cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Broad range of adverse cutaneous eruptions in patients on TNF‐alpha antagonists

Biologic therapies targeting tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha have become a mainstay in the management of a number of autoimmune diseases. We report a series of adverse skin eruptions in six patients (four females, two males, age: 21–58 years, mean: 39) receiving 4 months to 10 years (mean 3.1 years) of anti-TNF-alpha therapies (infliximab, n = 4; adalimumab, n = 1 or etanercept, n = 1). The following drug-associated diagnoses were made in eight skin biopsies performed at Massachusetts General Hospital between 3/2007 and 10/2010: pustular folliculitis, psoriasis, interface dermatitis, neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis, Sweet's syndrome, lupus, vasculitis and palmoplantar pustulosis. The descriptions of neutrophilic eccrine hidradenitis-like and Sweet's-like hypersensitivity eruptions induced by anti-TNF-alpha therapies are the first such cases described in the literature. Each cutaneous eruption improved or resolved with switching to a different TNF-alpha inhibitor, discontinuation of the anti-TNF-alpha agent, and/or topical or systemic steroids. There was a clear chronologic relationship with, and clinical remission upon withdrawal or steroid suppression of the anti-TNF-alpha agents. The mechanism for such diverse cutaneous eruptions among this class of medications remains poorly understood. The cutaneous adverse reaction profile of TNF-alpha inhibitors is broad and should be considered in the histopathologic differential in this clinical setting. Hawryluk EB, Linskey KR, Duncan LM, Nazarian RM. Broad range of adverse cutaneous eruptions in patients on TNF-alpha antagonists.
Optimal control in immunodominance

During the adaptive immune response, the vertebrate immune system preferentially targets a select handful of amino acid sequences, or epitopes, from hundreds that are presented by the invading pathogen. This extremely focused targeting behavior is known as immunodominance and appears to be critically important in the functioning of the adaptive immune response. Presently, however, immunodominance is a poorly understood natural phenomenon. This paper investigates a class of mathematical models for immunodominance. These models take the form of multivariable optimal control problems with control constraints and free terminal time. Theoretical analysis is conducted to establish singular controls for several cases. For biologically reasonable parameter values, the results indicate that immunodominance is the optimal choice of the immune system.
Incisor avulsion, social identity and Saharan population history: New data from the Early Holocene southern Sahara

After an extended occupation hiatus the Sahara Desert was re-populated during the Early Holocene humid phase, a process that likely involved groups from multiple distinct source populations in northern Africa. Previous research has used material culture and craniometric analyses to infer population movements into and throughout the Sahara. Here, we present new data on Saharan population history using an independent data type: the presence and pattern of incisor avulsion, documented for the first time at sites in the southern Sahara Desert. At Gobero (Republic of Niger) both males and females were affected with no side or arcade preference. The frequency of affected individuals did not change through time; however the practice became exclusively male-focused and expanded to include the lateral incisors during the Middle Holocene. Comparison of the pattern and prevalence of avulsion at key Late Pleistocene sites from throughout northern Africa indicates the practice was restricted to the Maghreb. Our interpretation of these data suggests some Maghrebi migrants re-settled the southern Sahara, but over time, new groups entered the Sahara initiating a complex, multi-ethnic community dynamic in which some individuals enhanced the signal of social identity by extracting a greater number of teeth, thus producing a highly visibly modified countenance.
From symptom recognition to diagnosis: children with autism in urban India

The period of time between initial recognition of a symptom and initial diagnosis warrants examination because it can serve as a window into broader cultural factors and allow for more immediate treatment. Research on this process among parents of autistic children to date has been useful, but has been limited to families in Western countries, whereas autism occurs all over the world. The current study provides data on the process of initial symptom recognition, help-seeking, and initial diagnosis of a pervasive developmental disorder among 95 families of autistic children in India. The findings suggest that the specific symptoms that parents initially recognize may be associated with the speed with which they receive a diagnosis, and that the saliency of symptoms may be culturally shaped. Environmental, cultural, and socioeconomic factors may also have an impact on whether a parent receives a diagnosis. Implications for professional awareness and increased accuracy of diagnosis are also suggested.
Laminar morphology in polymer blends: Structure and properties

Polymer-polymer blends offer a route for enhancement of various properties. When immiscible polymers are blended together (in the presence of a compatibilizer), the blend properties are dependent on the morphology of the phases. Uniform, fine dispersions generally result in “average” properties. Discussed here are blends of polyamides or polyesters with polyolefins, particularly polyethylene, where small amounts (3–20 percent) of the former polymers dispersed as essentially parallel, thin, large laminae produce substantial reduction (3–100 times) of permeability properties in blow-molded/extruded articles. Physical properties of such blends, their permeability properties, and morphologies are discussed.
Using thin films to investigate heterogeneous defect chemistry

Prof. Nowick showed that the controlling mechanism of ion conduction in traditional solid electrolytes can be effectively summarized with a model built on defect chemistry within an infinite crystalline lattice. A common assumption in these models has been that, at least at low concentrations, dopants are randomly scattered within their particular sublattice. More recently, experimental tools have established means to create mesoscale compositional heterogeneity. This capability allows significant extension of the experimental space beyond what can be captured with the traditional models. Here, we survey recent experimentation that uses a sputtering technique to create films with composition Ce1-x-z Zr x D z O2-z/2 (D=Y, Gd, or La) where x or z can vary through the thickness of the film at the single nanometer level. These films are used to study 1) the effect of lattice mismatch strain by modulating the Ce/Zr ratio in multilayers and 2) the effects of vacancies being trapped within planar space charge regions by locating the dopant atoms as 2-D sheets within otherwise pure CeO2 films. The films are likely to be metastable, but maintain compositional heterogeneity over experimental time scales. Current results and future possibilities for this technique are discussed.
Neutron inelastic scattering measurements with a gated photomultiplier

Abstract Neutron inelastic scattering measurements have been made on iron samples from 0.8 to 15 MeV using a gated photomultiplier mounted on a NaI crystal. The transistorized gating technique may also be applied to other scintillation detector experiments where the accelerator beam flash would otherwise limit the experiment.
Simulations of nanoscale flow : water, proton, and biopolymer transport through carbon nanotube membranes

The transport of water, protons, and nucleic acids through carbon nanotubes was studied with all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. Water is found to fill even narrow pores of sub-nanometer diameter, but the filling is sensitive to the strength of attractive pore-water interactions. Motions of the resulting water wires is fast on a molecular scale. Protons were also found to move rapidly along one-dimensionally ordered water chains with a hopping mechanism. The transport of nucleic acids through nanotube membranes is dominated by polymer conformational dynamics during entry, and hydrophobic attachment to the pore walls during exit.
Momentaufnahmen photoangeregter Moleküle in fehlgeordneten Medien mit gepulster Synchrotron-Röntgenstrahlung

An jeder photochemischen Reaktion sind photoangeregte Molekule beteiligt. Die Kenntnis ihrer Strukturen in fehlgeordneten Medien, in denen die meisten photochemischen Reaktionen ablaufen, ist Voraussetzung fur das Verstandnis der Photochemie. Uber diese Strukturen war lange aber nur wenig bekannt, weil geeignete Rontgenquellen fehlten. Dank der heute verfugbaren gepulsten Rontgenquellen konnen die Strukturen von Molekulen in kurzlebigen angeregten Zustanden in fehlgeordneten Medien mit Laserpump-Rontgenanalyse-Techniken in Synchrotrons der dritten Generation mit Zeitauflosungen von 30–100 ps untersucht werden. Diese Studien liefern wertvolle Informationen uber die strukturellen Ursachen molekularer Eigenschaften in angeregten Zustanden. Mit derzeit in Bau befindlichen Rontgeneinrichtungen konnte die Zeitauflosung bei der Strukturbestimmung angeregter Zustande sogar in den Femtosekundenbereich gedruckt werden. Damit waren “molekulare Filme” von Bindungsbruchen und -bildungen oder der Schwingungsrelaxation moglich.
Weak Interactions Dominating the Supramolecular Self-Assembly in a Salt: A Designed Single-Crystal-to-Single-Crystal Topochemical Polymerization of a Terminal Aryldiacetylene

Single-crystal-to-single-crystal (SCSC) topochemical polymerizations of diacetylenes can yield nearly defect-free conjugated polymer crystals unattainable by other methods. Aryl-substituted diacetylenes with their potentially greater conjugation have been targeted for years, but until now no one has reported a SCSC polymerization of any aryl-substituted diacetylene. This is presumably due to the rigidity of such diaryl-substituted monomers as well as the lack of control over the supramolecular structure. To address this problem, the polymerization of a terminal phenyldiacetylene was targeted. It was assumed that a terminal diacetylene should demonstrate greater flexibility in the solid state. To establish the necessary (∼4.9 A) repeat distance, commensurate with the repeat distance in the polymer, a host−guest system was designed. The chosen diacetylene guest, the amine DABzNH2, was to be crystallized with the oxalamide dicarboxylic acid host, H2og. The plan required a segregation of the hydrogen bonds, a...
Relation of regional cross-fiber shortening to wall thickening in the intact heart. Three-dimensional strain analysis by NMR tagging.

BACKGROUNDThe mechanism by which small amounts of myofiber shortening lead to extensive wall thickening is unknown. When isolated fibers shorten, they thicken in the two orthogonal directions. In s...
Biochemical properties of viral envelopes of insect baculoviruses and their role in infectivity

Abstract The enveloped virions of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) and those of a granulosis virus (GV) of the armyworm, Pseudaletia unipuncta , were isolated and purified from their inclusion bodies. The enveloped virion of NPV contained a large amount of phosphatidyl choline which was not detected in that of GV. The total electric charges distributed on the surface of the envelopes of NPV and GV were negative in neutral and alkaline solutions. Although there was little difference in charges between NPV and GV, the charge was less negative in NPV than in GV. When the negative charges were neutralized by cationic detergents, the NPV infectivity was enhanced.
Hybrid shortest path and ray bending method for traveltime and raypath calculations

The shortest path method (SPM) is a robust ray‐tracing technique that is particularly useful in 3-D tomographic studies because the method is well suited for a strongly heterogeneous seismic velocity structure. We test the accuracy of its traveltime calculations with a seismic velocity structure for which the nearly exact solution is easily found by conventional ray shooting. The errors in the 3-D SPM solution are strongly dependent on the choice of search directions in the “forward star,” and these errors appear to accumulate with traveled distance. We investigate whether these traveltime errors can be removed most efficiently by an SPM calculation on a finer grid or by additional ray bending. Testing the hybrid scheme on a realistic ray‐tracing example, we find that in an efficient mix ray bending and SPM account for roughly equal amounts of computation time. The hybrid method proves to be an order of magnitude more efficient than SPM without ray bending in our example. We advocate the hybrid ray‐tracin...
Film and Video

Film reviewed in this issue. “Bethel: Community Schizophrenia in Northern Japan” 2007 (41 minutes) Director: Karen Nakamura.
Spectral function of composites from reflectivity measurements

We demonstrate a method of calculating the spectral function of a composite from measured reflectivity data. To solve this inverse problem it is necessary for the reflectivity data to be taken through a strong, high $Q$, resonance. By analyzing the reststrahlen region of different fill fraction KCl-diamond composites at three different temperatures, we find accurate spectral functions that are independent of temperature with the low temperature data giving the best resolution. These spectral functions are then used to successfully predict the optical response of RbCl-diamond composites.
Measuring Changes in Consumer Resource Availability to Riverine Pulsing in Breton Sound, Louisiana, USA

Resource pulses are thought to structure communities and food webs through the assembly of consumers. Aggregated consumers represent a high quality resource subsidy that becomes available for trophic transfer during and after the pulse. In estuarine systems, riverine flood pulses deliver large quantities of basal resources and make high quality habitat available for exploitation by consumers. These consumers represent a change in resources that may be available for trophic transfer. We quantified this increased consumer resource availability (nekton density, biomass, energy density) provided by riverine flood pulsing in Breton Sound, Louisiana, USA. We used water level differences between an area subject to two experimental riverine flood pulses (inflow) and a reference area not receiving inflow to identify the percentage of nekton standing stock and energy density that may be attributable solely to riverine pulsing and may represent a consumer resource subsidy. Riverine pulsing accounted for more than 60% of resident nekton density (ind m−2), biomass (g m−2), and energy density (cal m−2) on the flooded marsh surface during two experimental pulse events in 2005. Our results document the potential subsidy of resident nekton standing stock from a riverine flood pulse available for export to subtidal habitats. Given predicted large scale changes in river discharge globally, this approach could provide a useful tool for quantifying the effects of changes in riverine discharge on consumer resource availability.
Concurrent Validity of the Physiological Subscale of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale: A Multitrait-Multimethod Analysis:

Individuals' physiological response to anxiety and stress can be debilitating, both emotionally and physically. Tools and techniques that can help in identifying maladaptive physiological responses to stress and anxiety in children can provide the early identification and treatment needed to obviate later psychological or medical pathology. Factor analytic studies of the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale-RCMAS (Reynolds & Richmond, 1978) have identified a factor which was subsequently named the “physiological” subscale (Reynolds & Paget, 1981). However, the degree to which this subscale measures physiological concomitants of anxiety has not been ascertained. The present study evaluated the concurrent validity of this subscale through a multitrait, multimethod analysis (Campbell, 1960; Campbell & Fiske, 1959) of behavioral ratings of anxiety/somatic complaints, depression and aggression as rated by the parents and teachers for each of the eighty males involved in the study. The results indicated a ...
Development and significance of zidovudine resistance in children infected with human immunodeficiency virus

Decreasing susceptibility to zidovudine (ZDV) has been described in persons infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 who are receiving ZDV therapy. However, the clinical significance of decreased ZDV susceptibility remains unclear. In this study, HIV isolates obtained from children with symptomatic HIV infection treated with ZDV were monitored for their susceptibility to the antiretroviral agent and correlated with disease progression. Using a peripheral blood mononuclear cell-based assay to measure ZDV susceptibility, we evaluated HIV isolates from 19 children (mean age, 6.8 years; range, 5 months to 12 years) during ZDV therapy for susceptibility to ZDV. Of the 19 children studied, 10 continued to have susceptible HIV strains during ZDV treatment, and 9 acquired resistant viruses. All eight isolates from children without previous exposure to ZDV were initially susceptible. After a median of 11 months of ZDV therapy, three (38%) of these eight children had acquired resistant HIV strains (defined as ZDV susceptibility ≥10 μ mol/L). Children with resistant strains had worse clinical outcomes than children whose viruses remained susceptible, as determined by a 50% decline in absolute CD4 + cell counts after 1 year of treatment, failure to thrive, or death. Children with resistant viruses who were given alternative antiretroviral therapy frequently responded to the new treatment with improved growth and stabilization of their HIV-related disease. These data suggest that, in HIV-infected children, ZDV-resistant HIV strains are associated with diminished drug efficacy and more rapid disease progression.
Synthesis of β-lactams and x-amino acids by photochemical reactions of chromium carbene complexes

The photochemical reaction of chromium carbene complexes with imines has been developed into an efficient process for the synthesis of β-lactams. A new route to aminocarbene complexes, involving the reaction of Na 2 Cr(CO) 5 with amides and trimethylsilyl chloride has been developed. By using this procedure, chiral, optically active aminocarbene complexes have been prepared, and their photochemical reactions with imines developed. Chiral, optically active β-lactams have been prepared with more than 90% diastereoselectivity by this procedure. Chiral, optically active aminocarbene complexes containing pendent alcohol groups have also been prepared. Photolysis of these produces aminolactones, which can be cleaved to natural and unnatural α-amino acids.
SYNTHESIS OF (2-DEOXY-ALPHA - AND -BETA -D-ERYTHRO-PENTOFURANOSYL)(THYMIN-1-YL)ALKANES AND THEIR INCORPORATION INTO OLIGODEOXYRIBONUCLEOTIDES. EFFECT OF NUCLEOBASE-SUGAR LINKER FLEXIBILITY ON THE FORMATION OF DNA-DNA AND DNA- RNA HYBRIDS

On the basis of modeling studies, the (2-deoxy-α- and β-d-erythro-pentofuranosyl) (thymin-1-yl) alkanes 1a,b and 2a,b were selected as potential conformational probes for altDNA oligonucleotides. A straightforward approach to the synthesis of 1a,b and 2a,b from commercial 2-deoxy-d-ribose (3) and 1-O-methyl-2-deoxy-3,5-di-O-p-toluoyl-d-erythro-pentofuranose (13), respectively, was developed. These nucleoside analogues were converted to the phosphoramidite derivatives 27a,b−30a,b and incorporated into oligonucleotide 31 at predetermined sites and defined internucleotidic motifs. The insertion of 1a,b according to either a (3‘ → 5‘)- or a (3‘ → 3‘)-internucleotidic polarity produced oligonucleotides exhibiting a slightly higher affinity for their complementary unmodified DNA sequence than for the corresponding RNA sequence (Table 3). Conversely, the incorporation of 2a into 31 according to a (3‘ → 3‘)-orientation generated, for the first time, an altDNA oligonucleotide displaying a greater affinity for its ...
Formation of planets: disks or cores?

The notion that recent astronomical observations favor the “disk instability” scenario of direct formation of giant planets as clumps in protoplanetary disks, rather than a scenario in which protoplanetary disks are seeded by heavy-element cores, is getting a lot of press attention, as attested
Extrathermodynamic relations in the binding of charged and neutral substrates to sulfobutylether-β-CDs (SBE-β-CDs) and a 2-hydroxypropyl-β-CD (HP-β-CD)

The thermodynamics of binding of various neutral, cationic and anionic substrates to β-cyclodextrin, a hydroxylpropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP4M-β-CD) and three sulfobutyl-β-cyclodextrins with varying degrees of total substitution (SBE1M-β-CD, SBE7M-β-CD, and SBE12M-β-CD) were determined by estimating binding constants, using a UV spectrophotometric technique, and temperature variation. linear free energy relation (LFER) plots and enthalpy–entropy Compensation (EEC) plots provided insight into the mechanisms of complexation as did carbon T 1 relaxation times using NMR. LFER plots for charged molecules with HP4M-β-CD deviate from the neutral substrates suggesting differences in interaction modes. LFER plots for SBE7M-β-CD show that cationic substrates surprisingly fall within the same linear relationship for neutral substrates while anionic substrates deviate. The EEC plots for HP4M-β-CD show the largest loss of motion and degree of desolvation upon complexation. The interaction with SBE1M-β-CD was similar to that for β-CD. SBE7M-β-CD, and SBE12M-β-CD EEC plots are similar with the least loss of motion upon complex formation, suggesting a more organized and less flexible structure. This is supported by the T 1 relaxation times for SBE1M-β-CD, SBE7M-β-CD, and SBE12M-β-CD, which show a critical distance at which the mobility of the side chain is reduced to form an extended cavity. No such evidence was seen with HP4M-β-CD, although the effect of varying of hydroxypropyl substitution was not studied.
Comparison of the High-Temperature Deformation of Alumina-Zirconia and Alumina-Zirconia-Mullite Composites

An alumina-based ceramic codispersed with 15 vol% zirconia and 15 vol% mullite (AZM) was synthesized by reactive processing, and the creep behavior was compared to alumina with 30 vol% zirconia (AZ). Constant stress compressive creep behavior for AZM exhibited a stress exponent of 2 and an activation energy of 770 KJ/mol, while a similar stress exponent but lower activation energy of 660 KJ/mol was found for AZ. The strain rate of AZM, however, was more than twice that of the AZ under the same deformation conditions, indicating a better potential for superplastic shape forming.
Magnesium pemoline: Facilitation and debilitation of heart rate classical discrimination conditioning in rabbits

Oral administration of magnesium pemoline (10 mg/kg) 1/2 h prior to each training session enhanced heart rate discriminations in acquisition. When further acquisition training was given without the drug after a 14 day rest period, retention of the discrimination was debilitated in comparison with the control group.
Serotonin1A facilitation of frog motoneuron responses to afferent stimuli and toN-methyl-d-aspartate

The effects of serotonin and excitatory amino acids on motoneurons were examined by sucrose gap recordings from the ventral root of the isolated, hemisected frog spinal cord superfused with magnesium-free, carbonate-buffered Ringer solution. Low concentrations of serotonin (0.1 microM) and the serotonin1A agonist 8-hydroxy-2-(n-dipropylamino)tetralin (8-OH-DPAT; 0.01 microM) significantly increased the duration and amplitude of the polysynaptic components of ventral root potentials produced by dorsal root stimulation. The facilitations of the ventral root potentials were blocked by the serotonin1A antagonist spiroxatrine, but were unaffected by the serotonin2 antagonist ketanserin or the serotonin3 antagonist 1 alpha H,3 alpha,5 alpha H-tropan-3-yl-3,-dichlorobenzoate (MDL 72222). The actions of 0.1 microM serotonin on motoneuron depolarizations evoked by the putative excitatory amino acid transmitters L-glutamate and L-aspartate were quite variable, but in the presence of ketanserin (20 microM), small consistent increases in amino acid-induced motoneuron depolarizations were observed. 8-OH-DPAT significantly enhanced motoneuron depolarizations elicited by the selective excitatory amino acid agonist N-methyl-D-aspartate in both normal and tetrodotoxin-containing Ringer solution. Quisqualate-induced motoneuron depolarizations were also facilitated by 8-OH-DPAT in normal Ringer solution, but these increases were eliminated by addition of either tetrodotoxin or the N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist D(-)-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate to the Ringer superfusate. Kainate-depolarizations were not altered by low concentrations of serotonin or 8-OH-DPAT. Prior exposure of the cord to spiperone, but not ketanserin or MDL 72222 blocked the enhancement of N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced motoneuron depolarizations by 8-OH-DPAT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Characterization of diesel particulate matter with excimer laser fragmentation fluorescence spectroscopy

Excimer laser fragmentation fluorescence spectroscopy (ELFFS) is an effective technique for monitoring diesel particulate matter in engine exhaust. Measurements were made in the exhaust of a single-cylinder, 4 kW diesel generator with several different air to exhaust dilution ratios. Light from a 193 nm ArF laser photofragments the particles and produces fluorescence from the atomic carbon fragments at 248 nm and from CH (431 nm) and C2 (468 nm) fragments. Interferences from carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide are negligible. The interference from unburned gas-phase hydrocarbons is significant when the engine is not under load, but insignificant when the engine is loaded. The gas-phase hydrocarbons can be removed by a diffusion denuder to eliminate this interference under no-load conditions. The 100-shot (1 s) detection limit for particles in the exhaust is approximately 0.2 ppb volume fraction. The single-shot detection limit of ELFFS is low enough to allow for real-time monitoring of particulate matter from diesel engines, as well as from other combustion systems. ELFFS is sensitive to both the volatile and non-volatile fraction of the particulate matter, and monitoring fluorescence from multiple fragments provides information on the chemical composition of the particles.
Synthesis of counters with any kind of feedback

Algebraic expressions may be used to describe the analysis of digital counters with various types of feedback loops. It will be shown that such expressions may also be used to advantage in realisation procedures of the synthesis of counters. Design procedures are shown for the synthesis of counters with specified periodic sets of bases.
The biosynthesis of natural and unnatural polyoxins by Streptomyces cacaoi

Abstract The biosynthesis of the pyrimidine moiety and the uronic acid moiety of the polyoxins and the formation of unnatural polyoxins has been studied in Streptomyces cacaoi. Experimental evidence is provided for the biosynthesis of thymine via a pathway that is independent of thymidylate synthetase. This new thymine pathway is based on two experimental approaches. First, two known inhibitors of DNA synthesis (1-formylisoquinoline thiosemicarbazide and 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine), when added to polyoxin-producing cultures of S. cacaoi, inhibit the synthesis of TMP from exogenously supplied uracil but do not inhibit the synthesis of the thymine or hydroxymethyluracil in the polyoxin complex. Second, exogenously supplied thymine and hydroxymethyluracil are taken up by S. cacaoi but are not incorporated into the thymine or hydroxymethyluracil of the polyoxin complex. The thymine is incorporated into the DNA. The uracil in polyoxin L could be the parent pyrimidine chromophore with C-1 additions occurring at carbon-5 to form thymine and hydroxymethyluracil. Carbon-3 of serine but not the methyl group of methionine is a one-carbon source for the formation of the thymine and hydroxymethyluracil in the polyoxin complex. S. cacaoi can synthesize unnatural polyoxins, as evidenced by the incorporation of 5-fluoro, 5-bromo, and 6-azauracil into the polyoxins; 5-iodo-, 2-thio-, or 4-thiouracil is not a substrate. Two new polyoxin analogs synthesized and characterized when 5-fluorouracil is added to the cultures are 5-fluoropolyoxin L and 5-fluoropolyoxin M. There is a marked change in the molar ratio of the uracil:thymine:hydroxymethyluracil chromophores in the polyoxin complex following the incorporation of 5-fluoro-, 5-bromo-, or 6-azauracil. Apparently, the unnatural polyoxins inhibit the addition of the C-1 unit to carbon-5 of uracil in the polyoxin complex. Polyoxin L and polyoxin C do not inhibit Escherichia coli and Streptococcus faecalis, but 5-fluoropolyoxin L and 5-fluoropolyoxin C inhibit both these organisms. There is little or no difference in the inhibition of the fluorinated and natural polyoxins against leukemia L-1210 cells. The fluoro group on carbon-5 of the uracil ring does not affect the enzyme-inhibition complex with chitin synthetase since the inhibition constant of fluoropolyoxins L is the same as has been reported for polyoxins A, D, and L. The 14C-labeling pattern in the 5′-amino-5′-deoxy- d -allofuranosyluronic acid moiety of the polyoxins from 14C-labeled glucose, allose, and glycerol suggests that the formation of this unique C-6 uronic acid in the polyoxins does not proceed via the direct oxidation of either d -glucose or d -allose to the -onic or -uronic acids. Glucose is converted to two three-carbon trioses, followed by either (i) the oxidation of one of the trioses to a threecarbon acid and subsequent condensation with another three-carbon sugar to form the C-6 uronic or (ii) an 80:20 equilibrium of the two trioses followed by condensation to a hexose which is then oxidized to the C-6 uronic acid.
Sicherheitsäquivalente zur risikoadjustierten Bewertung: Unternehmensexterne Bewertungssicht vs. unternehmensinterne Steuerungssicht Replik zu den Anmerkungen „Zum Verhältnis von Wertadditivität bei Sicherheitsäquivalenten und Risikoanalyse“ von Reichling et al. (2008)

Die Forderung nach schwacher Wertadditivitat von Sicherheitsaquivalenten ist in Abhangigkeit des jeweiligen Bewertungszwecks zu diskutieren. Wahrend in der unternehmensexternen Bewertungssicht, z.B. bei der Unternehmensbewertung, die Forderung nach schwacher Wertadditivitat gut begrundbar ist, stellt sie im Bereich der unternehmensinternen Steuerungssicht eine „Nice to have“-Anforderung dar. Daruber hinaus werden in der bisherigen Literatur zur Anwendbarkeit von Sicherheitsaquivalenten die Kernherausforderungen der unternehmensinternen Steuerung vernachlassigt. Insbesondere die adaquate Berucksichtigung stochastischer Abhangigkeiten im Portfolioverbund bei der Bewertung von Einzelgeschaften mittels Sicherheitsaquivalenten stellt eine Forschungslucke dar.
Molybdenum oxide bronzes as pH sensors

Abstract New metal-oxide-type pH sensors have been developed and tested with a direct solid state contact method. Performance was demonstrated at ambient temperature with single crystals of molybdenum oxide bronzes. The pH sensors responded reproducibly to the acidity changes of the analyte in the range of pH 4–9. The response time is less than 5 s for 90% response. pH sensors with single crystals of molybdenum oxide bronzes can be used to follow pH titrations.
Progression of radial approach to PCI in the USA: from niche procedure to default approach.

The transradial technique for coronary angioplasty and intervention has become popular because of its associated lower bleeding risk and access site complications compared with the femoral access a...
Modern Trends in the German Language

Author's Summary— Two different trends are noticeable in present-day German: an “external” change, represented by (1) replacement of foreign words, (2) introduction of foreign words, and (3) new formations from technical abbreviations; and an “internal,” or organic, change, represented by (1) simplification of spelling, (2) contraction of certain common compounds, and (3) grammatical changes in verbs.
Generalized quasi-exact algorithms for image reconstruction in helical cone-beam CT

The quasi-exact algorithms developed by Kudo et al. can reconstruct accurate images from data acquired in helical cone-beam configuration. The current formulation of such algorithms, however, prevents their direct application to data acquired in a practical configuration that may be used in helical cone-beam computed tomography (CT) in which the longitudinal axis of the area detector always remains parallel to the longitudinal axis of helical CT system. Interpolation can be used to convert data acquired with the practical helical cone-beam configuration into the form required by the current quasi-exact algorithms. Such an interpolation can reduce spatial resolution in reconstructed images. In this work, we derive a new filtering function that can be used in the quasi-exact algorithms so that they can be used to reconstruct images directly from data acquired with a practical scanning configuration thereby avoiding interpolation. We also performed computer simulation studies, and numerical results from these studies confirm that accurate images can be reconstructed by use of these generalized quasi-exact algorithms. The practical implication of the generalized quasi-exact algorithms is that they can yield images with potentially enhanced spatial resolution by avoiding data interpolation.
Characterization of the Ligand and DNA Binding Properties of a Putative Archaeal Regulator ST1710

While a rich collection of bacterium-like regulating proteins has been identified in the archaeal genome, few of them have been studied at the molecular level. In this study, we characterized the ligand and DNA binding properties of a putative regulator ST1710 from the archaeon Sulfolobus tokodaii. ST1710 is homologous to the multiple-antibiotic resistance repressor (MarR) family bacterial regulators. The protein consists of a ligand binding site, partially overlapping with a winged helix−turn−helix DNA binding site. We characterized the interactions between ST1710 and three ligands, salicylate, carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP), and ethidium, which bind to bacterial MarRs. The binding affinities of the ligands for ST1710 were comparable to their affinities for the bacterial MarRs. The ligand binding was temperature sensitive and caused conformational changes in ST1710. To investigate the effect of ligand binding on the interaction between ST1710 and DNA, we fluorescently labeled a 47mer dsD...
A Method of Calculating the Dietary Percentage of Various Food Animals Utilized by Aboriginal Peoples

The renewed activity in Plains Archaeology as a result of the salvage program of the River Basin Surveys of the Smithsonian Institution and cooperating agencies has reemphasized some very striking differences in the types of animals used for food by prehistoric peoples. Some groups, such as the Woodland and Upper Republican, set an extremely varied “table” while others appear to have subsisted almost entirely on one species of food animal. With those groups which subsisted on a variety of game, the question naturally poses itself: “What percentage does each species contribute to the diet of the people?” Although complete data on the “dressedout” weights of the various food animals found in archaeological sites is not available, calculations based on the data and procedure outlined here should provide a means of arriving at a reasonably reliable answer to the above question.
Deformation and failure of plastics and elastomers

The effect of various environmental conditions, other than chemical, on the mechanical properties of amorphous polymers is considered. The response of such polymers to an applied stress or strain depends on the mobility of polymeric chains which in turn is largely a function of free volume. The free volume varies with temperature, pressure, and plasticizer concentration; in the glassy state, it also depends on thermal history and tensile strain. These concepts are reviewed and some illustrative data, primarily from the published literature, are presented. A discussion is also given of the nonlinear viscoelastic properties (in uniaxial tension) of amorphous network polymers in the rubbery state. Methods for characterizing the ultimate tensile properties of such polymers are also described. Finally, some comments are made about the mechnical characteristics of polymers in the glassy state.
The mechanical coupling of adult marrow stromal stem cells during cardiac regeneration assessed in a 2-D co-culture model

Postnatal cardiomyocytes undergo terminal differentiation and a restricted number of human cardiomyocytes retain the ability to divide and regenerate in response to ischemic injury. However, whether these neo-cardiomyocytes are derived from endogenous population of resident cardiac stem cells or from the exogenous double assurance population of resident bone marrow-derived stem cells that populate the damaged myocardium is unresolved and under intense investigation. The vital challenge is to ameliorate and/or regenerate the damaged myocardium. This can be achieved by stimulating proliferation of native quiescent cardiomyocytes and/or cardiac stem cell, or by recruiting exogenous autologous or allogeneic cells such as fetal or embryonic cardiomyocyte progenitors or bone marrow-derived stromal stem cells. The prerequisites are that these neo-cardiomyocytes must have the ability to integrate well within the native myocardium and must exhibit functional synchronization. Adult bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) have been shown to differentiate into cardiomyocyte-like cells both in vitro and in vivo. As a result, BMSCs may potentially play an essential role in cardiac repair and regeneration, but this concept requires further validation. In this report, we have provided compelling evidence that functioning cardiac tissue can be generated by the interaction of multipotent BMSCs with embryonic cardiac myocytes (ECMs) in two-dimensional (2-D) co-cultures. The differentiating BMSCs were induced to undergo cardiomyogenic differentiation pathway and were able to express unequivocal electromechanical coupling and functional synchronization with ECMs. Our 2-D co-culture system provides a useful in vitro model to elucidate various molecular mechanisms underpinning the integration and orderly maturation and differentiation of BMSCs into neo-cardiomyocytes during myocardial repair and regeneration.
Anesthesia Concerns in Congenital Anomalies of the Upper Extremity

Children with deformities of the upper extremity often have multiple congenital anomalies. These children have special needs every step that require specific planning and vigilance to ensure safe, effective, and exemplary delivery of anesthetic care. Preoperative discussions with surgeons, anesthesiologists, critical care physicians, pulmonologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, geneticists, and/or nephrologists can turn what might have been a simple procedure into something more complex. These discussions should work toward a common goal of providing surgical care at the optimal time based on risk-assessment and clinical need.
Hanging for Felony: the Rule of Law in Elizabethan Colchester

Just after midnight on 24 January 1577, Alice Neate crept into a bedchamber at the New Hythe in Colchester and slit her sister-in-law's throat. She wrapped the body in a red blanket and dragged it out into the woodhouse yard where it was discovered the following morning. An intensive investigation immediately ensued. All the chief suspects except Alice Neate, namely neighbours who had visited the Neate cottage on the evening prior to the murder, satisfactorily established their innocence. The testimony against Alice was overwhelming. Even her husband conceded that his sister had been murdered and prayed, ‘God save [my] wife!’ To be sure it was only indirect evidence, yet nonetheless damaging because it came from her own husband. Her daughter Abigail's testimony, however, was utterly devastating. At first steadfastly maintaining her mother's innocence, Abigail's support collapsed when under pressure of ‘straight examination’ she finally admitted that her mother had persuaded her to conceal clear proof of the homicide. Abigail shared the bedchamber with her murdered aunt, and since she had been wide awake during the killing had been an eyewitness to the whole bloody tragedy. If that was not enough, Alice also had a clear motive. Her hatred of her sister-in-law was well known and stemmed from her belief that the murdered woman had herself murdered two of Alice's children. On the basis of this overwhelming case against her, Alice Neate was committed to prison where she was held until the next gaol delivery at which she was duly prosecuted, convicted and sentenced to hang for murder, according to the blood law of felony.
Thermal implications of the new relaxed IEEE RF safety standard for head exposures to cellular telephones at 835 and 1900 MHz

The bioheat equation is used to solve for the temperature rise of the various tissues including the brain for three anatomical models with 1-mm resolution for exposure to cellular telephones at 835 and 1900 MHz for radiated power levels allowed under the previous and the newly relaxed IEEE RF Safety Standards and the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) Standard. It is shown that the temperature increase for parts of brain in excess of 1.3 /spl deg/C will result for the radiated power levels allowed under the relaxed RF Safety Standard accepted by the IEEE. This temperature increase is up to 2.5/spl times/ and 7.0/spl times/ higher than that for the radiated powers allowed for the ICNIRP and the previous IEEE safety guidelines, respectively.
The Drosophila sugarless gene modulates Wingless signaling and encodes an enzyme involved in polysaccharide biosynthesis

We have identified and characterized a Drosophila gene, which we have named sugarless, that encodes a homologue of vertebrate UDP-glucose dehydrogenase. This enzyme is essential for the biosynthesis of various proteoglycans, and we find that in the absence of both maternal and zygotic activities of this gene, mutant embryos develop with segment polarity phenotypes reminiscent to loss of either Wingless or Hedgehog signaling. To analyze the function of Sugarless in cell-cell interaction processes, we have focused our analysis on its requirement for Wingless signaling in different tissues. We report that sugarless mutations impair signaling by Wingless, suggesting that proteoglycans contribute to the reception of Wingless. We demonstrate that overexpression of Wingless can bypass the requirement for sugarless, suggesting that proteoglycans modulate signaling by Wingless, possibly by limiting its diffusion and thereby facilitating the binding of Wingless to its receptor. We discuss the possibility that tissue-specific regulation of proteoglycans may be involved in regulating both Wingless short- or long-range effects.
On the shear stress distribution between a functionally graded piezoelectric actuator and an elastic substrate and the reduction of its concentration

Recent advances in material processing technologies allow the production of piezoelectric materials with functionally graded material properties. We investigate the implications of functionally graded piezoelectric materials when used as actuators for structural control by examining the distribution of the actuating shear stress under a piezoelectric actuator of a functionally graded material (FGM) on an isotropic elastic half-space. It is shown that FGM materials can be used to adjust the shear stress distribution. In particular, the concentration near the edges of a conventional homogeneous piezoelectric actuator can be significantly reduced in an FGM actuator.
The Ease-of-Processing Heuristic and the Stability Bias Dissociating Memory, Memory Beliefs, and Memory Judgments

Judgments about memory are essential in promoting knowledge; they help identify trustworthy memories and predict what information will be retained in the future. In the three experiments reported here, we investigated the mechanisms underlying predictions about memory. In Experiments 1 and 2, single words were presented once or multiple times, in large or small type. There was a double dissociation between actual memory and predicted memory: Type size affected predicted but not actual memory, and future study opportunities affected actual memory but scarcely affected predicted memory. The results of Experiment 3 suggest that beliefs and judgments are largely independent, and neither consistently resembles actual memory. Participants’ underestimation of future learning—a stability bias—stemmed from an overreliance on their current memory state in making predictions about future memory states. The overreliance on type size highlights the fundamental importance of the ease-of-processing heuristic: Information that is easy to process is judged to have been learned well.
Omnidirectional Printing of Flexible, Stretchable, and Spanning Silver Microelectrodes

Flexible, stretchable, and spanning microelectrodes that carry signals from one circuit element to another are needed for many emerging forms of electronic and optoelectronic devices. We have patterned silver microelectrodes by omnidirectional printing of concentrated nanoparticle inks in both uniform and high-aspect ratio motifs with minimum widths of approximately 2 micrometers onto semiconductor, plastic, and glass substrates. The patterned microelectrodes can withstand repeated bending and stretching to large levels of strain with minimal degradation of their electrical properties. With this approach, wire bonding to fragile three-dimensional devices and spanning interconnects for solar cell and light-emitting diode arrays are demonstrated.
Regulatory risk and farmers’ caution with pesticides in Costa Rica

In a globalizing economy, agri-food regulation in the industrialized world increasingly affects food-producing industries and farmers in developing countries. Discussions of these transformations remain mostly disconnected from the literature on pesticide use in developing countries, which emphasizes widespread pesticide misuse and abuse. Previous attempts to consider the relationship between agri-food regulation and farmers’ pesticide use are found lacking because they do not situate it deeply enough within the social relations of exchange in contract farming. Using a political ecological approach attentive to this relationship, I found many farmers exercising considerable caution in their pesticide use vis-a-vis residues on mini-squash and chayote, the main export crops in Northern Cartago and the Ujarras Valley, Costa Rica. Exporters’ mediation of regulatory risk – conceptualized as the possibility that an actor’s behaviour will be subject to state regulation and that out of compliance behaviour will result in negative consequences that impact the actor – largely explains why this type of caution occurs. A gap between regulation and practice persists, however, because of the local history of residue violations and a related misinterpretation of pesticides’ colour bands. The conclusion critiques the first world/third world binary that is mapped onto pesticide use research as preventing advancements in understanding farmers’ pesticide use, shows the applicability of political ecology’s chain of explanation to the local consequences of agri-food regulation from afar and proposes further engagement between agri-food studies and political ecology to better theorize local–global interactions between land users and the new spatiality of economic governance in agri-food networks.