cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of bulk Pd-Ni-P metallic glasses

Abstract The core-level and valence-band spectra were obtained from high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of the bulk glassy and crystalline Pd x Ni80- x P20 ( x = 20–70) alloys. Upon crystallization of glassy Pd40Ni40P20, which exhibits the highest glass stability, a small change in chemical bonding is observed. This appears as a charge transfer from P atoms to Ni and Pd atoms. The level of chemical bonding between P and the metals seems to increase linearly as a function of x throughout the composition range. The density D ( E F) of states at the Fermi level is significantly lower for the alloys with respect to those of the d-band metals, in agreement with the Nagel-Tauc criterion for glass stability. However, its value is not the lowest for the x = 40 composition which is most resistant to crystallization. The existing electronic models are not fully adequate for explaining the high glass stability of the Pd40Ni40P20 alloy.
Xenopus U8 snoRNA Binding Protein Is a Conserved Nuclear Decapping Enzyme

Abstract U8 snoRNP is required for accumulation of mature 5.8S and 28S rRNA in vertebrates. We are identifying proteins that bind U8 RNA with high specificity to understand how U8 functions in ribosome biogenesis. Here, we characterize a Xenopus 29 kDa protein (X29), which we previously showed binds U8 RNA with high affinity. X29 and putative homologs in other vertebrates contain a NUDIX domain found in MutT and other nucleotide diphosphatases. Recombinant X29 protein has diphosphatase activity that removes m 7 G and m 227 G caps from U8 and other RNAs in vitro; the putative 29 kDa human homolog also displays this decapping activity. X29 is primarily nucleolar in Xenopus tissue culture cells. We propose that X29 is a member of a conserved family of nuclear decapping proteins that function in regulating the level of U8 snoRNA and other nuclear RNAs with methylated caps.
Development of a valid, cost-effective laparoscopic training program.

Abstract Background Practical programs for training and evaluating surgeons in laparoscopy are needed to keep pace with demand for minimally invasive surgery. Methods At the University of Kentucky five inexpensive simulations have been developed to train and assess surgical residents. Residents are videotaped performing laparoscopic procedures on models. Five surgeons assess the taped performances on 4 global skills. Results Creating mechanical models reduces training costs. Trainees agreed procedures were well represented by the simulations. Blinded assessment of performances showed high interrater agreement and correlated with the trainees' level of experience. Nonclinician evaluations on checklists correlated with evaluations by surgeons. Conclusions Inexpensive simulations of laparoscopic appendectomy, cholecystectomy, inguinal herniorrhaphy, bowel enterotomy, and splenectomy enable surgical residents to practice laparoscopic skills safely. Obtaining masked, objective, and independent evaluations of basic skills in laparoscopic surgery can assist in reliable assessment of surgical trainees. The simulations described can anchor an innovative educational program during residency for training and assessment.
Erosion of rock shores at La Jolla, California

Abstract Detailed photographs repeated in 1979 after several decades and other measurements at La Jolla, California, provide information about processes and rates of rock-shore and sea-cliff erosion. Weathering and abrasion cause direct surface retreat particularly on steep slopes, but they are very slow on near-horizontal benches. Mass movements are episodic, and their resulting talus is comminuted rapidly by surface abrasion through sand-laden waves and currents. Measured rates of the various processes of marine erosion span a wide range but constitute a reasonable hierarchy for different exposures, processes, and lithologies.
Vortex dynamics at the superfluid λ-transition

A vortex-ring theory of the superfluid4He λ-transition is extended to include the dynamics of the transition. The response of the vortices to an oscillating superflow is found by solving the Fokker-Planck equation. This allows a calculation of the superfluid relaxation time, which is in agreement with Landau-Khalatnikov theory and with dynamic scaling. At high frequencies the transition becomes broadened, with both the superfluid density and the dissipation remaining finite at and above Tλ. Comparison is made to earlier theories that use high-temperature expansions and renormalization-group expansions. Applications to other subjects such as mutual friction, high-Tc superconductors, and rapidly quenched systems are briefly discussed.
The importance of nitrogen-fixation for an invader of a coastal California grassland

Whether a novel trait of an invader directly contributes to increased establishment of that invader is a relatively unstudied question in plant ecology. Nitrogen (N)-fixing shrubs comprise a significant subset of grassland invaders worldwide, which suggests the potential importance of the novel trait of N-fixation in the invasion process. We indirectly tested the importance of N-fixation in the invasion of Genista monspessulana (French broom) in a California grassland by alleviating N and phosphorus (P) limitation to the grassland matrix. Grassland productivity was co-limited by N and P; N alone did not release the resident vegetation, and did not affect Genista performance. Genista was strongly limited by P: seedlings had more nodules, greater leaf N concentration, and higher growth and survival with P additions. When N was added with P, however, growth of the resident vegetation was 50–70% greater than with N or P alone, accompanied by decreases in Genista performance. This suggests that the advantage conferred to Genista by N-fixation was dampened when the resident vegetation was released from nutrient limitation.
Measurement of the carrier dependence of differential gain, refractive index, and linewidth enhancement factor in strained-layer quantum well lasers

Measurements of the variation of differential gain, refractive index, and linewidth enhancement factor with carrier density in InGaAs‐GaAs strained‐layer quantum well lasers are presented for the first time. These results verify predictions of improvement over unstrained bulk or quantum well lasers, but only at certain carrier densities. Differential gain (dg/dN) is found to vary from 7.0×10−16 to 2.5×10−16 cm2 over the range of carrier densities studied, while the carrier dependence of the real part of the refractive index (dn/dN) ranges from a peak of −2.8×10−20 down to −7.0×10−21 cm3. From these measurements the resulting linewidth enhancement factor (α) is found to vary from 5 to a minimum of 1.7. This information is critical to successfully exploiting the potential advantages of strained‐layer lasers for such devices as high‐frequency or narrow linewidth lasers.
Structure of EvaA: a paradigm for sugar 2,3-dehydratases.

Unusual deoxysugars found appended to natural products often provide or enhance the pharmacokinetic activities of the parent compound. The preferred carbohydrate donors for the biosynthesis of such glycosylated natural products are the dTDP-linked sugars. Many of the biologically relevant dTDP-deoxysugars are constructed around the 2,6-dideoxyhexoses or the 2,3(4),6-trideoxyhexoses. A key step in the biosynthesis of these sugars is the removal of the hexose C-2' hydroxyl group and the oxidation of the C-3' hydroxyl group to a carbonyl moiety. Enzymes that catalyze these reactions are referred to as 2,3-dehydratases and have been, for the most part, largely uncharacterized. Here we report the first structural analysis of a sugar 2,3-dehydratase. For this investigation, the enzyme, EvaA, was cloned from Amycolatopsis orientalis, and the structure was solved and refined to a nominal resolution of 1.7 A. On the basis of the resulting model, it is clear that EvaA belongs to the large Nudix hydrolase superfamily and is most similar to GDP-mannose hydrolase. Each subunit of the EvaA dimer folds into two domains that clearly arose via gene duplication. Two dTDP-sugar binding pockets, A and B, are present in each EvaA subunit. On the basis of site-directed mutagenesis experiments and activity assays, it appears that pocket A functions as the active site and pocket B is simply a remnant left behind from the gene duplication event. As 2,3-dehydration is crucial for the biosynthesis of many unusual deoxysugars, this investigation provides key structural insight into this widely conserved reaction.
Light and electron microscopic study of a leiomyoblastoma of the duodenum.

A case of leiomyoblastoma of the duodenum is presented with light and electron microscopic observations. This type of tumor is exceedingly rare in this location, and apparently was responsible for a series of bleeding episodes in the patient. Though the origin of the tumor may be in question from the light microscopic studies, the findings on the ultrastructural level support an origin from smooth muscle.
Numerical methods for a class of singular integro-differential equations based on semigroup approximation

In this paper computational methods for singular integro-differential equations of neutral type are discussed. The study is based on a well-posed state-space formulation and uses semigroup theoretical framework to analyze the convergence of semi- and fully discrete numerical schemes. Feasibility of the fully discrete scheme is demonstrated by applying it to Abel–Volterra equations of the first kind and to a singular neutral functional differential equation.
Classical design structure of orthogonal designs with six to eight factors and sixteen runs

Most two-level fractional factorial designs used in practice involve independent or fully confounded effects (so-called regular designs). For example, for 16 runs and 6 factors, the classical resolution IV design with defining relation I = ABCE = BCDF = ADEF has become the de facto gold standard. Recent work has indicated that non-regular orthogonal designs could be preferable in some circumstances. Inhibiting a wider usage of these non-regular designs seems to be a combination of inertia/status quo and perhaps the general resistance and suspicion to designs that are computer generated to achieve ‘X–Y–Z’ optimality. In this paper each of the orthogonal non-isomorphic two-level, 16 run designs with 6, 7, or 8 factors (both regular and non-regular) are shown to have a classical-type construction with a 24 or a replicated 23 starting point. Additional factor columns are defined either using the familiar one-term column generators or generators using weighted sums of effects. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Static strengths of Ta and U under ultrahigh pressures

We have performed high-pressure strength experiments on tantalum and uranium using a diamond-anvil cell. These experiments determined the flow stresses of tantalum and uranium at room temperature and in the low strain rate limit $({\ensuremath{\varepsilon}}^{\ensuremath{'}}l{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6} {\mathrm{sec}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1})$ by using x-ray diffraction to measure the pressure gradients in the samples. We find that the flow stresses increase dramatically with increasing pressure and strain, with the flow stress of Ta reaching 10.3 GPa at a pressure of 85.8 GPa and an estimated strain of \ensuremath{\approx}90%, and the flow stress of U reaching 19.8 GPa at a pressure of 109.0 GPa and an estimated strain of \ensuremath{\approx}70%. With further increases in pressure and strain, the flow stresses decrease. This apparent strain-softening effect has also been observed in static high-pressure flow stress experiments on other materials, and has been suggested to be due to either material damage or preferred orientation of grains induced by large strains.
Making White Bread by the Bomb's Early Light: Anxiety, Abundance, and Industrial Food Power in the Early Cold War

This article explores U.S. policymakers and consumers’ engagements with global bread politics in the early Cold War. This provides a glimpse into the making of a particular form of postwar “American alimentary exceptionalism” premised on the universal choiceworthiness of industrial foodways. This alimentary exceptionalism did not assume that the U.S. industrial diet was gastronomically superior to other countries’ diets, but rather that it offered a unique foundation of strength, stability, choice, and abundance on which world peace could rest in the uncertain postwar world. Thus, the article contends that Americans’ confidence in industrial foodways and industrial food production systems—something whose legacies we still grapple with today—was forged, in part, on the imperial landscape of Cold War competition. In that sense, the article traces the largely unexamined flipside of postwar food imperialism: how the exercise of food power abroad shaped Americans’ understandings of their own diet and its place...
The effect of dispersion interaction on nuclear magnetic shielding

Abstract A theory is developed for calculating the effect of the London-van der Waals interaction on the nuclear magnetic shielding of a closed shell atom. The effect of a single perturber at fixed internuclear distance is first obtained by the use of triple perturbation theory. In the closure approximation, this pair shift is proportional to the van der Waals energy and the unperturbed shielding constant. The solvent shift due to the fluid medium is then obtained statistically. The results are compared with existing heuristic expressions based on field simulation, and the parameters used in the field techniques are analyzed and interpreted. Numerical values are given for the van der Waals shifts of the noble gas liquids. Difficulties associated with the extension of the theory to polyatomic molecules are discussed, and appropriately modified parameters are suggested. Numerical estimates so obtained for CH4 and CF4 are in good agreement with experimental data.
Successful reproduction by the eastern larch beetle (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the absence of an overwintering period

Eastern larch beetles, Dendroctonus simplex LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae), are monophagous, phloem-feeding herbivores of eastern larch (tamarack), Larix laricina (Du Roi) Koch (Pinaceae). Recently dead or moribund trees are preferentially colonised. Outbreaks of eastern larch beetles are generally localised and short-lived, although a large outbreak has been occurring in the Great Lakes region of North America since 2000. The beetle is reported as univoltine, with a single, spring-emergent, reproductive parent generation establishing one to three sibling broods per year. Some progeny emerging during summer or fall re-enter the tree bole close to ground level to overwinter, while remaining brood adults overwinter within pupal chambers in situ. Owing to these behaviours, eastern larch beetles have been suggested to possess an obligate overwintering reproductive diapause. However, studies have not confirmed this hypothesis. We tested the reproductive viability of non-overwintered progeny in three laboratory experiments. Non-overwintered progeny were reproductively viable, suggesting that a portion of the population may exhibit a facultative adult overwintering diapause. Progeny that emerged naturally from the host (i.e., putative fall-emergers) demonstrated reproductive rates almost six-fold those of manually extracted insects demonstrating a propensity to remain in situ (i.e., putative spring-emergers). These results shed new light onto the reproductive behaviour of eastern larch beetles, and suggest that future population dynamics may be influenced by a warming climate.
Mapping and sensing microfluidic chemical reactions using a frequency domain terahertz system

We report a novel chemical and biological sensing metrology by combining both frequency-domain terahertz and microfluidic techniques through the quasi-optical approach. Using this sensing platform, a variety of chemicals have been examined over the frequency range of 0.57–0.63 THz. In addition, real-time monitoring and THz mapping of two-stream mixtures and diffusions in a microfluidic device are also successfully demonstrated. This strategy represents a versatile approach that may enable a wide range of chemical and biological applications.
Nonverbal communication and psychology: Past and future

In this article, we explore the relationship between the study of nonverbal communication and psychology. The study of nonverbal communication originated in the 1950's primarily as a cross‐disciplinary effort on the part of psychiatrists, linguists, and anthropologists. This was followed in the 1960's and 1970's by an explosion of empirical research, books, and popular media attention. In the 1980's psychologists began to regularly incorporate nonverbal communication variables into new research. Attention to nonverbal cues waned, however, as the cognitive revolution gained momentum. In this decade, there is a resurgence of interest in nonverbal communication, particularly among those who study emotion, psychophysiology, and person perception. The future of nonverbal communication may lie where it started; as an interdisciplinary endeavor.
Fractones and other basal laminae in the hypothalamus.

The physiological role of basal laminae (BL) and connective tissue (meninges and their projections) in the adult brain is unknown. We recently described novel forms of BL, termed fractones, in the most neurogenic zone of the adult brain, the subependymal layer (SEL) of the lateral ventricle. Here, we investigated the organization of BL throughout the hypothalamus, using confocal and electron microscopy. New types of BL were identified. First, fractones, similar to those found in the lateral ventricle wall, were regularly arranged along the walls of the third ventricle. Fractones consisted of labyrinthine BL projecting from SEL blood vessels to terminate immediately beneath the ependyma. Numerous processes of astrocytes and of microglial cells directly contacted fractones. Second, another form of BL projection, termed anastomotic BL, was found between capillaries in dense capillary beds. The anastomotic BL enclosed extraparenchymal cells that networked with the perivascular cells coursing in the sheaths of adjacent blood vessels. Vimentin immunoreactivity was often detected in the anastomotic BL. In addition, the anastomotic BL overlying macrophages contained numerous fibrils of collagen. We also found that the BL located at the pial surface formed labyrinthine tube-like structures enclosing numerous fibroblast and astrocyte endfeet, with pouches of collagen fibrils at the interface between the two cell types. We suggest that cytokines and growth factors produced by connective tissue cells might concentrate in BL, where their interactions with extracellular matrix proteins might contribute to their effects on the overlying neural tissue, promoting cytogenesis and morphological changes and participating in neuroendocrine regulation.
Youth physical activity resource use and activity measured by accelerometry

OBJECTIVES To examine whether use of physical activity resources (eg, parks) was associated with daily physical activity measured by accelerometry. METHODS One hundred eleven adolescents completed a travel diary with concurrent accelerometry. The main exposure was self-reported use of a physical activity resource (none /1+ resources). The main outcomes were total minutes spent in daily (1) moderate-vigorous physical activity and (2) vigorous physical activity. RESULTS Using a physical activity resource was significantly associated with total minutes in moderate-vigorous physical activity. African Americans and males had significantly greater moderate-vigorous physical activity. CONCLUSIONS Results from this study support the development and use of physical activity resources.
Climate model simulations of the observed early-2000s hiatus of global warming

Accounting for natural decadal variability allows better prediction of short-term trends. This study looks at the ability of individual models, which are in phase with the Interdecadal Pacific Oscillation, to simulate the current global warming slowdown. The authors highlight that the current trend could have been predicted in the 1990s with this technique and the need for consistent hindcast skills to allow reliable decadal predictions.
Implications of fertility patterns in the Republic of Korea: A study by computer simulation

Abstract Implications of various fertility patterns in the Republic of Korea (ROK) are studied by computer simulation. These patterns include the factors: age of marriage, sex preference, abortion (induced), contraception and sterilisation. As a result of studying a large number of combinations of these factors, the following tentative conclusions, among others, are reached. If future cohorts of women in the ROK become limiters after two live births and marry according to an observed high level marriage distribution, at least two of the methods of birth control—abortion, contraception, and sterilisation—will have to be used extensively to yield a mean number of live births (MNLB) in these cohorts of the order 2·2. However, if these women marry later than the observed high level marriage distribution and, in addition, accept effective methods of contraception more widely and use them more effectively, then the MNLB experienced by these cohorts could move below 2·5 without the extensive utilisation of abortion and sterilisation.
Structure of 2G12 Fab2 in complex with soluble and fully glycosylated HIV-1 Env by negative-stain single-particle electron microscopy.

ABSTRACT The neutralizing anti-HIV-1 antibody 2G12 is of particular interest due to the sterilizing protection it provides from viral challenge in animal models. 2G12 is a unique, domain-exchanged antibody that binds exclusively to conserved N-linked glycans that form the high-mannose patch on the gp120 outer domain centered on a glycan at position N332. Several glycans in and around the 2G12 epitope have been shown to interact with other potent, broadly neutralizing antibodies; therefore, this region constitutes a supersite of vulnerability on gp120. While crystal structures of 2G12 and 2G12 bound to high-mannose glycans have been solved, no structural information that describes the interaction of 2G12 with gp120 or the Env trimer is available. Here, we present a negative-stain single-particle electron microscopy reconstruction of 2G12 Fab 2 in complex with a soluble, trimeric Env at ∼17-A resolution that reveals the antibody9s interaction with its native and fully glycosylated epitope. We also mapped relevant glycans in this epitope by fitting high-resolution crystal structures and by performing neutralization assays of glycan knockouts. In addition, a reconstruction at ∼26 A of the ternary complex formed by 2G12 Fab 2 , soluble CD4, and Env indicates that 2G12 may block membrane fusion by induced steric hindrance upon primary receptor binding, thereby abrogating Env9s interaction with coreceptor(s). These structures provide a basis for understanding 2G12 binding and neutralization, and our low-resolution model and glycan assignments provide a basis for higher-resolution studies to determine the molecular nature of the 2G12 epitope. IMPORTANCE HIV-1 is a human virus that results in the deaths of millions of people around the world each year. While there are several effective therapeutics available to prolong life, a vaccine is the best long-term solution for curbing this global epidemic. Here, we present structural data that reveal the viral binding site of one of the first HIV-1-neutralizing antibodies isolated, 2G12, and provide a rationale for its effectiveness. These structures provide a basis for higher-resolution studies to determine the molecular nature of the 2G12 epitope, which will aid in vaccine design and antibody-based therapies.
Acute exercise ameliorates differences in insulin resistance between physically active and sedentary overweight adults

Although regular exercise is associated with reduced cardiometabolic disease risk among overweight adults, it remains unclear whether much of the health benefits of exercise are derived from the most recent session(s) of exercise or if they are the result of adaptations stemming from weeks, months, or even years of training. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of habitual and acute exercise on key markers of cardiometabolic disease risk in overweight adults. We compared insulin sensitivity index (ISI) using an oral glucose tolerance test, blood pressure (BP), blood lipids, and systemic inflammatory cytokines in 12 overweight to mildly obese adults (BMI: 27-34 kg/m2) who exercise regularly (EX; >2.5 h exercise per week) with a well-matched cohort of 12 nonexercisers (Non-EX). Baseline measurements in EX were performed exactly 3 days after exercise, whereas Non-EX remained sedentary. We repeated these measurements the day after a session of exercise in both groups. At baseline, ISI was significantly greater in EX versus Non-EX (3.1 ± 0.2 vs. 2.3 ± 0.2; p = 0.02), but BP, blood lipids, and plasma concentration of the systemic inflammatory cytokines we measured were not different between groups. Acute exercise increased ISI the next morning in Non-EX (2.3 ± 0.2 vs. 2.8 ± 0.3; p = 0.03) but not EX. As a result, ISI was similar between groups the morning after exercise. In summary, exercising regularly was accompanied by a persistent improvement in insulin sensitivity that lasted at least 3 days after exercise in overweight adults, but just one session of exercise increased insulin sensitivity among sedentary overweight adults to levels equivalent to the regular exercisers.
A matrix of fundamental solutions in the theory of plate oscillations

Abstract A matrix of fundamental solutions is constructed for the operator governing the high-frequency oscillations of a plate with transverse shear deformation. Important properties of the corresponding wave functions and layer potentials are discussed, as an essential step in the development of numerical boundary element methods.
Ceftriaxone-induced up-regulation of cortical and striatal GLT1 in the R6/2 model of Huntington's disease.

Background Huntington's disease (HD) is an inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cortico-striatal dysfunction and loss of glutamate uptake. At 7 weeks of age, R6/2 mice, which model an aggressive form of juvenile HD, show a glutamate-uptake deficit in striatum that can be reversed by treatment with ceftriaxone, a β-lactam antibiotic that increases GLT1 expression. Only at advanced ages (> 11 weeks), however, do R6/2 mice show an actual loss of striatal GLT1. Here, we tested whether ceftriaxone can reverse the decline in GLT1 expression that occurs in older R6/2s.
On the gold contents of rocks

Forty-one materials have been examined for their gold contents by a neutron activation technique. The spread in gold concentrations was found to be relatively narrow, between 0.6 and 44 parts per billion, for the fairly wide variety of samples. A crustal gold abundance of ~2.5 ppb is indicated.
Effect of Discharge Cutoff Voltage on Reversibility of Lithium/Sulfur Batteries with LiNO3-Contained Electrolyte

LiNO3 is unique in suppressing the redox shuttle of lithium polysulfides in Li/S battery. In this paper we evaluate the effect of discharge cutoff voltage on the reversibility of Li/S battery with a LiNO3-contained electrolyte. Based on a study of the liquid Li/S cells with a 0.05 m Li2S9 solution as the catholyte, we find that the highly reversible discharge and charge cycling of Li/S cells occurs at higher than 1.8 V vs. Li/Li+, which corresponds to a multistage redox process of the sulfur cathode between elemental sulfur and insoluble Li2S2. At lower potentials, not only the Li2S2 is reduced into poorly reversible Li2S, but also the LiNO3 is reduced irreversibly. Moreover, the irreversible reduction of LiNO3 further reduces the reversibility of the poorly reversible Li2S, resulting in a significant slowdown in the electrode reaction kinetics and a permanent loss in the reversibility of the Li/S cell. This work suggests that deep discharge must be avoided for a long cycle life Li/S battery when LiNO3 is used as an additive or a co-salt of the electrolyte.
Matching LCSH and User Vocabulary in the Library Catalog

Central to subject searching is the match between user vocabulary and the headings from Library of Congress Subject-Headings (LCSH) used in a library catalog. This paper evaluates previous matching studies, proposes a detailed list of matching categories, and tests LCSH in a study using these categories. Exact and partial match categories are defined for single LCSH and multiple LCSH matches to user expressions. One no-match category is included. Transaction logs from ORION, UCLA's online Information system, were used to collect user expressions for a comparison of LCSH and user language. Results show that single LCSH headings match user expressions exactly about 47% of the time; that single subject heading matches, including exact matches, comprise 74% of the total; that partial matches, to both single and multiple headings, comprise about 21% of the total; and that no match occurs 5% of the time.
Comparison of Ultraviolet and Liquid Chromatographic Methods for Dissolution Testing of Sodium Phenytoin Capsules

An in vitro dissolution procedure for phenytoin (5, 5-diphenylhydantoin) products, which utilizes a UV method of analysis, is compared with an HPLC method. The UV method is subject to interference due to inactive materials and decomposition products. One of the inactive materials was identified as the synthetic precursor, benzophenone. The decomposed and degraded capsule contained brown material probably due to alkaline hydrolysis of lactose in the capsule. Both benzophenone and the brown material had significant UV absorption in the phenytoin region. Consequently, a simple, specific, and sensitive HPLC method for dissolution testing of phenytoin has been developed. Comparison of the results of the UV and HPLC methods indicates that the UV method may result in up to 51% higher dissolution values, depending on the presence of inactive ingredients and the purity of the product.
The initial stages of radiation damage in ionic liquids and ionic liquid-based extraction systems.

Radical intermediates generated in radiolysis and photoionization of ionic liquids (ILs) composed of ammonium, phosphonium, pyrrolidinium, and imidazolium cations and bis(triflyl)amide, dicyanamide...
The Role of the C-terminal Extension (CTE) of the Estrogen Receptor α and β DNA Binding Domain in DNA Binding and Interaction with HMGB

HMGB-1/-2 are coregulatory proteins that facilitate the DNA binding and transcriptional activity of steroid receptor members of the nuclear receptor family of transcription factors. We investigated the influence and mechanism of action of HMGB-1/-2 (formerly known as HMG-1/-2) on estrogen receptor α (ERα) and ERβ. Both ER subtypes were responsive to HMGB-1/-2 with respect to enhancement of receptor DNA binding affinity and transcriptional activity in cells. Responsiveness to HMGB-1/-2 was dependent on the C-terminal extension (CTE) region of the ER DNA binding domain (DBD) and correlated with a direct protein interaction between HMGB-1/-2 and the CTE. Thus the previously reported higher DNA binding affinity and transcription activity of ERα as compared with ERβ is not due to a lack of ERβ interaction with HMGB-1/-2. Using chimeric receptor DBDs, the higher intrinsic DNA binding affinity of ERα than ERβ was shown to be due to a unique property of the ERα CTE, independent of HMGB-1/-2. The CTE of both ER subtypes was also shown to be required for interaction with ERE half-sites. These studies reveal the importance of the CTE and HMGB-1/-2 for ERα and ERβ interaction with their cognate target DNAs.
Dynamic value voting and governance applications

We discuss procedures that can be used by a group of voters to choose one from a set of alternatives on each of a series of elections. Our search is for procedures that do well for the group given some measure of group success. We approach this very general problem by considering a game that can be interpreted in terms of various kinds of practical applications, and outline some such applications. Our emphasis is on a dynamic procedure that enables the voters to vary the number of times they are counted on each vote, to reflect the varying importance of the votes from their standpoint, from a constant total allocation of votes for all voters combined. The final selection of an alternative is sometimes made probabilistically, calculated so as to maximize the expected value of the geometric mean of the normalized utility values supplied by the voters. We show that the dynamic procedure and the probabilistic selection have interesting consequences, well worth consideration for some applications. One application is a governance procedure for a university, specifically for Stanford University as an example.
Breast cancer chemoprevention : tamoxifen : current issues and future prospective

Intervention clinical trials are under way to address whether tamoxifen can prevent breast cancer development. This effort is based on laboratory evidence that tamoxifen interferes with the initiation and promotion of mammary cancer, clinical evidence of decreased breast cancer incidence in the opposite breast of women participating in tamoxifen adjuvant breast cancer trials, and a favorable toxicity profile of tamoxifen providing reasonable assurance of drug safety when used in a population without cancer. The apparently favorable effects of tamoxifen on lipid metabolism and bone mineral density provide additional impetus to this evaluation. Potentially life threatening toxicity of thromboembolism and development of a second cancer remain concerns. With respect to implications of such clinical trials, even upon successful study completion, difficult issues will remain; these issues include the potential for interaction between tamoxifen and dietary fat reduction (also proposed as potential breast cancer prevention), the cost and cost-effectiveness of wide scale (or selective) implementation of positive results, and the generalizability of study results to socioeconomically disadvantaged and racial and ethnic minority populations that historically have been under-represented in medical clinical trials. These important issues should be addressed concurrently as large-scale prevention trials go forward to optimize the practical utility of efficacy data obtained.
GERONTOLOGICAL SOCIAL WORK: A CURRICULUM REVIEW

Abstract This article presents findings on the current state of development of gerontological content in the curricula of the nation's graduate schools of social work. The findings indicate that schools of social work have made a significant start toward incorporating gerontological content. Four basic models are proposed to accommodate an anticipated further expansion in gerontological social work education.
Opiates inhibit paclitaxel uptake by P-glycoprotein in preparations of human placental inside-out vesicles

The use of either methadone or buprenorphine for treatment of the pregnant opiate-dependent patient improves maternal and neonatal outcome. However, patient outcomes are often complicated by neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The incidence and severity of NAS should depend on opiate concentration in the fetal circulation. Efflux transporters expressed in human placental brush border membranes decrease fetal exposure to medications by their extrusion to the maternal circulation. Accordingly, the concentration of either methadone or buprenorphine in the fetal circulation is, in part, dependent on the activity of the efflux transporters. The objective of this study was to characterize the activity of P-gp and its interaction with opiates in the placental apical membrane. Therefore, brush border membrane vesicles were prepared from human placenta. The vesicles were oriented approximately 75% inside-out, exhibited saturable ATP-dependent uptake of P-gp substrate [(3)H]-paclitaxel with an apparent K(t) of 66+/-38 nM and V(max) of 20+/-3 pmol mg protein (-1)min(-1). Methadone, buprenorphine, and morphine inhibited paclitaxel transport with apparent K(i) of 18, 44, and 90 microM, respectively. Our data indicate that a method has been established to determine the activity of the efflux transporter P-gp, expressed in placental brush border membranes, and the kinetics for the transfer of its prototypic substrate paclitaxel. Furthermore, the method was used to determine the effects of methadone, buprenorphine, and morphine on paclitaxel transfer by placental P-gp and revealed that they have higher affinity to the transporter than its classical inhibitor verapamil (K(i), 300 microM).
LIVEcut: Learning-based interactive video segmentation by evaluation of multiple propagated cues

Video sequences contain many cues that may be used to segment objects in them, such as color, gradient, color adjacency, shape, temporal coherence, camera and object motion, and easily-trackable points. This paper introduces LIVEcut, a novel method for interactively selecting objects in video sequences by extracting and leveraging as much of this information as possible. Using a graph-cut optimization framework, LIVEcut propagates the selection forward frame by frame, allowing the user to correct any mistakes along the way if needed. Enhanced methods of extracting many of the features are provided. In order to use the most accurate information from the various potentially-conflicting features, each feature is automatically weighted locally based on its estimated accuracy using the previous implicitly-validated frame. Feature weights are further updated by learning from the user corrections required in the previous frame. The effectiveness of LIVEcut is shown through timing comparisons to other interactive methods, accuracy comparisons to unsupervised methods, and qualitatively through selections on various video sequences.
Purification and Characterization of Recombinant Tomato Fruit (Lycopersicon esculentumMill.) Fructokinase Expressed inEscherichia coli

Abstract Fructokinase (FK; ATP: d -fructose 6-phosphotransferase, EC 2.7.1.4) cloned from a tomato fruit cDNA library has been expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant protein was purified 159-fold to greater than 99% purity, based on SDS–PAGE analysis. The subunit molecular mass is estimated to be 35 kDa and the nondissociated molecular mass is 72.4 kDa, indicating that the functional form is a dimer. Two-dimensional IEF/SDS–PAGE analyses combined with immunodetection show that both native and recombinant proteins exhibit the same pattern of six closely grouped peptides with p I values ranging from 5.66 to 6.17. Biochemical characterization of the purified recombinant enzyme shows properties essentially identical to those of the native fructokinase purified from young tomato fruit: the pH optimum is 8.0, the K m for fructose is 0.22 m m , and severe substrate inhibition is observed when fructose concentration is greater than 0.5 m m ( K i = 3.0 m m ). ATP is the preferred phosphate donor ( K m = 0.13 m m and V max / K m = 212), followed by GTP ( K m = 0.45 m m and V max / K m = 76) and UTP ( K m = 1.68 m m and V max / K m = 20), but V max values are slightly greater with GTP and UTP. Product inhibition analyses show that the inhibition by ADP with respect to ATP is dependent on fructose concentration [ K i (ADP) = 0.41 m m with 0.5 m m fructose and decreased to 0.12 m m with 3 m m fructose]. Inhibition by fructose 6-P shows weak noncompetitive inhibition with respect to fructose; however, the recombinant protein is slightly more sensitive to fructose 6-P than the native FK.
On Proposal Functions for Cost-Reference Particle Filtering

Standard particle filtering (SPF) schemes rely on the availability of probability distributions of the state and observation noises involved in the dynamic state space model. Cost reference particle filtering (CRPF) techniques have proven to be a viable and robust alternative in situations when the probability distributions of these noise processes are unknown. In this paper, we propose two new CRPF methods which use different proposal functions from the one of the original CRPF method. The proposed algorithms are applied to target tracking in a wireless sensor network. The performance of the proposed methods is demonstrated by computer simulations
Glucose, insulin and potassium for heart protection during cardiac surgery

Background Coronary artery bypass grafting with hypothermic cardiac arrest and cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is associated with myocardial injury. Our study investigated whether an infusion of glucose, insulin and potassium (GIK) during elective coronary artery bypass surgery decreases myocardial cell death. Methods We measured cardiac troponin I (cTnI), a myofibrillar structural protein, which is a sensitive and specific indicator of myocytic injury. With ethics committee approval, 42 patients were enrolled into a randomized, prospective, double-blinded study. In the GIK group, 500 ml of 50% dextrose solution containing 100 IU insulin and potassium 80 mmol was infused at the rate of 0.75 ml kg−1 h−1. Patients in the non-GIK group received 5% dextrose solution at the same rate. Arterial blood samples were taken before induction of anaesthesia, after removal of the aortic clamp and 6 and 12 h after CPB. Results In both groups there was an increase in cTnI concentration (P Conclusion The results suggest that GIK does not decrease the irreversible myocardial damage associated with routine coronary artery bypass surgery.
Marital conflict and the quality of young children's peer play behavior: the mediating and moderating role of parent-child emotional reciprocity and attachment security.

Parent‐child attachment security and dyadic measures of parent‐child positive and negative emotional reciprocity were examined as possible mediators and moderators of the connection between marital conflict and children’s peer play behavior. Eighty parents were observed in a laboratory play session with their 15- to 18-month-old child. Subsequently, at 36 months children were observed interacting with peers at their child care setting. Connections between marital conflict and children’s positive peer interaction were mediated by mother‐child attachment security, mother‐child positive emotional reciprocity, and father‐child negative emotional reciprocity. Connections between marital conflict and children’s negative peer interaction were mediated by mother‐child positive emotional reciprocity and father‐child attachment security. Parent‐child attachment security and negative emotional reciprocity emerged as important moderators of the connection between marital conflict and children’s peer play behavior.
Seeking Escape: The Use of Escape Clauses in International Trade Agreements

In agreements that include flexibility enhancing mechanisms such as escape clauses, how do institutions realize the benefits of flexibility while preventing its abuse? The conventional wisdom is that escape clauses must be made costly, but I show this claim to be at odds with empirical observation. In the GATT/WTO, the institution where escape clauses are most prevalent, compensation following escape was only widespread in the 1950s. Since then, it has been progressively abandoned, in favor of appeals to exception. This alternative mechanism relies on an institution's ability to verify the severity and exogeneity of the domestic circumstances of states seeking temporary escape. Relying heavily on GATT archives, I show how early on in the institution, members had made the link between costless escape and increased monitoring, and pursued reforms to achieve both objectives. The success of members’ ability to verify escapees’ domestic circumstances is observed in the record of safeguard disputes throughout the GATT/WTO's history. Finally, I use the hypothesized link between verifiable information and the chosen escape mechanism to explain an otherwise puzzling GATT incident, that of French emergency trade measures in 1968.
Mucoid Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis: signal transduction and histone-like elements in the regulation of bacterial virulence.

Summary The profuse production of the exopolysaccharide alginate results in mucoidy, a critical virulence factor expressed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa during chronic respiratory tract infections in cystic fibrosis. Studies of the regulation of this pathogenic determinant have unravelled at least two levels of control, including bacterial signal transduction systems and histone-like elements. Although only in its initial phase, an understanding of the dual control of mucoidy may help to illuminate adaptive processes that depend on the combination of these regulatory factors. Integration of specific signals transduced by the two-component systems with inputs generated by the general state of bacterial nucleoids may govern the expression of certain virulence determinants and provide a framework facilitating selection of pheno-types successful under particular environmental conditions and selective pressures.
Simplified technique for intraaortic balloon insertion.

Abstract A simple technique for insertion and removal of an intraaortic balloon catheter is described. We have used it in 20 patients in the past six months, and the incidence of thrombi around the junction of the Dacron patch and the artery has been lessened. The presence of a foreign body can be avoided also. We have not encountered any incidence of regional vascular compromise.
Modeling Human, Social, Cultural or Behavioral Events for Real World Applications: Results and Implications from the State Stability Project

Research analysts and decisions makers must find new, more efficient ways to assess world events. Time demands have increasingly exposed limitations in traditional wholly human-based analysis and the capabilities of current HSCB analysis frameworks. Facing such limitations, decision makers seek more automated accessible solutions that combine human HSCB assessment expertise and technology. This paper discusses the underpinnings of the Linguistic Pattern Analyzer (LPA) designed as a platform to instantiate HSCB models, extract and measure HSCB inputs, and produce assessments automatically. Included in the discussion are results from a recently concluded study showing how one conceptual HSCB model was automated through combining human expertise, metrics, and the LPA.
Contributions in Mathematical Approaches to Steganalysis

Current steganalysis techniques focus on detecting the secret message or estimating some parameters of secret message such as its length. In this work we develop a steganalysis technique that estimates the secret message itself. Most steganalysis algorithms are histogram based and such techniques fail if the cover distribution is preserved after embedding. One such distribution preserving steganographic technique is proposed. To cater to such hiding strategies a steganalysis algorithm is developed which unlike its counterparts is not training based. Instead it is a deterministic algorithm formulated along the lines of Bayesian inference techniques. The knowledge about the embedding process and the cover medium is sufficiently exploited as apriori information. We develop such a technique for spatial bit plane embedding. For spread spectrum type embedding a source separation formulation is used in separating the message carrying signal from the host using certain prior information about the embedding process and the host medium.