by 1 cm can reduce the received power as much as 46.7 dB). We also demonstrate, however, that extremely robust performance can be obtained by employing multiple antennas at appropriately chosen separations, using standard space-time communications strategies such as transmit precoding (when the transmitter knows the channel) and space-time coding (when the transmitter does not know the channel).
Biologically stable [18F]-labeled benzylfluoride derivatives

Abstract Use of the [ 18 F]-fluoromethyl phenyl group is an attractive alternative to direct fluorination of phenyl groups because the fluorination of the methyl group takes place under milder reaction conditions. However, we have found that 4-FMeBWAY showed femur uptake equal to that of fluoride up to 30 min in rat whereas 4-FMeQNB had a significantly lower percent injected dose per gram in femur up to 120 min. For these and other benzylfluoride derivatives, there was no clear in vivo structure-defluorination relationship. Because benzylchlorides (BzCls) are known alkylating agents, benzylfluorides may be alkylating agents as well, which may be the mechanism of defluorination. On this basis, the effects of substitution on chemical stability were evaluated by the 4-(4-nitro-benzyl)-pyridine (NBP) test, which is used to estimate alkylating activity with NBP. The effect of substitution on the alkylating activity was evaluated for nine BzCl derivatives: BzCl; 3- or 4-methoxy (electron donation) substituted BzCl; 2-, 3-, or 4-nitro (electron withdrawing) substituted BzCl; and 2-, 3-, or 4-chloro (electron withdrawing) substituted BzCl. Taken together, the alkylating reactivity of 3-chloro-BzCl was the weakest. This result was then applied to [ 18 F]-benzylfluoride derivatives and in vivo and in vitro stability were evaluated. Consequently, 3-chloro-[ 18 F]-benzylfluoride showed a 70–80% decrease of defluorination in both experiments in comparison with [ 18 F]-benzylfluoride, as expected. Moreover, a good linear relationship between in vivo femur uptake and in vitro hepatocyte metabolism was observed with seven 18 F-labeled radiopharmaceuticals, which were benzylfluorides, alkylfluorides, and arylfluorides. Apparently, the [ 18 F]-fluoride ion is released by metabolism in the liver in vivo . In conclusion, 3-chloro substituted BzCls are the most stable, which suggests that 3-chloro benzylfluorides will be the most chemically stable compound. This result should be important in future design of radioligands labeled with a benzylfluoride moiety.
AMPA receptors colocalize with neuropeptide-Y- and galanin-containing, but not with dopamine, neurons of the female rat arcuate nucleus: a semiquantitative immunohistochemical colocalization study.

It is well established that excitatory amino acid (EAA) neurotransmission is an essential component in the regulation of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) delivery system. However, the morphological interconnection of these systems is not fully understood. The objective of the present study was to determine whether or not alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors – as indicators of aspartate/glutamatergic innervation – are present in the major neuronal populations, such as the neuropeptide-Y- (NPY), galanin- (GAL) and tyrosine-hydroxylase- (TH) containing neurons of the arcuate nucleus (AN) of the female rat. Colocalization experiments using the "mirror" technique demonstrated that: (1) AN neurons containing GluR1 are also immunoreactive (IR) for GluR2/3; (2) 38.32% of AMPA-IR cells contain NPY and 31.72% of AMPA-containing neurons are also IR for GAL; in turn, 79.41% of NPY- and 56.19% of GAL-containing neurons are IR for AMPA receptors; none of the neurons are IR for both AMPA receptors and TH. These data suggest that an excitatory aspartate/glutamatergic input is implicated in the regulation of the examined neuropeptide-containing AN neurons but not in that of TH-IR cells of the same area.
Experimental study on the lift generation inside a random synthetic porous layer under rapid compaction

Abstract Lift generation in a soft porous medium under rapid compaction is a new concept for porous media flow. This concept is of extraordinarily broad interest since it applies to such diverse problems as the motion of a red cell in a tightly fitting capillary [8] , the lifting forces generated during skiing or snowboarding [22] , and the design of a futuristic train track [18] , [19] , in addition to classical lubrication theory applications [13] , [14] . In this paper, we developed a systematic, experimental approach to examine the pore pressure generation inside a deformable porous medium. To accomplish this task, a novel porous-walled cylinder–piston apparatus was developed. This apparatus was fully instrumented with pressure transducers, an accelerometer and a displacement sensor. Two synthetic fibers with different microstructures and mechanical properties were tested under various, precisely-controlled loading conditions. Enhanced lift was observed for both of them. The results indicated that lift generation inside a compressible porous medium strongly depends on the material properties and loading conditions. Softer material with lower Darcy permeability was able to generate higher pore pressure, although lowering the permeability of a porous medium was usually accompanied by the increase in the solid phase contribution to the total lift and thus led to the decrease in the pore fluid pressure. It was also observed that higher pore pressure was generated if the porous layer thickness was increased. The study presented herein has provided a rigorous approach for experimentally examining the lift generation in a deformable porous medium. It is of significant importance for the designs of rotational squeeze dampers and shock absorbers, as well as for the application of highly compressible porous media for enhanced lubrication.
Globular Clusters in the Andromeda Nebula

THE 200 inch telescope on Palomar Mountain has recently been used for a detailed photometric and spectroscopic study of the globular clusters associated with the Andromeda nebula. This investigation has revealed a number of unexpected differences between the globular clusters in the galaxy and those in M31.
Oceanic crust thickens approaching the Clipperton Fracture Zone

A multi-channel seismic reflection image shows the reflection Moho dipping toward the Clipperton Fracture Zone in crust 1.4 my old. This seismic line crosses the fracture zone at its eastern intersection with the East Pacific Rise. The seismic observations are made in travel time, not depth. To establish constraints on crustal structure despite the absence of direct velocity determinations in this region, the possible effects of temperature, tectonism, and anomalous lithospheric structure have been considered. Conductive, advective, and frictional heating of the old crust proximal to the ridge-transform intersection can explain <20% of the observed travel-time increase. Heating has a negligible effect on crustal seismic velocity beyond ~10 km from the ridge tip. The transform tectonized zone extends only 6 km from the ridge tip. Serpentinization is unlikely to have thickened the seafloor-to-reflection Moho section in this case. It is concluded that, contrary to conventional wisdom, the 1.4 my old Cocos Plate crust thickens approaching the eastern Clipperton Ridge-Transform Intersection. Increase in thickness must be at least 0.9 km between 22 and 3 km from the fracture zone.
Expression and characterization of recombinant Manduca sexta serpin-1B and site-directed mutants that change its inhibitory selectivity

Hemolymph of Manduca sexta contains a number of serine proteinase inhibitors from the serpin superfamily. During formation of a stable complex between a serpin and a serine proteinase, the enzyme cleaves a specific peptide bond in an exposed loop (the reactive-site region) at the surface of the serpin. The amino acid residue on the amino-terminal side of this scissile bond, the P1 residue, is important in defining the selectivity of a serpin for inhibiting different types of serine proteinases. M. sexta serpin-1B, with alanine at the position predicted from sequence alignments to be the P1 residue, was previously named alaserpin. This alanyl residue was changed by site-directed mutagenesis to lysine (A343K) and phenylalanine (A343F). The serpin-1B cDNA and its mutants were inserted into an expression vector, H6pQE-60, and the serpin proteins were expressed in Escherichia coli. Affinity-purified recombinant serpins selectively inhibited mammalian serine proteinases: serpin-1B inhibited elastase; serpin-1B(A343K) inhibited trypsin, plasmin, and thrombin; serpin-1B(A343F) inhibited chymotrypsin as well as trypsin. All three serpins inhibited human cathepsin G. This insect serpin and its site-directed mutants associated with mammalian serine proteinases at rates similar to those reported for mammalian serpins. Serpin-1B and its mutants formed SDS-stable complexes with the enzymes they inhibited. The scissile bond was determined to be between residues 343 and 344 in wild-type serpin-1B and in serpin-1B with mutations at residue 343. These results demonstrate that the P1 alanine residue defines the primary selectivity of serpin-1B for elastase-like enzymes, and that this selectivity can be altered by mutations at this position.
Interferometric spectroscopy using a modified line shape

Abstract The effects of several practical limitations on interferometric spectroscopy are calculated. Use of a realistic line shape, based on the Van Vleck-Weisskopf shape, shows that line width is an important parameter. The neglect of line width and use of monochromatic radiation as a test spectrum is shown to give misleading results. Artificial apodization is shown to be unnecessary for most broad line spectra, where finite line width causes a natural and adequate apodization. The intensity baseline error caused by digitization is estimated.
Recognition and Management of Nonrelaxing Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Nonrelaxing pelvic floor dysfunction is not widely recognized. Unlike in pelvic floor disorders caused by relaxed muscles (eg, pelvic organ prolapse or urinary incontinence, both of which often are identified readily), women affected by nonrelaxing pelvic floor dysfunction may present with a broad range of nonspecific symptoms. These may include pain and problems with defecation, urination, and sexual function, which require relaxation and coordination of pelvic floor muscles and urinary and anal sphincters. These symptoms may adversely affect quality of life. Focus on the global symptom complex, rather than the individual symptoms, may help the clinician identify the condition. The primary care provider is in a position to intervene early, efficiently, and effectively by (1) recognizing the range of symptoms that might suggest nonrelaxing pelvic floor dysfunction, (2) educating patients, (3) performing selective tests when needed to confirm the diagnosis, and (4) providing early referral for physical therapy.
Using an adaptive gene network model for self-organizing multicellular behavior

Using the transient interleukin (IL)-2 secretion of effector T helper (T eff ) cells as an example, we show that self-organizing multicellular behavior can be modeled and predicted by an adaptive gene network model. Incorporating an adaptation algorithm we established previously, we construct a network model that has the parameter values iteratively updated to cope with environmental change governed by diffusion and cell-cell interactions. In contrast to non-adaptive models, we find that the proposed adaptive model for individual T eff cells can generate transient IL-2 secretory behavior that is observed experimentally at the population level. The proposed adaptive modeling approach can be a useful tool in the study of self-organizing behavior observed in other contexts in biology, including microbial pathogenesis, antibiotic resistance, embryonic development, tumor formation, etc.
Mother-daughter dyadic approach for starting preconception counseling at puberty in girls with diabetes.

Abstract Background: Preconception counseling (PC) significantly and inexpensively reduces risks of reproductive-health complications for women with diabetes. Our validated technology-based preconception counseling
Progress report on digital computers

The author examines the evolution of digital computers and the question of whether modern computers are any different in principle and basic architecture from the computers of several decades ago. He describes the basic Von Neumann style, serial computer architecture. He discusses two ways to speed up the performance: overlapping of instruction fetch, decode, and execution, called the principle of pipelining; and partitioning programs into small jobs and executing each job in a separate unit, called parallel processing. A new breed of computing systems that has started to emerge is described. Commonly called artificial neural systems (ANS), they are modeled after biological neural networks. >
Crohn's disease and Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis: The need for a study is long overdue

The initial suggestion that Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (Map) might be involved in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease (CD) was based on the apparent similarity of lesions in the intestine of patients with CD with those present in cattle infected with Map, the etiological agent of Johne's disease (JD). Recent investigations have now revealed the presence of Map or Map DNA in blood or lesions from adults and children with CD. Of special interest, Map has also been found in patients with other diseases as well as healthy subjects. The latter observations indicate all humans are susceptible to infection with Map and that, like with other mycobacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, infection does not invariably lead to development of clinical disease but rather development of a persistent latent stage of infection where an immune response controls but does not eliminate the pathogen. Limited information has been obtained on the immune response to Map in healthy subjects and patients with CD. Understanding how Map may be involved in the pathogenesis of CD will require a better understanding of the immune response to Map in one of its common hosts as well as healthy humans and patients with CD.
Scheduling charter aircraft

We present a system that is used for scheduling charter aircraft. At the core of the system is an elastic set partitioning model that is embedded in a decision support system. The model assigns a set of flights that have to be performed to the available fleets of aircraft at minimal cost while satisfying all operational requirements. Flights that cannot be accommodated by the available fleets are sold off to other operators. The minimised costs include the cost of flying the aircraft, the cost of selling off flights, and penalties on violations of soft constraints. The system has been in daily operation for almost a year, and it provides high quality schedules and saves numerous hours to the schedulers.
On the rheologically critical melt fraction

Abstract With increasing melt fraction (φ), the strength of partially molten granite decreases from a value characteristic of solid, competent rock to a value nearly equal to that of the melt. Previously published mechanical and microstructural data indicate that deformation in partially molten rocks often involves brittle processes. Thus, the pressure in the melt is expected to be important in determining strength. When the volume changes during deformation, strength and fluid flow will be coupled by such parameters as permeability (k), storage capacity per unit volume or storativity (βs), melt compressibility (βf), grain size (d), fluid viscosity (η), and strain rate ( ϵ ). Experiments on brittle rock at low temperatures show that the strain rate at which the internal fluid pressure can be maintained constant is approximately proportional to k/(ηβs). An evaluation of published experimental data suggests that this relation also holds for partially molten granites, indicating that the strength of these rocks depends on their transport properties. Since the permeability is related to φ, below a critical melt fraction (φrcmf), the melt pressure will change if deformation is not iso-volumetric. By assuming a power-law relationship between k and φ, we estimate that φ rcmf ∝( ϵ ηβ f /d m ) 1/(n−1) where m and n relate permeability to grain size and φ, respectively.
Patterned Resonance Plasmonic Microarrays for High-Performance SPR Imaging

We report a novel optical platform based on SPR generation and confinement inside a defined three-dimensional microwell geometry that leads to background resonance-free SPR images. The array shows an exceptionally high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N > 80) for imaging analysis and subnanometric thickness resolution. An angular sensitivity of 1°/0.01 RIU has been achieved and the signal to background ratio (S/B) improves to 20, 1 order of magnitude higher than that of the best literature results. The design proves effective for probing-supported lipid membrane arrays in real time with a thickness resolution of 0.24 nm and allows for imaging analysis of microfluidic circuits where resonant spots are separated by only one pixel (∼7 μm). The high image quality and unique chip geometry open up new avenues for array screening and biomicrofluidics using SPRi detection.
Processing of the Presequence of the Schizosaccharomyces pombe Rieske Iron-Sulfur Protein Occurs in a Single Step and Can Be Converted to Two-step Processing by Mutation of a Single Proline to Serine in the Presequence

Abstract The iron-sulfur proteins of the cytochromebc 1 complexes of Schizosaccharomyces pombe and Saccharomyces cerevisiae contain the three amino acid motif RX(↓)(F/L/I)XX(T/S/G)XXXX(↓) that is typical for proteins that are cleaved sequentially in two steps by matrix processing peptidase (MPP) and mitochondrial intermediate peptidase (MIP). Despite the presence of this recognition sequence theS. pombe iron-sulfur protein is processed only once during import into mitochondria, whereas the S. cerevisiae protein is processed in two steps. Import of S. pombe iron-sulfur protein in which the putative MIP or MPP recognition sites are eliminated by site-directed mutagenesis and import of iron-sulfur protein into mitochondria from yeast mutants that lack MIP activity indicate that one step processing of the S. pombeiron-sulfur protein is independent of those sites and of MIP activity. Sequencing of the mature protein obtained after import in vitro and of the endogenous iron-sulfur protein isolated from mitochondrial membranes by preparative 2D-electrophoresis shows that MPP recognizes a second site in the presequence and processing occurs between residues 43 and 44. If proline-20 of the S. pombe presequence is changed into a serine, a second cleavage step is induced. Conversely, if serine-24 of the S. cerevisiae presequence is changed to a proline, the first cleavage step that is normally catalyzed by MPP is blocked, causing precursor iron-sulfur protein to accumulate. Together these results indicate that a single amino acid change in the presequence is responsible for one-step processing in S. pombe versustwo-step processing in S. cerevisiae.
Future Directions in Automation and Robotics for Manufacturing

The current emphasis on designing flexible manufacturing systems, particularly in the electronics manufacturing industry, is bringing automation and robotics technologies to the factory at increasing rates. The rate of advance in these technologies raises serious concerns among engineers and managers about how to proceed in building modern manufacturing systems. A large portion of this uncertainty results from the difficulty of fitting technological advances into the existing models of manufacturing. What is needed is a new framework within which to perceive automation and robotics which will permit the adoption of more encompassing design strategies and principles to be followed in the practice of modernizing and maintaining advanced electronics manufacturing systems. This paper provides a framework that might be adopted to structure new strategies for incorporating automation and robotics in manufacturing. The approach is one that we at SRI have found useful in considering automation and robotics issues for the NASA Space Station and other complex systems which need to incorporate new technologies throughout long lifetimes. These same issues are becoming increasingly important in electronics manufacturing system design and development.
Arrangement of the rRNA sequences in the rDNA of Lytechinus variegatus

The arrangement of the 26S RNA and 18S RNA sequences of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) from the sea urchin Lytechinus variegatus was investigated by an electron microscopic analysis of R-loops formed between the ribosomal RNA genes and the mature ribosomal RNAs. Ninety-eight percent of observed molecules contained R-loops clearly seen as a three-stranded complex. The size of DNA complementary to mature cytoplasmic 18S and 26S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) was calculated by measuring the double-strand (ds) and single-strand (ss) part of the R-loops separately. The values for the 18S R-loop are 1.75±0.24 kb1 (ss) and 1.56±0.23 kb (ds). The 26S R-loop is 3.34±0.39 kb (ss) and 3.33±0.33 kb (ds). These measurements agree fairly well with the rRNA sizes measured on denaturing sucrose density gradients: 3.23±0.22 kb for the 26S and 1.93±0.10 kb for 18S. The short spacer between the 18S and 26S R-loops is 1.03±0.24 kb and the longer spacer is 5.36±0.53 kb. In long molecules a repeating pattern was observed. The average length of an rDNA repeat unit is 11.33±0.64 kb when computed using double-strand R-loop measurements and 11.50±0.72 when computed using R-loop single-strand lengths.
Role of NK cells and TGF-β in the regulation of T-cell-dependent antibody production in health and autoimmune disease

Natural killer (NK) cells are a third lymphocyte population especially important in innate immunity. NK cells may also have an important role in the regulation of acquired immunity. These lymphocytes spontaneously produce large amounts of both active and latent transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). NK-cell-derived TGF-beta1 enabled activated CD8(+) T cells to inhibit antibody production by blocking the induction of this response. Production of lymphocyte-derived TGF-beta is decreased in systemic lupus erythematosus. Insufficient levels of this cytokine in SLE and other autoimmune diseases may contribute to defective T regulatory cell function characteristic of this and other autoimmune diseases. NK cells are found in mucosal tissues and the TGF-beta spontaneously released by these cells could contribute to the usual tolerogenic response of T cells to antigens presented at these sites. Thus, in addition to its well known immunosuppressive effects, TGF-beta could have an equally important role in the generation of regulatory T cells.
En face demonstration of a prosthetic mitral valve orifice during left ventriculography.

Direct demonstration of the orifice of a prosthetic mitral valve was obtained using an en face projection of the mitral valve during left ventriculography. With a dimensional reference and planimetry, the mitral valve area was directly measured. The value for the mitral valve area derived from en face demonstration of the mitral valve during left ventriculography agreed well with valve area estimates obtained by the Gorlin and Gorlin formula and by direct examination of the surgical specimen.
The role of the printed answer in programmed instruction

Using a variety of programmed materials, this series of studies showed that students observed available answers in the program far less than 100% of the time. Answer observing was found to be correlated with student error on the related frame. The view that the printed answer in a program is always a reinforcer for the preceding response(s) is severely questioned.
Investigating the origin of the high photoconductivity of rubrene single crystals

The rubrene molecular crystal has the unique property of showing a strong photoconductivity for light wavelengths that are close to the absorption edge. We studied the microsecond dynamics of the photoconductivity induced by short light pulses to characterize the way in which photoinduced excitons efficiently ionize to produce free charge carriers. We found that the photoconductivity is produced by carriers released after an average time of $100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$ from a ``reservoir state'' that originates from the photoexcited molecular excitons. The conversion of photoexcited excitons into this reservoir state happens only at the surface of the crystal within a depth of the order of a few micrometers, but in this region close to the surface, a photoexcited molecular exciton has a probability of the order of unity to ultimately lead to a mobile charge carrier. This high carrier photoexcitation efficiency leads to a pronounced shortening of the photocurrent rise time for decreasing wavelength or increasing energy of the excitation pulses because of the effect of quadratic recombination of the photocarriers.
SOIL CARBON DIFFERENCES AMONG FOREST, AGRICULTURE, AND SECONDARY VEGETATION IN LOWER MONTANE ECUADOR

In the lower montane region of northwestern Ecuador, forest clearing for sugar cane and pasture production occurs simultaneously with recolonization of secondary forest vegetation on abandoned agricultural lands. We estimated the loss of forest-derived soil C (light in '3C) and the accumulation of C from replicate sugar cane and pasture vegetation (heavy in '3C) using a stable C isotope technique. We also measured differences in the proportion of soil C derived from C3 and C4 plants across a land-use progression from agricultural fields through successional communities and undisturbed forest. Total soil C was 23 Mg/ha lower in the upper 30 cm following 50 yr of sugar cane production (24% decrease) compared to old-growth forest. The net change (-0.4 Mg.ha-'-yr-') in soil C consisted of 1.3 Mg/ha annual losses of original forest C and 0.9 Mg/ha annual gains of C from sugar cane. After 15 yr beneath pasture, soil C was 11 Mg/ha less in the upper 30 cm than beneath forest (12% decrease). During that period, 33% of the original forest C was lost, compared to 68% released during 50 yr of sugar cane cultivation. Rate of forest C loss, C4-C accumulation, and net soil C change differed little between two distinct pasture types. Setaria sphacelata pasture and a traditional mixed-species pasture both contained more total soil C and added C4-C more rapidly than sugar cane. Under second-growth forest, soil C increased by 1.9 Mg.ha-'.yr-', the result of a 3 Mg/ha annual increase in C3 carbon and a 1.1 Mg/ha annual loss of C4 carbon. The total soil C pool returned to preclearing levels within 20 yr. While widespread reforestation may be thwarted by high demands for land in northwestern Ecuador, agricultural land-use options exist that can contribute to increased soil C stocks.
Note on biological periodicities

The approximation method, recently developed by N. Rashevsky, is applied to a problem of periodic cell reactions, studied exactly in a previous publication. The fundamental features of that previous investigation are thus obtained in a rather simple way.
Pycnogenol inhibits macrophage oxidative burst, lipoprotein oxidation, and hydroxyl radical-induced DNA damage.

AbstractPycnogenol (procyanidins extracted from Pinus maritima) has been reputed as a potent free-radical scavenger and an antioxidant phytochemical. We previously reported that pycnogenol prevents vascular endothelial cells from injury induced by an organic oxidant t-butyl hydroperoxide. In this study, we determined the effects of pycnogenol on (a) oxidative burst of macrophages, (b) oxidation of plasma low density lipoprotein (LDL), and (c) hydroxyl radical-induced breakage of plasmid DNA. Pycnogenol was incubated with J774 murine macrophages at 37°C and 5% CO2 and oxidative burst was triggered by zymosan. The intensity of fluorescence was measured. Pycnogenol exhibited a concentration-dependent inhibition of oxidative burst. CuSO4 was used to oxidize human plasma LDL and the formation of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) was determined. Co-incubation with pycnogenol resulted in a concentration-dependent inhibition of LDL oxidation. Exposure ofpBR322 plasmid DNA to iron/ascorbic acid syste...
Evaluation of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Acid-Labile Subunit as a Potential Biomarker of Effect for Deoxynivalenol-Induced Proinflammatory Cytokine Expression

Abstract Consumption of the trichothecene deoxynivalenol (DON) suppresses growth in experimental animals – an adverse effect that was used to establish the tolerable daily intake for this toxin. DON ingestion has been recently found to suppress plasma insulin-like growth factor acid-labile subunit (IGFALS), a protein essential for growth. Studies were conducted to explore the feasibility of using plasma IGFALS as a biomarker of effect for DON. In the first study, weanling mice were fed 0, 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 ppm DON and weight and plasma IGFALS determined at intervals over 9 wk. Reduced body weight gains were detectable beginning at wk 5 in the 10 ppm dose and wk 7 at the 5 ppm dose. Plasma IGFALS was significantly depressed at wk 5 in the 5 and 10 ppm groups at wk 9 in the 10 ppm group. Depressed IGFALS significantly correlated with reduced body weight at wk 5 and 9. Benchmark dose modeling revealed the BMDL and BMD for plasma IGFALS reduction were 1.1 and 3.0 ppm DON and for weight reduction were 2.1 and 4.5 ppm DON. In the second study, it was demonstrated that mice fed 15 ppm DON diet had significantly less plasma IGFALS than mice fed identical amounts of control diet. Thus DON's influence on IGFALS likely reflects the combined effects of reduced food intake as well as its physiological action involving suppressors of cytokine signaling. Taken together, these findings suggest that plasma IGFALS might be a useful biomarker for DON's adverse effects on growth.
Polymer optical waveguide technology for multichip modules (MCMs) and board level interconnects

We have demonstrated a complete optical data between a pair of optical transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) multichip modules (MCMs) using polymer optical waveguide array as interconnect media. The Tx and Rx MCMs each has three data channels and are fabricated using conventional MCM-C technology. The components used in our MCMs include Honeywell's vertical cavity surface emitting lasers (VCSELs) at wavelength of 850 nm, and other commercial off-the-shelf Si devices such as Si detectors, laser drivers, and amplifiers. The waveguide interconnect is over 4-inch long, and includes both flexible ribbons and board integrated polymer waveguides with passively aligned connectors. The waveguides are finished with 45-degree mirrors at each end facets for interfacing with the VCSELs and the p-i-n detectors in the Tx and Rx modules, respectively. The loss of the overall optical link is less than 10 dB. We have measured a bit-error-rate of less than 10-12 at a data rate of 1 Gbps per channel.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Managerial ability and success: Evidence from the career paths of film directors☆

Abstract We use a unique hand-collected data set covering the entire career path of film directors, who are re-hired (or not) after each and every film project. Film directors manage projects which can cost hundreds of millions of dollars. We examine the inter-temporal dynamics of turnover decisions to disentangle ability revelation from effort incentives and measure the contribution of project managers to project success. We show that the probability of re-hiring is increasing in average returns over an entire career path, rather than just the outcome of the most recent project, supporting an ability revelation interpretation. We also find that promotions are increasing in directors' experience. We create an ability measure for directors, and show that directors can have a significant effect on the financial and critical success of their projects. Our evidence can inform the debate on CEO effects on their firms and projects and contribute to the CEO and executive turnover literature.
Vascular permeability, vascular hyperpermeability and angiogenesis

The vascular system has the critical function of supplying tissues with nutrients and clearing waste products. To accomplish these goals, the vasculature must be sufficiently permeable to allow the free, bidirectional passage of small molecules and gases and, to a lesser extent, of plasma proteins. Physiologists and many vascular biologists differ as to the definition of vascular permeability and the proper methodology for its measurement. We review these conflicting views, finding that both provide useful but complementary information. Vascular permeability by any measure is dramatically increased in acute and chronic inflammation, cancer, and wound healing. This hyperpermeability is mediated by acute or chronic exposure to vascular permeabilizing agents, particularly vascular permeability factor/vascular endothelial growth factor (VPF/VEGF, VEGF-A). We demonstrate that three distinctly different types of vascular permeability can be distinguished, based on the different types of microvessels involved, the composition of the extravasate, and the anatomic pathways by which molecules of different size cross-vascular endothelium. These are the basal vascular permeability (BVP) of normal tissues, the acute vascular hyperpermeability (AVH) that occurs in response to a single, brief exposure to VEGF-A or other vascular permeabilizing agents, and the chronic vascular hyperpermeability (CVH) that characterizes pathological angiogenesis. Finally, we list the numerous (at least 25) gene products that different authors have found to affect vascular permeability in variously engineered mice and classify them with respect to their participation, as far as possible, in BVP, AVH and CVH. Further work will be required to elucidate the signaling pathways by which each of these molecules, and others likely to be discovered, mediate the different types of vascular permeability.
QUANTUM VIRIAL EXPANSION

The usual quantum mechanical cluster expansion in the theory of imperfect gases involves the trace of operators of the form $\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}\frac{{H}_{n}}{\mathrm{kT}})$, where ${H}_{n}$ is the $n$-body Hamiltonian. It is shown here that this expansion is identical with the recently derived cluster expansion in terms of the collision lifetime matrices ${\mathrm{Q}}_{n}(E)$, in which the characteristic terms involve the expressions $\mathrm{Tr}[\mathrm{exp}(\ensuremath{-}\frac{E}{\mathrm{kT}}){\mathrm{Q}}_{n}(E)]$.
Healing patterns of clavicular birth injuries as a guide to fracture dating in cases of possible infant abuse

Background Dating fractures is critical in cases of suspected infant abuse. There are little scientific data to guide radiologists, and dating is generally based on personal experience and conventional wisdom. Objective Since birth-related clavicular fractures are not immobilized and their age is known, we propose that an assessment of these injuries may serve as a guide for dating inflicted fractures in young infants, acknowledging that patterns observed in the clavicle may not be entirely generalizable to other bones injured in the setting of abuse. Materials and methods One hundred thirty-one radiographs of presumed birth-related clavicular fractures in infants between 0 and 3 months of age were reviewed by two pediatric radiologists with 30 and 15 years' experience. Readers were asked to evaluate images based on several parameters of fracture healing, with a focus on subperiosteal new bone formation (SPNBF) and callus formation. SPNBF and callus were each evaluated with regard to presence, thickness and character. Responses were correlated with known fracture ages. Results SPNBF was rarely seen in fractures less than 7 days old and was most often present by 10 days. Callus formation was rarely seen in fractures less than 9 days old and was most often present by 15 days. SPNBF thickness increased with fracture age and the character of SPNBF evolved from single-layered to solid/multilayered. Callus thickness decreased with fracture age and callus matrix evolved from soft to intermediate to hard in character. Conclusion There is an evolution in clavicular fracture healing in young infants that follows a predictable pattern. These findings afford the prospect that predictable patterns of infant clavicular fracture healing can provide an evidence base that may be applicable in cases of suspected infant abuse.
Coverage of the Five-County Miami Valley Region

The feasibility of connecting 19 outlying municipalities in the Miami Valley five-county area into a metropolitan cable network is examined. It is concluded that the use of supertrunk would permit inclusion of Tipp City, Breokvllle, and Germantown, because they lie within a mile or two of the nearest metropolitan cable distri. Carlisle also is dose, but its low populatio density makes it itable for inclusion in the forseeable future. For towns farther from the metropolitan area, the two leading possibilities are convetinal FM microwave equipment, which we assume is used within the metropolitian area as described in "System Designs for the Dayton Metropolitan Area," and the use of local dis on service (LD) microwave equipment now under development.
Thermosensitive multilayer hydrogels of poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) as nanothin films and shaped capsules

We report on nanothin multilayer hydrogels of cross-linked poly(N-vinylcaprolactam) (PVCL) that exhibit distinctive and reversible thermoresponsive behavior. The single-component PVCL hydrogels were produced by selective cross-linking of PVCL in layer-by-layer films of PVCL-NH2 copolymers assembled with poly(methacrylic acid) (PMAA) via hydrogen bonding. The degree of the PVCL hydrogel film shrinkage, defined as the ratio of wet thicknesses at 25 to 50 °C, was demonstrated to be 1.9 ± 0.1 and 1.3 ± 0.1 for the films made from PVCL-NH2-7 and PVCL-NH2-14 copolymers, respectively. No temperature-responsive behavior was observed for noncross-linked two-component films because of the presence of PMAA. We also demonstrated that temperature-sensitive PVCL capsules of cubical and spherical shapes could be fabricated as hollow hydrogel replicas of inorganic templates. The cubical (PVCL)7 capsules retained their cubical shape when temperature was elevated from 25 to 50 °C exhibiting 21 ± 1% decrease in the capsule ...
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS ON THE CALCULATION OF THE UNCERTAINTY EXPONENT AND THE FRACTAL DIMENSION OF BASIN BOUNDARIES

The calculation of the uncertainty exponent as defined in Grebogi et al. [1983] is examined in detail, and it is modified to provide a more robust estimate of the fractal dimension of basin boundaries. Practical considerations of using the uncertainty exponent method are provided.
Efficient Sampling of Ligand Orientations and Conformations in Free Energy Calculations Using the λ-Dynamics Method

The recently developed λ-dynamics free-energy based simulation method was used to study the binding of 10 five-member ring heterocycle derivatives to an artificial cavity created by mutagenesis inside cytochrome c peroxidase. Application of λ-dynamics to this system gives a reasonable estimate of the binding affinity of the ligands. This methodology also provides a means to explore the binding orientations and conformations of the ligands inside the binding pocket much better than does conventional MD. This is due to the scaling of forces inherent in the λ-dynamics method, which lowers the barriers separating different binding modes and conformations. Examination of the λ-dynamics trajectory of the ligands revealed alternative binding orientations and conformations not detected by crystallography. Furthermore, a λ-dynamics simulation starting from random initial orientations, in which some ligands take significantly different orientations as compared with those from the X-ray structure, successfully sampl...
The preparation and properties of some σ-alkyl and σ-aryl derivatives of titanium

Abstract Reactions between chlorotriisopropoxytitanium and either methyllithium or pentafluorophenyllithium have produced σ-methyltriisopropoxytitanium and σ-pentafluorophenyltriisopropoxytitanium, respectively. These organotitanium compounds are very sensitive to moisture and are associated in benzene solution. The synthesis and properties of several titanocene derivatives containing two different σ-bonded organic substituents are also described.
The Midlatitude Resolution Capability of Sea Level Fields Constructed from Single and Multiple Satellite Altimeter Datasets

Abstract A formalism recently developed for determining the effects of sampling errors on objectively smoothed fields constructed from an irregularly sampled dataset is applied to investigate the relative merits of single and multiple satellite altimeter missions. For small smoothing parameters, the expected squared error of smoothed fields of sea surface height (SSH) varies geographically at any particular time and temporally at any particular location. The philosophy proposed here for determining the resolution capability of SSH fields constructed from altimeter data is to identify smoothing parameters that are sufficiently large to satisfy two criteria: 1) the expected squared errors of the estimates of smoothed SSH over the space–time estimation grid must be either spatially and temporally homogeneous to within some a priori specified degree of tolerance or smaller than some a priori specified threshold, and 2) the space–time estimation grid on which smoothed SSH estimates are constructed must satisfy...